Great method to check yer mix balance!

[Kolstad]

I follow the recording revolution blog on YouTube by Graham Cochrane (http://grahamcochrane.com/), who runs a great video blog with tips for mixing.

"Reverse mixing" can be very useful for the many of us who tries to achieve consistant results:

http://therecordingrevolution.com/2013/ ... se-mixing/

How do you check your mixes?
Got any additional tips to share on this?

[cardell]

Thanks Magne!

I've been using the Auratone Impulse Responses (available in this thread) to check the levels in my mixes.
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much- ... f-lpf.html

Yes, not as good as the real thing, but it's still been one of the most useful things on my main bus.

Stuart

[Kolstad]

That sounds interesting, Stuart.
I'm courious how to do that..

Can you elaborate on how you use IR's on the main bus?

[cardell]

Can you elaborate on how you use IR's on the main bus?

Sure, in Studio One, I load Open Air (convolution reverb) last in my main bus.

Then, I load the Auratone Impulse Response and turn the mix around to 100% wet so I'm only hearing the effected sound (as if it's going thru a real Auratone).

Stuart

[Kolstad]

Oh yeah, I love the Open Air! Didn't know you could import your own IR's! Sweet
But.. how do you then monitor your master bus? Don't you listen through other speakers or headphones? I mean won't you need to have sort of double monitoring either way?

[cardell]

But.. how do you then monitor your master bus? Don't you listen through other speakers or headphones? I mean won't you need to have sort of double monitoring either way?

If I had a real set of Auratones, you're quite right, I would need some sort of double monitoring. However, this is only a simulation of the famous Auratone(s) thru my existing monitors.
These: simulated thru these:

I just turn Open Air on temporarily, when I wanna check my relative levels during mixing. It's surprisingly effective. One day I'll buy the real thing. Until then, I'm using these free impulse responses.

Stuart

[Kolstad]

Ahh, yes I'm only trying to understand how it works.

I wonder what the double monitoring means, though.
You seem to want the combined frequency curves from the Auratones and the Yamahas, right?

I could imagine doing that if the Auratones sort of compensated for something undesired in the Yamahas.

I don't have the Yamahas (I use NHT M-00's), but as I remember from somewhere the Auratones should have a nice midrange frequency response.

Probably wouldn't work on my setup, as my NHT's are a little bit like the Auratones (emphasizing the mids), but feel tempted to try it out. Also to explore the capabilities of the Open Air (I LOVE Studio One btw).

[cardell]

You seem to want the combined frequency curves from the Auratones and the Yamahas, right?

No.

I only want a pretend version of the Auratones coming out of my Yamaha speakers. That's why I go for a 100% wet signal from the impulse response.

Stuart

[Len911]

I think there might be some problems with the reverse mixing method. The Fletcher-Munson Curve theory states that the ear is less sensitive to high and low frequencies than it is to mid-range frequencies at higher volumes, and at lower volumes the ear is more sensitive to the frequency difference. So in theory, if you balance all the bands at a lower volume, when you turn up the volume the mid-range will seem much louder than the low and high bands. It seems the ideal might be to mix to the level that most people will be listening. Mid-range is where the vocals are, which is what the listeners mainly adjust their volume to. So theoretically what you are doing in the reverse mixing process is listening and perhaps adjusting the "balance" at the lower volume which will essentially ensure that your midrange sounds louder when you increase the volume. If you decrease the midrange at the lower volumes than the other two bands, when the volume is increased, the frequency spectrum will sound more balanced. The problem with the reverse mixing method is that it assumes that the balance is the same at low volume as it is at medium and high volume.

[Len911]

Thanks Magne!

I've been using the Auratone Impulse Responses (available in this thread) to check the levels in my mixes.
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much- ... f-lpf.html

Yes, not as good as the real thing, but it's still been one of the most useful things on my main bus.

Stuart

If my understanding is correct, the Auratone's are unique in that they only have 1 speaker driver so they don't need a crossover filter that would introduce phase shifting, and give a clearer, cleaner sound??
Theoretically, if you are still using a monitor with a crossover, I fail to see that it should make any difference whether or not you used an ir of the auratone except to possibly introduce distortion from the ir.
Of note is that headphones usually only have 1 driver, so you won't get any crossover filter phase shifting as well as with the auratone??

Phase shifting, smearing, here is a link that explains it much better though in regards to linear phase eq and minimal phase eq, all filters are essentially eq's, so is the crossover filter.

http://www.theproducerschoice.com/blogs ... -explained#