What other audio sources do you use to check your mixes?

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Marc2109

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I'm considering a source to reference my mixes against my nearfields. All I have my phone with earbuds and a blutooth speaker. I'm thinking I should get something like a boombox, but have no idea what exactly. So what do people listen to their music on today, besides earbuds?
 
Play it everywhere! Hook it up to aux or tapedeck in your car, thats a great way! Also, get some good computer speakers. You could invest in some studio monitors which will really bring out the clarity of your music for both recording mixing and playback. Hope this helps!
 
Play it everywhere is fair enough, but pay the greater attention to the systems that you know well.

I have my main monitors that I know very well, two pairs of Sennheiser headphones that I know pretty well, (they're very different), and big ol hifi with 12" drivers that I know quite well.

The 12" hifi is a good last check because it puts out plenty of bass. I know I'm not missing something by checking there.
If I checked on an ipod dock I could be missing the low frequencies.


I don't really see the point in referencing on an unknown system because the best judgement you can make is "That's passable".
You don't know what it's meant to sound like on that system.
 
Guys I really appreciate your input.

I have a pair of Rokit 5's as my nearfield's. I was just thinking of other sources. I thought about the car, i just didn't want to burn through a handfull of cd's for every mix I guess.

This whole thing about "knowing" your sound sources is alluding me. I've seen it a lot on posts but I'm not sure what that means. That is in reference to this subject. How can you tell what frequencies the system is skewing? What is the standard to compare it against?

People say listen to them a lot. Really? But then doesn't your brain just skew to those speakers? Or do you go by specs?

I'm probably over-thinking this...
 
Marc2109 said:
People say listen to them a lot. Really? But then doesn't your brain just skew to those speakers? Or do you go by specs?

I'm probably over-thinking this...
Click to expand...

No, not specs.
If you buy split new monitors tomorrow and mix on them to the point where you think everything's perfect, how do you know it's perfect?
How do you know what similar commercial music sounds like on those monitors?
What if you put on your favourite CDs only to find they sound really bassy on these new monitors?

Your mix would then be very light on the bass because you've been mixing without reference.

The reason for differences could be the speakers themselves, the amp, the shape and size of the room.....any number of things.


The answer (other than having the perfect monitoring chain+setup) is to listen to lots and lots of familiar 'professional' music through your speakers.

You know how that music should sound, and in time you'll know how it really sounds on your system.
Then when you come to mix your own music, you'll know what you're aiming for.

I know that I need to raise everything below about 120hz by about 4db above my instinct when mixing on my Mackies.
Now, that's not ideal, but that fact that I know it is good enough compensation for me.
 
As others have said, play it everywhere.

However, for the most part I rely on my home hifi (old but still decent sounding), the CD player in my car and on earbuds from my iPhone.

(Most fun, however, has to be the rare occasion I do a freelance sound shift at the local theatre. I'll skip lunch to play stuff via a vastly expensive Midas digital mixer and D&B Audiotechnik line array speaker system. I'm not sure it tells me anything about my mix but it sure is a rush!)
 
Ah.. ok now I see what you are saying. That makes sense. Now, that begs the question, and please forgive my overthinking, HOW do I know how those favorites cd's of mine SHOULD sound? How would I know if there is too much bass or too little? Is this simply a judgement call on my personal taste? All I have ever heard them through is my car stereo and an mp3 player with earbuds. Shouldn there be some more "reliable" source that give me a truer feel for what the CD SHOULD sound like?

Sorry for dragging this stick through the mud, but the question gnaws at me...
 
Nah, don't be sorry. They're all sensible questions.
I suppose the answer is a blend of preference and blind faith.

Say you're into Metallica. Do you take Ride the Lightening or the Black Album as your reference?

They're both very different and most people probably have a preference, but then they're both huge selling, viable, commercial products.
Neither is wrong-They're just different.

I suppose you can't ever know how something should sound, because every recording you ever hear is subjected to your gear, your room....even the shape and size of your head! :p

Basically pick stuff that you like the sound of, get to know it on your speakers, then try to replicate it or at least use it as a reference.

I love late Queen productions. I've probably heard certain tracks on a few hundred systems over the years.
Each playback system is different, but I still know I'm listening to a damn good well balanced mix, you know?

PS: Not being a dick at all, but the word 'source' in your OP would suggest either instrument or recording medium to me.
I'm only saying to avoid confusion. :)
 
Everyone goes through this at some point.....not being sure, not knowing how things should sound, wondering if one system is a better reference than another....etc.
Nothing wrong with checking on multiple systems....just be careful you don't fall into the trap of chasing your mix across multiple systems. You will never have a good mix if you start second guessing yourself from studio to boom-box to car to earbuds...etc...etc.

The best way is to work on the best system you have...of course, the room plays a big part...and it just takes time, it takes a bunch of mixes of different songs before your mixes start falling into place with regularity.
After you learn to trust that one, best system, you won't bother checking on other systems with every new mixdown pass....you'll just take what is pretty much a finished mix and play it on those other systems, but you won't feel like you need to go back, go back, go back....but it takes some time to get there.
 
Bobbsy said:
As others have said, play it everywhere.

However, for the most part I rely on my home hifi (old but still decent sounding), the CD player in my car and on earbuds from my iPhone.

(Most fun, however, has to be the rare occasion I do a freelance sound shift at the local theatre. I'll skip lunch to play stuff via a vastly expensive Midas digital mixer and D&B Audiotechnik line array speaker system. I'm not sure it tells me anything about my mix but it sure is a rush!)
Click to expand...



I do something very similar to this, Bob.
People like KC and Greg have sent me their CDs and I will play them as walk-in music or in between acts music on my huge concert Riggs.
Nothing like hear Greg's drumming or KC's low end dub step through those bone rattling, gut moving systems! :thumbs up: :listeningmusic:
 
Ok thanks guys, your answers are turning on lights for me. I am a little clearer now on what to do.
 
I have my setup fixed up for mixing, I have it set so that when I export my mix, I can reference on computer speakers with a sub, my akg k44's, sennheiser hd 280's, cheap ear buds all in seconds, makes mix time easy that way, I do the mix on monitors and cans, then I reference on a minimum of 4 sources
 
Marc2109 said:
I have a pair of Rokit 5's as my nearfield's. I was just thinking of other sources. I thought about the car, i just didn't want to burn through a handfull of cd's for every mix I guess.
Click to expand...

CD-Rs are cheap - buy a spindle of 100 for less than $20. Once you learn your mixing (monitoring) system better you need less changes each time, but I have had songs that I need to tweek 10 times before I get the sound right. I'll usually wait until I have 3 or 4 songs at tweeking stage so I can put them all on a single CD-R to check.
 
I was just reading this thread (great info!) and it occurred to me that most of my recently purchased music is in digital format in iTunes. I understand, after reading this thread, that it's a matter of my personal taste and what I think sounds good as to what I should use for reference, but I expect that a digital/compressed version of the song could sound a lot different than a CD. Do you think using an actual CD would make for better reference material? (I think I know the answer just looking for other's thoughts on this).
 
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