The most powerful lesson I've learned…

[@MarcoLehmannMusic]

Saying no to certain jobs/clients becomes more important the further you get into the pro audio world! Good advice I can totally approve after more than 20 years in this biz. 👍

[@poor_impulsive]

haha indeed

[@briankingart]

Brilliant! Your message is clear and succinct and you're spot on. I'm 71 years old and have had at least seven careers. No is the answer. Don't do it if it feels wrong. Very simple advice. To all of you out there, please remember, your sanity and happiness are paramount. Time is your life's only currency. Love and peace to you.

[@jamesjames77777]

Amen to that brother ❤️

[@poor_impulsive]

word to the mummy

[@precursor4263]

7 careers is pretty rad. What did you do? I'm currently a teacher in biology after a bit of research in my masters. I'm also working as a freelance audio engineer :)

[@Neekzu]

The most powerful lesson to learn… ..is when you press bypass and it sounds better 😂

[@poor_impulsive]

gold

[@0374studio]

Ruby even 😂

[@RodneyMcMinge]

Welcome to my world of turd polishing. Over fifty years of polishing. I'd say , earlier on, about 65% of jobs were exactly this. Or dealing with producers who would ask questions like " Can you make that guitar track sound a little more yellow " 🙄. I've had it from both sides. Either behind the desk or as a session player. You're very right. It's very easy to lose the love. Like you, i'm genre orientated. This has led me to stop playing on sessions for others, shrink the studio down and take on projects only, as well as my own material. It all sounds a bit drastic....but......the love came back after doing this.

[@greeneyes66]

A very important point ! I had to learn the hard way with certain clients, it's a mistake if you don't draw the line somewhere - for fear of losing the client.

[@delmixedit]

Great message. Very hard to do; particularly when you’re just trying to keep your head above water.

[@d1g1dave]

It pleases me that you have learnt this lesson at such a young age! Enjoy your life, it is the only one you will ever have. Make the content when it suits you - for you, I will wait. Keep pushing...........

[@tonyshaffer5013]

Working for hire in a life in music for decades, I think the key is knowing *when* to say NO, which depends on knowing *when* to say YES. The guideline I was given long ago was three standards for saying YES: 1. money; 2. fun; 3. experience (something worth doing for whatever reason). So, YES always to something offering all three. YES most of the time if two of the three are there. YES if only one is there, but it's REALLY GOOD. NO if none of the three are present. I too was taught never to turn down paying work...until I have enough of it to be able to pick and choose.

[@martincraig2453]

Total respect.

[@fitdogStudios]

Don’t fret over how talented the artist is. In situations where talent is in short supply I switch my mindset to mindfulness and simply use my technical skills to solve the myriad of issues that need fixing. I have had many a situation where the client ends up in happy tears over what they have achieved. It is a joy to be part of. You would most certainly review the result as average at best, but music is for the masses too and not just for the uber talented elite. Final note , the lower down the music scene heirarchy you go the more reasonable and friendly the clients become. Final tip for all studios is payment up front. We have done this since covid times and will never go back. No stress of chasing up payment.

[@TheGarageRecordingSC]

I had a hard time saying no, so to help myself out, I raised my rates to a point where only the serious clients were calling. 👍🏻😊

[@kvalsoniclab9152]

This lesson is so important, I agree 100%. I even agree that happiness is more important than money. Way more.

[@cjcurcio]

My parents ALWAYS supported me too! So fortunate for you!

[@jamesjames77777]

FWIW - running a studio is a very different headspace to “becoming a mix engineer”. I’m a professional producer/writer and if I just took on any clients, I’d have money but no career. What you put your name to is everything you’re known for. I carefully pick and choose which label artists I want to be associated with now.

[@jmorrisey79]

Ok but you have to start somewhere and take whatever work you can get. When you're established and get to where you can pick and choose who you work with or control your workload is a completely different story. I'm not understanding what you're getting at here. You have to earn your place.

[@jamesjames77777]

@@jmorrisey79 of course you have to earn your place, but you can still choose where you put your efforts and the sounds/styles you align yourself with. I had a number 3 in the UK when I was 22 - it was a pop band and I spent years trying to get away from others thinking of me as “that pop guy”. I took bar jobs, building jobs, basically anything to keep me afloat while working for free and “proving myself” but I had a bigger eye on getting in with the artists I preferred, even if they were unsigned and unpaid. Now I write and produce with Lewis Capaldi, Dermot Kennedy, Vance Joy, Raye etc and the sessions I’m going into are the ones that are right for me and what I do. If I was running a studio, the incentive would be to get any clients in to keep the studio afloat. Does that clear it up?

[@poor_impulsive]

@@jmorrisey79 ya gotta do what ya gotta do - without going mad and becoming someones puppet, having fear pull your strings. "Do yourself a favor... Be your own Boss." some wise words from Mr. Dabbla AKA Poppa Smurf - Hot Sauce Boss - and other hilarious bs aliases

[@jmorrisey79]

​@@jamesjames77777 i highly doubt you were dubbed "the pop guy" after 1 track you did that charted. At least not by anyone other than yourself. There's grunt work when starting off in any field. You have to pay your dues. Cool.. your approach worked for you. That's awesome. But what you're saying doesn't clear anything up. Not everybody takes the same path.. or are able to take the same path. Besides.. in music production it's good to have range and learn techniques used in different genres/styles of music. You gained knowledge and experience. You're crying about having to start at the bottom bro. You only wanted to do specific types of music but you had to work your way up to where you could get to that point while also have a sustainable income. That's how it goes. Congrats. You made it.

[@jmorrisey79]

​@@poor_impulsive ain't that what I was saying? You gotta do what you gotta do.. and that includes starting at the bottom and doing things you really don't like or want to do. Once you're experienced enough and established then you can start picking and choosing.

[@akagerhard]

I often call you out when I believe you are mistaken, but I know and believe that this is very good advice! I'll just add one thing: One first has to get to a point where one CAN say "no". This has many levels (financial, networking, image, confidence (emotional, mental)). But yes, generally one should not do things one doesn't want to do - IF one has a choice (and often we have more of a choice than we think - in the west).

[@BlazonStone]

Somebody starting out will never have good clients to work with Therefor saying no will never lead to experience to finally work with good clients So the advice is good = but most applies to established producers that actually makes a living Most others have to suffer non-paying no-tolent time waste bands and artists hahah

[@JusticeReigns-u5c]

Great perspective! Thank you for your honesty and insight. Love your channel!

[@CapricaSoul]

I would never unsub to a channel because of too few videoes being produced. I have soooo many channels that I am subbed to. I dont keep track of how many videoes the channels make. Together with all the channels Im subbed to there is more videoes than what I have time to watch. There is no pressure for you to publish new videoes. The inspiration/quality of the videoes is what matters. You dont get that by spamming with new videoes all the time. Only publish when YOU are inspired. Happiness is the most important thing. That gets imprinted in the video and the viewer feels it.

[@poor_impulsive]

dnb label innit?

[@lorcazola]

Epic insight and preaching....2:10 couldn't be better said.

[@jamesfreynolds01]

Wise words and agree with your points. Label deadlines are never realistic and the mix process is nearly always rushed. I have often been asked to mix over weekends or into the night only to get a response from the label a few days later. I have learn't not to stress and really understand what the true dealine is.

[@RocketClowns]

Thank you for this video. A valuable lesson for all entrepeneurs in all creative professions. When you have a creative gift, don't spend it so easily on the wrong bidders. Your own well-being comes first. Then you can focus on helping others.

[@CodyMWI]

I agree. Also… know your value. Once you know your value hold to it. Everyone wants a deal but your experience and quality come at a price. Have a bottom line you never cross or you will regret it always. Every time I gave a deal below my bottom line that client always wanted more than agreed upon as well.

[@davidchurch8828]

Great advice. Some people are great at taking advantage of others I suffered a lot by not standing up for myself when I was younger. I understand something of what you're saying

[@markdeboerfotografie]

Een mooie wijze raad! Je kunt deze les niet vroeg genoeg leren. Dat geldt voor alle beroepen en werkzaamheden.

[@EgoPhagist]

power to you buddy keep grinding , you are doing great and we love you .

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

Welcome to th commercial studio business. Did it from 1970 to 2012. I just work on my own material now in my own studio. Took a 100% cut in pay but once again enjoying music. Of course the experience was invaluable in not only knowledge but paid for my retirement.

[@valerie98]

So true! Always try to find the highest ground and happiness! Much more important than money... even though money can make things easier... we probably learn most from the uneasy situations... really inspiring video!

[@matt_nyc_audioengineer]

Thank you for the candid look behind the scenes Wyste! I can relate to 1,000% of this. It's always good to know we're not alone. 🙂

[@VatoGonzalezOfficial]

"What I do not want is the pressure and the power imbalance", I feel ya there mate. There is balance in between saying "no" and still saying "yes" at the semi-shitjobs. Up until you're at a height you can pick 'n choose indiscriminately, there's nothing wrong with being discriminate towards clients that for a better way of describing it; just suck. You've got a certain "standard" of quality you'd love all of your work to have. While I do not doubt your ability to put that 24 karat shine one a pile of horse manure, this can't be good for the love you felt that got you into this in the first place. So, 10/10 for being real. Being human. The insight and honesty you share is rare and shows integrity.

[@Whiteseastudio]

Well said!

[@timbranniganmusic3458]

Great episode. Thank you!

[@rattfink9]

NO gets a strong YES from me!

[@bastosluis244]

Ma men, it's all about self care and self respect! And I can tell you this from experience, once you start loving yourself and what you do, people around you will respect more and you will become even more of an asset to them, because that self respect translates into being open and honest to them, and since you know what you're doing, that means that your opinion is valuable. The more you trust yourself and care for yourself, the more people will follow you around to listen to what you have to say. So, just keep doing what you're doing, you'll see that it'll work out just fine!

[@cubeaceuk9034]

For those of us who have been self employed, that should have been one of your first lessons. Don't live to work, work to live. That may mean different things to different people but I'm with you. Take breaks, learn to switch off your phone or don't look at it after working hours. Don't be afraid to do an appraisal or look at a project before accepting it. You can advise you are not the best person to help with a certain project. I used to work every day of the week but soon realised I could do as much and still take one or two days off a week. Now happily retired the only thing I would say is make sure your pension is more than you think you will need. You can still make it feel like a hobby if you can manage your time more productively and not be afraid to take the odd break and by that I mean take a short walk. Reset your ears and brain by getting outside.

[@ModernArtProductions]

As a producer and songwriter I really felt that video. That is why I only take work from artists I like as a person too, makes things much easier.

[@monkmusic5994]

True. Happiness=peace=balance= the middle way. Avoid extremes.

[@Filipmarinchev72]

I agree with you on 100% ! Your videos are just great . Best regards from Norway !

[@alexkid1]

Hats off and respect to you.

[@Sketler]

Volg je gevoel, blijf het met je hart doen. Mooi open verhaal van jouw kant! Ik blijf je kanaal toch wel volgen 👌🏼🫶🏼

[@amadeuspaulussen]

I've realized that it's also super difficult for me to say no. Because it's super easy for me to “understand” people who need something from me. What I've noticed when practicing saying no is that it's almost more important for me to say yes to myself. Because it seems to be easy for me to be courteous to others, but not so easy to be the same to myself. A difficult topic. But awareness is the beginning. I think the best thing is to just keep on trying to say no when necessary and likewise to yes when necessary. Good luck to you and lot's of fun while getting better at it!

[@Whiteseastudio]

I had the same thing 😅

[@uncle-ed]

I realized the power of saying no about 20 years ago. You just did, so let me tell you what will happen next. Yes, in the first year(s), your revenue will drop, but over time, your existing clients and your prospective clients will recognize your ethos and this is why they will be coming to you for this exactly. Much like what you are doing with your channel. The years after, if you stick to it, your revenue will increase by an order of magnitude, to a point you couldn't have reached if you tried to be everything to everyone. This is how I could attract BAFTA, Oscar, and Grammy winners to be my clients, and now most of them, long time collaborators and friends. You will get there, your passion will bring you to it, I know that.

[@PrimitiveNoiseVideos]

Way to go!! Don't worry, be happy! 😃

[@247retromusic]

Totally agree, I was a Sound Engineer for 20 years, working on other peoples music all that time although sometimes rewarding becomes a grind, especially with certain clients, and massive amounts of turd polishing! I do something else primarily now and just take on a few projects I want to do and also have time to write and release music just for me. It's a hobby again now and I feel much happier.

[@BoxRecords]

I had the same problems and I know what are you talking about. The crazy thing is we get addicted to this life style and once we take a break we have to learn to detach because our brain is still there. I have to learn to say NO... like I said I had the same problems. Good luck with your work and life. Take care

[@thesestaticlights]

Great message sir 🙏🙏🙏

[@LRonHubbard-um1tp]

the less happy , 'less happier'. In het Nederlands zeg je ook niet minder gelukkiger. Love & light buddy!

[@Soundmuffel]

Thanks for sharing 🖤

[@LuiiMisfit]

Much love bro✌🏽

[@dahlbaker]

Your channel is very educational. If the high hat track sounds bad in the demo I now know what to do. Keep up the good work.

[@MrPriitS]

Amen!

[@KellyDavidMusic]

The best advice !

[@大頭三家姐]

Take care! 😊

[@MrAlFuture]

Yep. This is spot on.

[@RolandDeschain1]

I have to imagine how many times you've gotten tracks from some bedroom rapper where all the levels are completely blown out. I'm a hobbyist at this, and I know next to nothing about hip-hop. But I did some mastering work for a friend and I had to go over to his house and show him how to properly gain stage. He had done what a lot of inexperienced people do; when he wanted to hear it louder he turned up the faders instead of the crappy gaming speakers he was listening through.

[@poor_impulsive]

we all gotta start somewhere and learn lessons the hard way... you need to learn to fail... and then you need to learn from your failures :) *well experienced, repeated failure right here*

[@tekis0]

Yes, I polished my fair share of "turds." BUT, since I'm doing what I love, I can usually always find some joy and gratitude. How many people can actually say they love their jobs?! I love my job. Thank-you.

[@bartconinckx]

a valuable lesson.

[@sylvaind9086]

Very wise decision. 👍 ( been there.)

[@biekanez1]

Lucky you Wytse👍👍👍 follow your dream what you said in the beginning. Interesting story Wytse.

[@JimboJones99]

God Bless White Sea Studio 🙏🎵 God Bless President Trump 🙏🇺🇸

[@TerryMaplePoco]

good for you!

[@Go4PlanB]

thanks for sharing

[@mistermusicenterprise3148]

Good advice.

[@Wichovibes]

plug in boutique for the win!!

[@soundsymmetrystudioGR]

Let me tell you what I've learned and what your "problem" was. We get into Music because we love the Music itself. So I've been playing music since 1988 (when I was like 11) and started recording around 15. This led me being a high-level musician at somewhere around 19-20. Perhaps some talent helped? Hopefully. Then I got into bands and toured the whole world continuously. We are talking about hundreds,perhaps close to thousand gigs. What happened there is that I MET PEOPLE. Thousands of them. So I learned to judge someone and figure out whether they were "compatible" with me or not. So, when I came back to my studio: 1) I was "famous" enough to say NO 2) I was "famous" enough for people to know me and be like "we will go to that guy, or, we WON'T go to Bob, we don't like him" 3) I could afford saying "NO" 4) I could judge more precisely whether they were compatible with me to work with, or even the kind of problems they would bring me along the way. So, your "problem" lies to mostly being a studio person inside 4 walls. Yes, NOT ALL PRODUCERS need to be touring musicians (!) but in my case it really helped in more ways I can mention. Keep up the GREAT work, and remember: when you run out of hobbies, there's always a PlayStation waiting for you, that's what I do! \m/

[@gabgabba7961]

Thank you for this video! I really felt some things you said and its an great tip to take a break sometimes and look after yourself thats really really important!

[@evertschut]

Hey Wytze, I feel your pain (or rather the pain you went through in years gone by), even though I'm not a pro mix engineer. Learning to say no, focus on the things which you think are important is something that a lot of professionals in whatever field are going through, myself included. As a senior in my field (not in music) I get to pick and choose the jobs I think are worth my time. Music was my first love and probably my last, but I'm quite happy it remained a hobby. My only goal is to make an album or 2 of my own songs to leave my friends, children and grand children. It has to be good enough and that has meant I need to learn how to do this at an acceptable level. But hey, that's what hobby's are for. If it takes the rest of my life: that's fine. The good news for you is: you don't have to worry about recording/ mixing/ mastering a guy like me, you can pick and choose the professional musicians you like. You're in a good spot if you have achieved this. Congratulations! By the way, a quick work around for reviewing plugins and gear that you're not interested in is to start a blog or something similar parallel to your You tube channel. In the blog you leave short messages saying: such and such plugin is not very intertesting for me because ....... A few sentences would be enough, and it would still give your audience useful information.

[@Scarleaver]

Cheezus, I needed to hear that right now actually....

[@edjefferson9175]

Avoid combining something you hate with something you love. You have done the necessary shit work required to establish yourself. Now that you can pick and choose great things will happen. Congratulations!

[@BlazonStone]

This is great advice, if you are alreayd an etablished producer/mixer etc If I say no to every project entry that I know is gonna be a pain in the ass, waste my time, or avoid paying at all costs.... ....I will not have many to work with, haha!!!

[@artemi-music]

Great thoughts, thanks for sharing👍

[@brennyC]

Saying NO can be difficult to practice, but once you succeed, you will feel the benefits within your peaceful mind. thanks for sharing..

[@TheAlburp]

Love this style of content 👍🏻 thanks for sharing your thoughts man

[@Tito-Torres]

Amen

[@Rasenschneider]

That pressure and stress seems a major reason that makes so many people sick. We can get it Whatever we work. The more worthless the product the greater the pressure.

[@peterheinen6110]

What a great video. As an amateur who sometimes works with 'small' artists, I mostly get positive feedback rather on mastering than mixing. In mixing, i cannot but go for my own taste - which does not work all the time. In mastering, however, i have somehow reached a skill level that people recognize - and creates mouth to mouth fame. Although i am amateur, i don't consider it a hobby. Drumming is a hobby to me, 20 hours a week of audio engineering is not.... more like an obsession according to my wife and kids😅😅❤

[@MaartenTamminga]

HELL YEAH. that's how it works

[@ricshaw4358]

Good advice

[@kevindewinter8235]

Heel goed van je! ❤ je bent te jong om kapot te gaan en dit is een advies wat ik pas na m’n 30e geleerd heb

[@cassio_zambotto]

100% facts. It's the same story over and over again, it's almost like every one of us are the same person, living the same reality in some aspect, all around the world. We all get burned out and tired of sacrificing for bullshit and mediocrity. But we can't deny that this suffering for years which made us all capable music engineers, I can't see someone becoming really good at thia without years of polishing turd and learning what is the real deal.

[@magoostus]

idk if i'd say "No" as much as i'd say "Fixing that HiHat will cost $10,000"

[@PeterLoof]

A very truthful storie. Really understandable. I avioded to make my hobbies to a job. And Will Never change. Anyway, which genres Dont you like? And another question, If you could turn it around, Will you record from your Engineer point of view? Can good music hav its base in the very best of soundquality? (From a hifi point of view s.t.s.) Maybe this questions Will be handled in another video ?

[@MaduroMan]

There are some clients that are simply not worth having.

[@CelticStone]

growing up is cool

[@poor_impulsive]

except for the back pain and hair falling out

[@exinexi]

It's a moment many men live sooner or later. Part of growing old and applies to more aspects than clients. It's ok to say no. It's also a trap if you start doing it without a good evaluation. I've never lost a client until 6 years ago. Then they were all gone, one by one. It's a balance thing.

[@Positive_Tea]

Grand dad was NOT annoyed!

[@spikeafrican8797]

Ya. I made the mistake making it all about money... making a living. Best passion I ever had but the worst job. I'm a carpenter now and do music as a passion again - after a very long absence.

[@nikitam.4126]

100% me Thanks for this 🤜🏻🤛🏻

[@RandomVelocity]

I was watching one of your old videos about mixing with headphones and that’s plugin with too many variables to tweak the rooms etc. you didn’t like it. I agree I have a question about mixcube. Passive, active, mono ? Which would you recommend?

[@vender3516]

Money Only buy a a small sense of Security not happiness people get this twisted !

[@poor_impulsive]

I'm a party crab!? I dunno how to do binary subnetting or inflating other peoples deluded egos!? I also do not know how to climb a tree or care about mathematics or theory - Just gimme the fkn dough!? and the RGB lazers with subwoofa apartment bass so I can party like a cancerous crab and disturb the peace and comfort the disturbed !? wtf!? great video - i wasted 15 years trying to hold down positions as a network engineer, which only led to extreme boredom, a little bit too much money, access to the darknet and fkt around and found out... self destruct... clawing back my life, independence, remembering who i am and what i have achieved... music, art, creating... is what makes me happy... I'm currently attempting my first year of university at age 38 - studying medical science... I just wanted to leech off the Australian Government, get affordable student accomodation, pick all the mushrooms around the uni, and learn how to synthesis my own Isd25 and irritate egotistical conTROLL freaks. weird timing i came across your video, i only just started working on music again today, after 12 months of PTSD TRD ADHD some other kind of unexplained mental disorder(s) where the "trusted authorities" believe (programmed) that SSRI's are the magical treatment for everything. 🤘👁👅👁🤘 I do love your authentic, candid videos - straight shootin, no inflated bullsh1t or fart sniffing If I had any fiat currency left, I'd do some IT manipulations and transport the magical 1's and 0's into your Swiss bank account for more gear and treats. BLARRRGGGHHH!?

[@cjcurcio]

"..fix a hi-hat." 😄

[@HologramBoy]

what is your opinion on the Phoenix II by Crane Song?

[@jaimegylanpga8753]

Happiness is finding purpose within. Being illuminecent in the darkest of dim 😉

[@gregoryabat3948]

Hahahaha “where they judge fish on their ability to climb trees” that’s awesome

[@lewisknudsen1]

So true

[@123ATank]

Also, if you raise your prices substantially, you'll weed out a lot of those negative types of clients and not need to say no as much. Bottom feeders aren't worth trying to please.

[@Studio22mix]

“ where they judge fish in the ability to climb a tree “ 😂😂😂

[@nb1223]

I say no to my girl friends and all hell breaks loose.

[@MAYBLIMLINE]

Friends???

[@BarryH54]

NO is a great thing to say, but also it is important than when you've got more work than you can handle, it is time to raise your rates. This weeds out some of the poorly done work coming to you. It thins out the number of clients, but the end result is your are working fewer hours for at least the same amount of money (and hopefully more). It is OK to not take every job, but you should also get paid what you and your time are worth. And if there is someone you want to work with who can't afford you, you can offer a discount.

[@ThisGuyDude]

Of course this only works if you exclusively work for yourself as an independent engineer. If you work for someone else or work for a company and say no you'll just be fired. So. Yeah. Advice with limited applicability in the real world.

[@BurumanMusic]

You cannot expect every project to be like a Darude by Sandstorm..

[@Alex.Scotti]

100% 👍