Mixing: Nearfield monitors vs. Crummy speakers.

[Chris Fallen]

Mixing: Nearfield monitors vs. Crummy speakers for levels

When I was in one of my classes at a studio my teacher told me that when you're setting levels you should listen through 'crummy speakers' instead of your monitors. I don't remember his reasoning for that. I finished my mix today on a project I'm working on and the vocals were perfect in the mix. When I burned it on a cd and listened to it through my DVD player the vocals were incredibly loud and overpowering, totally different thatn when listening to it on my monitors.

I was just wondering everyone's opionions are on this.

 

[Hawking]

I think maybe your teacher was pointing out the fact that most people will listen to your mixes on cheap stereos with cheap speakers. That boombox Joe Schmoe listens too all day at work doesn't have the clear and defined highs, nor the solid and accurate bass response that studio monitors do. This usually results in the midrange appearing overpowering. The best thing to do is exactly what you did. Burn it on a cd and try it out on every system you have access to. After a little while, you will get a better idea of how what you hear on the monitors will translate on those other systems. Eventually, you will optimize the mix to compensate for this without even realizing you're doing it. You certainly don't want it to sound bad on the good systems either, but by far the vast majority of people do not sit in there house in the 'sweet spot' listening. They're outside washing the car or working, where they don't have the hi-fi setup.

 

[ds21]

yeah, the term reference speakers in the studio mean your referencing everyday common-man speakers which is why the NS10 where popular, general playback has gotten better, but you still have to adjust. (In HI-FI mags the term reference mean a speaker that gives the most pleasurable and or accurate playback), it used to be popular to even check, or "reference" your mixes on a mono car type speaker, not so much these days though.