You know how when you're working on a song, you often lose touch with how a fresh, outside person hears it, and thus can't tell if you're doing something wrong? Is there some trick you can use to hear your song from a fresh perspective? (not counting just putting it aside for a week, which isn't very productive.) I know that in digital art, if you reverse your image horizontally, you can suddenly see it anew, and immediately spot your mistakes. Does music have such a trick?

(If not, someone should develop one. I'm SURE there's a way.)

Thanks.

Sleep on it perhaps?

I find that listening to it "cold" in the morning after an evening spent composing lets me see it in a new light. Normally you hear a whole load of problems you didn't notice while you were in the heat of writing.

Alternatively, try switching what you're listening to it on. Plug your headphones in, or have an A/B switch between your monitors and a standard set of multimedia speakers. The different speakers will emphasise different areas of the piece and allow you to hear elements you might have missed going through just one set.

Hello,

Good question.

There's lots of things you can do!

• Like Jonny suggested, listen to it in different environments and at different daytimes. This includes listening to your song really loud and really quiet. A general rule of thumb is that you should be able to spot every element in your mix even at the lowest audible volume.
  

• Especially with media music: have your music running to different images. You'll discover new things about your track and get fresh ideas that way.
  

• Reduce your track. The most common mistake when starting out with music production is doing too much. E.g. just have the percussion tracks running. Do they leave enough place for the rest of the music or is it already too much?
  

• Listen to your track in Mono! Not just because of compatibility, but also to factor out panorama from the complex hearing experience. A good track will sound good in Mono, too.
  

• Make notes on paper while listening to your track. Not in Word or Notepad, but with a real pen on real paper. This might sound a bit silly, but putting your goals with this track down like this will make you want to achieve them.
  

• This isn't really a trick, but don't forget to give your ears a rest. I like to leave my computer for at least once every two hours, maybe go downstairs, take a stroll around the block. No computer screen, no cat videos on YouTube, no other music, just fresh air and imagining how you'd like to continue with the track.
  

Cheers,
Moritz

This is a great thread with some really solid ideas. Here are some other ideas or musical approaches to try which are not already listed:

- Change the key - especially if you're playing it in yourself instead of the mouse-n-click method. I can't quite explain but sometimes just playing in a new key for me presents new options and avenues. It shouldn't make a different but for some reason new chord progressions or inversions pop up in my mind when playing in a new key.

- Change the time signature or impose a new one in spots.

- Change up the instrumentation

- Change the harmonies - playing in minor? See how it works in major? Or try one of the other modes.

- Take a walk - get out of the house (or studio)! It's amazing how much that refreshes me and gives me more ideas.

- Get some feedback from someone you trust and admire.

Hope that helps out some,

Nate