THE MIX vs THE EARS

[open mind]

lately iam mixing a lot tracks and i really fucked up my ears a bit so i needed a break but today i mixed again (i just cant stop doin it) but this time i put the volume of the speakers very low then after the mix was finished i PUMPED THE SHIT out of them to see if the mix was tight and guess what? IT WAS THE BEST MIX I EVER MADE.

anybody else got experiences with mixing on low speaker volume ?

 

[Ash Holmz]

thats how ur supoosed to do it ...

 

[wrightboy]

thats how ur supoosed to do it ...

what he said...

 

[Nuff B]

yep thats it

 

[thedreampolice]

Everything sounds good loud. I always mix at very low levels.

 

[5th Sequence]

yeah you should be able to have a conversation with someone and hear them and yourself easily over your mix while its playing and you are in your speakers sweet spot. Don't stress the ears my man. Push the volume occasionally to check the consistancy in the low end and what not, but keep it low for the most part.

 

[MarkN]

yea ur not meant to mix loud but also remember if ur listening to sumthing and then suddenly u pump the volume up it always tends to sound better so go back and double check later on to be sure !

 

[Hypnotist]

lately iam mixing a lot tracks and i really fucked up my ears a bit so i needed a break but today i mixed again (i just cant stop doin it) but this time i put the volume of the speakers very low then after the mix was finished i PUMPED THE SHIT out of them to see if the mix was tight and guess what? IT WAS THE BEST MIX I EVER MADE.

anybody else got experiences with mixing on low speaker volume ?

I always mix at various volumes. Ear fatigue is nuttin nice. You can start off with a pair of virgin ears, with a nice mix to start with, and by the end it sounds like rice pilaf. <-- ?

When it's loud, all it does is push the envelope around the room and move some air molecules. You WILL hear everything. The point is to lower it and see if the vocals are there... see if the snare is still crisp... see if the sample competes with the vox...

When I turn it up loud, I look for things like: Does the snare drum make me blink? (my eye lids are my snare meters) Does it "breathe" right? Is it overcompressed? Is it too smushed?

Your hand has to be on that monitor level constantly when you mix. Not when you're starting, but when you're midway-to-the-end of a mix it helps. If you're inconsistent with your levels in the beginning, then you lose your "theory of relativity". Figure that one out.

-Hypno

 

[Vince]

I turn up the volume so I can hear the dinner plates rattle in their cabinets. Then I mix.