mixing quiet

[travis_baker]

i was speaking to a younge man at a music store the other day, cant remember which one it was.. anyway he said he does mixdowns with his speakers at a verry low level. to get better representation of the sound u obviously need to have your monitors up loud when creating sounds and what not. but to get levels right at the maybe turning the volume down may help? is this true? and if so how low?

[Aufnahmewindwuschel]

haha my mix sucks anyways but it does help and its way better to the ears and you hear if something is really loud compared to the rest but mixing wih speakers i dunno just can tell about my experience with headphones so far

[dublerium]

It's good to set your monitors/headphones at a level your familiar with when doing general song creation or sound design; so you always have them set at that level so you have a general point of reference. Then when it comes to mixing it does help to play your track quietly, it can reveal elements that may get slightly lost or be to loud etc. I think theres an RMBA video of martyn and he goes into mixing down with quiet levels with some more details I think, give that a look.

[travis_baker]

It's good to set your monitors/headphones at a level your familiar with when doing general song creation or sound design; so you always have them set at that level so you have a general point of reference. Then when it comes to mixing it does help to play your track quietly, it can reveal elements that may get slightly lost or be to loud etc. I think theres an RMBA video of martyn and he goes into mixing down with quiet levels with some more details I think, give that a look.

ok thanks man, i thought it was another bullshit producer thing but when i gave it a bit of thought, it makes sence.

[MaZa1]

I did mix with high volume so " i can hear everything better" but nowadays i mix at low volume so my ears won't get fucked up and you really can hear better if something is too loud or too quiet.

[ekidd91]

Aside from protecting hearing and keeping it a comfortable level, a lot of it is to do with the Fletcher-Munson equal-loudness contours:



Because low end frequencies require a higher SPL to be heard as loud as other frequencies, your low end may seem louder than it actually is [if you're mixing at high volume]. Then when someone goes to chill with it on at a low level, your bass falls apart.

Learning to listen critically instead of loudly is important.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

[Italus]

i was speaking to a younge man at a music store the other day, cant remember which one it was.. anyway he said he does mixdowns with his speakers at a verry low level. to get better representation of the sound u obviously need to have your monitors up loud when creating sounds and what not. but to get levels right at the maybe turning the volume down may help? is this true? and if so how low?

Yes it is true. I do the same, helps a lot with my mixdowns. I can hear if something is too loud and whatnot. I usually mix at a regular level first, then I use the quiet method to fine tune my mix.

[1point5]

You can hear volume differences between sounds more precisely at lower volumes, so mixing too loud often leves you with a badly balanced mix, which could still sound good when cranked up but be horrible when turned down.

[paradigm_x]

the main reason is the lower the volume, the less of an effect room acoustics have, giving you more of the direct signal. less reflections affecting the direct signal.

in a perfectly treated room, mixing at around 80dBLaeq (simplified) is generally considered a good idea. bit loud for me for any length of time tbh, ive actually calibrated my system before, read up on the ksystem (bob katz).

[twilitez]

You can hear volume differences between sounds more precisely at lower volumes, so mixing too loud often leves you with a badly balanced mix, which could still sound good when cranked up but be horrible when turned down.

Conversely, if your making something to be played at a party, it doesnt matter as much. Digital distortion can sound nasty, but most growl basses actually need some of it to get their character. If your building a party oriented tune its likely you wont have that many diverse elements, and sometimes the melody is really just a complete sideproject, so if it gets slightly squashed at some points, well who cares really?

Going against the grain here a bit but all this referencing bob katz and gainstaging is a little overrated, and only that essential when your going for a very dynamic, musical and acoustic sounding kind of project. If you want loudness, EQ and compress, and limit smartly too.

You see, i have never seen a DJ in my life that turned anything down on the mixer except for the MC

[ehbes]

your ears have sort of built in compressors and limiters, mixing at a lower volume will give you a truer representation of your levels

[dublerium]

the main reason is the lower the volume, the less of an effect room acoustics have, giving you more of the direct signal. less reflections affecting the direct signal.

in a perfectly treated room, mixing at around 80dBLaeq (simplified) is generally considered a good idea. bit loud for me for any length of time tbh, ive actually calibrated my system before, read up on the ksystem (bob katz).

Moving into new place next week and am going to be investing in some treatment at long last and aim to properly callibrate my room. Also Paradigm I saw the pictures of your new studio set up in that other thread, looking lovely!

[dublerium]

your ears have sort of built in compressors and limiters, mixing at a lower volume will give you a truer representation of your levels

My ears also have their own image line soundgoodizer.

[twilitez]

That is ace, id like that

[1point5]

You can hear volume differences between sounds more precisely at lower volumes, so mixing too loud often leves you with a badly balanced mix, which could still sound good when cranked up but be horrible when turned down.

Conversely, if your making something to be played at a party, it doesnt matter as much. Digital distortion can sound nasty, but most growl basses actually need some of it to get their character.

Ok but a well mixed track sounds good at any volume, and still better than a badly mixed track at a loud volume even if it seems ok.

Who said anything about digital distortion or growl basses?

If your building a party oriented tune its likely you wont have that many diverse elements, and sometimes the melody is really just a complete sideproject, so if it gets slightly squashed at some points, well who cares really?

wtf did I jut read?

[ehbes]

You can hear volume differences between sounds more precisely at lower volumes, so mixing too loud often leves you with a badly balanced mix, which could still sound good when cranked up but be horrible when turned down.

Conversely, if your making something to be played at a party, it doesnt matter as much. Digital distortion can sound nasty, but most growl basses actually need some of it to get their character. If your building a party oriented tune its likely you wont have that many diverse elements, and sometimes the melody is really just a complete sideproject, so if it gets slightly squashed at some points, well who cares really?

Going against the grain here a bit but all this referencing bob katz and gainstaging is a little overrated, and only that essential when your going for a very dynamic, musical and acoustic sounding kind of project. If you want loudness, EQ and compress, and limit smartly too.

You see, i have never seen a DJ in my life that turned anything down on the mixer except for the MC

What the actual fuck

[safeandsound]

Buy a Realistic SPL meter a handy and low cost addition to the studio. As a guide 80-85dBSPL is a good place to be for most of the mixing process. It goes without saying that it is a good idea to double check how things sound at lower level. All of this is somewhat moot unless you have a well treated room (bass trapped etc.) If you do not have treatment you may find your low end triggers low frequency room nodes less at lower volumes at your monitoring position, potentially making the low end room response a little more accurate.

SafeandSound Mastering
Mastering studio

[goldengrime]

Yea just remember to keep in mind the fletcher munson contours. The louder you mix the less bass you will have on other systems. I also wouldn't mix too low, just don't mix too loudly. Equal loudness plays a role in everything you do now just the level you mix at. That's a whole different story tho.

Other things to bare in mind are, certain monitors are more acurate at certain levels. And obviously your room, the louder you play the more your room interferes with what your hearing of course making it less acurate.