Mixing at low levels

[TuoKaerf]

Anyone else on here find that your mixes turn out way better when you monitor at extreamly low levels?

 

[mshilarious]

Anyone else on here find that your mixes turn out way better when you monitor at extreamly low levels?

Nope. Never. You won't even be able to hear the low-level problems in your mix.

Borrow an SPL meter and calibrate your monitors to 85 dBSPL.

 

[bigtoe]

Anyone else on here find that your mixes turn out way better when you monitor at extreamly low levels?

mixing at low and checking at 85-90 like mshilarious says is what i do. i prefer it at somewhat normal volume. i check it almost off as well...like waaaay quiet... just part of the routine...it really helps me balance things...

Mike

 

[mixsit]

Nope. Never. You won't even be able to hear the low-level problems in your mix.

For another angle; After all the basics are out of the way, the mix is up and running, or maybe especially on 'day two' or with fresh ears, I like pulling it way down. Seeing that it holds up, what gets lost. Sometimes I hear verbs better (at least differently), which really seems counter intuitive to me.
Wayne

 

[bennychico11]

i think that's an old mastering trick. turn down the mix to make sure it stays coherent. Mix at 79-85dB like mshilarious said, but check at low levels.

 

[mshilarious]

i think that's an old mastering trick. turn down the mix to make sure it stays coherent. Mix at 79-85dB like mshilarious said, but check at low levels.

Oh yeah, check at high levels too, especially quiet sections. There might be some garbage there you can't hear at 85dB. Actually I like a listen on headphones at reasonable volume too, that can turn up the odd noise you missed in your monitors.

 

[scrubs]

Yeah, what the others have said. Most of your mixing should be done around 85dB. Check at low levels (helpful for detecting relative level problems between instruments - e.g. vocals too loud, guitars too quiet, etc.) and higher levels for any problems.

 

[SonicAlbert]

Llike most are saying here, I also mix at comfortable levels and check at low levels. By checking I mean I spend a fair amount of time at low levels until I'm satisfied with what I hear, then go back to normal listening levels. Also checking *briefly* at high levels is good in my opinion.

The other thing I do, and I feel it is just as important as monitoring at different levels, is checking the mix in mono. Again, spending some time there to make sure it is all happening, then going back to stereo. Listening in mono can be very revealing.

I also like checking the mix by switching between my main monitors and smaller monitors.

 

[bennychico11]

and that's 85dBSPL
don't be trying to push your mix to 85dBu!!!!

 

[Raw-Tracks]

You won't get good tones at real low volumes. But, once you have the basic tones and basic balances, I find I get much better balance at pretty low levels.

So, my modus operandi is: Start moderate (80-90db), then switch to low levels, sometimes almost inaudible, then crank 'er up and see how it's working.

You really need to check at various levels. The idea is to get a consistent mix at all listening levels.

Good Luck!

 

[TuoKaerf]

I think I could have worded my first post a little better.

I usually monitor around 85dBSPL, and raise and lower to see if things are holding up. I also test the mix in different locations (car, home stereo, headphones).

I've met a lot of engineers that mix at ear splitting levels, and I don't see how their ears handle it.

 

[SonicAlbert]

I've met a lot of engineers that mix at ear splitting levels, and I don't see how their ears handle it.

They mix at those levels because they probably blew their ears out years ago. The bottom line is, your ears *can't* handle it, certainly not sustained loud levels over long periods of time.

 

[Justus Johnston]

Maybe it's because of inexperience, but I find when I try to mix at a quiet level that the same thing always happens every time. I can avoid it for awhile, but eventually, I'll pull a track up until it sounds right, and then I'll pull up all the other tracks until they match that one. By the time I'm done, I have a mix with every track's trim slammed, and then I have to turn the master fader down. It sucks. So I mix at a level where the tracks sound right which is indeed around 85 dbSPL.

Now, I CHECK my mixes loud and soft, and have caught things doing both that I otherwise wouldn't have.

 

[Llarion]

Anyone else on here find that your mixes turn out way better when you monitor at extreamly low levels?

Quite the contrary; I always end up with very bottom heavy, undisciplined mixes. Which sucksm, because it limits the times I can do my mixing to when the baby is awake.