Working when your sick

[Jay Kahrs]

I was supposed to start mixing Neil Odell's project yesterday but so far I haven't started because I have a head cold. It pretty much sucks, my head is all stuffed up and I my perception of high frequencies is way off and seems to change every time I blow my nose, sniffle or cough. I know from past experiences that I can't mix when I'm sick but I'm usually OK to track. So, do you stop working when you get sick or do you just muddle through it and hope for the best? Or am I being a pussy?

[alphajerk]

i have been sick with a head cold for two weeks. tweaked out a whole album.... just too lazy to print it yet just in case.

it varies depending on the client if i work while sick. when im sick, im more reserved in personality and one of my clients thats tracking right now doesnt want to come in unless my personality is full on... so i cancel on them with my reason and they are more than agreeable with me about it.

[cymatics]

I turn into a big whiny bitch when I get sick. On top of that, I know that my hearing gets pretty whacked out when I have any kind of upper respiratory congestion. If I was in the middle of a tracking session where the sounds were already set, and I was only evaluating performances, I'd try to get through it. Mixing or any other critical sonic decisions would have to wait. I doubt many photographers would try to do serious work with pus in their eyes.

- jon

Mudle through... colds and early stages of flu

If I can't sit in a chair, it's time to quit.

A few months back I got food poisoning, I went from chair to tyhe back couch from which I directed an assistant, at 6pm I had to call the session, send everyone away and get down to some serious groaning and shivering for a few days....

I allways liked the nice top end on mixes made when sick with colds.

Soldier on!

[Rader Ranch]

not to be Joe hard ass, but you have to remember that for many folks there's no choice.

it's all about compensation anyway, right? there are still successfull, still very good engineers who have hearing loss and tinitus...surely many more than will admit it.

meow...

[groundcontrol]

What did ya say? I can't hear ya... grggt

[Cannon Fo So]

Well as dorky as this I keep that workaholics handbook as my bible. Since my average work week is about 100 hours and 80 hours is my minimum. I constantly "give out" though and have to cancel a days work from overworking myself). I do not work till I am better the 2 times I get sick a year. Last January I did what Jules did though and had my assitant do the work while I laid on the couch, watched TV and rested. It really didnt help things though cause I can always feel right in my back wether I am at "work" or not and I could feel it. Though if I am having fun at work my back doesnt feel strained. Thats how I gauge a day. Very Black and White. None the less in the Workaholics handbook it cites many studies in which it says if you rest till you are fully healed when you get sick you wont do as much damage to your body. Many doctors are convinced alot of what wears your life span away is working while your sick. This book really changed my life. I was the most unhealthy **** on earth forever, but now I excercise for 5 minutes a morning, take tons of vitamins, drink only water and most importantly once you hear about a lot of people being sick in your area DO NOT GO OUT TO EAT ANYMORE. This kills me since eating out is like ohne of the only indulgences I allow myself. Resteraunts are the easiest way to get sick people in the food industry are often desperate for money and keep working while sick and spread germs onto food. As well whenever I feel like I am getting sick I cancel anything I dont HAVE TO do. I was feeling like I was about to get sick(probably the same bug that got you Jay since everyone in our area is sick right now) so I laid down the whole day and cancelled my evening session(a unattended session anyway that I ll make up later) as well as regretfully missing out on going to see Good Charolette. So far so good I still dont feel 100% but I have been able to productivly work for a few days now.

[Drumsound]

I seem to be lucky and have bad colds when I'm not too busy. yuktyy I think I did postpone a mix by a day once.

I also had to bail about three years ago. I was supposed to be tracking a death metal band in the old B-studio (I'll tell why that's significant in a moment) for five days before Christmas. My brother was in town during the first session and came to the session to hang. After the getting sounds and headphone mixes, I think we even tracked a couple tunes. We wrapped about 12:30-1:00. My brother and I went home and continued to hang for another hour or so. I think we were planning to get up around 10:00 the next morning to get him going back home. I was going to work my day gig and then have another night session. I woke up about 5:30 and felt a little odd. Within ten minutes I was driving the porcelain bus. I thought I was going to die within an hour. I've never been so sick. I thought I was going to miss the holidays with the family. I couldn't keep my eyes open and I was freezing, and bordering on delusional.

Later that morning I called my then studio boss and asked if he could do the tracking. Had I been working in our A room I would have been ****ed because the boss never did grasp the concept of the real console the we upgraded from a Mackie. The Mackie went to the B room where he could actually function. He tracked the record. I got some heavy-duty medicine and got well. I mixed the record that next January.

P.S yes Jay you're being a pussy

[kfledman]

If I don't have to work when I am sick, I don't. First, your judgement is impaired. Second, if you are sick, you are likely going to get your client sick-being stuck in a control room for hours on end, if one person has a cold, generally by the end of the day everybody will have it.....

Of course, if you hate your clients, you might WANT to get them sick.

[Fibes]

Someone on here just got me sick. I think I'm coming down with something.

Itry not to mix when I'm sick, become more conservative while tracking and hope I can just sequence, edit and automate while coughing.

[David R.]

I really don't like to start mixing with a cold. If I get one mid mix, it is easier "adjust my new ears" accordingly. But is is alwaws hard to adjust my ears to an accordian.

Problem is clients at the mix stage are always behind (their) schedule and need the mix done last week because the tracking took too long because the singer had a cold...
grudge

[Dave Martin]

I work, sick or well. Unfortunately, clients don't seem to care HOW I do the work, just that I get it done when they need it.

[Jay Kahrs]

But what do you do when the mix is whacked because you were sick?

FWIW, I got the first song printed tonight! I'm just about a week behind where I planned on being. Not too bad.

[adam_w]

ha.. it's pretty funny that everyone does the same thing

I've just been working on a project where the singer has been ill for weeks, so of course I HAD to redo some of those vocals last night due to his schedule, so there I was.. wearing a HUGE coat shivering like a wreck as I'd picked it up !

[Dave Martin]

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs
But what do you do when the mix is whacked because you were sick?

I mostly get over it. I'll spend more time using a second and third set of monitors, and also checking at diferent volume levels. Mut mostly, I'll keep something similar to what I'm going for in the CD player to use as a reference. And if the client bitches, I re-do it...

[Jay Kahrs]

But they pay for it right? I mean, you did tell them that you were sick and the mix might be a bit funky so they should wait right?

[e-cue]

I usually trust my producers ears when I'm sick, but I rely on my assistant to keep me in check. It's hit or miss for me: sometimes a cold doesn't effect my hearing at all, other times I can hear my frequency response all eff'ed up. When it is funky, I just a/b to the cd's I've learned inside and out.

Also, if you are desperate: Take a fat golp (I think webster's dictionary defines a golp as 4 table spoons) of vick's vapor rub, but it in about 8 cups of water and bring it to a boil... let it cool a little and place your head above the pot and place a towel over your head (making king of a tent). Breathe in the vapor while mentally singing "I can see clearly now the rain is gone". This is help clear up your head congestion.

[Dave Martin]

Originally posted by Jay Kahrs
But they pay for it right? I mean, you did tell them that you were sick and the mix might be a bit funky so they should wait right?

Oh, sure - you bet...

[Kris]

I'm 5 days into a monster head cold and can't hear shit yet (plugged ears)... I've put off several things as long as possible, but I've got to work tomorrow if I can (mixing).

I'm going to attempt e-que's remedy tomorrow...

I found another thread where someone mentioned the same process but with camomile...

Any other ideas? Which would you try?

[Drill_K]

Me being an experimental artist, as well as being American Indian, I find that some of the best work comes through sickness.

Though sickness I find I portray visions through sound, most of the stuff I have made while sick, have been more abstract than stuff while I am not sick.

I guess it depends on how you look at it.

[Jules]

I think you kind of learn how to hear while you are sick. The show must go on. Obviously when shivers and nausea and other extreme bodily disruptions take over, its time to throw the towel in..

Not pleasant..

[Kris]

Well I feel fine enough to work at this point, it's just that my ears (and sinuses) are plugged up.

I tried to mix on Tuesday and had a real problem adjusting a de-esser on a vocal. Couldn't hear what was going on with any accuracy so I stopped the session right there.

Maybe I'll do the vicks technique and then do camomile right after... double up!