Music sounds better if you listen to it repeatedly for awhile...

[Spiritos]

Quite recognisable..

Personally I think it has to do something with your own creative mind (when producing). In your head you kinda know how you want it to sound like, then you tweak and adjust but whilst listening I think your brain kinda' adjusts to what you have so far thinking 'Hey, that's kinda' cool too'. The imperfections gain a certain unique characterisation and are assimilated in the whole feel of the song you're working on.

It's like your predominal idea is just aching to attach to your raw material and is translating what you have to 'what you want it to be'. I think sometimes this can work out just fine -as you let the song or tune evolve in an organic way but you're right sometimes it just gets blurred and next day you're thinking 'what the hell..?'

IT's always a trade-off. When you're in a creative flow you want to finish it as far as possible because you know next day you'll feel different -not being able to get the same juices flowing- but the counterside of working too long on one piece is you're 'turning an ear' to the imperfections.

All in all I think it's a natural phenomena in all creative processes.

[VitaminD]

Quite recognisable..

Personally I think it has to do something with your own creative mind (when producing). In your head you kinda know how you want it to sound like, then you tweak and adjust but whilst listening I think your brain kinda' adjusts to what you have so far thinking 'Hey, that's kinda' cool too'. The imperfections gain a certain unique characterisation and are assimilated in the whole feel of the song you're working on.

It's like your predominal idea is just aching to attach to your raw material and is translating what you have to 'what you want it to be'. I think sometimes this can work out just fine -as you let the song or tune evolve in an organic way but you're right sometimes it just gets blurred and next day you're thinking 'what the hell..?'

IT's always a trade-off. When you're in a creative flow you want to finish it as far as possible because you know next day you'll feel different -not being able to get the same juices flowing- but the counterside of working too long on one piece is you're 'turning an ear' to the imperfections.

All in all I think it's a natural phenomena in all creative processes.

YES

I think this is it!

And I do want to get a lot of it done in one session.. because I'm (VERY) rarely able to get back into THAT specific zone again. On the other hand, like you say, sticking with it too long means drowning out the issues. But it happens so slowly that it is hard to notice. It gets to a point where I'm oblivious to them... until I have a rest and listen the next day.

[jancivil]

The more I know what the idea's shape is, the more I'm in a certain zone. Getting that out onto the piano roll, well I don't have real good keyboard skills to bring to bear so the contrast of the things I get on there quickly, vs the prototype in my mind is more intense.
- but this kind of idea is not going away overnight, it sticks with me and goes over and over in my head and I'm probably hearing it in dreams. The next day, I pretty much expect my take on it is going to be different than when I considered a stopping point because my experience has taught me that the timing, the placement in or the relativity of the time is going to feel different, first of all. And there are the different permutations; and the decisions, based in, limited by how convenient or how do-able or not. But my mind has been working on it and educating me on it in the meantime. But there is that slight dread, 'this isn't going to work like it did last night'.

If the modus operandi is via an instrument I understand better, the guitar, there is no problem, it's a matter of recording at the right moment. I get a notion and do the solo in my mind over the backing a few times and I'm liable to 'get lucky' or know it's time.

Most of the time I'm discovering things more nebulously out of a kind of blindness, though. there the next day isn't going to be very different.

[4damind]

Yes, it's a well known effect. The brain/ear is "masking" a lot of stuff after some time. It's some kind of protection by the brain to filter unimportant noise from the important noise

The recommendation is still valid not to judge a song the same day if it was finished. Take at least a break of some hours and than go back.
The best idea is always give the song another day and start with mastering/mixing the next day with a pair of "fresh" ears to avoid this "masking effect"

[arkmabat]

I find myself frequently changing how much bass I'd like to hear. My sensitivity to it changes, depending.

[spacecult]

For me, 'listen to it in the next room' helps. Swap mix levels between quite/medium/loud several times. Like thinking about baseball, helps you go longer and hardly a waste of time. Got to do that all sooner or later anyway.