Studio Gear, Late Nights, and the Cost of Running on Empty

In this post, more rack unit cables arrive. And in the next post, even more rack unit cables arrive. Apparently, rack units require an impressive amount of cabling.

But surprisingly, this post isn’t really about rack cables, cable types, or mixers. It’s not even directly about studio gear at all.

If you’ve been following this series, you may have noticed something else happening in the background: during this period of the studio rebuild, I was working twelve-plus hour days, often staying up until two—or sometimes almost four—in the morning, only to be back at work around 9:30 or 10:00 a.m. the next day.

That pattern got me thinking.

Health, Fatigue, and Creative Decision-Making

Around this time, I came across an article from SEMPRE (Society for Education and Music Psychology Research). While the article itself wasn’t directly about studio work or gear, it triggered a broader question:

How much do you think your health affects your creativity, decision-making, and ability to manage music projects and a studio?

At the time of filming, I probably would have said, “Not much.” I’ve always worked late into the night, skipped meals, and functioned on five hours of sleep. That had been my norm for years.

But watching this series back during editing—now with a bit of distance—I couldn’t help but notice moments where being overtired may not have sped things up at all. In fact, it may have slowed everything down.

When Pushing Hard Becomes Counterproductive

Take the mixer placement as an example. I’ve explained before that there were real constraints—budget, cable shortages, and timing—that affected where it could go. Those were legitimate factors.

But looking back, I can’t help wondering if being exhausted played a role too. Had I been better rested, I might have simply placed the mixer where I knew it belonged, accepted that the correct cabling would take time to source, and moved on with the rest of the build instead of continually reworking the setup.

The same applies to my obsession with workflow. I’ve talked about this at length in previous posts, and there were valid reasons for exploring it when I did. Still, with a clearer head, I may have realized that locking down a workflow at that stage wasn’t nearly as important as continuing the physical redesign of the studio.

That realization may also explain why I rewired the studio as many times as I did. Some of that came from inexperience and learning on the fly—but some of it may simply have come from fatigue clouding judgment.

Would Better Self-Care Have Changed Everything?

I’m not suggesting that taking better care of myself would have magically made the studio build smooth or problem-free. That wouldn’t be realistic.

What I am asking is this: would it have made some difference?

If fatigue can affect practical decisions like cable routing and gear placement, how much might it affect creative decisions—arrangements, sound choices, or knowing when a track is finished?

It’s worth thinking about.

A Question Worth Asking

When you sit down in your studio, are you running at half steam—or are you closer to a finely tuned Formula One car about to hit the track?

Even if better sleep, regular meals, and basic self-care don’t dramatically change your creative output, they probably don’t hurt. And in a field where clarity and judgment matter as much as inspiration, that alone might be reason enough.

Happy health in your music making.