Archive for 'monitors'

Part 28 of 31 – As you near the end of your mix, one of the best things you can do is reverse mix it. This simple little move will tell you a lot about your volume balance between kick, snare, and vocals.

What Do You Hear Down There?

If you take your monitors and turn them all the way down and then bring them up in volume ever so slowly, what is the first thing you hear? Ideally it should be vocal, snare, and kick drum. What’s that you say? You haven’t tried this little trick?! Today’s your day!

I love mixing drums. Well, I love it and I hate it, but when the drums turn out well it’s a great feeling. One thing I’m always trying get just right is the amount of punch and smack that the drums have. You usually want the kick and snare to jump out of the speakers a bit so you can feel them, not just hear them. But no matter how well you think you’ve mixed your drums there is a test worth putting them through to make sure you’re on the right track.

Turn Down The Volume

Hopefully you are aware that mixing at loud volumes is a bad idea. In fact, mixing at lower volumes will almost always get you a better mix. But this is especially true when it comes to mixing drums. With the speakers nice and loud, even a monkey could make drums sound awesome. The lows and highs get hyped and you “feel” the drums pounding. It’s an illusion.
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The more you mix a song the more confused you’re likely to become. Your ears start getting compressed, you lose perspective on your EQ balance, and you can easily fool yourself into thinking your mix sounds better than it really does. What you don’t want is to deliver a mix to a client (or share your own music to the world) that actually sounds worse than you thought it did.

So how can you avoid this issue? With some simple reality checks. Today I want to share three that help me out tremendously.

Listen On At Least One Other Speaker Setup

One of the smartest things you can do when mixing is to take breaks from your primary monitor setup and check the mix on something that sounds totally different. Every speaker and headphone has a different EQ response so you’ll get a different “color” of your mix on different systems. As will the rest of the world.
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The challenges of mixing in a home or project studio are many. From acoustic issues, to lack of speaker variety, to noisy roommates, we can find ourselves buried in headphones and turning out unbalanced mixes. The VRM Box from Focusrite is supposed to fix all of that.

The Answer To All Your Problems?

Since Focusrite is a company that makes great gear for pros and home users alike, I trust what they make. Plus this device has looked so unique as it tries to solve a specific part of the mixing equation. So I had to pick it up and use it. But is it a magic box that can instantly make you a better mixer? Below is my complete video review, including my final verdict of whether this is something you need.

The best mix engineers are the ones who’ve made the most mistakes. There’s nothing shameful about making mistakes really, it’s all part of the process. My goal for you, however, is to help speed up the learning curve a bit by pointing out what I think are six of the most common mistakes in mixing happening all the time. If you can eliminate these mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to making better mixes. Be sure to check out part 1 and part 2 of this post series for the first four mistakes, then come here and read the final two!

Mistake #5 – Not Taking Breaks

The more you mix the more you come to realize that you simply can’t trust your ears at all times. The “golden rule” of audio, that if it sounds good it is good, only applies if your ears aren’t shot. Unfortunately our ears aren’t consistent like speakers or microphones, they hear things differently depending on the time of day, how tired they are, and even the moisture in the air. Our ears are literally made of drums, that change constantly. The only way to gain perspective on your mix is to take frequent breaks.
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When shopping for a pair of studio monitors, you look for speakers that are detailed, clear, and flat. The new incarnation of Truth monitors from Behringer are just that. Whether you’ve used Behringer speakers in the past and are curious as to how the new versions stack up, or are simply in the market for a pair of good monitors, do yourself a favor and watch my review below.

Better Sound, Sleeker Look

Behringer is really stepping up their game with these speakers and I have already gotten great results mixing a recent album on them. Are they right for you? Here is my quick glimpse of pros and cons and then watch the video for the full report.

Pros

• Balanced and flat sound. No over hyped high end or low end.
• Flexible connectivity. Balanced XLR, TRS as well as unbalanced TS and RCA connections.
• Customizable sound based on placement of speakers in your room.
• Sleek new look. Love the yellow cones!
• Priced right. Hard to beat $300 a pair for this size speaker.

Cons

• Bigger/heavier than other speakers in this category.
• Yellow might just not go well with your decor!

If you have started out recording with a simple home studio setup (like these ones under $300) then you may likely be using a pair of studio headphones for all of your tracking and monitoring needs. There is no shame or handicap in this, let me be clear.

In fact this is how I started out my recording career and it served me well! When you decide to incorporate a pair of studio monitors, however, let me give you 3 simple tips to help steer you clear of hype, myth, and money wasters!

1. Choose Monitors That “Fit” Your Room

Studio monitors come in many different sizes. Most of us will want a pair of “near-fields”, meaning they will be in close proximity to our listening position. Most near-field monitors are measured by the largest speaker cone size and come in a few different flavors. Most typically you see 5 to 8 inch speakers. What you need to figure out is which size of course.

Despite the obvious suggestion by some to get the biggest speaker you can afford for the purposes of better bass response, I say forget all that. Choose a speaker size that better matches the size of your control room. If you have a typical spare bedroom in a house or apartment then you likely don’t need anything bigger than a pair of 5 inch monitors. In fact, I mix on 5 inches in my own studio.

If however you are in a bigger control room of sorts (or a bigger basement studio let’s say) you might be better off pushing more air with 8 inch speakers. Of course there isn’t a rule on this, but you get the idea. Most of us will lean towards the 5 to 6 inch speakers in our home studios and be better off for it.

2. Choose Monitors That “Fit Your Budget

Now that you know what size speaker you need based on your room size, it’s time to consider the other non negotiable, budget. Unless you are foolish, you really shouldn’t spend more money than you can afford on any given piece of gear and that includes monitors.

If you have $700 to spend on speakers great. If you only have $300, fine. Just determine your budget (Hint: take a look at how much expendable money you have sitting around in your bank account, not your credit card limit), then get online and price out a pair of monitors in your needed size that falls in at that price. With so many great manufacturers producing great speakers at every price point, you don’t need to spend much time looking these days.

3. Choose Monitors And Then Don’t Look Back

My third tip may seem lame, but it’s vital. Once you’ve determined your size, budget, and have done some research, you should simply make your purchase and move on. Studio monitors, despite what people might claim, are not the end all be all of your recordings. YES, proper monitoring is key. Obviously we are discussing an auditory art form, so hearing your tracks well is key. But studio monitors are only one part of the equation.

Your room will color and change the sound coming out of your speakers. Your D/A converters will color and shape the sound coming out of your DAW and into your speakers. Your listening position in your room will color and shape how you hear what is coming out of your speakers. And add to all of that, each monitor speaker sounds different and is coloring and shaping your sound anyways. You get the idea.

You are not limited by your studio monitors. They are a tool and a means to an end. Grab a pair you can afford and just get to work.