TelePaul
J to the R O C
Hey i know I should know this...but why can't I use my stereo amplifier and speakers to monitor??
2
2lim
New member
Your hi-fi speakers will hype certain frequencies, normally the low and hi more than anything to make the music sound huge. Also they will not respond well in certain frequencies, and all in all won't reproduce the sound in a neutral manner. Monitors have very flat response and will reproduce the music as best as possible.
Example: My speakers may hype 8kh and up, and 200hz and down. I mix so my mix sounds neutral on my speakers. When I play it in my car, the high end will sound very muffled, and I will have very little low end, because my speakers compensating for the lack of those frequencies while I was mixing.
Simon
Example: My speakers may hype 8kh and up, and 200hz and down. I mix so my mix sounds neutral on my speakers. When I play it in my car, the high end will sound very muffled, and I will have very little low end, because my speakers compensating for the lack of those frequencies while I was mixing.
Simon
TelePaul
J to the R O C
Yeah will this fix my translation?? I mean my stuff sounds good in Cubase and then in I tunes when I play it back or like you said, in a car...it sounds worse.
iqi616
Yet another Mike
Simon is right.
Do you compare your mixes to reference CDs? (adjusting the CD volume to make them equal loudness to your mix of course) That is key to translatability because at least you'll be comparing your mixes to professional recordings heard through the same hype. They won't be as loud because your mixes aren't mastered yet but it's the quality, not quantity, you're looking for at this stage. Compare frequently with your references while you mix especially when EQing. Ideally, rip your reference tracks and paste them into Cubase so you can adjust the playback level and hear them through the same converters - just remember to mute when you mix!
As long as you have the EQ on the hi-fi set flat and your speaker placement is good, you're still better off than using headphones so that's a plus until you've saved up enough for monitors.
Have fun!
Do you compare your mixes to reference CDs? (adjusting the CD volume to make them equal loudness to your mix of course) That is key to translatability because at least you'll be comparing your mixes to professional recordings heard through the same hype. They won't be as loud because your mixes aren't mastered yet but it's the quality, not quantity, you're looking for at this stage. Compare frequently with your references while you mix especially when EQing. Ideally, rip your reference tracks and paste them into Cubase so you can adjust the playback level and hear them through the same converters - just remember to mute when you mix!
As long as you have the EQ on the hi-fi set flat and your speaker placement is good, you're still better off than using headphones so that's a plus until you've saved up enough for monitors.
Have fun!
TelePaul
J to the R O C
iqi616 said:
I'll be revamping everything before the years out...have plans to expand etc. The thing I notice about my mixes when theyre played back after mix down is they're lacking depth. As for mastering, can that be done at home? In terms of boosting the output volume?
iqi616
Yet another Mike
To a reasonable extent, yes. A pro would/should be better but for non-commercial work definitely doable.
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
(A) "HiFi" is a seriously misunderstood word sometimes... It really depends on the speaker, but generally, *real* studio monitors (not the little boxes that say "STUDIO MONITOR" on them, but the big, overbearing, colorful, full-range, wide dispersion, behemoths) in the average studio are little more than audiophile-grade HiFi components.
The practice of using small, nearfield, limited range, short-throw, narrow dispersion boxes as mains is actually rather new... And I really don't care for it a bit.
So again, depending on the speaker, I'd personally *MUCH* rather be using quality HiFidelity components over the vast majority of what currently says "STUDIO MONITOR" on the box.
OF COURSE: If we're talking about some cheesy bookshelf speakers from BustBuy or something, then yeah, save up and move forward. But if you're talking about something along the lines of a B&W DM602 (around $600 *for a pair*) or JBL S-38's (I've seen them for around $300 *for a pair*) then you're way ahead of the game, IMO.
And of course, your monitoring will only ever be as good as the room they're in... Bass trapping and lots of it.
(B) There are few things that add "depth" to a recording than "DEPTH." Think about that and chew on it for a while. Distance is your friend. And again, bass trapping... A bad room isn't going to cut it.
(C) Volume in the mastering stage - Yes, unfortunately, "loud" has become synonymous with "mastering" in many cases. As much as it sucks, it's true to some extent. That being said - Sure, there is some technique involved and certain tools may lend themselves to attaining "sheer volume" more than others. But the most important part of the equation is having a mix that can *handle* those levels. Starting with a really great and dynamic mix, that was babied with generous amounts of headroom at every single possible stage from start-to-finish, is going to be much more important to the final product. "Tracking really hot" is NOT the way to get your final product really hot. In fact, it's usually just the opposite. Tracking really hot overdrives the input chain which causes all sorts of nastiness (including lack of clarity, focus, depth, added distortion, spectral dynamics problems etc.
The practice of using small, nearfield, limited range, short-throw, narrow dispersion boxes as mains is actually rather new... And I really don't care for it a bit.
So again, depending on the speaker, I'd personally *MUCH* rather be using quality HiFidelity components over the vast majority of what currently says "STUDIO MONITOR" on the box.
OF COURSE: If we're talking about some cheesy bookshelf speakers from BustBuy or something, then yeah, save up and move forward. But if you're talking about something along the lines of a B&W DM602 (around $600 *for a pair*) or JBL S-38's (I've seen them for around $300 *for a pair*) then you're way ahead of the game, IMO.
And of course, your monitoring will only ever be as good as the room they're in... Bass trapping and lots of it.
(B) There are few things that add "depth" to a recording than "DEPTH." Think about that and chew on it for a while. Distance is your friend. And again, bass trapping... A bad room isn't going to cut it.
(C) Volume in the mastering stage - Yes, unfortunately, "loud" has become synonymous with "mastering" in many cases. As much as it sucks, it's true to some extent. That being said - Sure, there is some technique involved and certain tools may lend themselves to attaining "sheer volume" more than others. But the most important part of the equation is having a mix that can *handle* those levels. Starting with a really great and dynamic mix, that was babied with generous amounts of headroom at every single possible stage from start-to-finish, is going to be much more important to the final product. "Tracking really hot" is NOT the way to get your final product really hot. In fact, it's usually just the opposite. Tracking really hot overdrives the input chain which causes all sorts of nastiness (including lack of clarity, focus, depth, added distortion, spectral dynamics problems etc.
Similar threads
