When I was in the Navy, I served on Submarines as a Sonar Technician, and so I know all too well about sonic fatigue. On the boat, we maintained a solid rotation like clockwork. Every hour, the guys doing the most listening would rotate out with guys doing acoustic analysis or signal processing, etc. A good ear health tip is to make sure your break time is at least a third of the total amount of time you spent actively listening. So for instance, you should take a 5 minute break every 15 minutes, or a 20 minute break every hour.
Thanks for that tip! I swear the music community is the best in TH-cam. So much knowledge is spread and isn't hoarded like in other communities on TH-cam. I can tell when my ears get fatigued because I'll hear the song off key after listening for a while.
I had always been against mixing on headphones. I actually tried it yesterday and the end results were far better than mixing on my monitors. I couldn’t believe it. I then spent nine hours mixing three songs.
I've always mixed my songs from around 3-8 hours without resting because I get too immersed in the music. I find that the next day, I suddenly hear something different or something "wrong" in the mix, so the info about resting your ears is really helpful. Thank you, and keep up the good work. :)
I just recently bought a pair of Rokit 6 G3 monitors and have been mixing on a pair of headphones for a really long time. having these different points of reference, including a home theatre system and my car has given me 4 different listening perspectives, and all the mixes I have recently made using this approach have sounded waaaaay better than when I listened exclusively on my ATH-M50x's. Echoing what you've already said, taking those frequent breaks really does allow the ears to stay sharp
I have studio monitors, but with headphones I can hear all details, especially small ones like crackles, distortion or some quiet annoying sounds in the mix very clearly. When I mix on the monitors those small things just get lost in overall mix. And of course you can hear then small changes you do. So, for me it helps with the "Clarity" and "Subtlety", also when I mix at night and can't use speakers.
You made a really good point about hearing details. I recently mixed a song and it sounded good on the studio monitors and it sounded good on both my home stereo and my car stereo but when I listened through my headphones I picked up a tiny bit of distortion on the kick drum that I was able to go back and correct. One more thing worth mentioning. I like to use the headphones for setting the vocal volumes in reference to the music after I mix through the studio monitors. To me I can really hear any tiny volume changes in the vocals which allows me to really zero in the vocal/music ratios and get them right where they should be.
Yeah, that's what it is. He does seem like a nice guy. This was an nice, EASY video to watch. Just simple info without all the hype and intensity others do.
I've always been told by my tutors never to use headphones, but as a matter of fact my MDR-7506 have followed me for longer than my monitors have, so I tend to trust them way more in my decisions. But it is as you said: whatever I'm mixing, I always change my monitoring system to wake my ears up.
+En1x I don't have any personal use with them but from what how many people I've asked about them yes they do have too much HF. Fluff said he used to mix on them all the time and they get tiring on the ears after a while. Check out Status Headphones they have this open back pair that's half the price of the MDR-7506 because you order them directly from Status and they sound great
+En1x They definitely ARE tiring, their HF tend to be aggressive. In fact, with a little more experience, I'm considering switching to HD650 whenever I can.
@@nicebluejay I have the hd600 ..... the sound is flat but they lack precision before 70Hz and after 6kHz in the trebles too .... for exemple I have a old mix with a hithat with too much 10kHz and in my hd600 i dont hear it ..... the hd600 is awesome in the mids. Also, when i mix with them, in my car my mix will have too much mids ......they are good but not perfect :)
Because there is 1 prick with an special OCD syndrome. He jus't can't feel accomplished if there is a zero involved, so he dislikes. Then people with a normal OCD syndrome, Dislike it cause it's not even anymore. Or it's even. Thats how the cyclus starts and repied.
Embrace the criticism -- don't hate the haters. One reason a person who knows the subject might leave a dislike is that it didn't cover some of the important issues in the headphones vs. monitors for mixing debate. An obvious example would be that listening through monitors leak left channel sound to the right ear and vice versa, while headphones separate the channels completely -- which is debated a lot. So, some people might have thought this as a superficial video to reach 10 minutes of content.
J. W. CARTER Hello sir. Mixing on headphones (cans) is still considered a bad idea in the pro world. And those few famous albums that have been mixed on cans, the engineer always checked the mix on full range monitors later. And these album mixes actually sound bad. Distorted and overcompressed. Yes, you can mix on headphones but that doesn't mean you should. You can drive with your feet too. Graham is giving great advice. Never mix ONLY ON HEADPHONES. What I didn't like about the video (that was me.) Was his comment about some great pro mix being made on a pair of $99 Sony cans. It just might have been blind luck. That story will encourage too many amateur mixers to think they can mix on any old crappy cheap pair of cans. We don't know the details of the mix. He may have later checked them on Monitors and maybe tweaked the mix a bit. Second did he hear the story from the artist or some member of Abbey Road?. This is a second hand story. We don't know the facts. They added slight eq to the perfect Beatle mono mixes but this guy's mixes he did on $99 Sony cans were left alone and transferred FLAT. Come on!
Max van Andel Hi Max, do you normally insult people you have never met?. I am the prick by the way. Graham gives great audio advice. In fact he is the best. I have been in the business a long time and I am sorry to burst all your bubbles but mixing on headphones is still considered a bad idea among professionals. And for good reasons. If your just an amateur messing around with beats and the odd major chord then go mix on cans. GREAT. But you can't be a professional studio without full range monitors. That's all. The thumbs down was for the $99 headphone mix story. Unfortunately it will incourage people on here to think they can get a great perfect pro mix on any old pair of headphones. Sorry, no way. He didn't mean it to be taken that way but a lot of people on here will get that impression. If you can't afford a pair of active monitors and/or can't play them to mix maybe you shouldn't be mixing. Don't have OCD. CHEERS MATE....
Hey Graham, love the recordingrevolution series you have on youtube. I really like the message from your videos, and they have truly been helpful to me. One topic I think would be great for you to cover is "Tips and Tricks to get the best performance from your artist for the recording." What I have found has the largest impact on my recordings is getting my artist comfortable, focused, loose, and in the right mind set for recording that killer solo. For example, getting the artist set perfectly in the headphone monitors. This is levels, compression, reverb, delay, effects, etc in the headphones monitors for the artist. I have found that adjusting the headphone monitors has one of the greatest impacts on the performance from my artists, and can either kill the performance or inspire an even better performance then what has be done live. Removing distractions, like getting extra people out of the studio and only having the artist and the recording engineer. This tends to speed up the progress of laying down the tracks, and not losing the moments of inspiration. Beer and pizza help to calm the artists nerves, stuff like that. Also, singers tend to have a drink or something for their voice that they prefer. Also, if an artist smokes, having frequent smoke breaks tend to help. Also, a live scratch track of the whole band to play to seems to help alot. That way, when recording the main tracks, none of the artists have to play just to a click track if they don't want to. Anyways, just thought it would be a cool topic to talk about. Also, I am interested in your tips and tricks on this topic. Nitin
Great tips, thanks for sharing. As a sound engineer that works at the Radio station I no longer find myself making music but seeing you're video brings back good memories of mixing at night (not making my neighbors).
Hi Graham: This is Bobby Reed from Albuquerque, NM. First let me thank you for sharing you tutorials with us. I try and watch as many as I can. I enjoy them and have applied many of your ideas in my mixes. I been in the recording business for many years but still value the views of other experts. For example, last week you posted a session on “sometimes the best thing you can do is simply start over.” At that point I was having a terrible time with and mix and no matter what I did, it didn’t get any better. So right after viewing that segment, I pulled down all my faded and removed almost all my plugins. I didn’t realize how much I had over produced those track. It was like being hit upside the head with a 2 x4. Within an hour I had a mix that I liked. Thank you so much for that tip. On the topic of mixing with head phones, I spend a lot of time using that technique so that I don’t drive my wife crazy. For me it works pretty well but I do find that if I switch in ear buds every so often, they offers a slightly different perspective and emulate what a lot of listeners are experiencing at the consumer level. One final note, I always make my final decision using my two sets of studio monitors and bounce between them and a cheap set of external computer speakers. I feel that every speaker respond differently, and if I can achieve a balance mix that sounds good on this grouping, it will probably sound good on almost all speakers. Thanks, again.
Mix on low volume depending on what instrument/sample you are adjusting. I always turn down the volume to mix hihats and percs. Works way better, at least for me.
I mix exclusively on headphones for budget reasons, and because my room would be very poorly set up to support having monitors. This is very helpful. Regarding reference tracks: I've noticed my studio headphones make my favorite songs sound incredibly clean to the point of being a little dry. It makes sense that I should mimic that clarity in my mixes in order for it to sound normal elsewhere. Thank you for reminding me of this.
I started mixing on headphones about two years ago, and I love it way more than mixing on monitors. I basically only use my monitors to reference the mix AFTER I finish mixing it on the "cans".
My additional tip - check mix in mono more frequently - especially when you really start panning things out. I started with Sennheiser HD600s but found the bass to be inaccurate and floppy. I now use the Beyer DT880s and LOVE THEM. I try to use them first and monitors second. That low volume tip is key.
I am so thankful to Graham. Really helpful tips. Have been learning A LOT from him. I mix on headphones and, as suggested by this video, I take the mix out to my car, my home stereo, even the TV with surround system to check all levels. In the end, in any of the above the mix should sound great, otherwise, I have to go back and adjust levels...
Mike :D Smart guy. No argument there. Yes, play your mix on as many different speakers as you can. But don't fall into the, "If it sounds good in the car, then it's a.bad ass mix." The hard rock band Rush did that with Vapour Trails....Worst mix ever. Distorted bass...They remixed it years later it was so bad.
Well said Graham, I've been mixing on headphones for quite a while now. I agree with everything you say here. Regular breaks, get familiarised with your main headphones and then reference against other headphones, monitors, speakers, car, etc... But most important... Know your headphones, know how a good mix sounds on them and get used to that balance, colour, eq, etc, your ears will automatically know when something's wrong. Thanks Graham, it's always a pleasure to watch your videos.
I'm a huge fan for what you do and I use your tips as best as I can. I used to mix only on headphones but over time I've changed to monitors to rest my ears a bit and get a full sound of everything mixing together with the room.
You the man Graham! I've learned it all from you. My most recent mix was sent to Universal for mastering. The engineer, who has credits on a number of platinum hits said and I quote, "wow-- what an awesome mix"! I"m sure you could imagine the confidence that instilled in me coming from such a decorated engineer. The majority was mixed on limited edition STUDIO Dre Beats headphones. I just had to comment and tell you thanks for the wealth of knowledge you bestow upon us. Couldn't have done it without Recording Revolution.
I like to mix with my studio headphones and the go to monitors. Hopping back and forth until I feel good with where my mix is at. THEN I go to the ways most people are probably going to hear the music: Non-studio type headphones, home theater or stereo speakers, car system speakers, even my phone's speakers. Obviously you must prioritize the importance in your own eyes the different mediums but that's how I do it.
I mix on ATH-M50 and Sony MDR-10R's. I started mixing with the Subpac S2 for headphone sessions and it's changed everything! I can now feel what my mixes are going to sound like in the club. And for for rock mixing I can easily mix in headphones and tell when the low is is turning to mud with the bass, and detuned guitars getting in the way of the kick. best purchased that i've made in years.
I do mix only on headphones, got used to this option for real. As soon as I balance drums and bass, I just start to feel how to fill the whole mix within 30-40 min.:) thanx for your work man, really outstanding, hope to get in touch
I was so glad to hear this. I've been doing mixes on my audio technica ath-910s since college way back in the 90s. I no longer feel like I have to buy a super expensive set of monitors to make me *think* my mixes will sound better. All I need is a decent set of cans. In fact, Graham, I don't feel like I need super expensive anything for good mixes after watching a lot of your content. I was getting hung up on I can't do x until I have y to get z result. No longer!
You hit one of the tips I was going to say. Mixing at a lower volume is a huge tip! It allows us to really listen to what's going on minus the fatigue which I call "studio ear" and this happens I take a break most definitely. Thanks G!
Have done almost all of my mixing on headphones while still waiting for the opportunity to get a nice pair of monitors. Something that's helped so much with being content with my mixes is making sure the mix sounds just as good in mono as it does in stereo. I would always feel so terrible when I would go listen to a mix of mine on something other then headphones, and the whole thing would collapse. Prioritizing mono has helped me loads to be ok with the way my mixes translate on to other sound sources.
I know this is pretty old but I love what you said about subtly. It reminded me of when I used to train aspiring live audio engineers. I would tell them that they will know they had a good mix when they received no compliments and nobody even realized they were there. If people know you're there it's because something about the mix was bad and it grated on their ears, but if it was a good mix, they'll just leave happy.
Great vid! I have monitors and headphones. I use monitors 80%. With bass, general levels, stereo, sound design, song writing (I make electronic music on computer) and everything in between. However, the headphones do the most important job for me. That job is EQ. EQ is such a small and subtle process but it does so much for my music. That's why I always love my Sony MDR V6s.
I've learned and loved my Yamaha HS80M monitors, but with my lovely 7-month-old daughter's room sharing a wall with my control room I'm frequently using my Beyerdynamic DT-770 headphones again, and actually finding them helpful. Cheers!
Folks asking about which headphones to use. Really need to find some "reference" phones to mix on. You want flatter response so you actually know what you're mixing. Not Beats, nothing bass-hyped. I just happened to buy the same KRK-8400s before I knew Graham used them. Super comfortable and accurate. I've also got the Sony MDR-7506s that show up in lots of studios but I MUCH prefer the KRK's for mixing. Well worth the $130 I paid for them 3 years ago. I just listen to my tracks on 3 or 4 other sound systems after I've mixed on the KRK's to be sure nothing's out of whack. Graham's right on as usual!! Thanks Graham!!
Holy crap this helped a lot. I've been using some Sennheisar HD 280s running into an M-Audio Delta 44 to mix with for the longest time and after this I decided that I would try and mix with my crappy Onkyo tower speakers I have that are also connected to my computer. It made a world of difference. It kept my ears fresh and really improved my mixes. I can't wait to post what i did on TH-cam now!
Having a good pair of headphones is a must! Every single time I've upgraded my headphones I've noticed a significant boost in the quality of my mixdowns. Upgraded to Audio-Technica ATH-M70x half a year ago and it's really paying dividends as I'm on top of my A game!
I've invested in a good pair of open-back headphones for mixing (AKG K702) and now that I've gotten used to them, I trust them more than any monitor setup. I tend to work in many different studios and even on-location sometimes so consistency is a big thing for me. I would not say they replace good ol' reference monitors, but I do most of my mixing on them. Few things that have helped me get the best of headphone mixing : 1) Do a first level balance on speakers. The balance never seems quite right on headphones, everything seems too close and disconnected at the same time. But when I do a quick level balance on speakers first, that gives me a good starting point. 2) Don't be afraid of reverb. I always seem to pick up delays and reverbs more clearly in headphones, so at first my instinct was to drop those reverb levels. In the end my mixes ended up sounding a bit dry on other playback systems. 3) As Graham said, take lots of breaks and always double-check with at least one pair of speakers. 4) If you have a fairly long headphone cable, take advantage of the fact that you can go pretty much anywhere in your room (or even outside of it) and not get crazy acoustic oddities happening. I've found that not always staring at my screen is really helpful in detaching myself from the technicalities and focusing more on the music and the general feel of the mix.
When Finalising a mix I use monitors and Five completely different pairs of headphones ranging in volume and quality to make sure even end listeners who are listening on a phone with budget phones still hear the best version possible :) Another Great Video
Fantastic advice. Yes, comparing your mix played through different speakers is super important and it's also important to know the particular character of the speakers you're using- even cheap $8 earbuds. Compare, tweak, compare, tweak again. Eventually it becomes a no brainer and you'll automatically know what sounds good and what doesn't.
Woah!! I was literally praying that God would help me get better at my music and vocal production skills... And I come across your video. Talk about fast-answered prayers! Thank you for your help!
Thanks for the videos! I'm learning sound recording and mixing and this video reassures what I do when I mix. I usually switch from my headphones to studio monitors and to a consumer's surround system I have plugged into my interphase.
I mix with both myself but when you mix with heads, I recommend Redline Monitor 112dB. Without it you lose your phantom center(Haas Effect). Great work as usual Graham. Peace To The Room.
Since I always do my mixing with my headphones, I tend to play what I've mixed in my car's stereo to see how it would sound there and if there is something I've missed out.
Great advice Graham. I don't mix exclusively on headphones, but I do 90% of the work on them. I have some nice B&W speakers, but a totally rubbish room, so my Sennheiser HD600s have to take on the lion's share of the work. You give good advice, which it turns out I follow already! Especially the 'turn it down' tip. I have also found that checking my balance at a very low level really helps getting the mix right - and as you say, it gives my ears a rest. But listening on speakers still helps with a couple of things. One is that I can hear tuning problems best on speakers. So while tracking and during the mix, I will listen at a normal domestic level through the speakers to check the vocal is properly in tune. Several times I've found that a vocal that sounded sweet on the headphones, turns out to have the odd pitchy moment when hearing it on the speakers. Anybody else notice that? Also I always check reverb levels on speakers. For some reason I tend to overdo reverbs when setting them on headphones.
Graham, you make a LOT of sense, mon ami. If you use well-mixed reference tracks and absorb how they sound through bean tins, then you can mix through bean tins. Continuity is wonderful tool.
Very sound advice (pardon the pun). In answer to your questions: (1) Yes I mix on headphones (Shure SRH440) as well as Rokit 5 monitor speakers (plus Rokit subwoofer). I would never mix exclusively on headphones, though. (2) I get better translating mixes on headphones by mixing at 3am and turning the volume waaaaaaaaay down. Then I can hear if the vocals are out front to the right degree and also if guitar solos are popping out just enough, but not too much. I agree with everything you say about headphone-mixing. Great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it! Much appreciated.
I mix with AKG headphones. I think I spent like $70. I notice sometimes my kick drum is a little to punchy and constantly I find it hard to get a good reference for vocals. To help with this I do test mixes where I do a mixdown so I can listen to it during the day with my cheap headphones and I come back to my mix with a list of problems that I heared. Also this was talked about in a separate video. I think it was called the 4db rule. I play with levels of different parts but adjusting the fadder but just 4db (sometimes more) and I find that really helps get everything nice and balanced. Thanks Graham. Love your channel, these videos help a lot.
Tip for EDM producers: Design your kick transients on monitors, but mix the tail on headphones. I often find that headphones does not accurately represent synthetic kick transients, as the kicks that i design purely on headphones will sound very resonanty and are too "clicky", but when designed on monitors it will reveal the bad frequencies and you will get a much more pleasant kick. However, the natural reverb in your room(even when treated) might affect the way you percieve the tail of the kick and therefore influence your decisions in a bad way. By focusing on the tail of the kick using headphones you will avoid that problem and you will get a true representation of the tail, while avoiding oversaturation or eqing it dead. Hope this helped some.
I mix on headphones. I always take mixes to other environments like my home hifi set, my car, shitty tinny in ear headphones, etc. Only then I hear when I need to turn down a bass, or a kickdrum, or rebalance the guitars, etc.
I'm brand new recording at home. I bought the focusrite Scarlett 2i2 with the mic and headphones package. I'm exclusively using the headphones for tracking and mixing. It's a learning process for sure but I'm figuring out the headphones. I mix at a low volume level to save my ears and to ensure the clarity of each track. I'd like to eventually get a set of monitors not sure where to start though. I'd just use them for tracking really. I like mixing on headphones because it allows me to block out everything around me and focus only on the music. I feel more "immersed" in the song with headphones on and my eyes closed. I can hear and see the snare when it hits, or the toms roll to the right or left and the two guitars standing on each side of me. It's a wonderful feeling. Lol
I mix exclusively on head phones and you're right the most important thing is knowing when to take those breaks or bring in an untrained or consumer ear as I call it for a quick reference. another key is to not be under the influence when mixing especially with headphones because your hearing gets slightly distorted
Thanks for the video! In between studio locations at the moment and I'm finding that headphones are my only option. Your tips were an excellent confirmation for me...
I track with headphones, then go back and forth between my monitors and headphones for mixing. Same for mastering, if I do my own mastering. And do a final check on my car's audio system, which is not very high end but is not shitty either. So far so good ;P
Even when I mix shitty and am not satisfied I do a car check and am always blown away. I don't have ANY monitoring hardware at all. Just a pair of PS4 headphones (the best ones you can buy from Sony) and some gym sets I wear. I gotta get me some monitors because my mixing has improved so much but I think I'ma have to bite the bullet and buy another pair of damn headphones.
I mix mainly on headphones given that my toddler sleeps already at 20 pm (the only moment of the day I have time to make some music). I turn to the KRK monitors only when I want to check something specific (vocals and mid frequencies usually, but also very low end kick and bass dynamics). I found that when changing from headphones to speakers it is best for me to wait 10 minutes, to get my ears used to the new pressure, before listening. If I don't do it, I get things totally wrong and start making changes and eqing the wrong things. It took my a long time to realize this, I talked to an expert of psychoacoustics and she explained me how and how long it takes to the ears readapt to new pressures. I recently started mixing in mono, with headphones (but also with speakers), to better spot overlapping, perhaps canceling, frequencies. I am not sure how good is it working, it would be nice to know what you think abou it. Great video, thanks a lot!
I use SONY MDR-7550 Professional Earbuds with high isolation ear cushions to do my recording and mixing/mastering on, and found that they provide a more accurate result than in room monitor speakers. As you stated, Graham, lower levels and frequent breaks are the key. And coming back the next day to listen to the previous days work is mandatory to iron out all the kinks. Switching to another project can be helpful, then coming back to the prior also works well. Forgot to mention, switching to mono also will point out irregularities in the tracks. One thing I found using earbuds, and earphones however, the reverb can sound more enhanced than on conventional speakers, so usually it has to be increased a bit on the earbuds in order for it to sound similar on stereo speakers in most room environments.
I was always told that mixing on speakers is mandatory. I've been traveling for a few years now and have thought that I wouldn't be able to mix anything without monitor speakers. Good to know that I might be able to change that with some decent headphones :)
I mix almost exclusively with headphones because of my living situation. My cans of choice are Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro semi open back headphones. Very clean and clear with no hyped mids. The semi open back lets some of the room air in, which I think helps a lot. I also use a Focusrite pre with VRM (Virtual Reference Monitoring) built in, which gives you the feeling of mixing in different rooms with many choices of monitors. I do have a pair of M-Audio BX5a monitors that I do use at times as well. I do feel the fatigue mixing with cans and I'm going to take your advice and take more breaks and also try and mix at lower levels. I do have to mix pretty loud when getting the low end of the bass and kick worked out.
I mix basically only on headphones, but I check everything in my vintage stereo at every drastic move, in my home theater and in the car, at least a couple of times a day. I know my headphones well - at m40x, because I listen to other people’s mixes on them, as well as isolated instruments and vocals, to get reference. I also mix mostly in mono.
I mix on monitor headphones, my Audiotechica are one of the best things I've ever had, and after 10 minutes of mixing, I press play on a simple home SONY stereo, so I can hear how people that don't have actual profesisonal gear will hear my mix and I try on the next day when my ears are not tired to listen to my mix again in my car. It helps.
I'm glad about this video because I've been told a good couple times by people working in the industry that "Oh HELL NAW, you can't mix using your headphones! Are you crazy? That's not how we, the professionals do it". Myself, I've always mixed using these small Senheisser headphones, which are great. But I also listen to the track on my laptop speakers, as well as the Smart Tv Speakers, and sometimes my Iphone. I try to listen to my mix on as many different devices. Clearly, some of them, such as the Laptop speakers, do not reproduce the bass well, so I have to be aware of the device's limitations too.
Of the tips I have learned I have found switching to mono and using a pair of ear buds are helpful to give me a break from my headphones or monitors while also providing another reference.
I recently mixed a live recording of about 8 songs on Apple EarPods. I know those aren't the best thing to mix on, but those gave me a "real world" perspective of what many people would listen on.
Those KRK are gold! They are the ones I use. And yes, I only use my KRKs when mixing since i have no studio monitors, but then listen on Samsung bundled headphones, iPhone headphones, my laptop speakers (which have the dreadful Beats Audio mega compression) and my Moto X stereo speakers and go back to the KRKs to fix and mix.
Excellent tutorial. I'm currently purchasing a set of cans from Focal, Spirits. I have the Focal CM-65 monitors. You're absolutely correct on your advise. May I please add that someone not knowing about which ones to purchase as a headphone for mixing and that cheaper cans will flavor the mix, opposed to ones that are only meant for mixing. Plus always listen to your mixes on many speakers, including your car, desktop,etc to judge your mix...you do alway mention this, may I add. When it sounds great on a pair or mono speaker, using a reference mix too, you'll be in the ball game before mastering. You have to figure that many of us that get sent a mix to listen to is usually on a phone, ipod,pad or desktop......:) Thanks as always Graham.
I actually mixed 8 episodes of a web series exclusively on headphones, called Ferrari Scuderia, and the director was actually more satisfied with them than with the other 5 episodes that I mixed on the monitors at the company I worked in (Yamaha HS50, great speakers but I wasn't adapted to the yet). Then when I heard the mixes in my own studio, I found that the ones mixed on headphones were leagues above the othersin terms of quality and level balance. So I guess if I ever go back to working at that company again, these headphones'll be my only reference.
Great video! I have found the bit about the vocal volume to be spot on. My normal flow is mix the track on cans. Flip to monitors low level to pocket the vocals and catch problems. When it sounds good on both, I check the mix in the car. That is when I get pissed and start over. lol. ~ Tim
I mix between a set of Sony MDR 7506's which is my main pair of headphones, I also have a pair of Beats Studio headphones I use as a second reference, and then I have a set of Yamaha HS50's, and a set of Yamaha HS8's. The MDR 7506 is great. 99 dollars and it's an industry standard. I was first introduced to them through Amir Derakh and Ryan Schuck of Orgy/Julien K. Then I did my home work and found they are a staple in most major studios due to their flat frequency response. They can be seen being used by Dr Dre, Justin Beiber, Howard Stern, Amir and Ryan of Orgy and Julien K, among others. They're great for the performer, the producer, for broadcast, for pretty much any application.
Thanks for the tips on headphones. At the moment I exclusively mix on headphones(Sony MDR-V6), and one of the things I found that helped is the fact that like you said, with headphones you will always have that consistency of sound so you can mix anywhere. I do however have to take more breaks so thanks for that advise.
I do mostly beat making and production but I am currently working on an EP. I normally make the beats on headphones and then turn on my monitors to see if I can hear differences before during and after the mixing process. I also use my friends auto and home speakers as well to get as many different sets of speakers involved as possible. Even with electronic music, getting a good mix can be a challenge.
I use Sennheiser HD280 Pros. These are awesome headphone for the cost. I paid $110 for these 2 years ago and still swear by them. I tend to overstay the headphone mixing but alway check my mixes not only on studio monitors, but also on "small speaker" too. Pipe the mix through an old 80's boombox though the line in. This will assure me the mix will sound good on any speaker system. It's an acid test. Playing your mix through a cheaper radio output can be useful tool. I learned about this in the late 70's. If it sounds complete and clean on small speaker as well as fine equipment, then you got something universal.
Wow! Thanks for sharing some fantastic pro tips for mixing on headphones. The tip of checking the mix with an everyday headphone or listening through a car system sounds critical.
this video rocks. I have a pair of UE Triple fi pro earphones.. and when you made your case for headphones I realized I am gonna get so much value and use from my headphones when I get my rig going. I will buy monitors eventually though
its also a good thing to look at the master spectrum to check if some frequency is too low or the sub is too loud that's how i manage to mix with headphones aside from playing in on multiple headphones and speakers
Very timely video in my own case, because I'm starting to mix my first full album now. XD I'll be checking my mixes on some decent speakers, regular earphones, budget earbuds, regular laptop speakers, and a regular car stereo system, as well as a cell phone mono speaker. Basically all the places most people would actually listen to the music on. It might not be the absolute best for listening on the mixer's end, but I think this style works really well when it translates to a standard listening environment. Always record in the best environment you can, but try your mixes out on a variety of standard listening sources.
Awesome info!!! Also a heads up, waves just rolled out with a plugin you put on the master called NX Virtual Mixing Room where it allows you to turn your headphones into a "sweet spot!" There's a free 2 week demo. It's amazing!
I have studio monitors. But I usually mix on headphones then make a copy & play it in the car. I think cuz so many people listen to the final mix on either computer speakers or earbuds from the phone the quality of reproduction is minimal. Ive had good n not so good mixes. Ive put my songs on reverbnation and FB before . the mix usually not commented on , and Ive had people like my songs as much as some recordings done in semi pro studios. So , idk.... I usually say for the best listening experience listen w headphones. Even these youtube videos are coming through my smart tv speakers so there's that too. I enjoyed your video. Thank you.
Waves NX Tracker + Sonarworks Headphone Calibration work very well. It's really hard to describe. I recommend downloading trials for both. Also NX plugin with Tracker takes it to a whole other level. Really makes you forget you have headphones on.
great video, graham! very insightful. and yes! i do mix exclusively in headphones since i started getting into music production. i use a senheiser hd202 since always and got pretty used to it, and to gain a little more perspective to my biased ears i try to listen to the mix in the car and even in the apple earbuds. since i lack in high quality equipment, i work in a kinda of comparison mode, constantly trying to match my mixes to the references i find most adequate and that is a simple trick i learned from you, i owe you one!
Nice. Much needed information. And I always did think one should monitor on cans and speakers in parallel. They do sound a lot different on both kinds of equipment. Its a different scale altogether, and all the more important to demo it therefore. Thanks man! Thanks for the info; info we can't do without.
A serious disadvantage of mixing exclusively on headphones is: a beginner tends to add even more reverb, having no natural room reverb in the equation. It's when stepping back and using a pair of speakers is extremely helpful. Listening through your cellphone speakers can also reveal imperfections in the vocals as a nice pair of headphones can sound "too good". Small speakers are incapable of producing deep bass which can sometimes mask out-of-tune vocals or various glitches in the mix.
When I was in the Navy, I served on Submarines as a Sonar Technician, and so I know all too well about sonic fatigue. On the boat, we maintained a solid rotation like clockwork. Every hour, the guys doing the most listening would rotate out with guys doing acoustic analysis or signal processing, etc. A good ear health tip is to make sure your break time is at least a third of the total amount of time you spent actively listening. So for instance, you should take a 5 minute break every 15 minutes, or a 20 minute break every hour.
Thank you for your service!! (and for your sonic fatigue tip).
+Gordon Tubbs very good advise. Every time I mix I get carried away and my ears start to adjust to the volume.
+Gordon Tubbs - Very interesting.
Thank you Gordon.
Thanks for that tip! I swear the music community is the best in TH-cam. So much knowledge is spread and isn't hoarded like in other communities on TH-cam. I can tell when my ears get fatigued because I'll hear the song off key after listening for a while.
I start on my monitors to do a "rough" mix, then go to headphones to tweek what i have. Works great for me!
+Timothy Buss I do the exact opposite XD
+Gadgets24x7 Same here. :)
Timothy Buss Good idea.
Gadgets24x7 Good idea as well
Scheps mixed on 99 dollar headphone using a pair of million dollar ears.. .
I had always been against mixing on headphones. I actually tried it yesterday and the end results were far better than mixing on my monitors. I couldn’t believe it. I then spent nine hours mixing three songs.
I've always mixed my songs from around 3-8 hours without resting because I get too immersed in the music. I find that the next day, I suddenly hear something different or something "wrong" in the mix, so the info about resting your ears is really helpful. Thank you, and keep up the good work. :)
That happens to everybody, no matter what you do, even the pros.
I just recently bought a pair of Rokit 6 G3 monitors and have been mixing on a pair of headphones for a really long time. having these different points of reference, including a home theatre system and my car has given me 4 different listening perspectives, and all the mixes I have recently made using this approach have sounded waaaaay better than when I listened exclusively on my ATH-M50x's.
Echoing what you've already said, taking those frequent breaks really does allow the ears to stay sharp
I have studio monitors, but with headphones I can hear all details, especially small ones like crackles, distortion or some quiet annoying sounds in the mix very clearly. When I mix on the monitors those small things just get lost in overall mix.
And of course you can hear then small changes you do.
So, for me it helps with the "Clarity" and "Subtlety", also when I mix at night and can't use speakers.
What headphones do you recommend?
You made a really good point about hearing details. I recently mixed a song and it sounded good on the studio monitors and it sounded good on both my home stereo and my car stereo but when I listened through my headphones I picked up a tiny bit of distortion on the kick drum that I was able to go back and correct. One more thing worth mentioning. I like to use the headphones for setting the vocal volumes in reference to the music after I mix through the studio monitors. To me I can really hear any tiny volume changes in the vocals which allows me to really zero in the vocal/music ratios and get them right where they should be.
what a nice guy!
:D
+Pavel P Right. A good soul.
Yeah, that's what it is. He does seem like a nice guy. This was an nice, EASY video to watch. Just simple info without all the hype and intensity others do.
I've always been told by my tutors never to use headphones, but as a matter of fact my MDR-7506 have followed me for longer than my monitors have, so I tend to trust them way more in my decisions. But it is as you said: whatever I'm mixing, I always change my monitoring system to wake my ears up.
+En1x I don't have any personal use with them but from what how many people I've asked about them yes they do have too much HF. Fluff said he used to mix on them all the time and they get tiring on the ears after a while. Check out Status Headphones they have this open back pair that's half the price of the MDR-7506 because you order them directly from Status and they sound great
+En1x The 7506's are a touch bright. Not ear piercingly, but you'll notice it.
+En1x They definitely ARE tiring, their HF tend to be aggressive. In fact, with a little more experience, I'm considering switching to HD650 whenever I can.
+Tsuko G. try the hd600's they are cheaper and arguably just as good. i used to use the 7506's but they were just too bright, and made my ears sad
@@nicebluejay I have the hd600 ..... the sound is flat but they lack precision before 70Hz and after 6kHz in the trebles too .... for exemple I have a old mix with a hithat with too much 10kHz and in my hd600 i dont hear it ..... the hd600 is awesome in the mids. Also, when i mix with them, in my car my mix will have too much mids ......they are good but not perfect :)
I wonder what that ONE person that disliked this video didn't like about it.
Some people man I tell ya.
Thank bro, great tips.
Because there is 1 prick with an special OCD syndrome. He jus't can't feel accomplished if there is a zero involved, so he dislikes.
Then people with a normal OCD syndrome, Dislike it cause it's not even anymore. Or it's even. Thats how the cyclus starts and repied.
+Max van Andel LOL
Embrace the criticism -- don't hate the haters. One reason a person who knows the subject might leave a dislike is that it didn't cover some of the important issues in the headphones vs. monitors for mixing debate. An obvious example would be that listening through monitors leak left channel sound to the right ear and vice versa, while headphones separate the channels completely -- which is debated a lot. So, some people might have thought this as a superficial video to reach 10 minutes of content.
J. W. CARTER Hello sir. Mixing on headphones (cans) is still considered a bad idea in the pro world. And those few famous albums that have been mixed on cans, the engineer always checked the mix on full range monitors later. And these album mixes actually sound bad. Distorted and overcompressed. Yes, you can mix on headphones but that doesn't mean you should. You can drive with your feet too.
Graham is giving great advice. Never mix ONLY ON HEADPHONES.
What I didn't like about the video (that was me.) Was his comment about some great pro mix being made on a pair of $99 Sony cans. It just might have been blind luck. That story will encourage too many amateur mixers to think they can mix on any old crappy cheap pair of cans. We don't know the details of the mix. He may have later checked them on Monitors and maybe tweaked the mix a bit. Second did he hear the story from the artist or some member of Abbey Road?. This is a second hand story. We don't know the facts. They added slight eq to the perfect Beatle mono mixes but this guy's mixes he did on $99 Sony cans were left alone and transferred FLAT. Come on!
Max van Andel Hi Max, do you normally insult people you have never met?. I am the prick by the way.
Graham gives great audio advice. In fact he is the best. I have been in the business a long time and I am sorry to burst all your bubbles but mixing on headphones is still considered a bad idea among professionals. And for good reasons. If your just an amateur messing around with beats and the odd major chord then go mix on cans. GREAT. But you can't be a professional studio without full range monitors. That's all.
The thumbs down was for the $99 headphone mix story. Unfortunately it will incourage people on here to think they can get a great perfect pro mix on any old pair of headphones. Sorry, no way. He didn't mean it to be taken that way but a lot of people on here will get that impression.
If you can't afford a pair of active monitors and/or can't play them to mix maybe you shouldn't be mixing.
Don't have OCD.
CHEERS MATE....
Hey Graham, love the recordingrevolution series you have on youtube. I really like the message from your videos, and they have truly been helpful to me.
One topic I think would be great for you to cover is "Tips and Tricks to get the best performance from your artist for the recording." What I have found has the largest impact on my recordings is getting my artist comfortable, focused, loose, and in the right mind set for recording that killer solo.
For example, getting the artist set perfectly in the headphone monitors. This is levels, compression, reverb, delay, effects, etc in the headphones monitors for the artist. I have found that adjusting the headphone monitors has one of the greatest impacts on the performance from my artists, and can either kill the performance or inspire an even better performance then what has be done live.
Removing distractions, like getting extra people out of the studio and only having the artist and the recording engineer. This tends to speed up the progress of laying down the tracks, and not losing the moments of inspiration.
Beer and pizza help to calm the artists nerves, stuff like that. Also, singers tend to have a drink or something for their voice that they prefer. Also, if an artist smokes, having frequent smoke breaks tend to help.
Also, a live scratch track of the whole band to play to seems to help alot. That way, when recording the main tracks, none of the artists have to play just to a click track if they don't want to.
Anyways, just thought it would be a cool topic to talk about. Also, I am interested in your tips and tricks on this topic.
Nitin
Great tips, thanks for sharing.
As a sound engineer that works at the Radio station I no longer find myself making music but seeing you're video brings back good memories of mixing at night (not making my neighbors).
Thanks for reinforcing my trust in headphones! Great video.
Hi Graham: This is Bobby Reed from Albuquerque, NM. First
let me thank you for sharing you tutorials with us. I try and watch as many as
I can. I enjoy them and have applied many of your ideas in my mixes. I been in
the recording business for many years but still value the views of other
experts. For example, last week you posted a session on “sometimes the best
thing you can do is simply start over.” At that point I was having a terrible time
with and mix and no matter what I did, it didn’t get any better. So right after
viewing that segment, I pulled down all my faded and removed almost all my
plugins. I didn’t realize how much I had over produced those track. It was like
being hit upside the head with a 2 x4. Within an hour I had a mix that I liked.
Thank you so much for that tip.
On the topic of mixing with head phones, I spend a lot of
time using that technique so that I don’t drive my wife crazy. For me it works
pretty well but I do find that if I switch in ear buds every so often, they offers
a slightly different perspective and emulate what a lot of listeners are
experiencing at the consumer level. One final note, I always make my final
decision using my two sets of studio monitors and bounce between them and a cheap
set of external computer speakers. I feel that every speaker respond differently,
and if I can achieve a balance mix that sounds good on this grouping, it will
probably sound good on almost all speakers.
Thanks, again.
mixing in mono with the volume on low 👌🏾
mix at different volumes but i mostly mix in mono at low volume
+WitherMusic haven't had that problem in fact sometimes I feel I didn't add enough bass.. Always good to reference check on monitors tho
ok so mix low freq sounds at mid low and high at low low to balance ?
im a newbie, i just wanna know why and when would you do this?
Mix on low volume depending on what instrument/sample you are adjusting. I always turn down the volume to mix hihats and percs. Works way better, at least for me.
I mix 90% of the time on headphones. You pretty much mentioned every advantage and disadvantage I have noticed before.
whats your headphone of choice?
I mix exclusively on headphones for budget reasons, and because my room would be very poorly set up to support having monitors. This is very helpful. Regarding reference tracks: I've noticed my studio headphones make my favorite songs sound incredibly clean to the point of being a little dry. It makes sense that I should mimic that clarity in my mixes in order for it to sound normal elsewhere. Thank you for reminding me of this.
The knowledge you give is precious lol I mix with headphones and this gave me more confidence in my equipment thank you
I started mixing on headphones about two years ago, and I love it way more than mixing on monitors. I basically only use my monitors to reference the mix AFTER I finish mixing it on the "cans".
My additional tip - check mix in mono more frequently - especially when you really start panning things out. I started with Sennheiser HD600s but found the bass to be inaccurate and floppy. I now use the Beyer DT880s and LOVE THEM. I try to use them first and monitors second. That low volume tip is key.
Nice One Bro. ... That was Helpful
+Stemage All the time! DJ's will check your mono...
@@tactboogie Can confirm. We're playing out in mono and cueing in mono. If your song is muddy in mono, it's hard to mix and less likely to get played.
I am so thankful to Graham. Really helpful tips. Have been learning A LOT from him. I mix on headphones and, as suggested by this video, I take the mix out to my car, my home stereo, even the TV with surround system to check all levels. In the end, in any of the above the mix should sound great, otherwise, I have to go back and adjust levels...
I tend to start with my headphones, move to my speakers, back to headphones, and clean it up using my car speakers
+AWWWWYEEAAHH Exactly. I just go to my car and plug laptop to the car audio system.
Mike :D I use my car speakers for the final test. I don't know why but I can hear all faults (if any)
Mike :D Smart guy. No argument there. Yes, play your mix on as many different speakers as you can. But don't fall into the, "If it sounds good in the car, then it's a.bad ass mix." The hard rock band Rush did that with Vapour Trails....Worst mix ever. Distorted bass...They remixed it years later it was so bad.
John Morris I love that album tho
Solid process, I typically do the same
Well said Graham, I've been mixing on headphones for quite a while now. I agree with everything you say here. Regular breaks, get familiarised with your main headphones and then reference against other headphones, monitors, speakers, car, etc... But most important... Know your headphones, know how a good mix sounds on them and get used to that balance, colour, eq, etc, your ears will automatically know when something's wrong. Thanks Graham, it's always a pleasure to watch your videos.
I'm a huge fan for what you do and I use your tips as best as I can. I used to mix only on headphones but over time I've changed to monitors to rest my ears a bit and get a full sound of everything mixing together with the room.
You the man Graham! I've learned it all from you. My most recent mix was sent to Universal for mastering. The engineer, who has credits on a number of platinum hits said and I quote, "wow-- what an awesome mix"!
I"m sure you could imagine the confidence that instilled in me coming from such a decorated engineer. The majority was mixed on limited edition STUDIO Dre Beats headphones. I just had to comment and tell you thanks for the wealth of knowledge you bestow upon us. Couldn't have done it without Recording Revolution.
I like to mix with my studio headphones and the go to monitors. Hopping back and forth until I feel good with where my mix is at. THEN I go to the ways most people are probably going to hear the music: Non-studio type headphones, home theater or stereo speakers, car system speakers, even my phone's speakers. Obviously you must prioritize the importance in your own eyes the different mediums but that's how I do it.
I mix on ATH-M50 and Sony MDR-10R's. I started mixing with the Subpac S2 for headphone sessions and it's changed everything! I can now feel what my mixes are going to sound like in the club. And for for rock mixing I can easily mix in headphones and tell when the low is is turning to mud with the bass, and detuned guitars getting in the way of the kick. best purchased that i've made in years.
I do mix only on headphones, got used to this option for real. As soon as I balance drums and bass, I just start to feel how to fill the whole mix within 30-40 min.:) thanx for your work man, really outstanding, hope to get in touch
I was so glad to hear this. I've been doing mixes on my audio technica ath-910s since college way back in the 90s. I no longer feel like I have to buy a super expensive set of monitors to make me *think* my mixes will sound better. All I need is a decent set of cans. In fact, Graham, I don't feel like I need super expensive anything for good mixes after watching a lot of your content. I was getting hung up on I can't do x until I have y to get z result. No longer!
You hit one of the tips I was going to say. Mixing at a lower volume is a huge tip! It allows us to really listen to what's going on minus the fatigue which I call "studio ear" and this happens I take a break most definitely. Thanks G!
Have done almost all of my mixing on headphones while still waiting for the opportunity to get a nice pair of monitors. Something that's helped so much with being content with my mixes is making sure the mix sounds just as good in mono as it does in stereo. I would always feel so terrible when I would go listen to a mix of mine on something other then headphones, and the whole thing would collapse. Prioritizing mono has helped me loads to be ok with the way my mixes translate on to other sound sources.
I love how you have a video about almost everything I wonder about in audio production with in depth info
Great vid Graham! I've been mixing on headphones for over a year now and my mixes have still improved during that time.
I know this is pretty old but I love what you said about subtly. It reminded me of when I used to train aspiring live audio engineers. I would tell them that they will know they had a good mix when they received no compliments and nobody even realized they were there. If people know you're there it's because something about the mix was bad and it grated on their ears, but if it was a good mix, they'll just leave happy.
Great vid! I have monitors and headphones. I use monitors 80%. With bass, general levels, stereo, sound design, song writing (I make electronic music on computer) and everything in between.
However, the headphones do the most important job for me. That job is EQ. EQ is such a small and subtle process but it does so much for my music. That's why I always love my Sony MDR V6s.
I've learned and loved my Yamaha HS80M monitors, but with my lovely 7-month-old daughter's room sharing a wall with my control room I'm frequently using my Beyerdynamic DT-770 headphones again, and actually finding them helpful.
Cheers!
I was mixing for 3 hours in headphones last night. Ugh! My head was spinning. Frequent breaks from now on.
Take breaks and mix at low levels then check it loud and then hear it on monitors or speakers you know well
Lmfao same here damn near threw up I felt so sick
@@corleonemusicent5518 I want to throw up..
Folks asking about which headphones to use. Really need to find some "reference" phones to mix on. You want flatter response so you actually know what you're mixing. Not Beats, nothing bass-hyped. I just happened to buy the same KRK-8400s before I knew Graham used them. Super comfortable and accurate. I've also got the Sony MDR-7506s that show up in lots of studios but I MUCH prefer the KRK's for mixing. Well worth the $130 I paid for them 3 years ago. I just listen to my tracks on 3 or 4 other sound systems after I've mixed on the KRK's to be sure nothing's out of whack. Graham's right on as usual!! Thanks Graham!!
Holy crap this helped a lot. I've been using some Sennheisar HD 280s running into an M-Audio Delta 44 to mix with for the longest time and after this I decided that I would try and mix with my crappy Onkyo tower speakers I have that are also connected to my computer. It made a world of difference. It kept my ears fresh and really improved my mixes. I can't wait to post what i did on TH-cam now!
Having a good pair of headphones is a must! Every single time I've upgraded my headphones I've noticed a significant boost in the quality of my mixdowns. Upgraded to Audio-Technica ATH-M70x half a year ago and it's really paying dividends as I'm on top of my A game!
I've invested in a good pair of open-back headphones for mixing (AKG K702) and now that I've gotten used to them, I trust them more than any monitor setup. I tend to work in many different studios and even on-location sometimes so consistency is a big thing for me. I would not say they replace good ol' reference monitors, but I do most of my mixing on them. Few things that have helped me get the best of headphone mixing : 1) Do a first level balance on speakers. The balance never seems quite right on headphones, everything seems too close and disconnected at the same time. But when I do a quick level balance on speakers first, that gives me a good starting point. 2) Don't be afraid of reverb. I always seem to pick up delays and reverbs more clearly in headphones, so at first my instinct was to drop those reverb levels. In the end my mixes ended up sounding a bit dry on other playback systems. 3) As Graham said, take lots of breaks and always double-check with at least one pair of speakers. 4) If you have a fairly long headphone cable, take advantage of the fact that you can go pretty much anywhere in your room (or even outside of it) and not get crazy acoustic oddities happening. I've found that not always staring at my screen is really helpful in detaching myself from the technicalities and focusing more on the music and the general feel of the mix.
When Finalising a mix I use monitors and Five completely different pairs of headphones ranging in volume and quality to make sure even end listeners who are listening on a phone with budget phones still hear the best version possible :) Another Great Video
Fantastic advice. Yes, comparing your mix played through different speakers is super important and it's also important to know the particular character of the speakers you're using- even cheap $8 earbuds. Compare, tweak, compare, tweak again. Eventually it becomes a no brainer and you'll automatically know what sounds good and what doesn't.
Woah!! I was literally praying that God would help me get better at my music and vocal production skills... And I come across your video. Talk about fast-answered prayers! Thank you for your help!
So nice of god sending you links.
So glad to realize that i follow all these pieces of advice!
Thanks Graham!
Thanks for the videos! I'm learning sound recording and mixing and this video reassures what I do when I mix. I usually switch from my headphones to studio monitors and to a consumer's surround system I have plugged into my interphase.
I mix with both myself but when you mix with heads, I recommend Redline Monitor 112dB. Without it you lose your phantom center(Haas Effect). Great work as usual Graham. Peace To The Room.
Since I always do my mixing with my headphones, I tend to play what I've mixed in my car's stereo to see how it would sound there and if there is something I've missed out.
Great advice Graham. I don't mix exclusively on headphones, but I do 90% of the work on them. I have some nice B&W speakers, but a totally rubbish room, so my Sennheiser HD600s have to take on the lion's share of the work.
You give good advice, which it turns out I follow already! Especially the 'turn it down' tip. I have also found that checking my balance at a very low level really helps getting the mix right - and as you say, it gives my ears a rest.
But listening on speakers still helps with a couple of things. One is that I can hear tuning problems best on speakers. So while tracking and during the mix, I will listen at a normal domestic level through the speakers to check the vocal is properly in tune. Several times I've found that a vocal that sounded sweet on the headphones, turns out to have the odd pitchy moment when hearing it on the speakers. Anybody else notice that?
Also I always check reverb levels on speakers. For some reason I tend to overdo reverbs when setting them on headphones.
Mix with headphones and compare your sound with a monitor after you feel it sounds good. You need both.
Great advice and also very inspirational for people who only have headphones + laptop speakers but no access to studio monitors!
Thank YOU Graham & 3-3023 Joe Gilder! Long time Watcher since 2013
Graham, you make a LOT of sense, mon ami. If you use well-mixed reference tracks and absorb how they sound through bean tins, then you can mix through bean tins. Continuity is wonderful tool.
Very sound advice (pardon the pun). In answer to your questions: (1) Yes I mix on headphones (Shure SRH440) as well as Rokit 5 monitor speakers (plus Rokit subwoofer). I would never mix exclusively on headphones, though. (2) I get better translating mixes on headphones by mixing at 3am and turning the volume waaaaaaaaay down. Then I can hear if the vocals are out front to the right degree and also if guitar solos are popping out just enough, but not too much.
I agree with everything you say about headphone-mixing. Great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it! Much appreciated.
I mix with AKG headphones. I think I spent like $70. I notice sometimes my kick drum is a little to punchy and constantly I find it hard to get a good reference for vocals. To help with this I do test mixes where I do a mixdown so I can listen to it during the day with my cheap headphones and I come back to my mix with a list of problems that I heared. Also this was talked about in a separate video. I think it was called the 4db rule. I play with levels of different parts but adjusting the fadder but just 4db (sometimes more) and I find that really helps get everything nice and balanced. Thanks Graham. Love your channel, these videos help a lot.
Tip for EDM producers: Design your kick transients on monitors, but mix the tail on headphones. I often find that headphones does not accurately represent synthetic kick transients, as the kicks that i design purely on headphones will sound very resonanty and are too "clicky", but when designed on monitors it will reveal the bad frequencies and you will get a much more pleasant kick. However, the natural reverb in your room(even when treated) might affect the way you percieve the tail of the kick and therefore influence your decisions in a bad way. By focusing on the tail of the kick using headphones you will avoid that problem and you will get a true representation of the tail, while avoiding oversaturation or eqing it dead. Hope this helped some.
I mix on headphones. I always take mixes to other environments like my home hifi set, my car, shitty tinny in ear headphones, etc. Only then I hear when I need to turn down a bass, or a kickdrum, or rebalance the guitars, etc.
I'm brand new recording at home. I bought the focusrite Scarlett 2i2 with the mic and headphones package. I'm exclusively using the headphones for tracking and mixing. It's a learning process for sure but I'm figuring out the headphones. I mix at a low volume level to save my ears and to ensure the clarity of each track. I'd like to eventually get a set of monitors not sure where to start though. I'd just use them for tracking really. I like mixing on headphones because it allows me to block out everything around me and focus only on the music. I feel more "immersed" in the song with headphones on and my eyes closed. I can hear and see the snare when it hits, or the toms roll to the right or left and the two guitars standing on each side of me. It's a wonderful feeling. Lol
I mix exclusively on head phones and you're right the most important thing is knowing when to take those breaks or bring in an untrained or consumer ear as I call it for a quick reference. another key is to not be under the influence when mixing especially with headphones because your hearing gets slightly distorted
Thanks for the video! In between studio locations at the moment and I'm finding that headphones are my only option. Your tips were an excellent confirmation for me...
I track with headphones, then go back and forth between my monitors and headphones for mixing. Same for mastering, if I do my own mastering. And do a final check on my car's audio system, which is not very high end but is not shitty either.
So far so good ;P
Even when I mix shitty and am not satisfied I do a car check and am always blown away. I don't have ANY monitoring hardware at all. Just a pair of PS4 headphones (the best ones you can buy from Sony) and some gym sets I wear. I gotta get me some monitors because my mixing has improved so much but I think I'ma have to bite the bullet and buy another pair of damn headphones.
I mix mainly on headphones given that my toddler sleeps already at 20 pm (the only moment of the day I have time to make some music). I turn to the KRK monitors only when I want to check something specific (vocals and mid frequencies usually, but also very low end kick and bass dynamics).
I found that when changing from headphones to speakers it is best for me to wait 10 minutes, to get my ears used to the new pressure, before listening. If I don't do it, I get things totally wrong and start making changes and eqing the wrong things. It took my a long time to realize this, I talked to an expert of psychoacoustics and she explained me how and how long it takes to the ears readapt to new pressures.
I recently started mixing in mono, with headphones (but also with speakers), to better spot overlapping, perhaps canceling, frequencies. I am not sure how good is it working, it would be nice to know what you think abou it.
Great video, thanks a lot!
I use SONY MDR-7550 Professional Earbuds with high isolation ear cushions to do my recording and mixing/mastering on, and found that they provide a more accurate result than in room monitor speakers. As you stated, Graham, lower levels and frequent breaks are the key. And coming back the next day to listen to the previous days work is mandatory to iron out all the kinks.
Switching to another project can be helpful, then coming back to the prior also works well. Forgot to mention, switching to mono also will point out irregularities in the tracks.
One thing I found using earbuds, and earphones however, the reverb can sound more enhanced than on conventional speakers, so usually it has to be increased a bit on the earbuds in order for it to sound similar on stereo speakers in most room environments.
I start with the headphones to get the spatiality and tonality. Watch that kick level when you mix in headphones. Great post G! Very relevant.
I was always told that mixing on speakers is mandatory. I've been traveling for a few years now and have thought that I wouldn't be able to mix anything without monitor speakers. Good to know that I might be able to change that with some decent headphones :)
I mix almost exclusively with headphones because of my living situation. My cans of choice are Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro semi open back headphones. Very clean and clear with no hyped mids. The semi open back lets some of the room air in, which I think helps a lot. I also use a Focusrite pre with VRM (Virtual Reference Monitoring) built in, which gives you the feeling of mixing in different rooms with many choices of monitors. I do have a pair of M-Audio BX5a monitors that I do use at times as well. I do feel the fatigue mixing with cans and I'm going to take your advice and take more breaks and also try and mix at lower levels. I do have to mix pretty loud when getting the low end of the bass and kick worked out.
good point! mixing primary on headphones, eq, compressed ch etc and then do big spectrum like buss comp, image width, reverb and mastering in speaker
I mix basically only on headphones, but I check everything in my vintage stereo at every drastic move, in my home theater and in the car, at least a couple of times a day. I know my headphones well - at m40x, because I listen to other people’s mixes on them, as well as isolated instruments and vocals, to get reference. I also mix mostly in mono.
I mix on monitor headphones, my Audiotechica are one of the best things I've ever had, and after 10 minutes of mixing, I press play on a simple home SONY stereo, so I can hear how people that don't have actual profesisonal gear will hear my mix and I try on the next day when my ears are not tired to listen to my mix again in my car. It helps.
I'm glad about this video because I've been told a good couple times by people working in the industry that "Oh HELL NAW, you can't mix using your headphones! Are you crazy? That's not how we, the professionals do it". Myself, I've always mixed using these small Senheisser headphones, which are great. But I also listen to the track on my laptop speakers, as well as the Smart Tv Speakers, and sometimes my Iphone. I try to listen to my mix on as many different devices. Clearly, some of them, such as the Laptop speakers, do not reproduce the bass well, so I have to be aware of the device's limitations too.
Thus guy relaxes me so much his voice is the best
Of the tips I have learned I have found switching to mono and using a pair of ear buds are helpful to give me a break from my headphones or monitors while also providing another reference.
Just beautiful, love your clear to the point explanations.. they are helping me a LOT.. will be sure to mention your channel when I get big.
I recently mixed a live recording of about 8 songs on Apple EarPods. I know those aren't the best thing to mix on, but those gave me a "real world" perspective of what many people would listen on.
Those KRK are gold! They are the ones I use. And yes, I only use my KRKs when mixing since i have no studio monitors, but then listen on Samsung bundled headphones, iPhone headphones, my laptop speakers (which have the dreadful Beats Audio mega compression) and my Moto X stereo speakers and go back to the KRKs to fix and mix.
I find those headphones awe fully trebly. They seem targeted at deaf dj's.
Excellent tutorial. I'm currently purchasing a set of cans from Focal, Spirits. I have the Focal CM-65 monitors. You're absolutely correct on your advise. May I please add that someone not knowing about which ones to purchase as a headphone for mixing and that cheaper cans will flavor the mix, opposed to ones that are only meant for mixing. Plus always listen to your mixes on many speakers, including your car, desktop,etc to judge your mix...you do alway mention this, may I add. When it sounds great on a pair or mono speaker, using a reference mix too, you'll be in the ball game before mastering. You have to figure that many of us that get sent a mix to listen to is usually on a phone, ipod,pad or desktop......:) Thanks as always Graham.
I actually mixed 8 episodes of a web series exclusively on headphones, called Ferrari Scuderia, and the director was actually more satisfied with them than with the other 5 episodes that I mixed on the monitors at the company I worked in (Yamaha HS50, great speakers but I wasn't adapted to the yet).
Then when I heard the mixes in my own studio, I found that the ones mixed on headphones were leagues above the othersin terms of quality and level balance.
So I guess if I ever go back to working at that company again, these headphones'll be my only reference.
Great video! I have found the bit about the vocal volume to be spot on. My normal flow is mix the track on cans. Flip to monitors low level to pocket the vocals and catch problems. When it sounds good on both, I check the mix in the car. That is when I get pissed and start over. lol. ~ Tim
I mix between a set of Sony MDR 7506's which is my main pair of headphones, I also have a pair of Beats Studio headphones I use as a second reference, and then I have a set of Yamaha HS50's, and a set of Yamaha HS8's.
The MDR 7506 is great. 99 dollars and it's an industry standard. I was first introduced to them through Amir Derakh and Ryan Schuck of Orgy/Julien K. Then I did my home work and found they are a staple in most major studios due to their flat frequency response. They can be seen being used by Dr Dre, Justin Beiber, Howard Stern, Amir and Ryan of Orgy and Julien K, among others. They're great for the performer, the producer, for broadcast, for pretty much any application.
I mix using my Samson SR850 studio reference headphones. At the time I bought them, they cost only $35 but they are dope!
Thanks for the tips on headphones. At the moment I exclusively mix on headphones(Sony MDR-V6), and one of the things I found that helped is the fact that like you said, with headphones you will always have that consistency of sound so you can mix anywhere. I do however have to take more breaks so thanks for that advise.
I find flipping the headphones around really gives a different perspective.
Also mixing in mono with the level low, as Ant said below.
I do mostly beat making and production but I am currently working on an EP. I normally make the beats on headphones and then turn on my monitors to see if I can hear differences before during and after the mixing process. I also use my friends auto and home speakers as well to get as many different sets of speakers involved as possible. Even with electronic music, getting a good mix can be a challenge.
I use Sennheiser HD280 Pros. These are awesome headphone for the cost. I paid $110 for these 2 years ago and still swear by them. I tend to overstay the headphone mixing but alway check my mixes not only on studio monitors, but also on "small speaker" too. Pipe the mix through an old 80's boombox though the line in. This will assure me the mix will sound good on any speaker system. It's an acid test. Playing your mix through a cheaper radio output can be useful tool. I learned about this in the late 70's. If it sounds complete and clean on small speaker as well as fine equipment, then you got something universal.
I like doing preliminary mixes in headphones. Ultimately, I end up sending out the stems for someone else to mix anyway!
Bloodbath and Beyond Dude I see you everywhere
Wow! Thanks for sharing some fantastic pro tips for mixing on headphones. The tip of checking the mix with an everyday headphone or listening through a car system sounds critical.
this video rocks. I have a pair of UE Triple fi pro earphones.. and when you made your case for headphones I realized I am gonna get so much value and use from my headphones when I get my rig going. I will buy monitors eventually though
not starting mixing yet..... still learning..... cool informative video again..... thanks
its also a good thing to look at the master spectrum to check if some frequency is too low or the sub is too loud
that's how i manage to mix with headphones aside from playing in on multiple headphones and speakers
This channel is such a blessing! Thanks so much
Subtlety and Sub Low are the BIG things. The most important - AT LAST the consistent composer-to-listener perfect message delivery.
Very timely video in my own case, because I'm starting to mix my first full album now. XD
I'll be checking my mixes on some decent speakers, regular earphones, budget earbuds, regular laptop speakers, and a regular car stereo system, as well as a cell phone mono speaker. Basically all the places most people would actually listen to the music on. It might not be the absolute best for listening on the mixer's end, but I think this style works really well when it translates to a standard listening environment. Always record in the best environment you can, but try your mixes out on a variety of standard listening sources.
Awesome info!!! Also a heads up, waves just rolled out with a plugin you put on the master called NX Virtual Mixing Room where it allows you to turn your headphones into a "sweet spot!" There's a free 2 week demo. It's amazing!
I have studio monitors. But I usually mix on headphones then make a copy & play it in the car. I think cuz so many people listen to the final mix on either computer speakers or earbuds from the phone the quality of reproduction is minimal.
Ive had good n not so good mixes.
Ive put my songs on reverbnation and FB before . the mix usually not commented on , and Ive had people like my songs as much as some recordings done in semi pro studios.
So , idk.... I usually say for the best listening experience listen w headphones. Even these youtube videos are coming through my smart tv speakers so there's that too. I enjoyed your video. Thank you.
Waves NX Tracker + Sonarworks Headphone Calibration work very well. It's really hard to describe. I recommend downloading trials for both. Also NX plugin with Tracker takes it to a whole other level. Really makes you forget you have headphones on.
great video, graham! very insightful. and yes! i do mix exclusively in headphones since i started getting into music production. i use a senheiser hd202 since always and got pretty used to it, and to gain a little more perspective to my biased ears i try to listen to the mix in the car and even in the apple earbuds. since i lack in high quality equipment, i work in a kinda of comparison mode, constantly trying to match my mixes to the references i find most adequate and that is a simple trick i learned from you, i owe you one!
Nice. Much needed information. And I always did think one should monitor on cans and speakers in parallel. They do sound a lot different on both kinds of equipment. Its a different scale altogether, and all the more important to demo it therefore. Thanks man! Thanks for the info; info we can't do without.
A serious disadvantage of mixing exclusively on headphones is: a beginner tends to add even more reverb, having no natural room reverb in the equation. It's when stepping back and using a pair of speakers is extremely helpful. Listening through your cellphone speakers can also reveal imperfections in the vocals as a nice pair of headphones can sound "too good". Small speakers are incapable of producing deep bass which can sometimes mask out-of-tune vocals or various glitches in the mix.
The Sony 7506's are amazing. Them and ProTools on my laptop is all I have for my mixes, then I reference on my laptop's normal speakers
Great tips Graham. Thanks. I'm going to share this around.