That’s it in a nutshell. Thanks for the reminder, Andrew.

I can totally relate to the “infinite options” problem. I think I’m probably guilty of getting way too immersed in the arcane practices of minute studio tweaking, making mix alternations that most people probably never even hear, at least consciously.

Which reminds me of another aspect of this: trying to anticipate how other people will be listening to your music! (I.e., should you mix for headphones? For the car? For a boom-box? For the audiophile? There are so many possibilities!)

But you’re right that at some point you just have to let it go. Making an album is a great exercise in that skill (i.e., knowing *when* to let it go) — which of course can be applied to other areas of life. And the nice thing about making records nowadays is that it is so affordable — so it is maybe easier to set aside the notion that your album has to be the one definitive document of your entire career (since you can always make another). I think that leads to a healthier approach: making the best album you can for that particular moment!

Good luck!

John