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Headphones or Speakers when mixing/mastering

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(@kalle_in_sweden)
Prominent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 779
Topic starter  

Hi Everybody
I am in a bit of dilemma.
When I am recording and mixing a multitrack recording I normally use very good headphones.
But when I then listen to the final mix trough my rather small (PC) monitor speakers (Behringer MS16), the sound experience is very different. The bass responce is reduced and the stereo "picture" is very different...
This is very significant when recording Bass or even Vocals.

As most people that will listen to my recordings (via PC) will use PC "monitor speakers" with limited bass response I want to compensate that in the final mix/master track with bass raise. But if you listen to the final mix with fullrange speakers or headphones you will get boomy sound.

My question is therefore; how much should you compensate in final mix for the normal listeners small PC monitors ?

Kalle

Tanglewood TW28STE (Shadow P7 EQ) acoustic
Yamaha RGX 320FZ electric guitar/Egnater Tweaker 15 amp.
Yamaha RBX 270 bass/Laney DB 150 amp.
http://www.soundclick.com/kalleinsweden


   
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(@katmetal)
Prominent Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 726
 

Hmmm...Well, I think if it were me, I would mix it "flat", & let the chips fall where they may.
In my thinking, as long as the levels are correct, you have done your job. I know I really don't

like it when I buy a CD that the engineers have tampered with the EQ settings a lot, as I then have
to reset MY settings for just one disc, & then return them when listening to other music.

Just my .02, hope it is helpful :)


   
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(@leear)
Honorable Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 392
 

Over the years I've learned this.

1. It sounds different on every speaker you play it through.
2. Use different speakers for mixing

I use my headphones for the stereo image (be sure use flat headphones make sure it doesn't say with bass enhancer built in.) I'll get a good mix with these
Then I'll go to my studio monitors and see how it sound adjust levels. Now I may not hear my bass that well, thats ok as long as its barely audible i'm good.
I then use a pair of Creative computer speakers and mix on there to get the final levels because it has a sub and i hear how much bass is in it. Then I go back to my monitors and hear the difference. I know that CD's sound good on the Creatives so once I get it good there it sounds good just about anywhere. But I'll go back and listen to the mix on my monitors to get use to the bass and how everything comes through them for next time. Eventually i hope to elimintae the computer speakers.

Hope this wasn't too confusing.

No matter where you go.... There You are! Law of Location


   
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(@austinman)
Eminent Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 30
 

I agree with above. Your mix will sound different on every system. That is why it is important to play your recordings through as many systems as possible. Use a familiar CD or mix to get an idea for how the different systems color the mix.

I mix on headphones to get a good stereo field and to hear detail. I then listen through my monitor speakers to get a good flat EQ. I ALWAYS listen to a mix through my car speakers---and those always sound different than my studio monitors. Try always to listen to a mix on a system similar to what your intended audience will use. I read the story of a country artist in Nashville who insists on hearing his mixes through the speakers on the dashboard of a pickup truck because, "that's the way my fans will hear it."

In short, every speaker colors the mix differently, so it is up to you to familiarize yourself with exactly how your system (studio monitors and headphones) affect what you're hearing. You will have to make choices and compromises. Ultimately, you listen to a mix through as many different systems as you can and then you strike for a balance that will sound good on as many systems as possible. Inevitabley, your mix will sound great through most systems, but poor in a few. A good mix is always a compromise in the end.


   
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(@scrybe)
Famed Member
Joined: 16 years ago
Posts: 2241
 

agreed with the pposts above....in my experience listening on as many different systems is the best way to go.

another thing which helps is if you have some 'reference mixes' - they can be anything, popular songs you're familiar with, stuff in the style you're recording, etc, etc. Basically, you want to make a disc of a bunch of tunes that you can stand listening to repeatedly, and play that disc through the same systems as you try your mix through. after a while, you'll have listened to them sufficiently to get a 'baseline' regarding how the different systems respond to those tracks, and you can then compare your own mixes against that baseline (either from memory of how the 'reference tunes' sounded or by playing them mid-mixing session).

another thing which can help is taking a break from mixing - after a certain point (which obv differs from person to person) you reach saturation and don't distinguish as clearly as before. A lot of people will do a 'rough mix' which theywork on for a bunch of hours, then a 'polishing mix' a day or few days later. It just gives you the chance to listen with fresh ears again.

hth

Ra Er Ga.

Ninjazz have SuperChops.

http://www.blipfoto.com/Scrybe


   
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