iPhone Distortion

[annayarbrough]

Hey guys,

Writing this after experimenting and scouring the internet for HOURS....

In a nutshell, I'm experiencing distortion on my iPhone speakers from my (very clean) piano tracks and cannot get to the bottom of it no matter what I do. It happens with solo piano tracks that seem to check all the right boxes on the surface.

Everything sounds great through multiple speakers (good and bad), sounds good through my Mac, sounds great with my iPhone HEADPHONES, but absolute garbage when I play back through the iPhone speakers. It's not an issue with my phone - I've played comparative music through the speakers, and it doesn't happen.

Any pointers/advice? I've been messing with all sorts of EQ/compression/headroom etc etc etc things, but no luck so far. Using good quality plugins.

Obviously so many people listen to music through terrible speakers (iPhone included), so I do see this as an important part of mixing.

Can't seem to find anyone on the www with an answer!

Thanks in advance...

[orest]

Hi there!

Have you compared with other piano pieces playing in the same range and using VI's?

If you play in the upper range and the samples are "boosted" in the high frequencies/high end you will experience this.

And, to me, iPhone/other smartphone devices and built in laptop speakers should not be used for active quality music listening. The speakers are crap compared to Hi-Fi. If you want to share your music this way, at least ask the listeners to use headphones.

[annayarbrough]

Hi there!

Have you compared with other piano pieces playing in the same range and using VI's?

If you play in the upper range and the samples are "boosted" in the high frequencies/high end you will experience this.

And, to me, iPhone/other smartphone devices and built in laptop speakers should not be used for active quality music listening. The speakers are crap compared to Hi-Fi. If you want to share your music this way, at least ask the listeners to use headphones.

Hey!

Yes, I've tested it with similar music (both VI and live) and perhaps I should amend my original statement - when I play comparative music, it's not that it doesn't happen AT ALL, it's just very minimal compared to what's happening in mine!

Tested it with a lot of classical music as well, and maybe it's just a piano resonance thing... I'm not sure. I totally agree with you regarding the quality of the speakers. I guess my goal is not to master it directly for those garbage speakers, but more that I'd be able to make any distortion minimal!

I've EQd everything in extremes throughout all the registers as a test - nothing seems to make that much of a difference. I did have a conversation with someone earlier today about limiters... I've always been a bit wary of using too much in the way of compressors and limiters when it comes to solo piano, but I'm wondering if there's something to that.

[Len911]

http://www.physlink.com/education/askexperts/ae698.cfm

The resonant frequency of your iphone speaker.

An object exposed to its resonant frequency will vibrate in sympathy with the sound.

https://youtu.be/C-Bn70PpbrM?t=1m3s

[annayarbrough]

I understand a large part of the problem is simply bad speakers. I'm not looking to master FOR the bad speakers, just minimize the problem areas that they seem to pull out. At least (hopefully) achieve some comparative results with other similar music. Seems to be that solo piano is especially tricky to master....!

[mojobone]

Which VI and which plugins? Host DAW and platform? It's possible that your unmastered virtual piano tracks have uncontrolled transients, but that's pretty rare for a sampled piano, maybe less so a live-miked one. More likely it's a matter of improperly gain-staging your plugins or overdoing EQ boosts. Have you played the tracks on other iPhones of the same model and size?

[Len911]

I don't think for one that anyone expects a great sound from an iphone speaker, but there are a few complaints with iphone and ipad vibrating, resonance, etc. It might not be only the speakers but the whole phone resonating. I wouldn't waste my time mastering for them because no one who seriously listens to music listens on an iphone. Mastering is a compromise.

[annayarbrough]

Which VI and which plugins? Host DAW and platform? It's possible that your unmastered virtual piano tracks have uncontrolled transients, but that's pretty rare for a sampled piano, maybe less so a live-miked one. More likely it's a matter of improperly gain-staging your plugins or overdoing EQ boosts. Have you played the tracks on other iPhones of the same model and size?

I've been using a range of Kontakt pianos recently - doesn't seem to be specific to any particular one. Working in Logic Pro X. Everything LOOKS good - no peaking anywhere of any kind... not boosting anything excessively... just seems to be afterwards, on certain speakers. I'm sure it's largely to do with mono speakers in general, and I'm probably just searching for a perfection that doesn't exist....! I have tried other iPhones, same issue.

I guess when it boils down to it, my recordings just seem to be a little more distorted than the "norm" - in that I can still hear that resonant "fuzz" with a multitude of different tracks (through the iPhone, anyway), but something just sounds a LITTLE clearer than my own recordings.

I do a ton of recording and think I've a fairly good ear when it comes to problem-spotting/mixing... but I never do my own final masters, and it's something I'd love to learn with a bit more finesse!

[annayarbrough]

I don't think for one that anyone expects a great sound from an iphone speaker, but there are a few complaints with iphone and ipad vibrating, resonance, etc. It might not be only the speakers but the whole phone resonating. I wouldn't waste my time mastering for them because no one who seriously listens to music listens on an iphone. Mastering is a compromise.

Totally agree! That's interesting re. the phone resonating. I wonder what makes my own tracks resonate that bit more than other recordings I play... could be a whole host of things, I'm sure....! I'd be interested in seeing how the approach of mastering engineers has evolved over the last 20 years when it comes to solo piano. I've been playing a ton of different piano music from recent years to try and spot some common issues with mono speakers, but I'm pretty new to the mastering side of things....!

[mojobone]

I'd suggest digging up some of the free analysis tools for your format and platform. Perhaps you can graphically isolate what you're hearing?