how I hear... how do you?

[brightpavilions]

So here's my question(s)...

I have a record my band has recorded. The usual "standard techniques" were used in it's recording, but overall it was done with a smorgasbord of pre-amps, mid-level condenser mics and SM57s, a Korg digital multitrack unit, an original mBox and PT LE 7. And you know what, things sound pretty alright! BUT that's through my nice Sennheisser headphones. Those seem to sound right on. But my monitors, well those are M-Audio DX4s. Those freak me out. Just tell me people. "You aren't going to hear anything accurate through those."

Then again, let me get me get to a more important point of my post. You see before I had PT, I recorded on cassette 4/8 tracks. I mixed that though my Aiwa stereo speakers that is still hooked up to all my stereo components. And honestly... it sounded just like it did out of the 8-track. Every time I hear something through "studio monitors" it never seems indicative of consumer speakers. I always liked mixing though my stereo speakers.

So this where I am. Someone out there help. I have a pretty good record here. Do I mix through the M-Audio's and hope that's right? Do I try and borrow a better pair of monitors? Do I mix through my headphones? Or do I slap up the Aiwa stereo speakers to the PT rig and mix.

Or... is it all subjective, and I'm just screwed until I decide what I want?!

Let's discuss.

 

[musicmentality8]

through all of my experiences it doesn't matter what kind of set up or how good of studio monitors you have. you must simply reference on as many systems as you possibly can get your hands on. I would highly recommend not mixing in headphones as you may not hear some common phasing issues through them. so mix on whatever speakers you feel most comfortable with and then reference or listen to the mix on as many systems as you can before releasing your final master.

 

[steppingonmars]

Room?

Make sure your monitors are set up properly. They should be an equilateral triangle between you and the speakers. Also make sure they are far enough away that you're hearing the bass, if they're right in front of you they won't work worth a hoot and you'll never get a mix that translates to another system, it will almost always be muddy and bass heavy. And we're talking pretty far away even with near field speakers, like 3 feet apart and 3 feet away from you is ideal. Also the speaker have to be at the proper heigth or your mixes won't translate either.
Make sure you don't have a bunch of bad reflections in the room either, look up sound absorption and deflection for control rooms on the net and get your room right.

Spend a day getting your speakers set up right and a week getting used to how your speakers sound, listen to songs your used to hearing on them and train your ear. Trust me it'll save you oodles of time in the long run. Once you have them set up right and train your ear for them, they will translate fine to other systems. Also 99.9% of the time it's not crappy monitors, its the set up and the ears not trained properly to the monitors, once you get used to it, you'll probably only use headphones for fine details, but not the mix in a whole and bright is right, you won't be able to hear phase issues through headphones.

Playing your tunes through lots of systems is fine for a final check at the end, but don't use it for general mixing, you'll waste far more time than learning to use your monitors properly, take it from a guy who wasted way too much time and blank CD's doing that way, don't sell your monitors just yet!!!

 

[bogushippie]

I agree with both replies. I know what you are talking about- I had the same "problem" when I first got monitors. I have a pair of Samson 8" monitors and recently went to M-Audio 8's. You really have to listen to your mixes through your monitors, because they don't lie like stereo speakers. Good monitors will be pretty flat, so if the mix sounds good on them, it will translate well to other systems. I learned through doing, and I agree with the ear training. If the mixes don't sound right on the monitors, then they aren't right.

I told the singer in the band I was in awhile back that when I got done mixing, he would know it was right when he wasn't listening to himself or me or the bass, etc., but he was listening to a kickin band. When I did the final mix, he knew exactly what I meant. You will too. Let your ears guide you.