Want To Hear How Mixdowns Through Headphones Sound?

[Lawrence Bulloc]

Try this site:

www.geocities.com/lcbullock

Click on "Online Store" to hear the CDs (for free).

I mixed all of these tunes with headphones. I got a decent sound but only with MUCH trial and error.

DO NOT MIX USING HEADPHONES!

 

[Massive Master]

Lawrence - any chance they'd let you put up some 160's instead of the 64's?

But yes, you're absolutely right. Headphone mixing is certainly not the best way to go about things. I normally audition mixes and masters on them at one point or another, and you can hardly beat them for editing. But tracking & mixing... Well...

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Article --> Whad'ya Mean I Can't Mix With Headphones????

 

[Greykitkat36]

Hey Blue Bear, is a Stereo System with a subwoofer good for mixing? Its Surround sound Sony System connected to a receiver.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

If you set the sub up properly, it can work quite well......... (ie - it's NOT supposed to sound like a herd of tanks driving by!!!!)

The sub should only broaden the low-end range, not simulate an earthquake as so many people tend to set it for!

 

[caryindy]

sen-sor-round!

 

[glynb]

Headphones and stereo

I read the article about mixing with headphones and have found it to be right.

The only slight difference I've found is in judging where to place things in the stereo field. Personaly i find it helpful to decide on the position things using the headphones, then I listen on monitors to check if it works. Using headphones its easier to get instruments separated out and not clashing for the same space in the stereo field. Because the stereo effect is so marked with headphones compared with mointors which blend the instruments back together, especialy if you're stood quite far away from the speakers.

I might add I don't have the best monitors, so that may have something to do with it!

 

[Track Rat]

Everytime I've tried to mix through headphones it sounded like I was trying to mix through headphones. I'll spot check through them but I won't mix with them.

 

[Lawrence Bulloc]

MM, I'm a dummy and don't know what you mean about "160's instead of 64's"

Educate me.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

He means the bitrate of the compressed audio clips - 160 MBps (megabits-per-second) instead of 64 MBps....

The higher the bitrate, the higher the quality of the audio (and also the larger the file!)

 

[Lawrence Bulloc]

Ah, thanks for the info re: bit rate. I have no control over the way Mixonic puts the tunes on the web unfortunately.

But I'll check into it.

I'm in the process of rerecording all the tunes (I can switch them out online) and have already done so with "The Beast Is Back"

(If anyone is even remotely interested.... )

 

[Sonixx]

He means the bitrate of the compressed audio clips - 160 MBps (megabits-per-second) instead of 64 MBps....

The higher the bitrate, the higher the quality of the audio (and also the larger the file!)

Mega-bits-per-second... uh

mp3 is in kilo-bits-per-second...

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Mega-bits-per-second... uh

mp3 is in kilo-bits-per-second...

yup... my bad....... had the right units in my head - just didn't type 'em that way!

 

[mallcore pop]

Also, I think you meant bit depth, right Bruce?

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

nope - in this case "bitrate" IS the right context!!!

 

[mallcore pop]

 

[Teacher]

i find headphones great for placing sounds in a mix can't beat it especially if your monitors aren't so hot and the acoustic environment is just as bad or even worse

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Again, imaging on headphones is very exaggerated compared to monitors, so you have to be sure to check what it sounds like on speakers.

 

[Teacher]

Again, imaging on headphones is very exaggerated compared to monitors, so you have to be sure to check what it sounds like on speakers.

true...i would hope that would be common sense to most folks though...

 

[Peteclag]

Headphones!

OK, it seems no one thinks mixing on headphones is a good idea. But what if you have little alternative? I've been recording on a portable studio (ZOOM MRS 1044) and I'm struggling to work out the best (affordable and practical) way to get a clean playback sound. Mixing on a cheap pair of heaphones is a disaster - I've tried it! I live in a busy apartment and monitor speakers are not an option. When no one else is around I've tried mixing through my Sony surround system, but this has a subwoofer (and all the rest) to prejudice results. I appreciate monitors are the best answer, but would a good qaulity pair of headphones (Sony MDR 7506 I've seen championed, does anyone have any other suggestions?) still be better than the surround option. Or at least be of help in conjunction with my home stereo? I need decent headphones so I can hear what I'm recording initially anyway and simply can't use my stereo for this (the darn stereo is connected to my TV so I can't expect my girlfiend to put up with me blasting out guitar riffs every 5 minutes!)

Please Help!