Making it sound good on everything?

BRAVO wrote:1st understand what mixed and mastered music sounds like thru ur monitors....Not how u like your stuff to come out sounding. Do lots of A/B test with original cds of similar character to the stuff your making (as part of ur mixing process.)

Good advice.

It took me a long time to realize that mixing is truly an art. Dre and Timb swear by their engineers, and I'm just starting to learn the basics. Sound On Sound's web site has lots of info on this topic.

EQ cannot be emphasized enough. Carving out space for each track is important, so you don't have frequencies competing with each other. Ozone and Harbal have great tools that compare your EQ to the pros and can help correct problems in the frequency spectrum.

The average listener doesn't hear music through professional monitors, but through cheap car speakers or a boom box. I bought a pair of very cheap, crappy desk speakers and use them to do A/B comparisons against my monitors. If I can get the mix sounding good on the crappy speakers, it usually works everywhere else.

ariesmale1 wrote:I bought a pair of very cheap, crappy desk speakers and use them to do A/B comparisons against my monitors. If I can get the mix sounding good on the crappy speakers, it usually works everywhere else.

riiite thats how it was here. i feel you though

I have some basic home audio speakers that I am gonna try to do a/b with. Also I will check the sound on sound site for info. Any sites that I can check out that can help me if say I have a sample who's bass is competing for "space" with my kick which frequencies should be reduced or boosted.

Bro, go and try it.....Experiment! How we spose to tell u and we cant hear the track?

Seriously, spend less time asking questions to an approach u shud tackle hands on

Jus cos sum1 says cut or boost by X, you cant jus go apply that to every track your making cos u think 'freqs are competing'. Ears and principles is what you need to work on....That will come from practice and knowledge. Theres an Ebook right over >>>>>>>> there that could get u moving.

Dont expect to be a genius at it st8 away either -- Its abit like a class subject, u will pick it up and get better the more you study for it.

B

Several folks suggested using a reference CD. Great advice! You should also use a reference CD when recording in a studio other than your own. I've been in some fancy studios that looked better than they sounded. Nothing worse than having that boomin beat you just paid for have it's boom dissapear on the drive home...I also REQUIRE that artists using my studio bring in a reference CD that best mirrors what they are looking for in a finished product. I think this has gone a long ways in making sure clients are happy when they leave.