Is there anyone here mixing with headphones and getting placements?

[bassmothership]

I'm kind of desperate and need some help pls. I don't want to quit Taxi.

I have a very small room with low ceiling as a mixing room. Acoustic treatment is not an option for me.
Anything that I mix in my room with my nearfield speakers sounds sonically worst than garbage. To remedy this I've been listening to my mixes through all kinds of cheap/expensive speakers, headphones, earphones, grotboxes, cars, other rooms, friends houses, etc, etc... referencing with trusted mixes, etc... with very mediocre results... it's tiring and depressing.

Anyway, this workflow won't work, the bar is set so high here with Taxi that or I quit or I mix through headphones.
So my last and only hope is to get the best headphone I can find and a copy of Sonarworks Reference 4 Heaphones edition.

So my question:

How many of you are/were getting results from mixing through headphones?

[cosmicdolphin]

Hi Bass Mothership

I mix in a fairly small room ( about 8ft square ) but on speakers, I've had abut 40 placements now. I really do think that the acoustic treatment I did when we moved here helped a lot, it probably cost as much as my monitors which were not cheap either but they are fairly small Adam A7's ( the original model ) with 5 inch woofers.

The room was measured with a measurement mic and Room EQ Wizard to see where the problems lay and then tackled from there with a mixture of Broadband Absorbers, Auralex tiles and LENRDs , a makeshift limp mass barrier which is actually an old rug ( that one really made a difference to the low mid ) ...on top of this I now have Reference 4 which has made further improvements. With that type of software the worse the room the more it can help.

Also you need to ask yourself whether it's just the room ? I don't know how long you've been mixing or whether you produced better mixes in a different room previously ? The mixes I make now are better than my old house where I had a way "better " space as my studio ( until I had kids ) ....but I've done a lot of work and training and mixes since then so it's as much down to improving my skillset as it is anything else.

I would certainly trial Reference 4 for your speakers before you throw the towel in. Also mixing a low levels takes the room somewhat out of the equation and makes for better balances as well as being better for your hearing.

As regards headphones there have been some useful article over the years in SOS mag..here are some worth a read.

https://www.soundonsound.com/sound-advi ... headphones

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... headphones

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... headphones

Mark

[hummingbird]

I mix on headphones and firmly believe that is not an issue for my mixes (I have credits), I very seldom get returns that indicate anything about recording/mix (mostly just off target). We lived in a condo and I was, like you, in despair over how to properly mix things (or practice singing at all)... we did a lot of research into headphones and ended with Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. I am also deaf in one ear.

My template is set up with some mixing plug-ins on the master buss and I tend to mix a bit as I go, working on panning and volume. Good panning is crucial I suppose in any case but especially when on headphones, I think providing space between the instruments and balancing left & right as well as balancing resonation (making sure all frequencies are represented on each side) is important. When I feel the actual composition stage is nearly finished, I run off a mono mp3 and take a break. Later, I come back and listen to the mono and make notes. I am listening for depth and space in the mix. I tweak that two or three times and then run off a stereo mix to listen to using two or three other systems. There's a certain texture, or feel, that I get when I'm close to a decent broadcast quality mix.

Here's a recent composition/mix
http://vikkiflawithmusic.com/track/2435 ... ken-dreams

[Kolstad]

Even some of the champs mix on headphones, nothing to be worried about. But it is important to take the guesswork out of the equation, so take a look at the Mastering the Mix plugins. Commit to using them with good headphones, and the results will come.

[DesireInspires]

Work on your writing and mixing skills. This is critical for getting placements.

[bassmothership]

The room was measured with a measurement mic and Room EQ Wizard to see where the problems lay and then tackled from there with a mixture of Broadband Absorbers, Auralex tiles and LENRDs , a makeshift limp mass barrier which is actually an old rug ( that one really made a difference to the low mid ) ...on top of this I now have Reference 4 which has made further improvements. With that type of software the worse the room the more it can help.

Mark

Hi Mark.

It's such a shame that here in Japan there's really no much choices for absorbing materials as in US or EU. There's the auralex stuff though but they really dont address much below the 200Hz and it's pretty expensive.

Is it possible you post pictures of your mixing room? I'd like to see what your old rug looks like and your broadband absorber.

Below is my room's plan btw, rew plot and a picture of my room.

https://ibb.co/yhrJLZc
https://ibb.co/YRp3BJg
https://ibb.co/SsTm5cV

[bassmothership]

I mix on headphones and firmly believe that is not an issue for my mixes (I have credits), I very seldom get returns that indicate anything about recording/mix (mostly just off target). We lived in a condo and I was, like you, in despair over how to properly mix things (or practice singing at all)... we did a lot of research into headphones and ended with Audio-Technica ATH-M50x. I am also deaf in one ear.

My template is set up with some mixing plug-ins on the master buss and I tend to mix a bit as I go, working on panning and volume. Good panning is crucial I suppose in any case but especially when on headphones, I think providing space between the instruments and balancing left & right as well as balancing resonation (making sure all frequencies are represented on each side) is important. When I feel the actual composition stage is nearly finished, I run off a mono mp3 and take a break. Later, I come back and listen to the mono and make notes. I am listening for depth and space in the mix. I tweak that two or three times and then run off a stereo mix to listen to using two or three other systems. There's a certain texture, or feel, that I get when I'm close to a decent broadcast quality mix.

Here's a recent composition/mix
http://vikkiflawithmusic.com/track/2435 ... ken-dreams

Mad respect.

What's in you master buss?

[bassmothership]

Even some of the champs mix on headphones, nothing to be worried about. But it is important to take the guesswork out of the equation, so take a look at the Mastering the Mix plugins. Commit to using them with good headphones, and the results will come.

I've just had a look at these plugins. What would you recommend as the most essential?
I already have Neutron 2 and Ozone 8 advanced and lots of Waves stuff.

[bassmothership]

How many of you are/were getting results from mixing through headphones?

Hi bassmothership

In term of results, I have had zero placements and, most recently, 10 returns and only 1 forward BUT BUT BUT not a single time out of those 11 did I have a tick at "Recording/Mix needs improvement" - it was always about mood/structure or sample/vocal quality. So, in a sense, you could say I do have some okay mixing results. This said, what headphones do I use (because I am mostly working under headphones):

1. AKG K-812 Pro - my main mixing headphones. Very (maybe too?) precise and they go VERY low.

2. Beyerdynamic MMX300 - actually a headset, but excellent sound quality which is quite different from 1 as the bass is more boosted. Also, some instruments sound raspy under 1, but not under 2. Essentially, I would want to listen to music under 2, while I kind of know that 1 are better for getting the mix right.

Apart from those headphones, I use the speakers of my Yamaha PSR-E456 and a little boom box blaring things I play on the iPad - AND of course the car stereo.

Is this a great setup? No! But I produce in my little son's bedroom while he sleeps - so, there is no other way. Yes, you need the tools, but you also need the ears i.e. need to learn how things on one device might sound on another. I feel I am getting closer to the point where my mixes on the AKG K-812 sound good everywhere.

Maybe this helps a little,
Tom

First time I've heard about the AKG K-812.
They look fantastic! and the price too . And they're in the Sonarworks list!
I'm really looking for the most pristine way to mix with.
These headphones paired with sonarworks seem to me like the best of the best.

Ah..! What's your interface? I believe such a high quality headphones requires high end interface or a pre-amp, correct?

[Kolstad]

Even some of the champs mix on headphones, nothing to be worried about. But it is important to take the guesswork out of the equation, so take a look at the Mastering the Mix plugins. Commit to using them with good headphones, and the results will come.

I've just had a look at these plugins. What would you recommend as the most essential?
I already have Neutron 2 and Ozone 8 advanced and lots of Waves stuff.

You can do everything with Reference and Levels. Levels first, then Reference.