HF Reference Tip

[Len911]

Another tip is an analyzer. Maybe you can see what you can't hear.

For example, in the extreme case, if you use a sonogram, and most cd's you listen to are gold at 5k, and your mix is dark blue, then you know there is a problem, and you might want to eq and cut at 5k until your mix is closer to the gold. It's not going to help a deaf person win a grammy mixing, however, technically it is more accurate than any analog monitoring system, but it can when used in conjunction with monitoring provide a more accurate landscape and help in identifying problems.

https://www.meldaproduction.com/MMultiA ... w=analysis

[Len911]

Also, I wonder how much is in the mixing, and how much is attributed to an extreme limiting preset in the "mastering"?

I know for myself I can spend a lot of time mixing, and not much time choosing a limiting preset.

[guscave]

Weather you’re using multi-million dollar studio or earbuds, you still want to listen to your mix in as many different systems and rooms (or car). It’s very easy to get use to how things sound on your own system and after awhile you may forget that you have to compensate certain frequencies so that you music sounds good anywhere.

I posted this in another thread, but check out Sonarworks headphone calibration software.
You’ll still need to get some decent headphones, cause I don’t think it will work with earbuds, but it’s definitely worth it. My mixing time ( quality) has improved a lot since I started using it a few days ago.

[jazzstan]

Graham ... great suggestion. I've thought about doing the earbud-test thing. Perhaps I haven't cuz I don't wanna know!!

On the visual side, Voxengo Span is a free VST. Rather handy.

Stan

[MattCurious]

Absolutely agree on the rubbish ear buds. My current monitoring environment is awful so I don't "push air" much (except, ironically, to use my "proper" monitors as a kind of grotbox). I always have a few different types of headphones on the desk along with some studio cans to get different perspectives. I try to have some "free with a phone" type buds, a "decent" £40 pair and then studio cans.

[mojobone]

Well, there's no reason not to have a pair of cheap earbuds; they're cheap, after all, and such gadgets are known to have resonant peaks at harsh frequencies, but the trouble is...they're not all alike. Monoprice's $6 buds sound nothing like the ones that come with an iDevice, so I don't see much utility other than, for a "Yep, that sounds horrible, all right." sorta reality check. The reason Auratones are so useful is that so many mixers use them. They're the same anywhere you go, or you can take them with you. I tend to mix for the best case scenario and master for the worst, so there might be a place for these things nearer the end of the process.

[jazzstan]

Mojo...

"Yep, that sounds horrible, all right."

[Len911]

Steven Baird on Taxi TV's most recent episode mentioned that he uses ear buds for mix checking.
The episode was called "How to Make a Six-Figure Income with TV and Film Music".
Do ya think that's the secret to those 6 figures?

No!

[Len911]

This is only my personal opinion, but if you use mostly vi's and don't have a complex mix or do any extreme eq'ing or panning, I don't think monitoring is as critical.

[mojobone]

It may be more convenient to use lots of virtual instruments, but I wouldn't say they're any easier to mix, though any sampled notes are presumably well-recorded, which does help. IMO, you still need an accurate set of full range monitor speakers if you wanna know how your music sounds on speakers, in a room. Of course you can mix on headphones and many do; it's just not the ideal circumstance to have 'em stuck in your earholes or mounted on your noggin.