Pick Your Own Jail

Real Talk · Meshplugins.com

So, basically, my whole idea is everything you do in your life, you're basically building your own jail.

Every path is a jail

Let me just explain you something. If you're planning to be a music producer, that's actually your own jail. If you're planning to be an audio engineer, this is another jail. So, the point is everything you do will sooner or later, will not just be 100% like only enjoyable like stuff. And you're limiting yourself with some stuff, even though it will be your dream job. And most of the time you will be enjoying your stuff.

But if you are, for example, if you're like recording engineer and you want to be a mixer engineer, for some time you're in the jail and the transition from one to another is kind of, might be really hard. So you have to record other people. And sometimes if you are doing this full-time, that's actually a huge jail. So you are trapped and you have, in order to make money and survive, you have to record everyone. And you're first, like most of the time you are even, you can't say no to most of the people. So this is the actual point.

Your jail could be a cage — or a resort

But we are, if you are doing music full-time, no matter what, you're still blessed. And your jail could be a cage. Your jail could be just a nice room. Or you just be, it could be like Norwegian jail or Scandinavian kind of type of jail where prisoners are living like a resort style. So everything depends on you.

Why I don't lock myself in one cell

And the reason why I'm not a full-time audio engineer or I'm not like a 100% full-time music producer or I'm not limiting myself with one thing is freedom. Building freedom is really important for myself so I can pick clients, I can pick artists, I'm responsible for my own choice, and I'm not just, I am the center of everything. So I pick my clients and I pick to work with or not. I pick clients who I want to mix, and I pick clients who I want to produce, and so on and on.

Slow down and look around

So the point is for you, I just want you to think a little bit, just want you to slow down, maybe stop for a few seconds, look around, and refresh your memory, build your own strategy, and look around and see what are you doing, what's your final destination, what is your goals, what is your mission statement. Those simple things are really important.

The threshold — a musical Interstellar

I interviewed more than 100 Grammy Award-winning engineers and other successful people, millionaires, very rich people, but the only thing I can tell you that once you pass the certain threshold, you start thinking with different categories. That's not just technicality, that's not just humanity. Once you pass this certain threshold of skills and everything, you start thinking about philosophy, and you start looking into the simple things deeper.

And now it's kind of like Interstellar, a musical Interstellar, if you're familiar with this movie. It's like everything is more, it's obvious, and you just don't see it, you know? When the actual movie starts, you see the books are dropping, and you are not actually seeing and noticing the signs that the universe is giving you.

The best secret sauce is obvious

But the best secret sauce is actually obvious. The best secret sauce you heard already a thousand times in your life. So, for example, if people saying you like, provide the value for other people, be nice, dress nice, stay clean, clean your head, pick up your phone, and just those basic things, answer your emails, be a good person. Those small things is just, it was like basic thing that I just can explain you, and basic examples. Those things is really important, and the best secret sauce that you can learn is you already know that.

Pick your own jail — and make it nicer

So, and I just wanted to encourage you, pick your own jail, and make it nicer. Try to stick to it and just get used to it, or find a way how you can find your own freedom in your life. So, maybe find another side hustle that you might enjoy. Because like, sometimes you can burn out from just doing one thing. You can, instead of just mixing, maybe just doing like live sound. And I've seen a lot of successful engineers, producers who are switching between. Or maybe just go to the corporate job and sell plugins or sell speakers, go to another hardware audio company. And actually, most of the times it can elevate you and provide you some extra value. So the point is just find a way how you can find joy and freedom in your life.

And as you might know, I interviewed more than 100 Grammy Award-winning engineers, producers, songwriters, and I've been asking what's your secret sauce, favorite vocal chain, plugins chain, what's on your mix bus. I made my Vocal Chain eBible where I collected more than 88 vocal chains, presets. And if you're, it's on sale right now, use promo code GUIDE and get 12% for your Vocal Chain eBible. And if you're purchasing right now, every single update will be absolutely for free. The price will be rising. And I just added a few new tutorials and new Ableton presets in there. I will be updating and adding more sauce there so you get as much value as possible, exclusive content, exclusive interviews, guides. So check this out.

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Who's behind this

Ivan Meshcheriakov · IvanFromRnD

5+ years ago I moved to LA with zero connections and started building from nothing — 14-hour days, meeting people and interning at studios. It took me 5+ years to meet and interview 100+ Grammy-winning engineers — then I turned it all into the Vocal Chain Bible.

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