Mixing problems

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:23 am

Hi,

I am new-ish to recording and mixing and i am suffering from a frustating problem !
I am using cubase sx3 to record rock/alternative music. The monitors I am using were given to me, they are Tannoy speakers (I think the model maybe E11 ??? This is all I can find on the back of the monitors). When I am mixing tracks I can get the songs sounding more than satisfactory but when I get home and listen to them on a hi-fi, the songs suddenly sound cloudy, muddy and totally different ! The dynamics seem to be gone and the sound is nothing like what i am hearing thru the monitors !

I have read up a little about the acoustics of listening environments and ama little confused by it. Surely the room I listening in can't be affecting the sound this much ? I have thought about buying some acoustic products (traps, foam etc) but it seems very expensive and a bit hit and miss as to whether I place these products in the correct place or not.

Could it be something else ? should I be investing in new monitors ?

please help !

Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 6:59 pm

AAAHHH Grasshopper!!!

There are many factors that could come into play but I would probably say it is acoustics. Yes they play a much larger part in the outcome of a mix than you would ever think. Say for instance you have a room that is very bass heavy and you mix to what your ears think sounds right. But then you listen on a speaker in a car etc that is not as revealing as a reference monitor and everything comes out thin and tinny. check out the acoustic design section of recording.org or for a more in depth look check out www.Johnlsayers.com and look into his forum.

Posted: Fri Jun 22, 2007 8:12 pm

try mixing with a lower volume like reallly low. don't hit the levels too hard and try to ride your faders on parts that need it. take out -3db of some 200 Hz in your vocals and brining up some of your mids. i noticed tannoy tend to fool you in there mids. use your discretion. and listen to your mix in about 5 different places and you should get an idea of what needs fixing. don't over analyze it or you will never have a finished product. a good idea is to have someone else listen to it and tell you what is good and what is not.

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:31 am

There is no real fix if your room has problems and is lying to you. It will always be something that you will be fighting with. But despite that, it will still take you many, many hours for you to learn your monitors in your specific mixing space before you are able to make mixes that can translate well to other speakers and listening spaces. Listen to as much various types of music as you can on those monitors to learn their specific characteristics. In the end, you may find that they just won't ever work well for you.

Lack of skill and experience with low freq problems in general with rooms and with mixing are one the most common things to overcome. Using additional monitors and/or speakers to check your mixes can be of big help. It is not easy. It isn't supposed to be easy.

Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:24 pm

You need to learn your monitors. Compare your mixes with commerical mixes in your monitors and try to get them to match.

Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 4:07 am

I hate music lol well not really but .... this is the hardest part because u have to fool your ears. The ears are filters and adjust to frequency. I.E. u ever listen to mixes and your ears adjust to those sounds. Thats why ear training is a great concept to study. It requires AB and Y Twisted Evil

Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:47 am

Great answers everyone.
Thank you. I do tend to mix too loud so I am going to try at lower volumes. And keep the levels lower.

I think that when I get the money I might just try a different set of monitors. Any suggestions ? I can't afford to spend thousands but could possibly stretch to about $900 (not a lot I know !). I would prefer passive monitors. Any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks all again for the advice. It is appreciated

Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:45 am

Tried mixing at lower volumes but the it still sounds muddy on different systems. They sounded great on my tannoys whilst mixing.

I am looking into buying some acoustic foam and some new passive monitors. Any advice on which passive monitors for around $900 ?

Posted: Thu Jun 28, 2007 9:41 am

I don't think a new set of monitors will help any if it's your room. With $900 you could buy a few bass traps and other treatment which will help you more than a new set of speakers which will not sound any better in your room.

YES! a room can have that much of an effect.

Posted: Fri Jun 29, 2007 6:48 am

The problem is knowing where to place them !
The room itself sounds good when I am mixing in it. Its just the mixes do not translate well to other systems. Its a little worrying spending a lot of money on foam and traps and then just guessing where to put them !!

This topic sponsored by: