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Critical listening and altered states

Ok, this is not a question about relaxing, but about listening to evaluate how the system (or a piece of gear is sounding).

What, in your experience, are the pluses and minuses of altering your state of mind for listening? This can include anything you've used to affect your everyday state of mind, from coffee, beer, scotch, tobacco, to much stronger — and psychoactive, dissociative — additives.

What do you gain by altering your consciousness in terms of what you notice, attend to, linger on, etc?
What causes more details to emerge?
What allows you to stick with a thread or, alternately, make new connections?

Or perhaps you like to keep all those things *out* of your listening; if that's you, please say a bit about why.

hilde45
joenies's avatar
joenies
273 posts
 
I might have a glass of wine once a month or less. No longer do recreational drugs. But when I listen to my music I start to hallucinate in a good way. This happens to me very often when I’m listening to music not my equipment. It’s a very pleasant experience when this happens.
 I don’t allow drinking or smoking in my audio room. 
don_c55
1,025 posts
 
"Thinking is the best way to travel!"

In search of the lost chord  --- The Moody Blues
joenies's avatar
joenies
273 posts
 
Big yes for the Moody Blues. Very easy to zone out to.
itsjustme
682 posts
 
As someone who's critical listening must be as consistent as possible for business purposes (i do some contract designs, mostly as a hobby) variables must be avoided.


So if you listen to A in an altered state, ensure that B is in the identical altered state.  Or maybe leave the altered states for enjoyment and socializing. This is not really an opinion - one variable per equation.
G (currently altering his state and listening to Traffic)

mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
@pauly , No benefit? Perhaps pauly you are not all that old. If you are lucky one day you will wake up a decrepit old man, 2 inches shorter and everything hurts. It is hard to have fun that way. I have many old people who manage to make it through the day and actually have some fun because they do marihuana in one form or another. Our life span in the wild was 50 years at best. The warranty is up at 50. I cycle 2500 miles a year. I'm not saying you should not take care of yourself. If doing a little cannabinus helps in that regard that is fine by me. I know several drivers who are safer when they are stoned.
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