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Why would we say "Turn The Lights Down Low"?


Bruce Swedien

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I prefer Christmas lights over lava lamps. The blue ones are my favorite. Those strands with the multi-function action are like lighting conjunction junction munchkin. Those cheap aluminum can jobs you get for camping or the shop are good for throwing a colored flood in for extra lighting effects.

 

And never have an incandescent bulb over 20 watts.

OK, I'll go 40, but that's it, man. I can't take that {censored}, man. :D-~

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Originally posted by Bruce Swedien

Forumites......


Why would we say "Turn The Lights Down Low"?


Bob Marley wrote song about that very subject... Hmmmmmm.....


Bruce Swedien

:cool::thu::cool:

 

I sometimes turn the lights down low when I'm working to create my own space. It helps me to connect to the music and forget about the physical world around me. It seems to bring out a more emotional side of me, and I'm more easily swept away by the music. That's when I make my most honest and heartfelt decisions. But that's just me...and probably not what you meant at all...

 

I have noticed that most studios have dimmers on the lights, though.

 

Steve

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The wife's sister suffers from S.A.D. - a very appropriate acronysm for Seasonal Adjustment Disorder. It has something to do with the way natural light regulates serotonin levels in the brain. She treats it by using a full-spectrum light in a box which she keeps in the room. It's so constantly grey and gloomy here I was thinking of getting one myself. On rainy days it gets dark here at 3.30pm.

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To keep the visual stimulation from diverting focus from the listenting you need to do.

 

I often close my eyes when critically listenting to a mix.

Its like Ray Charles said- without your eyes your ears tend to get better. (or someting to that effect)

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Originally posted by blackpig

The wife's sister suffers from S.A.D. - a very appropriate acronysm for Seasonal Adjustment Disorder. It has something to do with the way natural light regulates serotonin levels in the brain. She treats it by using a full-spectrum light in a box which she keeps in the room. It's so constantly grey and gloomy here I was thinking of getting one myself. On rainy days it gets dark here at 3.30pm.

 

 

Me too. I find those florescent 'grow-lights' helpful. Also, just having a lot of lights on (of any kind) really helps. Maybe I should re-settle in the tropics.... :thu: I've heard Tahiti was nice.

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Once everyone's in-studio for the session, the bright overhead goes off in favor of colored floods. Any music-reading that need be done gets a music stand clip-on lamp.

 

The bright indoor lights are bothersome when you're doing something that benefits from internal focus.

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There's also the most obvious reason of mood. Not just lack of distraction, but mood. If you want to make love, chances are you dim the lights to enhance your mood. It lets your emotions take the ball and puts your mind on the bench. That's where you want to be when you're making love or making music.

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Originally posted by Kendrix

To keep the visual stimulation from diverting focus from the listenting you need to do.


I often close my eyes when critically listenting to a mix.

Its like Ray Charles said- without your eyes your ears tend to get better. (or someting to that effect)

 

Kendrix... And all you Forumites....

 

We went over this issue on another thread. With very disappointing results.....

 

I quote our pal bluey here...

 

For instance....I used to amuse my friends by reading aloud from the newspaper while I played -- but I didn't get the same kind of fact retention doing that (reading out loud does that to me, though, I guess I get caught up in the stentorian tones -- make that whiney, nasal tones -- of my voice).

 

I can make up music while I watch old movies on the box and maybe come up with starting place phrases... but once I'm actively writing a lyric, I have to eliminate those distractions.

 

bluey, I love ya', but you need help!

 

To keep the distractions from diverting focus from the listening is what you need to do.

 

Bruce Swedien

:cool::thu::cool:

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Originally posted by Extreme Mixing

I sometimes turn the lights down low when I'm working to create my own space. It helps me to connect to the music and forget about the physical world around me. It seems to bring out a more emotional side of me, and I'm more easily swept away by the music. That's when I make my most honest and heartfelt decisions. But that's just me...and probably not what you meant at all...


I have noticed that most studios have dimmers on the lights, though.


Steve

 

Extremie...

 

Yes!!! Yes!!! Yes!!!

 

Why are all you forumites so pre-occupied with being cute in your responses??? Don't forget, a little cute goes a long way.... I'm getting a bit bored with you!!!

 

Bruce Swedien

:p:p:p:p

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Bruce, there are a bunch of specialists in neuroscience who are doing research on simultaneous visual auditory processing. Many of them are using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology to map the process. I bet you could talk your way into any one of those schools if you felt like a field trip. MIT and Yale are examples. The field is multidisciplinary and some are calling it Cognitive Science. You will find people from neurology, developmental psychology, linguistics, computer science and biology all working on perception and learning issues.

 

Pat

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Originally posted by spokenward

Bruce, there are a bunch of specialists in neuroscience who are doing research on simultaneous visual auditory processing. Many of them are using fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging) technology to map the process. I bet you could talk your way into any one of those schools if you felt like a field trip.
MIT
and
Yale
are examples. The field is multidisciplinary and some are calling it Cognitive Science. You will find people from neurology, developmental psychology, linguistics, computer science and biology all working on perception and learning issues.


Pat

 

Pat....

 

Thanks.... You are very kind. My field is music.

 

Here's what I truly believe.... Music is the only direct way to the human heart.

 

Bruce Swedien

:cool::thu::cool:

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Originally posted by Bruce Swedien

Pat....


Thanks.... You are very kind. My field is music.


Here's what I truly believe.... Music is the only direct way to the human heart.


Bruce Swedien

:cool::thu::cool:

 

I think music also plays a key role in our search for our origins and purpose, too. :eek: Music is one of the keys. It's all about the vibes.

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Originally posted by Bruce Swedien


Here's what I truly believe.... Music is the only direct way to the human heart.


Bruce Swedien

:cool::thu::cool:

 

Oh, a hardliner. :D:thu: It's funny, I stumbled into contact with the field because of a software tool that was written by a guy who was studying here. It's all connected, somehow. :)

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Without reading the thread (so apologies if this has already been mentioned), we "turn the lights down low" to set a mood. That's the usual "romantic" reason, but IMO, the same applies to working in the studio. I have my lights set up so I can turn seperate zones on or off at will, in order to set a mood for the performers, or for myself in the CR. When working, especially on a mix, I usually only have a pair of soffit mounted accent lights on at the rear of the CR, which provides basic illumination for the back of the room in case the clients want to take notes or whatever... at the front of the room, I have a pair of small Lava lamps and a multicolored disco ball rotating lamp that I usually have on... and a small desk lamp I can turn on or off if I need to see my keyboard or the console. I like it that way, and it allows "das blinkenlights" of the studio gear to be easily seen, which also adds to the ambience. ;)

 

I've also been known to reach over and turn off the computer monitor... especially if I notice a client is spending more time looking than listening.

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