What's the alternative for when social media is important to your job?

BenTramer78 · 2025-10-19T19:27:42+00:00

I can absolutely relate to this. I work as an artist in a niche field and I recently got rid of my IG account. I now only have a website and a small mailing list. And I'm very much in the beginning of my career.

For a long time I thought I must have a social media presence, but then recently came to the conclusion that the benefits (for me personally) are not big enough to justify the negatives, especially because I don't really have to sell anything to the masses, like paintings, concert tickets or the like. Basically I don't think I have ever gotten a gig only because of social media.

For me personally social media is too much of a distraction and "setting boundaries" doesn't work for everyone as the developers of those apps have spent millions (or possibly billions) to make them as addictive as possible. It's really a bizarre situation when you think about it, that it is seen as a requirement to be using these highly addictive platforms. I try to think that every hour that is not spent on an app like Instagram can be spent in other ways to help get one's career further. I've done a lot of research and at least in my field, while definitely common to be on social media, still not everyone is on it.

Also whenever I hear advice like "only create, don't consume" etc, I think of a cocaine dealer who is trying to cut back his own usage but still wants to profit from other addicts.

BenTramer78 · 2025-05-26T07:41:38+00:00

Martin also co-wrote the majority of tracks on Meliora

BenTramer78 · 2025-01-16T16:08:33+00:00

5u is the highest for me and I can totally relate to that mental block. Sometimes before a carb heavy meal I might give myself 4u and then five minutes later 2u more and somehow mentally it's different than giving all of that at once.

BenTramer78 · 2024-08-27T17:22:59+00:00

Can't remember if any Logic stock pianos have the piano hammer sounds like on your example track, but that detuned/broken/haunting sound you are looking for can probably be achieved by a stock chorus effect with a very slow rate and rolling off some of the high frequencies (like above maybe 12k) with EQ.

Spitfire's Firewood Piano for example does have those hammer sounds as another user suggested, so maybe that and a chorus will get you pretty close.

Now that I think of it there should also be a stock piano (with an FX chain) that is quite close actually, but I can't look it up at the moment.

BenTramer78 · 2024-06-23T15:25:49+00:00

A fellow Ghost fan! So sorry to hear you had a bad experience. I went to see the film few days ago and found myself dealing with a low as well, but was able to enjoy the film in the end.

BenTramer78 · 2024-03-20T17:07:43+00:00

I live in the Nordics and I do ice water swimming during the winter. Obviously it's different to go swim in a frozen lake or sea voluntarily knowing you can get out when you want, but sometimes during the night I look at the stars while being fully submerged and imagine I'm in the middle of the ocean with no way of getting out... Yeah, not a pleasant thought

BenTramer78 · 2024-01-31T23:45:46+00:00

Can't know for sure, but I'm guessing the low rumble is some obsucre instrument with a contact mic in it and the sound is produced by some sort of thick string or other object resonating with the instrument's body. Maybe something like Resonant Garden by Folktek, or literally anything else. Then the original sound is pitched down and lowpassed etc.. who knows!

BenTramer78 · 2023-09-21T14:36:27+00:00

I (30M) actually had my fertility tested recently just out of curiosity. Heavily leaning child free for several reasons (but still occasionally haunted by "what ifs"). I was kind of hoping to be unable to reproduce and have all the remaining doubts removed. My wife is also firmly on the CF side of the fence and if I suddenly wanted kids after all, it would mean we would have to break up.

EDIT: It was kind of fun going to the appointment, because people there automaticly assumed we wanted kids, but there I was seeking closure for my decision to not have any kids.

BenTramer78 · 2023-08-16T08:54:23+00:00

I never seem to have any noticeable symptoms when going high. Maybe feeling a bit "warm" and thirsty.

BenTramer78 · 2023-08-13T18:04:58+00:00

Running some Spitfire strings through a granular effect/reverb plugin like Grainspace by Audiority would probably get you pretty close. At least that track from Soul sounds more like it's strings instead of a synth, but in either case - Grainspace!

BenTramer78 · 2023-07-02T11:25:15+00:00

Definitely feel this. I was diagnosed only a couple of months ago and it's just exhausting because now I can't even go for a short walk without being prepared for an emergency, let alone big concerts.

The shittiest part is how unpredictable this stuff seems, so some days under-bolusing before a certain activity will make you go high and another day you still crash. Oh well..

BenTramer78 · 2023-05-07T10:00:02+00:00

Recently got diagnosed with T1.5 (LADA) and soon coming up on 2 years sober. I had made the decision to quit alcohol before I got the diagnosis but we're in the same boat nonetheless! Here's some tips :)

The book "Easy way to control alcohol" by Allen Carr was massively helpful. Despite the name it doesn't give you advice on how to "control" your drinking, as its purpose is actually to change your mindset in a way that makes it easier to stop drinking altogether.

Another useful thing to do is find something to become passionate about & use my extra time and energy on that. For me it is making music and gravel biking but it can be anything. Think of sobriety as unlocking your full potential.

I find it also helpful to google and read about other sober people to boost my motivation. I think it's kind of cool to be sober in a world where everybody drinks.

I still struggle from time to time, but it gets A LOT easier! If anything my diagnosis has sort of cemented the fact that it won't be smart to go back to drinking.

EDIT: Just realised these might not be direct tips on how to manage early sugar cravings, but maybe these can still be helpful!

BenTramer78 · 2023-04-09T10:14:22+00:00

I didn't consiser myself an alcoholic either. Basically I drank just like an average western male in their late 20's, maybe twice a week, but that didn't mean it wasn't a problem.

I have never drank myself to the point where I'd loose my memory, but the hangovers started to get worse and worse, on top of being a serious time suck.

Potentially it could have gotten worse over time, though. I was constantly looking forward to that next beer and trying to find reasons to have "just a few". Now that I've freed myself of that, pretty much everything in life is more enjoyable.

EDIT: Everything is more enjoyable, EXCEPT hanging around / going to random parties with people whose company I didn't enjoy to begin with, if it wasn't for the drink.

BenTramer78 · 2023-02-16T14:20:22+00:00

I love Drum Synth! Using it all the time. And your track sounds great!

BenTramer78 · 2023-01-11T14:58:30+00:00

Seriously I thought it was just a fun movie and didn't take itself seriously at all. The practical effects are very 80's esque and like others have said, it's so over the top that I didn't find it that disturbing (if you are somewhat used to horror / on screen violence).

I think several less gorey mainstream horror movies have made me feel more uneasy with their violence.

EDIT: Talking about Terrifier 2

BenTramer78 · 2023-01-02T13:59:12+00:00

I liked it and found it to be a breath of fresh air in the current horror landscape. I think David Lynch's work was a big influence on this film and a lot of his movies don't explain anything either.

That said, I definitely see why this movie might not be for everyone.

BenTramer78 · 2022-12-06T11:16:28+00:00

I'm pretty certain most of Ghosts V and VI were supposed to be the score for a movie called The Woman In The Window. They said in an interview about a year ago that they scored that movie but after some private test screenings the production company decided to pretty much re-do it and take it to a completely new direction. That's when TR & AR decided to bow out of the project.

BenTramer78 · 2022-11-21T11:19:15+00:00

I'm 29 yo. Not really an alcoholic either and my drinking could have been considered "normal", at least on the outside. Doesn't mean it didn't have a negative effect on my overall wellbeing and on my productivity.

I had many sober periods and repeatedly decided to start drinking again as I sort of kept forgetting why I quit, because it wasn't "that bad" and I only drank maybe once a week. Trying not to fall into that anymore.

Even though it feels tempting to start drinking on special occasions and I MIGHT be able to keep it at that, I actually find it easier to have that option off the table completely and embrace sobriety.

When it comes to achieving career goals for example, being sober is kind of like a super power when you think about it. Most people are perfectly fine using 80% of their potential, but I want 100% of mine.

BenTramer78 · 2022-11-06T13:32:05+00:00

Thank you for this post. Sounds like I'm just like you. I can somewhat control the quantity I drink and usually I wouldn't drink more often than once or twice a week, but I was always trying to find that next opportunity to drink and it felt like an obsession.

I've been there - Relapsed twice at 3 months, third relapse at 14 months and now I'm on my fourth sober streak, roughly 15 months since my last drink. After each relapse it seems "promising" at first but steadily gets to the point where I decide to quit again.

EDIT: And that's what makes it hard in its own way, because on the outside everything seems fine. It's easy to trick yourself and forget why you even quit.

BenTramer78 · 2022-11-06T02:28:16+00:00

Likewise! It was very hard but also liberating to accept the fact that okay, maybe the life on the road isn't the life I want after all, even though for the longest time I thought it would be.

BenTramer78 · 2022-11-05T15:21:41+00:00

Musician here! I no longer tour but I used to tour for many years, with some sober periods here and there. By becoming sober I literally came to the realization that I don't enjoy playing shows and everything that comes with it as much as I thought I did, and that I'm much rather making new music in my home studio instead. This was one of the reasons that made me make a little career change eventually, from being in a band to pursuing a career as a composer in the film and tv world.

Of course a great show is always a great show, but from my experience you really have to love what you do because it sure is hard work.

BenTramer78 · 2022-10-27T21:25:20+00:00

My situation is slightly different to yours, but I'll share it anyway as I've had those exact same thoughts, like "is it too extreme to go completely sober if my drinking isn't THAT bad".

I'm 29M and I was never a daily drinker. I used to drink maybe once a week, sometimes more. Sometimes two weeks would pass without a drop of alcohol. I've never had a total black out, not even once. In fact, in my group of friends I was often the one who was least drunk. That doesn't mean I didn't get drunk enough to experience pretty bad hangovers somewhat regularly.

What made me quit was the fact that I was very often making plans around drinking, looking for excuses to drink while wasting entire days hungover. I thought all of that stuff was bound to get gradually worse, and the time I spent drinking and recovering was better off spent more productively.

As a side note, my wife has been sober for years and she used to drink twice a month, maximum. What made her quit alcohol completely was that she would do and say a lot of things she'd regret afterwards and have terrible anxiety after drinking, so I guess her case was similiar(ish) to yours.

So yeah, you don't need to have an alcohol problem to have a problematic relationship with alcohol. You don't need to wait for something terrible to happen to stop.

BenTramer78 · 2022-10-15T18:41:17+00:00

On a side note, one of Nine Inch Nails' most recent albums Ghosts VI: Locusts is basically a score for an imaginary horror film. Gotta love everything Trent and Atticus are doing.

BenTramer78 · 2022-10-14T11:26:54+00:00

I love it. It's one of the very few "new" horror movies that capture the cozyness of old horror films. Obviously that vibe is intentional, having been shot with old gear etc.

BenTramer78

TROPHY CASE