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Relaxation Break for Remixers

uploaded: Wed, Jul 2, 2008 @ 10:23 PM

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Relaxation Break for Remixers By essesq

LS’s recent self help post on safety for remixers gave me another idea and that was to post something to help us mixters calm down when it just gets too hot under those headphones. For me that moment hits about 5 minutes into the project. The exercise is in two parts. The first part, “The Purge” you do on your own and the second part: “Relaxation for the Remixer” requires the audio. Instructions and text follow.

Part I: The Purge

Initially you must get rid of all the frustration you have built up so gather together a list of all the expletives and other useful anger expressing tools you have (please avoid weapons and sharp objects) – for you rappers this may take a little while, perhaps set aside an afternoon. Next make a list of all the things that are vexing you in your project, for example: your audio production software, your computing hardware, your instruments, the sound files you are working with, the other mixters that do this way better than you do, your family/significant other who won’t let you just work on this stuff at some normal hour of the day rather than at 2:00AM, your boss that expects you to be bright eyed after you spent 10 hours straight staring at a screen and forgot to remove your contact lenses so now they are permanently arc-welded to your eyeballs and you can’t see. With both lists prepared simply yell out the expletives and the vexations alternately until both lists are entirely exhausted. If it helps, jump up and down while you do it.

…there now, isn’t that better ….?

Part II: Relaxation for the Remixer (please turn on the audio portion of this exercise now)

First, exit out of any music project you are working on and any e-mail or messaging program you may have so that you can focus on what I am saying. Leave your monitor on so that you can pause the audio if you need to.

Next, go and pour a glass of wine or grab a beer so that you can reach for it easily. If you are still wearing those tight leather pants for that 70’s disco mix you were working on, lose them. Ladies that goes for the corsets too, lets unwind people, it’s one big Control Z we are after.

If you can listen on speakers then it would be a good idea to slip off the headphones now. They only remind you of mixing. Close your eyes and tip back your head and rest it on the back of your chair. Imagine a tranquil beach with the waves rolling in, feel your breath rise and fall as each wave rolls in and flows back out to sea. That’s right, in … out in… out. A breeze is gently blowing across your whole body carrying away all those bad notes, technical problems, sound artifacts and rotten comments you have received. You are being washed clean by these gentle fingers of air.

Now feel the gentle warmth of the sun flow energy into your body reviving you. As a warm towel does after a cool shower you are comforted by these rays. Tighten and release each of your muscle groups beginning with your feet and progressing up to your ankles, your calves, your thighs, your butt, your lower torso, your upper torso, your hands, your lower arms, your upper arms, your shoulders, your neck and finally the muscles of your face and head. Then take your hands and gently massage the areas around your ears where you headphones sit. This will bring bloodflow to the ears and also revive your hands which are probably locked up from too much mouse clicking or guitar picking or whatever.

Open your eyes briefly so that you can locate the beverage you collected earlier and take a sip. Feel it inside your mouth gently rolling over your tongue. See how freely and easily it glides, so shall your music and creativity flow through you as you return to your project.

Gently stretch all your muscles and imagine your creativity and talents stretching to their highest levels ever. Reach up to the sky and down to the floor. You are a remixer and nothing can contain you.

Open your eyes slowly, finish your drink and return to your project refreshed and renewed. Happy mixing.

acappella, media, deep_breathing, female_vocals, humor, new_age, parody, relaxation, self_help, spoken_word, non_commercial, audio, mp3, 44k, mono, CBR

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