tip #3 has definitely helped me the most and has become part of my mixing checklist! to anyone reading this, i recommend making a playlist of very well mixed music & then listen to that for a while before starting a long mixing session :D
One INCREDIBILY important thing you forgot to mention is almost all laptops and computers these days come with built in "audio enhancement" software which is on by default which do things like widen the sound, add a small amount of reverb, and boost bass and highs. Always check all your audio settings and sound card settings and make sure none of these effects are applied and that any EQs are either turned off or flat. It also wouldn't hurt to Google if your computer has any third-party "audio enhancement" software pre-installed that isn't directly accessed through the audio settings. On gaming laptops in particular, there are often audio settings hidden in the performance apps such as Alienware Command Center. I only found this out when I noticed a pure sine wave sounded distorted even through it wasn't clipping and found my computer had a built in bass boost, low frequency saturation, boosted high shelf, and stereo widening running by default which were absolutely ruining the sound.
Good tips. I'd like to add one TOTALLY FREE improvement: speaker and listener positions. For typical rooms - the "home" studio (aka bedroom/office), generally rectangular 10-12 x 13-20 rooms - align the monitors and listening position along the long axis of the room. Then placing the monitors near the wall behind your mix desk, and getting the ears at about that standard 38% distance from the front wall along the length of the long axis, (as a starting point) gives you at least a running start at maximizing your listening accuracy. This is a widely recommended set up for spaces of this general dimension. A little experimentation, moving the monitors and listening position a few inches at a time, will lead to the clearest sound picture with your gear. It's still a long way from "flat", but is a simple, cost-free step in the right direction.
Optional: instead of moving the speakers around, put them in your rough mixing position and then you move around the room and listen for hot spots or nodes that are an issue. Much easier then moving the speakers.
@@jzilla_grudgegang Not a waste of time at all - we have to maximize the tools we have. It's always a game of incremental improvements, and speaker placement is but one link in a long chain of factors.
Another tip.Put a speaker in the corner, listen to some bass heavy bass music, move around the axis of the room at listening height.The place where you have more Definition in the bass notes is your listening position.The 38% rule is not always the best position.
Using reference has been my go to method for mixing with the worst equipment and I have to say its been the most helpful one. Every sound is translated exactly how its supposed to without owning the top most quality stuff in the market. What a great video👏
I agree! One of the cleanest mixes I ever done was when I was on the road, I done most of it on headphones and plugged my laptop into a car for the final mixdown. It translated so well!
This is also the tip a musician family friend of mine told me a few years ago, although there sure is enough variance in different cars' audio systems that mixing in reference to the car of your choice might still skew the EQ towards a particular curve that might or might not work as well on other listening scenarios. But perhaps the enclosed listening experience of the car, whatever car, helps single out problematic elements in the mix regardless of the particular audio system so it could be used more to iron things out than to completely overhaul the EQ.
@@beastwolf7 cardi b album was fully mixed in a car by leslie brathwait. Alo some david guetta songs too. Cars are acoustically treated. Its just unconfortable
I'd rather deal with some of the drawbacks of headphones than spend thousands of dollars on acoustic treatment and STILL not get it right. I use a couple pairs of headphones I know incredibly well. Then at the end, I play the mix on my laptop speakers. I haven't had any translation problems. I have a lot of problems with decision making and getting a good mix to begin with. But it's sounds exactly like what I expected. It sounds equally bad everywhere, lol.
That’s a good method because it doesn’t rely on acoustic treatment. But there are some advantages to using studio monitors, too. Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/ecbUTrx41zU/w-d-xo.html
I used to focus on soundproofing, but now I've gotten some decent headphones and run them with Sonarworks. I got better results than with studio monitors.
wow! that last bit on the vowel sounds was absolutely amazing...I've been in the pro audio industry for 30 years and can't believe I've never seen that before! I'm running FOH next weekend for a big music festival and definitely gonna keep this in mind to see if it changes my mixes at all!
You want extra SOUND advice and I mean this will change your LIFE if you don't already do this. Set an EQ on the master with hp and lp filters from around 250hz to 4-5k Put everything in mono I do this at the final stages of my mixes once I have my overal sound and everything panned correctly. What this will do is help you focus on the most important area of the mix that will be most prominant on most devices including the car. I LOVE putting a multiband compressor on the master and only compressing the mids to give it a heavy place in the mix. I usually do this after a VCA compressor but you can do it before. Also, I like to have a parallel send from my Sub Mix/Pre Master and use tricks like saturation in the mids or an EQ for the mids and dial it into the mix to give it more energy in the center. BIGGEST TAKE FROM THIS TIP: If you mix with a happy face approach (Bass boosted and trebble boosted) I PROMISE you your mixes will feel weak and hollow in a vehicle and you will wonder why it was louder in headphones but weak in the car. You can capture brightness and body with harmonics and other tricks. No need to go crazy boosting bass and boosting highs. Most the pros have bass sounding incredibly low and it's not even registering much below 30 hz. Same with highs, they use harmonics to fill the space. Of course you use EQs for this but think about sidechaining an exciter plugin and boosting it with lets say a vocal before you add 6 db of 9k for that sizzle and brightness. Might only need 2-3db of gain and a little harmonics to do the rest. This will help things sit and sit HEAVY. Hope this helps.
I like a mono plugin on the master out for balancing (when things collapse to mono the true volume is revealed since left and right stack on top of each other). It’s also pretty useful to have a mid focus EQ on the master out to check the tonal balance of the midrange when equalizing. They say the magic is in the midrange and they’re not wrong. Having multiple different speakers is key (personally I use AirPods, Genelec 8030s, and sennheiser hd 650 headphones). You can use anything tho you just have to know your speakers really well. Listening to reference tracks is also really helpful. Look on TH-cam for your favorite records and search “drums only”, “bass only”, “guitar only” etc. Compare your instrumentation to theirs and see what you might be missing. Lastly you shouldn’t blast the volume. I’m not saying listen at a whisper quiet volume level, but just don’t blast the volume like you’re listening recreationally. That’s a great way to lose objectivity fast. Only blast if you’re checking for harsh frequencies that keep you from being able to turn things up loud (like around 4k for guitars) and even then, don’t blast it for long.
Tip #2 is absolutely solid advice. Listen to the music on the devices that normal people will be using. I don't think a music producer should bother catering their music to audiophiles. In my experience, audiophiles tend to spend all of their money on equipment and then do nothing to treat the room itself. The results they get are often a total roll of the dice, and they put too much faith in their $10k+ sound system to magically solve all of the problems. I also tend to notice that they will spend a lot of time and effort trying to tweak the EQ of their favorite albums to suit their own tastes, so it doesn't really matter what you give them in the end anyway. Best to focus on mixing your tracks so that they sound good on the kinds of devices you find in the general public. The only place where you _really_ need to dial in professional mixes for professional equipment is in cinema. But that's an entirely different business.
In the cinema?? WTF? And many ‘audio files’ are crazy. The best mixes are what we do in the studio. You ain’t gonna be able to improve on that. If you are making great mixes of great musicians.
There is one topic which is, for some reason, eluded or never spoken of when talking about mixing or mastering. Granted that Spotify has taken over and the majority of people listen to either their own phone's speakers or cheap chinese earbuds, you MUST be sure that your mix sounds good on those devices. I generally start adjusting the mix in very little steps because there's a threshold where the "main mix" (the one made on monitor speakers and which generally sounds good as well on my home hi-fi system) will start to suffer and sound worse and worse, while it will obviously keep improving as you move further and further away on low end devices. So the 1 billion dollar question is: how far do you go compromising your "main mix" to make it sound "good" on low end devices, since 90% of your listeners will be using those, a 9% with decent headphones and maybe a 1% on actually good audio system?
I’ve been mixing since 1991. I’m here to tell you that the only fool proof way is to know how to use professional VU meters the right way. It is 100% accurate no matter what your monitors say. In 30 years, it has mislead me exactly ZERO times
It's so nice to revisit topics I've had problems with for years and then get a concise explanation, complete with demonstrations. Love your channel dude, thank you!
Love this channel.One thing that I see often overlooked is the monitoring level, to take into account the Fletcher Munson curves.If your speakers and room are the flattest possible, but your listening at a level where your ears are not flat then you see where it goes. Monitoring must be done at specific level to make good decisions.
I'm so glad I subscribed to this channel. I don't work in audio but I do produce my own music and I'm interested in doing the best job I can on a budget. The ear training aspects of this topic have always been something I struggle with, and I was amazed by your simple tip for relating frequencies to vowel sounds. I'm definitely going to start practising that. Thank you!
In real terms, studio monitoring loudspeakers and headphones have way more pronounced treble than consumer speakers. And this is appreciated because it allows you to hear everything that is in the recording. It is the reason why people prefer ribbon tweeters if they can afford it as the sound is less fatiguing to the ears.
Great advice. I’ve done all the things you mention and the shortest path to translation for me has been using a plug-in: “Metric AB” (or you could just say “reference mixing,” but this plug-in helps me do that especially well). -Particularly, having the ability to quickly toggle between several pro mixes and my mix in real time, and having them volume-matched (VERY important). For my job, I have to mix on the go all the time, so wherever I am, on whatever system, I can load my AB plug-in with my preset 15 songs and quickly calibrate my ears to what’s going on. I’ve not had a mix poorly translate since doing that and I can mix faster and with more confidence. The other trick for me is to have specific things I listen for out of a given reference mix, so when I listen, I’m not copying the whole mix, I’m using a tiny piece of it I like as a reference. One example would be: I like to use Frank Sinatra’s “Under My Skin” as a reference for vocal presence. There’s a very special harmonic distortion I like on his voice on that recording that sounds very present, without a lot of super top end. It’s also a lesson in leaving space for the vocal presence to sit, without boosting it with EQ. -I find little pearls like that in each reference mix, that quickly help me get MY sound, based on my taste, without just copying a mix wholesale. The last thing I like about Metric AB is: having that many songs available so quickly, cleanses my ear-pallet and allows me to hear a broader sonic potential than just one or two mixes would. Thus, I can push the creative envelope harder. Keep up the excellent work!
To be honest, I think people really overcomplicate this. I’m convinced 90% of mixing is just mixing on something you’re used to the sound of, provided that it’s reasonably good quality.
The thing about studio monitors is even if you get some, you are at the beginning of the learning curve for those speakers. And it is a marriage. Take your time and choose carefully. You're gonna fall in and out of love with em over time. So make sure you choose ones that you really understand. You might not necessarily "like" them butas long as you understand what they do and where in the spectrum you can begin to trust your work.
This video sounded great on my Vizio sound bar. I love when someone teaches something and they do what they say-hope that makes sense?! Excellent video!!
Before I send my songs off into the World I first listen to the final mix on headphones 🎧 then a pair of AirPods and lastly my car. Most people will be listening to your music on AirPods or in their vehicles, so those 2 are very important. 😉 🎶
I have a pair of Adam’s and avantones cubes. I hear the mix back through my monitors, but I only mix with my seinheisser 680 open back headphones. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper to get a set of headphones than great studio monitors and acoustic treatment.
Really great content. I think that there are myths out there that lead to people changing their mix by listening in their car. Some of the myth comes from old articles where a producer will state how they listen to the recordings on the way home and/or on their way to the studio. But in my experience that the reason for the quick cassettes of a session in the past, was more about arrangement and instrument placement etc. and not really about a mix. In the many years in the nineteen eighties, I had never seen an engineer or a producer leave a mixing session and check it out in their car. In fact I heard a really well known producer say after a musician had made a comment about a mix in his car, that if we can get everyone in the world to only listen to your music in your car, then we would be mixing in your car. I'm now involved in post production for video and the same problems arise where people have a myth that since everyone is using displays that aren't calibrated that they should make decisions on an uncalibrated display. Much like audio - and as you explained, the target still needs to be established - and on a display that is uncalibrated, we have no idea what the actual target is. So looking at the display if my monitor is a little bit blue, I add yellow - but if the next persons monitor is already too yellow - my push of yellow is then multiplied onto that too yellow screen and the image looks like urine. Newton's law applies here and it applies in audio - for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. As described in your excellent video here - adding bottom to compensate for the phone - what is that going to do to the home stereo that already has over compensated low end ( bass )? In the 1980s when I used work in the recording studios - the NS10m by Yamaha was pretty much on the back of every console. I could record in Vancouver ( where I live ) and walk into a studio in New York and except for some room sound - the mix would be identical. I think that time is the only time in history where we came close to having a standard when it came to reference. So I am a believer in calibration in video displays and in audio. Take the room out of the equation by knowing it is tuned. Thank you for this video. I have bookmarked it, and when this topic comes up again - I am going to link to your video as a reference ( and a referral )
Also, I can't understand why anyone would listen to music on a smart phone when a decent pair of headphones or a bluetooth speaker is so cheap. Call me a snob, but you might as well not even listen at that point. Still, I find that as long as you make sure to put a decent amount of midrange content in your bass guitar and a decent amount of "click" in your kick drum, it will be heard everywhere. You mentioned saturation, and I definitely agree. But even just an EQ boost at 800 hz can do wonders for bass guitar. That's a magic frequency for bass. It helps it cut through without sounding too "clanky." And it's a frequency where you're not stepping on the toes of other instruments. Guitars usually have their presence from 1.5k to 3.5k. Vocals are usually around 2k to 4k. Drums are often scooped out in that 800 hz area as well.
Thanks for the helpful comment, do you have a reference I could look up to learn more about the relevant frequency ranges and how the 800 Hz trick works?
Another great video! You really have a knack for educating at the proper pace, and using clear, simple language to get the main points across. Bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 There are real health benefits to checking my basement-studio mix in my car, too. I easily exceed the 10-flight daily stair-climbing target on those days … 😏
Reminds me to software development. Most software developers have have extreme powerful computers, super fast Internet connections, super big, hires, HQ monitors, etc.. And they develop and test software on those machines. Their customers however have way weaker systems on average, so software running great for them may run pretty poorly on customer systems. We solved that problem in our company by forcing all software to be thoroughly tested before release and all tests are performed on the oldest, crappiest computers we still have available, just good enough to fulfill the minimum requirement to even run the software (including small, crappy monitors, Internet only via old WiFi standards with bad reception, HDDs instead of SSD, and the oldest version of the operating system the app can still work with). If developers then get frustrated when having to perform those tests because "the app takes ages to even start up" or "after clicking there, everything seems to hang for 10 second", this is the best way to get them fix these problems, not for the customers but for themselves to make their testing experiment a lot less painful - yet by doing so, they also improve the product for the customers.
From what I’ve been learning, I’ll say, if you guys are mastering on your own, be careful with your mid-frequencies. If you feel the need to make big changes in any frequency range, you prolly need to go back to your mix and see what you can do. Mastering is all about tweaking little things to make everything mesh better together and for it to SOUND better.
I am working on a song and I installed Goyo an AI Vocal VST. On Beyers it sounded well fitting. After rendering it as an MP3 and heard it on my JBLs via smartphone and it was barely hearable. So I quickly figured out, it gotta be the Plugin, but also the lack of capability in the frequency spectrum. And no, my room I work in is not even treated, furthermore I only work via my Beyers. Your videos are very helpful. 🎉
use open back headphones the whole time. especially if u mix as u go. this took my mixing up so many levels. i mix as i go and now when im done the beat its already mixed. its got me hyped, i had to share lol
I bought toneboosters 'Morphit' years ago to compensate the headphone frequency response. It was about 40 EUR (not sure what it is today) and until today it is one of the most useful tools in music production.
I saw a documentary about Motown and they had an old car out back and they would run the track through the car speakers to see how it sounds. I usually listen with my earbuds after I did the mix, then I put in voice memos and play through my car stereo. Like he said you get different sounds and go back for tweaking.
there are very cheap ways to acoustically treat a room. ALSO I do find that mixing with just a laptop - what most people listen out of, or somewhat decent speakers gives you the most accurate sound. If my mix is coming through great on my computer, phone it will likely sound even better on excellent speakers, and in the car. You don't want to mix on super expensive speakers that are blasting out the track. It will effect your ability to hear certain things anyways. So i feel like mixing in a more natural environment with less equipment may help. Just my personal experience though
It’s not pointless, but you will need to work around issues like those I point out in this video. Ideally, you will add acoustic treatment over time. But there is still value in monitors that headphones cannot provide. Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/ecbUTrx41zU/w-d-xo.html
I use a cheap pair of harman kardon pc speakers to mix and they allow me to hear how everything sounds for most of the listeners, basically I only switch to monitors for bass and to get rid of annoying frequencies.
I understand the in the 60s the Abbey Road Studio had a small basic transistor radio set up as part of the monitoring setup for all their pop productions including the Beatles recordings as that was what most of their consumers listened on.
You have to make sure your signal flow is right, so that the output balance is correct. And you should uniform your mixes so that you learn what FX chain isn't problematic given your speakers/headphones. When you have a bad FX chain, you'll hear it right away.
Great video. In my opinion when you make a mix sound great in even phone speakers, it sounds clearer on high fidelity monitors. I use Sonobus (Free) to stream audio to my phone speaker to mix on.
Really good video man, I always reference a master of phones, HomePod, and car just to see what's lacking in real practice. Kinda sucks that you just have to buy better headphones lol but I guess it is what it is.
A real expert! Do the mixing and mastering engineers really test their mixes for cars, iPhones, mono radios etc.? I think I‘m not able to apply these changes to my studio mix! So I shouldn’t release my songs?
The great audio engineers struggled in the beginning, just like you and me. It takes a lot of practice, so keep trying if you’re passionate about making music!
Loads of great tips here and some eye openers-learning the vowel frequencies and using a mirror to find the closes reflection spots in your studio, genius! My car speakers might be the best non-studio monitor speakers I own, so I am wary of this approach, but I’ve found that some mixes that sound good otherwise are sooo bass-heavy in th car that I’ve dialed it back and improved my mixes overall.
ahaha that in denial 😂 watched myself tired on these kinda videos, but when I saw it was you I sure was gonna give it a chance😎 nice & professional info as always. TY!
Hi I have a question? I’m using Logitech Z5500 in my home studio, should I listen the mix on 5.1 surround or better just switch to stereo ? Thank 🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂🤔
5000 iq move: make an eq preset to match your headphones frequency response while mixing then turn it off when you export (I know this is kind of scuffed but it is better than nothing for all the bedroom producers out there)
I do not think that the standard is the car, and the reason is that each car has a different manufacture and sound system, and also I think that the car can help in some simple things only, but it is not a definite reference, and thank you brothers 💙
Just to help ... (maybe), I often use a free app spectral frec analyser on my phone ( like spectroid) singing the U, O, A..etc..that I don't feel happy with when listening to the music. Then I observe on the screen of my phone app what is that frequencie I'm "singing" ( or amulating) to fix it on the mix. ( very use full in live music too). (whistling a feed back works very well too, to know quickly what you must fix). hope this help... Great channel !!!
To do them same thing for live sound mixing, walk the room. You might be surprised to hear how different it can sound on one side of the room compared to the other side.
The biggest mistake most make is a poorly treated room. You can have the best monitors in the world but you do not stand a chance if your signal is bouncing off all over the place. Spare no expense and get that right. You will be amazed
Exactly! To exaggerate for example’s sake, super expensive monitors will still be a complete nightmare in a bathroom. The importance of the room acoustics is often extremely underated, I’d argue that one is better of having decent monitors in a decent (treated) room than having great monitors in a terrible room.
I tested my room and good crazy dips and boosts in certain frequencies but it doesn’t translate to how I hear it. I think we are assuming the brain counts all the sounds as equal but I think the direct sound out the speakers that hits your ears before anything else is mostly what your hearing focuses on and learns to ignore some of the buildup of sounds. Otherwise if we go off these room frequency charts then we would not hear a lot of frequencies.
As a listener, these tips are in the right direction, but not that effective. A mix that sound good everywhere, will not sound amazing anywhere. I like it when a song is made with a specific target feel and target audience in mind. Also realize that even on premium hardware, good songs sound dead until I at least put a U shape EQ on them, not to mention a dynamics shaper on my master to deal with the stupidly loud and quiet parts of classical music. And that not even scratching my itch that I like a specific power spectrum with punchy bass(all the way down to 30Hz), 1k-4k nuked and all sort of fun critters at 14k+. The best thing you can do really is match the song to similar songs for your target audience so that I don't have to change my sound settings all day.
Back n the day when we were forging metal people had album collections rode around listening to hard rock and eveyone upgraded their speakers then they started boosting then by 1980 we were puttin 12's in our cars preferably full range so yea back then car mix was essential
Umm yeah...the population size of people that can afford and/or care to own a $5,000 and above HiFi system is less that a fraction of a percent. So as much as I appreciate and admire the audiophile community....their numbers just dont dictate dedicating the entire mix to just them. Like you pointed out....an OVERWHELMING majority of listeners are in their car...on crappy earbuds attached to their phones...or listen on a bluetooth speaker. I produce EDM so i tend to tailor my mixes to clubs with a decent PA system including subs...but I don't go so heavy that it sounds like crap on a set of moderately priced earbuds and car systems. We can't make everyone happy...nor can we mix to make a song sound amazing on every device. I tend to do the final mix for the intended audience and what that population listens to music on...while making it sound "decent enough" on anything. Producing is all a collection of compromises.....hey and in the end, there's nothing stopping us from making an additional "hifi" mix...with the internet we have that power now 😁 Great video sir..keep up the good work!
You can saturate a signal with drive or a compressor. When you “chop off” the top of a waveform, it creates higher frequencies. Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/7q1PeGsmhn8/w-d-xo.html
My mixes always sound THE WORST on my work PC speakers, so I typically make little notes on my phone while I listen at work then come home and make those adjustments. Basically, find the speakers that your mix sounds the worst on (not because the speakers are trash) and make notes/adjustments to fit it. Do a save as first! Lol
Never had this problem, don’t understand why there are so many videos on the concept. You gotta really screw the pooch in order for you mix to not sound good in a car 😂
Love your format: no annoying clickbait. no annoying TH-camr cliches, concise, to the point, no snarkiness, no cringe jokes. Fantastic video
@HugoArgentina I completely agree!
I completely agree.
I'm glad too that there aren't any SHOCKING TRUTHS about mixing
Yeah, sort of. Concise and to the point is 4:27 (or so), not 10:10.
tip #3 has definitely helped me the most and has become part of my mixing checklist!
to anyone reading this, i recommend making a playlist of very well mixed music & then listen to that for a while before starting a long mixing session :D
Pro trick! 👍🏼
YES! I call these ear calibration sessions. Actually makes a huge difference
One INCREDIBILY important thing you forgot to mention is almost all laptops and computers these days come with built in "audio enhancement" software which is on by default which do things like widen the sound, add a small amount of reverb, and boost bass and highs.
Always check all your audio settings and sound card settings and make sure none of these effects are applied and that any EQs are either turned off or flat. It also wouldn't hurt to Google if your computer has any third-party "audio enhancement" software pre-installed that isn't directly accessed through the audio settings. On gaming laptops in particular, there are often audio settings hidden in the performance apps such as Alienware Command Center.
I only found this out when I noticed a pure sine wave sounded distorted even through it wasn't clipping and found my computer had a built in bass boost, low frequency saturation, boosted high shelf, and stereo widening running by default which were absolutely ruining the sound.
Had to learn that the hard way
Good tips. I'd like to add one TOTALLY FREE improvement: speaker and listener positions. For typical rooms - the "home" studio (aka bedroom/office), generally rectangular 10-12 x 13-20 rooms - align the monitors and listening position along the long axis of the room. Then placing the monitors near the wall behind your mix desk, and getting the ears at about that standard 38% distance from the front wall along the length of the long axis, (as a starting point) gives you at least a running start at maximizing your listening accuracy. This is a widely recommended set up for spaces of this general dimension. A little experimentation, moving the monitors and listening position a few inches at a time, will lead to the clearest sound picture with your gear. It's still a long way from "flat", but is a simple, cost-free step in the right direction.
Optional: instead of moving the speakers around, put them in your rough mixing position and then you move around the room and listen for hot spots or nodes that are an issue. Much easier then moving the speakers.
Waist of time worrying about your monitor placement if the room sucks and you don’t have a full system too replicate what a commercial studio can do
@@jzilla_grudgegang Not a waste of time at all - we have to maximize the tools we have. It's always a game of incremental improvements, and speaker placement is but one link in a long chain of factors.
Another tip.Put a speaker in the corner, listen to some bass heavy bass music, move around the axis of the room at listening height.The place where you have more Definition in the bass notes is your listening position.The 38% rule is not always the best position.
@@DubFreakuencies I think I see your point, but just keep in mind "more" bass doesn't equate to a balanced mix.
Using reference has been my go to method for mixing with the worst equipment and I have to say its been the most helpful one. Every sound is translated exactly how its supposed to without owning the top most quality stuff in the market. What a great video👏
The car is always the final boss . If it sounds good in the car, it is good
I agree! One of the cleanest mixes I ever done was when I was on the road, I done most of it on headphones and plugged my laptop into a car for the final mixdown. It translated so well!
This is also the tip a musician family friend of mine told me a few years ago, although there sure is enough variance in different cars' audio systems that mixing in reference to the car of your choice might still skew the EQ towards a particular curve that might or might not work as well on other listening scenarios. But perhaps the enclosed listening experience of the car, whatever car, helps single out problematic elements in the mix regardless of the particular audio system so it could be used more to iron things out than to completely overhaul the EQ.
I've often thought of mixing the song in the damn car. But then it'd probably sound terrible everywhere else
@@beastwolf7 cardi b album was fully mixed in a car by leslie brathwait. Alo some david guetta songs too. Cars are acoustically treated. Its just unconfortable
my car is my studio. its all i got to compare
I'd rather deal with some of the drawbacks of headphones than spend thousands of dollars on acoustic treatment and STILL not get it right. I use a couple pairs of headphones I know incredibly well. Then at the end, I play the mix on my laptop speakers. I haven't had any translation problems. I have a lot of problems with decision making and getting a good mix to begin with. But it's sounds exactly like what I expected. It sounds equally bad everywhere, lol.
That’s a good method because it doesn’t rely on acoustic treatment. But there are some advantages to using studio monitors, too. Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/ecbUTrx41zU/w-d-xo.html
@@AudioUniversity I
Slate VSX
That's a very good point.How come is so easy to make equally bad but not equally good ?
I used to focus on soundproofing, but now I've gotten some decent headphones and run them with Sonarworks. I got better results than with studio monitors.
Thanks for sharing! I agree - headphones are a good way to get accurate sound without acoustic treatment.
wow! that last bit on the vowel sounds was absolutely amazing...I've been in the pro audio industry for 30 years and can't believe I've never seen that before! I'm running FOH next weekend for a big music festival and definitely gonna keep this in mind to see if it changes my mixes at all!
Hope it helps!
You want extra SOUND advice and I mean this will change your LIFE if you don't already do this.
Set an EQ on the master with hp and lp filters from around 250hz to 4-5k
Put everything in mono
I do this at the final stages of my mixes once I have my overal sound and everything panned correctly.
What this will do is help you focus on the most important area of the mix that will be most prominant on most devices including the car.
I LOVE putting a multiband compressor on the master and only compressing the mids to give it a heavy place in the mix.
I usually do this after a VCA compressor but you can do it before.
Also, I like to have a parallel send from my Sub Mix/Pre Master and use tricks like saturation in the mids or an EQ for the mids and dial it into the mix to give it more energy in the center.
BIGGEST TAKE FROM THIS TIP:
If you mix with a happy face approach (Bass boosted and trebble boosted) I PROMISE you your mixes will feel weak and hollow in a vehicle and you will wonder why it was louder in headphones but weak in the car. You can capture brightness and body with harmonics and other tricks. No need to go crazy boosting bass and boosting highs. Most the pros have bass sounding incredibly low and it's not even registering much below 30 hz. Same with highs, they use harmonics to fill the space. Of course you use EQs for this but think about sidechaining an exciter plugin and boosting it with lets say a vocal before you add 6 db of 9k for that sizzle and brightness. Might only need 2-3db of gain and a little harmonics to do the rest. This will help things sit and sit HEAVY.
Hope this helps.
❤
Do you have lessons?
I like a mono plugin on the master out for balancing (when things collapse to mono the true volume is revealed since left and right stack on top of each other).
It’s also pretty useful to have a mid focus EQ on the master out to check the tonal balance of the midrange when equalizing. They say the magic is in the midrange and they’re not wrong.
Having multiple different speakers is key (personally I use AirPods, Genelec 8030s, and sennheiser hd 650 headphones). You can use anything tho you just have to know your speakers really well.
Listening to reference tracks is also really helpful. Look on TH-cam for your favorite records and search “drums only”, “bass only”, “guitar only” etc. Compare your instrumentation to theirs and see what you might be missing.
Lastly you shouldn’t blast the volume. I’m not saying listen at a whisper quiet volume level, but just don’t blast the volume like you’re listening recreationally. That’s a great way to lose objectivity fast. Only blast if you’re checking for harsh frequencies that keep you from being able to turn things up loud (like around 4k for guitars) and even then, don’t blast it for long.
Tip #2 is absolutely solid advice. Listen to the music on the devices that normal people will be using. I don't think a music producer should bother catering their music to audiophiles. In my experience, audiophiles tend to spend all of their money on equipment and then do nothing to treat the room itself. The results they get are often a total roll of the dice, and they put too much faith in their $10k+ sound system to magically solve all of the problems. I also tend to notice that they will spend a lot of time and effort trying to tweak the EQ of their favorite albums to suit their own tastes, so it doesn't really matter what you give them in the end anyway. Best to focus on mixing your tracks so that they sound good on the kinds of devices you find in the general public.
The only place where you _really_ need to dial in professional mixes for professional equipment is in cinema. But that's an entirely different business.
Good point, Pjrojf! Thanks for watching!
In the cinema?? WTF?
And many ‘audio files’ are crazy. The best mixes are what we do in the studio. You ain’t gonna be able to improve on that. If you are making great mixes of great musicians.
There is one topic which is, for some reason, eluded or never spoken of when talking about mixing or mastering.
Granted that Spotify has taken over and the majority of people listen to either their own phone's speakers or cheap chinese earbuds, you MUST be sure that your mix sounds good on those devices.
I generally start adjusting the mix in very little steps because there's a threshold where the "main mix" (the one made on monitor speakers and which generally sounds good as well on my home hi-fi system) will start to suffer and sound worse and worse, while it will obviously keep improving as you move further and further away on low end devices.
So the 1 billion dollar question is: how far do you go compromising your "main mix" to make it sound "good" on low end devices, since 90% of your listeners will be using those, a 9% with decent headphones and maybe a 1% on actually good audio system?
I’ve been mixing since 1991. I’m here to tell you that the only fool proof way is to know how to use professional VU meters the right way. It is 100% accurate no matter what your monitors say. In 30 years, it has mislead me exactly ZERO times
That's very interesting. Can you please elaborate and also tell me what VU meter you use? Thank you.
It's so nice to revisit topics I've had problems with for years and then get a concise explanation, complete with demonstrations. Love your channel dude, thank you!
Love this channel.One thing that I see often overlooked is the monitoring level, to take into account the Fletcher Munson curves.If your speakers and room are the flattest possible, but your listening at a level where your ears are not flat then you see where it goes.
Monitoring must be done at specific level to make good decisions.
I'm so glad I subscribed to this channel. I don't work in audio but I do produce my own music and I'm interested in doing the best job I can on a budget. The ear training aspects of this topic have always been something I struggle with, and I was amazed by your simple tip for relating frequencies to vowel sounds. I'm definitely going to start practising that. Thank you!
In real terms, studio monitoring loudspeakers and headphones have way more pronounced treble than consumer speakers. And this is appreciated because it allows you to hear everything that is in the recording.
It is the reason why people prefer ribbon tweeters if they can afford it as the sound is less fatiguing to the ears.
Great advice.
I’ve done all the things you mention and the shortest path to translation for me has been using a plug-in: “Metric AB” (or you could just say “reference mixing,” but this plug-in helps me do that especially well). -Particularly, having the ability to quickly toggle between several pro mixes and my mix in real time, and having them volume-matched (VERY important).
For my job, I have to mix on the go all the time, so wherever I am, on whatever system, I can load my AB plug-in with my preset 15 songs and quickly calibrate my ears to what’s going on. I’ve not had a mix poorly translate since doing that and I can mix faster and with more confidence.
The other trick for me is to have specific things I listen for out of a given reference mix, so when I listen, I’m not copying the whole mix, I’m using a tiny piece of it I like as a reference. One example would be: I like to use Frank Sinatra’s “Under My Skin” as a reference for vocal presence. There’s a very special harmonic distortion I like on his voice on that recording that sounds very present, without a lot of super top end. It’s also a lesson in leaving space for the vocal presence to sit, without boosting it with EQ. -I find little pearls like that in each reference mix, that quickly help me get MY sound, based on my taste, without just copying a mix wholesale.
The last thing I like about Metric AB is: having that many songs available so quickly, cleanses my ear-pallet and allows me to hear a broader sonic potential than just one or two mixes would. Thus, I can push the creative envelope harder.
Keep up the excellent work!
Great additions here, audioglenngineer! Thank you!
@@oinkooink I love my HD600s! They’re so flat and broad - fantastic!
To be honest, I think people really overcomplicate this. I’m convinced 90% of mixing is just mixing on something you’re used to the sound of, provided that it’s reasonably good quality.
The thing about studio monitors is even if you get some, you are at the beginning of the learning curve for those speakers. And it is a marriage. Take your time and choose carefully. You're gonna fall in and out of love with em over time. So make sure you choose ones that you really understand. You might not necessarily "like" them butas long as you understand what they do and where in the spectrum you can begin to trust your work.
Yeah unfortunately it’s a costly road 😅
Very helpful video as always. I especially liked the saturation tip, I've seen it mentioned before but your explanation clarified everything.
Thanks, TC. Glad you found this one helpful!
This video sounded great on my Vizio sound bar. I love when someone teaches something and they do what they say-hope that makes sense?! Excellent video!!
Before I send my songs off into the World I first listen to the final mix on headphones 🎧 then a pair of AirPods and lastly my car. Most people will be listening to your music on AirPods or in their vehicles, so those 2 are very important. 😉 🎶
I have a pair of Adam’s and avantones cubes. I hear the mix back through my monitors, but I only mix with my seinheisser 680 open back headphones. It’s a hell of a lot cheaper to get a set of headphones than great studio monitors and acoustic treatment.
Thanks for sharing, Martin! This is a good way to double-check what you’re hearing. Great strategy!
This channel is fantastic. Straight explanation, very easy to understand. Great
Thanks! Glad to help!
Just started watching. Already liked when I saw the "in denial" clip show up. Just because I can relate at such a personal level.
We’ve all been there! Thanks for watching.
Really great content. I think that there are myths out there that lead to people changing their mix by listening in their car. Some of the myth comes from old articles where a producer will state how they listen to the recordings on the way home and/or on their way to the studio. But in my experience that the reason for the quick cassettes of a session in the past, was more about arrangement and instrument placement etc. and not really about a mix. In the many years in the nineteen eighties, I had never seen an engineer or a producer leave a mixing session and check it out in their car. In fact I heard a really well known producer say after a musician had made a comment about a mix in his car, that if we can get everyone in the world to only listen to your music in your car, then we would be mixing in your car.
I'm now involved in post production for video and the same problems arise where people have a myth that since everyone is using displays that aren't calibrated that they should make decisions on an uncalibrated display. Much like audio - and as you explained, the target still needs to be established - and on a display that is uncalibrated, we have no idea what the actual target is.
So looking at the display if my monitor is a little bit blue, I add yellow - but if the next persons monitor is already too yellow - my push of yellow is then multiplied onto that too yellow screen and the image looks like urine.
Newton's law applies here and it applies in audio - for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction. As described in your excellent video here - adding bottom to compensate for the phone - what is that going to do to the home stereo that already has over compensated low end ( bass )?
In the 1980s when I used work in the recording studios - the NS10m by Yamaha was pretty much on the back of every console. I could record in Vancouver ( where I live ) and walk into a studio in New York and except for some room sound - the mix would be identical. I think that time is the only time in history where we came close to having a standard when it came to reference. So I am a believer in calibration in video displays and in audio. Take the room out of the equation by knowing it is tuned.
Thank you for this video. I have bookmarked it, and when this topic comes up again - I am going to link to your video as a reference ( and a referral )
Hey brother your vocal texture (vocal module) is so professional.
Thanks!
Also, I can't understand why anyone would listen to music on a smart phone when a decent pair of headphones or a bluetooth speaker is so cheap. Call me a snob, but you might as well not even listen at that point. Still, I find that as long as you make sure to put a decent amount of midrange content in your bass guitar and a decent amount of "click" in your kick drum, it will be heard everywhere.
You mentioned saturation, and I definitely agree. But even just an EQ boost at 800 hz can do wonders for bass guitar. That's a magic frequency for bass. It helps it cut through without sounding too "clanky." And it's a frequency where you're not stepping on the toes of other instruments. Guitars usually have their presence from 1.5k to 3.5k. Vocals are usually around 2k to 4k. Drums are often scooped out in that 800 hz area as well.
Thanks for watching and offering these tips!
Thanks for the helpful comment, do you have a reference I could look up to learn more about the relevant frequency ranges and how the 800 Hz trick works?
One of the best channels. Very concise, concrete and always to the point! Keep on with such a good work, i am a fan! :)
Another great video! You really have a knack for educating at the proper pace, and using clear, simple language to get the main points across. Bravo! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
There are real health benefits to checking my basement-studio mix in my car, too. I easily exceed the 10-flight daily stair-climbing target on those days … 😏
Haha! True - who needs cardio when you’re mixing music!?
Thanks for the kind comment!
Reminds me to software development. Most software developers have have extreme powerful computers, super fast Internet connections, super big, hires, HQ monitors, etc.. And they develop and test software on those machines. Their customers however have way weaker systems on average, so software running great for them may run pretty poorly on customer systems. We solved that problem in our company by forcing all software to be thoroughly tested before release and all tests are performed on the oldest, crappiest computers we still have available, just good enough to fulfill the minimum requirement to even run the software (including small, crappy monitors, Internet only via old WiFi standards with bad reception, HDDs instead of SSD, and the oldest version of the operating system the app can still work with). If developers then get frustrated when having to perform those tests because "the app takes ages to even start up" or "after clicking there, everything seems to hang for 10 second", this is the best way to get them fix these problems, not for the customers but for themselves to make their testing experiment a lot less painful - yet by doing so, they also improve the product for the customers.
Great tip about using saturation to boost harmonics. Thank you!
this thing in 250 500 1k 2k 4k 8k is totally gem 🤯💎
From what I’ve been learning, I’ll say, if you guys are mastering on your own, be careful with your mid-frequencies. If you feel the need to make big changes in any frequency range, you prolly need to go back to your mix and see what you can do. Mastering is all about tweaking little things to make everything mesh better together and for it to SOUND better.
I am working on a song and I installed Goyo an AI Vocal VST. On Beyers it sounded well fitting.
After rendering it as an MP3 and heard it on my JBLs via smartphone and it was barely hearable. So I quickly figured out, it gotta be the Plugin, but also the lack of capability in the frequency spectrum.
And no, my room I work in is not even treated, furthermore I only work via my Beyers.
Your videos are very helpful. 🎉
use open back headphones the whole time. especially if u mix as u go. this took my mixing up so many levels. i mix as i go and now when im done the beat its already mixed. its got me hyped, i had to share lol
Thanks! You make great videos. High quality content, well scripted and nice edited. Cheers!
Thanks, Bert!
HOLY SHEEEEET that O / A / EE / AHH. comparison is WILD ! ! !
#1 I only mix with my ear and now with graph.
Now, my mix sound balanced everywhere
Having a good ear you can rely on is definitely the best asset. Thanks for watching!
The commitments soundtrack sounds incredible on any speakers.
I bought toneboosters 'Morphit' years ago to compensate the headphone frequency response. It was about 40 EUR (not sure what it is today) and until today it is one of the most useful tools in music production.
Thank you. I love your channel, the way you explain things, it's top notch work.
I saw a documentary about Motown and they had an old car out back and they would run the track through the car speakers to see how it sounds. I usually listen with my earbuds after I did the mix, then I put in voice memos and play through my car stereo. Like he said you get different sounds and go back for tweaking.
I need that ending that's highl game-changing information thank you
Cool video, very thorough and complete overview. I loved the recommendation on using saturation for hearing base on a smartphone.
Good video. I listen to my beats on different devices. I think it's important not only train your ears but also have faith in them.
there are very cheap ways to acoustically treat a room. ALSO I do find that mixing with just a laptop - what most people listen out of, or somewhat decent speakers gives you the most accurate sound. If my mix is coming through great on my computer, phone it will likely sound even better on excellent speakers, and in the car. You don't want to mix on super expensive speakers that are blasting out the track. It will effect your ability to hear certain things anyways. So i feel like mixing in a more natural environment with less equipment may help. Just my personal experience though
Leveling is key for good mixes. Gotta be hearing things correctly I suggest sonarworks if you don’t have the money to treat your room. 💯
GREAT VIDEO!👍 Please can you tell me, is it pointless having monitor speakers in a room that is untreated? Thank you!
It’s not pointless, but you will need to work around issues like those I point out in this video. Ideally, you will add acoustic treatment over time. But there is still value in monitors that headphones cannot provide. Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/ecbUTrx41zU/w-d-xo.html
Another excellent tutorial. Very informative and appreciated!
Thank you for your explaination to all your viewers.
Glad to be helpful, Marco. Thanks for watching!
I like your videos. High quality production and your explanations are very clear.
I use a cheap pair of harman kardon pc speakers to mix and they allow me to hear how everything sounds for most of the listeners, basically I only switch to monitors for bass and to get rid of annoying frequencies.
I understand the in the 60s the Abbey Road Studio had a small basic transistor radio set up as part of the monitoring setup for all their pop productions including the Beatles recordings as that was what most of their consumers listened on.
I like the vowels trick! 😄
The ear training part was brilliant ❤
Thank you very much for this
You have to make sure your signal flow is right, so that the output balance is correct. And you should uniform your mixes so that you learn what FX chain isn't problematic given your speakers/headphones. When you have a bad FX chain, you'll hear it right away.
Good and important information. Thanks.
Thanks for watching!
BEST FORMAT !!! THANK U BRO
Great video. In my opinion when you make a mix sound great in even phone speakers, it sounds clearer on high fidelity monitors. I use Sonobus (Free) to stream audio to my phone speaker to mix on.
Really good video man, I always reference a master of phones, HomePod, and car just to see what's lacking in real practice. Kinda sucks that you just have to buy better headphones lol but I guess it is what it is.
A real expert! Do the mixing and mastering engineers really test their mixes for cars, iPhones, mono radios etc.? I think I‘m not able to apply these changes to my studio mix! So I shouldn’t release my songs?
The great audio engineers struggled in the beginning, just like you and me. It takes a lot of practice, so keep trying if you’re passionate about making music!
Loads of great tips here and some eye openers-learning the vowel frequencies and using a mirror to find the closes reflection spots in your studio, genius! My car speakers might be the best non-studio monitor speakers I own, so I am wary of this approach, but I’ve found that some mixes that sound good otherwise are sooo bass-heavy in th car that I’ve dialed it back and improved my mixes overall.
Glad it was helpful, Atom!
I love that screen set up! 8:23
What monitors are those or what stand are you using?
Great video as always.
Thanks, Angie! I’m using 27” Dell monitors with this mount: amzn.to/3oiRQb9
ahaha that in denial 😂
watched myself tired on these kinda videos, but when I saw it was you I sure was gonna give it a chance😎 nice & professional info as always. TY!
Thanks for watching!
Hi I have a question?
I’m using Logitech Z5500 in my home studio, should I listen the mix on 5.1 surround or better just switch to stereo ? Thank 🙂🙃🙂🙃🙂🤔
dont let this man fool you, cables are a huge deal!
Phenomenon Channel. Subscribed
Great video as usual, Thanks for the info.
Glad you enjoyed this one! Thanks for watching!
5000 iq move: make an eq preset to match your headphones frequency response while mixing then turn it off when you export (I know this is kind of scuffed but it is better than nothing for all the bedroom producers out there)
this is so helpful, thanks lad
I do not think that the standard is the car, and the reason is that each car has a different manufacture and sound system, and also I think that the car can help in some simple things only, but it is not a definite reference, and thank you brothers 💙
Thanks
Just to help ... (maybe), I often use a free app spectral frec analyser on my phone ( like spectroid) singing the U, O, A..etc..that I don't feel happy with when listening to the music. Then I observe on the screen of my phone app what is that frequencie I'm "singing" ( or amulating) to fix it on the mix. ( very use full in live music too). (whistling a feed back works very well too, to know quickly what you must fix).
hope this help... Great channel !!!
The “in denial” B roll had me unalived 😂
Thank you.. very efficient and accurate.
To do them same thing for live sound mixing, walk the room. You might be surprised to hear how different it can sound on one side of the room compared to the other side.
Great video. Thank you!
Great video as always!
Thank you! Glad you liked this one!
Great video!!!!
What are your thought on mixing with headphone like the VSX?
Thanks!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the video! I really appreciate your support with this Super Thanks donation!
Instantly subbed by this vid alone. It's not often you find someone who is so concise, and yet has all the important facts. Good job!
The biggest mistake most make is a poorly treated room. You can have the best monitors in the world but you do not stand a chance if your signal is bouncing off all over the place. Spare no expense and get that right. You will be amazed
Exactly! To exaggerate for example’s sake, super expensive monitors will still be a complete nightmare in a bathroom. The importance of the room acoustics is often extremely underated, I’d argue that one is better of having decent monitors in a decent (treated) room than having great monitors in a terrible room.
Thoughts on PMC speakers please....thanks.
I tested my room and good crazy dips and boosts in certain frequencies but it doesn’t translate to how I hear it. I think we are assuming the brain counts all the sounds as equal but I think the direct sound out the speakers that hits your ears before anything else is mostly what your hearing focuses on and learns to ignore some of the buildup of sounds. Otherwise if we go off these room frequency charts then we would not hear a lot of frequencies.
As a listener, these tips are in the right direction, but not that effective.
A mix that sound good everywhere, will not sound amazing anywhere.
I like it when a song is made with a specific target feel and target audience in mind.
Also realize that even on premium hardware, good songs sound dead until I at least put a U shape EQ on them, not to mention a dynamics shaper on my master to deal with the stupidly loud and quiet parts of classical music.
And that not even scratching my itch that I like a specific power spectrum with punchy bass(all the way down to 30Hz), 1k-4k nuked and all sort of fun critters at 14k+.
The best thing you can do really is match the song to similar songs for your target audience so that I don't have to change my sound settings all day.
Best tip. Use good sounds and go easy on the eq.
high end monitors will help 10%, treatment 20%, room correction software 30%, experience 30%, car test 20%
You missed the part where you suggest mixing in a high sample rate to have a higher noise floor so it's easier to gain stage.
Ahhhhh.... cool stuff!
Thanks for watching!
Very Informative
Thank You 😊
Back n the day when we were forging metal people had album collections rode around listening to hard rock and eveyone upgraded their speakers then they started boosting then by 1980 we were puttin 12's in our cars preferably full range so yea back then car mix was essential
Umm yeah...the population size of people that can afford and/or care to own a $5,000 and above HiFi system is less that a fraction of a percent. So as much as I appreciate and admire the audiophile community....their numbers just dont dictate dedicating the entire mix to just them. Like you pointed out....an OVERWHELMING majority of listeners are in their car...on crappy earbuds attached to their phones...or listen on a bluetooth speaker. I produce EDM so i tend to tailor my mixes to clubs with a decent PA system including subs...but I don't go so heavy that it sounds like crap on a set of moderately priced earbuds and car systems. We can't make everyone happy...nor can we mix to make a song sound amazing on every device. I tend to do the final mix for the intended audience and what that population listens to music on...while making it sound "decent enough" on anything. Producing is all a collection of compromises.....hey and in the end, there's nothing stopping us from making an additional "hifi" mix...with the internet we have that power now 😁 Great video sir..keep up the good work!
Thanks! Well said!
🎁 great video ... 👏great explanation ... Amazing dude👍 .
By "saturation", do you meaning EQing(increasing) higher frequencies or adding bass-like melodies that are octaves higher?
You can saturate a signal with drive or a compressor. When you “chop off” the top of a waveform, it creates higher frequencies.
Check out this video: th-cam.com/video/7q1PeGsmhn8/w-d-xo.html
My mixes always sound THE WORST on my work PC speakers, so I typically make little notes on my phone while I listen at work then come home and make those adjustments. Basically, find the speakers that your mix sounds the worst on (not because the speakers are trash) and make notes/adjustments to fit it. Do a save as first! Lol
Never had this problem, don’t understand why there are so many videos on the concept.
You gotta really screw the pooch in order for you mix to not sound good in a car 😂