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Old 06-25-2007, 01:30 PM   #1
manning1
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Default the eternal mix conundrum...as old as the ages....comments please.

how do u guys deal with this issue. ??
the scenario....
tracking is finished of an album of songs i'm doing with another nice songwriter.
and i'm creating test mixes of the first track on the album.
the AIM of course is to ensure a mix sounds decent on everything from mini ear buds....thru computer speakers ..thru higher end playback fare.
so i do the mix....sounds good etc.
mini ear buds..check. computer speakers..check.....budget el cheapo phones ...check. then i notice something.
on a couple of pretty expensive headphones the mix sounds slightly different on each. its something that haunted me for years and years. this isnt the first time ive mixed.
fyi ive mixed on very hi end studio monitors only to find sometimes the mix doesnt translate as well down to lower level consumer stuff.
i realise there is no perfect solution. and i dont claim to be a top flight ace mixer...
but how do u guys deal with creating a mix for so MANY different playback systems ?? just curious. and i'm not sure there will ever be a perfect answer.
just curious how various folks deal with this topic.
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Old 06-25-2007, 02:23 PM   #2
Measuring Man
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If it's a final mix, or anything someone critical will hear, send it to a mastering engineer, that's their job. Even if they just do a quickie on it, it maskes a world of difference.

However for rough mixes, you pretty much just have to sacrifice a live chicken and pray it comes out OK. Learn a bit of what goes on at mastering and try to apply it.
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Old 06-26-2007, 08:44 AM   #3
peanutroad
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Once you've taken a listen on whatever systems are at your disposable, all you can really do is take an educated guess, eh? And if your ears are uneducated, I reckon you're in a bit of trouble -- nothing like experience to help one through.

Or, someone else's experience. An extra pair of ears has certainly helped me recognize problems I was missing. I would never commit to a mix without some input from another listener or two. Even if I didn't take their advice!
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Old 06-26-2007, 02:23 PM   #4
Alistair S
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I find the best thing to do is to squash it as flat as a pancake and then crank the volume way up.

That way it sounds like crap on every system. No translation issues at all. Perfect

Other than that, no idea - except that I think it may be a bit like trying to get a guitar in perfect tune (not possible by design). The thing to do is to go for a good compromise.
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Old 06-26-2007, 04:27 PM   #5
manning1
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alistair...lol.

measuring man...
yes ive worked with master guys in the past.
even they have told me ...
no ideal solution.
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Old 06-26-2007, 11:18 PM   #6
cAPSLOCK
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You're just over-analyzing it really.

In fact you said it yourself:

the AIM of course is to ensure a mix sounds decent on everything from mini ear buds....thru computer speakers ..thru higher end playback fare.

You can't get the mix to sound the SAME on every system... you just want it to sound fairly good on each system.

When it comes to the mix sounding different on different high end gear... well you gotta choose the gear you like and practice making mixes that translate on that gear till you know exactly how to do it. I know its lame, but its just the truth.

There are good mixes, and there are subjective preferences... As long as you are getting the first right you are free to work on the second.

cAPS

Last edited by cAPSLOCK; 06-26-2007 at 11:33 PM.
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Old 07-01-2007, 10:06 AM   #7
Measuring Man
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I was speaking subjectively. We have several crappy sets of speakers at the studio for testing mixes on a wide range of playback systems. A great engineer can get great results practically no matter what gear he's given.

Basically it's experience. You learn how your room "sounds". You take your mixes out and if they constantly lack bass, then you room has too much bass and you're compensating for it. The opposite is also true, too much bass outside your room and you've got too little in the room and you're cranking it up. If you've got bare drywall or concrete wall, reflections in the room might be colouring the sound too.

As you practice mixing, you have to learn to compensate in order to find out what's going to work on the most systems. It's like a bell curve, at the low end there are always going to be some systems that just sound like crap. at the high en there will always be systems that are so good they'll point out every flaw. The goal is to shoot for the majority of the systems in the middle.

In my mixing experience, it was learning to balance the frequencies and training my ear to hear too much or too little of each band...high mid low etc. I then trained my each to hear certain problem frequencies, like 250htz, and 4-8khz, there is always a build up at these frequencies that can negatively colour you mix. The next thing I try to pay attention to is the balance of instruments in a certain band. Example, are the kick and bass guitar balanced, 'cause if they are, you can eq up or down the whole range and it will still work. But if one instrument is overpowering another, you'll forever be masking the quieter one.

You can train yourself to do this on just about any speakers, the ones I've used in my home studio for the last 15 years only cost me $250 for the pair(Canadian )And I just know them so well, I've never bothered to fork out for newer fancier powered monitors. I'm spoiled by mixing in a mastering studio and having the best gear available, but that just helps me, I don't have to depend on that.
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