The Learning Curve Series, Part 1: Machines | TAF #111

Send us Fan Mail

Switching to a new PMU machine can feel like starting all over again. Suddenly your healed results look different, your depth feels off, and frustration sets in. But that’s not failure, it’s the learning curve.

In this episode, Teryn Darling walks you through what really happens when you pick up a new machine: the vibration feels strange, the stroke is different, the voltage doesn’t behave the same, and your muscle memory needs time to catch up. She shares her own big switches, from a cheap starter pen to a coil, and then to rotary machines and how patience, adjustments, and reps made all the difference.

💡 You’ll learn:

• Why every artist “sucks” at first with a new machine (and why that’s normal)
• How vibration, stroke, and voltage changes impact your work
• What adjustments to make with speed, pressure, and stretch
• Why documenting healed results is your best teacher
• How muscle memory, patience, and consistency build confidence

✨ This is Part 1 of the Learning Curve Series. Next up: needles and pigments.

If you’ve ever left a brand-new $800 machine sitting in a drawer, this episode will inspire you to pick it back up and push through the curve because greatness lives on the other side of frustration.

🎸 Composition and guitars - Russ Letizia
🥁 Drums and studio engineering - Mike Zerbe
🎼 Recorded at The Compound in Las Vegas, NV