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A friend of mines recently started using these Avatones with his reference tracks and his mix. Says it's helped him tremndously in getting his mixes to translate well on various playback systems. I think I might give them a try. Anybody try these yet?

http://www.avantonepro.com/mixcubes-active-black.php

I've had one since they came out so must be a good 10 years or so.

I do find it a very useful tool but you have to know what it's good at and what it isn't. It's a secondary monitor so not really any good as mains otherwise your mixes will end up with a bunch of low end that you never heard.

What they are great for is mid-range translation which is " where the music lives " as they say so they lay out the mix without the hype of the lows or highs. This can have several benefits - it's easier to focus on key elements of the mix without all the other distractions, they are great for balancing instruments against each other, and if like many people you just get one and feed it a mono mix then you also get to hear if your mix falls apart when it's no stereo which can be important. it's also good for checking if your bass will disappear or not on a small speaker.

I have 3 things I can listen to my mix on in my studio, the main APS monitors, the single mono mixcube and the boombox in the corner...all hooked up to a switchbox for instant comparison.

They all play their role and getting something that works on all 3 is usually a guarantee it will sound good anywhere. There is the original review below by Mike Senior of Sound On Sound - I know he owns one as I did some work with him some years back and he uses it to check his mixes too. It took me some time to understand what it was telling me so it's not a magic cure but once you learn it you will come to appreciate how useful they can be.

https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/av ... ve-mixcube

Mark

+1 for the single for all the reasons mentioned above.

I'd be lost without mine. Iv'e tried putting EQ across my interface's software mixer- rolling off @130Hz and a peak @1.2KHz and hitting mono. It's a pretty poor second as the Avantone really puts a focus on that frequency range. I ordered one and was sent two so I sent the second one back. Two is one too many, get one.

Edit: Iv'e had mine for over 10 years too and it's one of my better purchases for sure.

lesmac wrote: ↑

Thu Mar 04, 2021 6:47 pm

Edit: Iv'e had mine for over 10 years too and it's one of my better purchases for sure.

Yes I think it's the only piece of gear I still have that's not been replaced over that 10 yr period

I think I'm going to have to work something like these into my studio setup within this year. They aren't the funnest, most sexy piece of gear like a new guitar or whatever.. but lately I've really been trying to get into mixing more seriously-- I've got a lot of learning to do-- and it's driving me nuts how a mix that sounds good on one setup can sound so different on another.

Just be aware that you probably won't like how they sound and I doubt you'll listen to them for pleasure . Also, they're usually passive so you'll need an external amplifier (although there might also be an active version now at extra cost). If you're fine with that then they'll be functional and useful for alternative reference listening. I use Pyramid P's for the same purpose but usually can't wait to switch them off and get back to the 'big guns' (only 5" monitors but the difference is stark).

There's also an alternative that might just keep you happy, particularly if you're tight on desk space....
https://www.pluginboutique.com/meta_pro ... MixChecker
https://www.musicradar.com/reviews/audi ... hecker-pro

That MixChecker plugin looks really awesome.

Ted wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 08, 2021 8:10 am

That MixChecker plugin looks really awesome.

It does what it says on the tin, but there's always a 'but' . The sound you get from it still comes through your existing monitors, which means it'll never be a perfect rendition of the speakers its supposed to be emulating. Then again, all speakers are coloured by your room anyway, so there is no 'perfect' solution, just different compromises. At least you can experience a range of different listening environments and if your music sounds OK on all (or most) of them then you're probably good to go.

Its been mentioned before, but another good aid is Izotope's Tonal Balance, that you can buy separately or as part of Ozone. Its a visual thing which some frown upon, but I find it very useful for an added sense of security that I've not missed something in the mix.
https://www.izotope.com/en/products/ton ... undle.html

Telefunkin wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 07, 2021 11:59 am

Also, they're usually passive so you'll need an external amplifier (although there might also be an active version now at extra cost).

Actually the Avantones are powered. That's the main difference between them and the original Auratones.

guscave wrote: ↑

Mon Mar 08, 2021 2:18 pm

Telefunkin wrote: ↑

Sun Mar 07, 2021 11:59 am

Also, they're usually passive so you'll need an external amplifier (although there might also be an active version now at extra cost).

Actually the Avantones are powered. That's the main difference between them and the original Auratones.

They're available in both active and passive - I have active one personally.