Hey i just finished mixing a song. as you can see in my profile i have some m-audio av40 monitors, and they are what i used to make my mix. it sounded great on those, but when i put it into my car and took a drive, the voices were noticeably higher than the music. now i know that it could be an eq issue with my car, but are there any tried and true ways ways you can mix your music well when you DONT have 2000 bucks in monitors and 500 dollar headphones? thanks
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How does commercially recorded material sound in the cars? Do y
How does commercially recorded material sound in the cars? Do you hear the same difference in these recordings when played on your monitors as compared to the car stereos?
If you have gotten a GREAT mix with only two passes on your gear then you should be up for a Grammy this year.
I will usually use up at least half of a 50 count stack of CD's and generally several days worth of time before I think the mix is getting CLOSE to sounding right. And this is on $2000 monitors and expensive headphones....
BTW....The only people I know with $500 headphones are Audiophiles with $40,000 home stereos.
i have realized today that while making a second mix, the instru
i have realized today that while making a second mix, the instruments i am using such as strings and synths are using most of the same frequencies of the vocals. when it comes to the hook, things seem to drown out and the uniqueness of the inst./vox are being lost. i guess i just need experience EQing instruments and vocals into different frequency bands.
GREAT information i appreciate it boatloads.
I strongly suggest using "references" - take commercial recordin
I strongly suggest using "references" - take commercial recordings that you really like, that are in the same style of music you are mixing. These will tell you a lot about the consideration of your specific setup. How loud are the vocals in the reference recordings? How much low end is there? Comparing your mix to a commercial CD is a great way to go. Listening on different systems is also good, and you can take your reference recordings to the new system and analyze it there too.
Also, there are other considerations like which instruments are taking up which frequencies (as you already mentioned), and the basic musical arrangement. An important thing to consider is how loud you mix. There is a scientific reason for that concern. I don't want to get too deep into that here, but if you're interested you can visit http://www.EarsandGears.com to read more. There is a bunch of useful information on that blog.
I deal w/ the same issue w/ better gear than yourself, and Dave
I deal w/ the same issue w/ better gear than yourself, and Dave is spot on.
The best way to get a great mix is to learn your monitors (still doing this myself).
The best way to do that is to play reference material you are very familiar with through your monitors.
Note what it sounds like.
Play it in your car. Note what it sounds like.
Now play it through your studio setup again and note the differences.
When you learn how "what sounds good everywhere" sounds on your monitors, you'll know what to shoot for.
MorMez's suggestions are equally important, btw.
Mixes are always going to sound different on different systems,
Mixes are always going to sound different on different systems, in different environments. All you can do is listen on as many different systems as you can and try to compensate without compromising your mix. It's always a matter of trial and error. Mix, listen, take a break, listen again. I never settle for the first mix unless it magically falls together the first time.