I feels like giving up !

A

AyaiZafri

New member
My problem right now is I don't have a studio monitor. Just a normal speaker. People said you're wasting time learning how to mix song with a pair of normal speaker.

So I wanna know, will I ever have a chance to get a better mix sound if I mix with that shitty speaker or headphone, that is ATH-M30x.

P/s : I'm not focusing on engineer, I'm a musician. But I want to get a better sound for my mix. Check me out on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/ayaihere .

Or maybe you have a good price for studio monitor for a beginner like me.
 
For starters, great job singing. :thumbs up: There are a lot of affordable monitors on the market. Go have a listen to as many different ones as possible that are in your price range and get the ones "you" like best
 
Don't give up. There's nothing magic about even the best studio monitors--they just make it easier for you know know how your mix really sounds.

However, even with monitors you still have to learn how things need to sound on them to sound right everywhere else.

Until you can buy monitors, just keep on mixing, make a copy of your song, listen in lots of different places (car, iPod, home stereo, whatever), notice what you'd like to change then change it. You'll pretty quickly work our how you want things to sound while mixing to give you the sound you want elsewhere.
 
Bobbsy said:
Don't give up. There's nothing magic about even the best studio monitors--they just make it easier for you know know how your mix really sounds.

However, even with monitors you still have to learn how things need to sound on them to sound right everywhere else.

Until you can buy monitors, just keep on mixing, make a copy of your song, listen in lots of different places (car, iPod, home stereo, whatever), notice what you'd like to change then change it. You'll pretty quickly work our how you want things to sound while mixing to give you the sound you want elsewhere.
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Yes. :)
Look at it like this. Can you listen to music on your current speakers?
Yee..ah of course.
Well than that music, and the tone balance your setup sounds like.. That is your reference. Until you get better speakers etc..
The main diff, and it is fairly significant is consumer' speakers are typically jacked up in any nine ways to heaven, where monitors shoot for giving a clean palate'. This means it can make it much tougher
 on you, but still can be done.
 
People said you're wasting time learning how to mix song with a pair of normal speaker.
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I completely disagree with that!!!

I usually mix with a pair of Bose 140 bookshelf speakers and a sub. My room is acoustically treated (not the same as sound isolation) and I know these speakers well. I do have a pair of studio monitors; I use them for critical listening and setting tone on my guitar, etc, but I definitely prefer to mix with the bookshelf speakers.

You don't need great speakers to get decent mixes. You do need a good listening environment, speakers + room, and to know how it reacts with music. The best investment you can make to get decent mixes is to acoustically treat your room. It doesn't have to be expensive, but by doing so, you are taking the room out of the mix.

Lots of advice on how to treat your room in the Studio Build section of this site.
 
Your mixes are already fine. I couldn't say that there were any glaring flaws.

Don't skimp on monitors or treatment though. They are an investment, not a PC that you can casually upgrade. Don't look at them as bad-mediocre-good, see good-better-best.
 
My early studio(s) usually had a pair of old hifi speakers in them. I used to mix on these no problem at all. If you are used to your speakers and the room acoustics are good you can get a solid mix from them.

Alan.
 
Hey man, you don't need a set of studio monitors to get started mixing. You can do with a decent pair of studio headphones. The Sony MDR-7506s have a very neutral response and great sound. If anything they have a little hype in the bass, but you just need to be aware of it. I mixed and mastered my group's entire first EP on a set of those headphones alone, with NO monitors or speakers in the studio.

You can hear two examples from that debut EP, mixed on headphones alone, at www.eschersenigma.com under "Tunes/Videos": "Choice" and "Drowning In Time".

I had to continually check my mixes in the car, on home speakers, in earbuds, etc to learn how my mixes in the Sony headphones translated to the real world. Once you understand how your listening medium translates to consumer speakers, you can mix!
 
mixsit said:
Yikes Don't for get that nice big ..IDK, 4? - 5k zing' they do !
I likin them to 'instant Bruce Iglarure 'Alligator Records Blues' tone ! :D
Albert Collins 'Iceman!'
Ack here ya go. This one's much more fun
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihvvf1R_vWo
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You're right, they have some hype in the 4-6k range as well! Something that you get used to going back and forth listening on consumer systems. The most important thing is to get to know your mixing source and how it translates. I recommend these headphones for good quality and affordable.
 
It's funny, I just wore out a pair of those sonys that I've had for 5 years or so and while I thought they had great clarity and were very comfortable for prolonged tracking sessions, I always thought they hyped the hi end? :) I guess it's somewhat relative.
 
Thanks guys. So should I continue learning how to mix a song? Or should I start it back after I get myself a pair of studio monitor?
 
Keep practising. You'll learn lots even mixing on headphones or computer speakers--and what you learn now will pay dividends when you eventually do get some monitors.

Liked your Sam Smith cover btw.
 
imo there's nothing wrong with what your doing now ... good ears take time,throwing money on gear that you cant hear a difference on yet is a waste of money






you got talent (GREAT voice btw) ... your mixes are fine .... work with what you got cos its working :)




anyhoo if you did make a change to your audio setup you would be wasting your time until your ears adjust to the new gear ;)
 
I used to mix with "normal" speakers. What I would do is take a copy of the mix and try it out on different systems. Car stereo, Home stereo, Boom box etc. That way I could adjust to get more balanced mix. Actually I still do this even though I have reference monitors now.
Pat
 
Bobbsy said:
Keep practising. You'll learn lots even mixing on headphones or computer speakers--and what you learn now will pay dividends when you eventually do get some monitors.
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Exactly what I did for several years before investing in better stuff. Now even with relatively mediocre headphones and monitors I feel like it's cheating having them, it makes the job of mixing that much easier.
 
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