It happens to everybody...
Now imagine a well known band playing the same song at each concert they do for 30 years...after that you're really getting sick of that song.

Unless someone is the type to just thrash it out and call it good, I'm pretty sure most people get sick of working on the same thing.

That's probably the time to set it aside for a while and do something else. Unless you're on a time constraint, it can wait for a while longer.

Objectivity will get lost if you resent working on it. I've let half-baked stuff that I was sick of sit for months, and done something else that has sat around for a while.

"Ohhh, there's that one...I think I'll give it another go!" By that time, you may have a new perspective, and can listen more objectively. I've pretty much immediately caught more of what is actaully wrong with it, and most of the time it wasn't what I remembered I THOUGHT was wrong with it that I was struggling with.

"YIKES! HOW did I get it into THIS state? Bring those drums DOWN! And WHY did I put all that reverb on THAT?"

Seems when I keep tweaking and tweaking and tweaking on the same thing, I may end up tweaking the life out of it. I've actually just turned everything back down and started over, keeping in mind the things I heard with a fresh set of ears and a fresh perspective.

The same thing happens at my normal job. When a problem starts beating me up, I throw up my hands and walk away from it for a while. A lot of times when I get back to it in the next day or two, it's right in front of my face. I slap my forehead, and finish the thing up.

Also, some of the stuff I thought was good before, I had to wonder why later. Some of the stuff I thought was so-so ended up being some of my best ideas. If I fall in love too much with a tune, it'll break my heart. Sometimes that little librarian sitting in the corner is the one that'll really rev my engines!

Working frustrated is no way to finish anything. It causes me, anyway, to overlook the obvious a lot of times.

Kapt.Krunch

"For sure for sure..." (is that dated?)
Main reason I'd like to have a collaborator. I find I MUST have a clear idea(arrangement, parts, and sound) before I start recording else I get distarcted by possibilities. Same in the mixing stage. But as you stated time between recording/mixing can provide a bit of objectivity.
I am learning to mix and find this a big issue(getting lost in minutia). If I can get close then stay away for a couple of weeks, any issues remaining reveal themselves as obvious.

I get a great objectivity boost but putting test mixes on while driving. The attention required to drive keeps me from listening "in the same pattern" and the music has to reach out to capture your attention...

If you are getting sick of or bored with a song, you should rethink why you are in music.
A song to a musician is like an easel to an artist, that is, it is just what you are painting your picture on, it isn't the picture.
To relate that to music, a song is just an excuse to play music, a reason to enjoy rhythm, rhyme and harmony....the song is illrelivent.
To further clarify, if you enjoy the feeling of rhythm, who cares what the song is. Do you enjoy eating bread with your dinner, do you get tired of eating it every nite, if you do then you probably really don't know, like or enjoy eating good bread.
If your 'music' not your 'song' contains quality ingredients of the essential music componets you wouldn't or shouldn't get tired of it.....take tone for example.....do you get tired of hearing good tone ? Get my point.
Making good music is much more than a good song....as such great artist still find pleasure in playing the same songs over and over again.
There is no such thing as a a bad song, just bad musicians playing it. All that being said, of course some songs are better than others, but only because they allow the artist better to express the essentials, rhythm, ryhme, harmony, tone and the like.
My advice, if you are bored with a song you are probably bored with you own ability to make it sound like something and you are looking at music in the wrong light.

Especially in the studio where everything is exposed in its most basic form and minutia is the reality!!!

Thats when you know its work.

Theres nothing unusual or wrong about getting tired of an idea after going over it many many times....sometimes to the point of not being able to get it out of your head for days on end!

When this occurs for me, I simply do all of the notes I need to do anyway, I make a copy of whats there, and set all the knobs back to flat. I pull all the patch cables out of the patchbay, I take down any mics that might be setup....I clean the control room....I sit back in my chair and put on something thats totally unrelated to the project in question and turn the controlroom lights down down to that 'artist level' and just chill.

Even if its a time related issue. Theres a point of no return that when its reached, artistic progress becomes something other than progress.

An oldie but a goodie....

{old-link-removed}

Its good to read through this thread every few months for a kick in the pants. (or skirt if you're Remy)

Phil

JoeJoeMan wrote: If you are getting sick of or bored with a song, you should rethink why you are in music.
A song to a musician is like an easel to an artist, that is, it is just what you are painting your picture on, it isn't the picture.
.....
My advice, if you are bored with a song you are probably bored with you own ability to make it sound like something and you are looking at music in the wrong light.

I would agree with this for those people out there recording their own music. However when you deal with some of the bands I do, you tend to get sick of their music pretty quickly.

What I've tried to do is rotate songs. Rather than work on one song for 2-3 hours, I'll work on 2-3 songs, one hour a piece every day. This way I break them up a little bit, and when i come back the next day, I can have a more objective feel for the song again.

If you find yourself getting sick of a song, just back off for the rest of that day. A good nights rest should solve it.

when i record my own music i have a blast because its so fun hearing it in your head, getting it down and then hearing it all come together. just ordered some new gear to get me motivated again!

just becuz youget sick of a song doesnt mean you dont love music. many producers ive talked to and even myself sometimes going over and over the same song hours on end in the same day starts really taking its tole on you. it happens and its ok. just take maybe even a few minutes away from it. even artist who you are recording can get tired of doing certain parts over and over and over again. especially ADD drummers. but ya. i get tired after a long day of recording and mixing.