Anyone ever take this approach?

[alien]

In mixdown, I use four techniques...sometimes five.

I'll use the headphones first since they are flat response and plastered to my head.
Then I'll play it through the monitors to see the sound difference, ever how minimal it can be.
I then move to stereo speakers in a regular room (I have three computers networked so that's a big help in this).
I then play it through medium quality computer speakers.
If I'm really frisky, I'll burn the flat mix to a CD and play it in the car (stock stereo system, but nice nonetheless).

I take my notes and RTA data from the three open airs and achieve a "balance", for lack of a better word, to accomodate the four.

General listeners aren't going to be using a flat response set of headphoens or a room that's been dialed in for flat response. They'll be using consumer goods. So, if it sounds good to me on flat, it may sound weak or too much on regular.

It's worked wonders at times as helped me bring out nuances that I didn't think would do much.

Anybody else go this extra bit to "test the mix" before passing it out?

 

[malcolm123]

In mixdown, I use four techniques...sometimes five.

I'll use the headphones first since they are flat response and plastered to my head.
Then I'll play it through the monitors to see the sound difference, ever how minimal it can be.
I then move to stereo speakers in a regular room (I have three computers networked so that's a big help in this).
I then play it through medium quality computer speakers.
If I'm really frisky, I'll burn the flat mix to a CD and play it in the car (stock stereo system, but nice nonetheless).

I take my notes and RTA data from the three open airs and achieve a "balance", for lack of a better word, to accomodate the four.

General listeners aren't going to be using a flat response set of headphoens or a room that's been dialed in for flat response. They'll be using consumer goods. So, if it sounds good to me on flat, it may sound weak or too much on regular.

It's worked wonders at times as helped me bring out nuances that I didn't think would do much.

Anybody else go this extra bit to "test the mix" before passing it out?

I used to do some of the same things trying to get my mixes to translate well. I would use the car, Hifi, boom box, Playstation through TV, etc. Then I figured that the more I listened to my own playback equipment, the more I was limiting myself to just my own environment. So I took another route with my friends cars, Hifi, etc. and returned back to my room and really focused on what my monitors, room, mixes lacked or exaggerated and corrected them. Basically ,, I learned my monitors/room and went from there. Took me a while though until I felt comfortable with my final mixes. Then I moved the studio, purchased new monitors, treatments, etc. Now the whole process has started over again. It shouldnt take me as long this time though because I have a little more experience and a better room with better monitors now.

I fell you though. It's all about learning.

Malcolm

 

[TexRoadkill]

I burn rough mixes all the time. I'll usually be mixing for something specific like the drum/bass groove, vocal/harmonies, guitar tones etc and I keep a CD in my car and play them on as many systems as I can.

 

[Jblount]

The song I just got done with a final mix took 7 cd burns. I usually listen through several meduims monitoring and with the burned cd. I always keep notes, because I dont have automation or a good memory. Its a small price to pay considering how picky I am.

 

[bleyrad]

the hardest part is the bass.

i mix with relatively weak-bass speakers (YSM1's) and no sub, and still, the kick drum and low bass notes will sometimes dissapear, or lose a lot of power, on any "normal" system.
yet, i pay so much attention to the 4k on the kick... often boosting well over 10db in that area, and the harmonics on the bass as well... it just doesn't have the same punch as those low frequencies do. they can be really quiet, quieter than anything else by 25db, but as long as they're there, they're the most distinct in-your-face part of any mix.