Mixdown Help

[beeeno]

First of all, Thank you for the simply amazing, cost effective mixing solution to re-spark my hobby that I pretty much laid down about 15 years ago. I do have a question, I have finished my second project and am looking for some tips on the final mixdown. When I converted my first to mp3 and played it on my home stereo system, wayyyyyy to much bottom end. Sounded pretty good through headphones, I guess they just didn't pick up that low of a frequency. Are there any tools I need to consider to make the mixdown easier? This is the first software solution I've used. Only 4 tracks in the past. Keep up the good work!

[JustOneOldMan]

You'll get things like that quite a bit when mixing only with cans, beeeno, the best advice is to use a decent pair of monitors when mixing also. Cans will get you close, but you have to also listen through decent speakers before you mix down...

[sperley]

After mixing down, I typically copy my songs to my Ipod and play it on the Karaoke PA system, the home stereo and in the car, and make mental notes about what needs to be fixed.

[beeeno]

Thanks for the tips guys, I got a lot of learning to do. Just what my wife wants to hear "I need to buy some speakers" LOL. Taking the mp3 to car and serval different systems was one thing I was doing. Trouble was in addition to the sound issues, I kept hearing other things I'd like to change. I may never finish. LOL.

[JustOneOldMan]

Decent monitors/mixing speakers will cut down a lot on the need to take it 3 or 4 other places, remember what needs to be changed, and come back for the changes. With decent monitors you can do the basic mix in the cans, then check on the monitors, and move back and forth while still editing/mixing.

You'll still want to test it in other environments when you're done, but this would get you there a lot faster...

[Acoustica Eric]

Decent monitors/mixing speakers will cut down a lot on the need to take it 3 or 4 other places

While decent monitors certainly help a lot, I have to disagree with this statement. I have not 1 set, but three different sets of monitors hooked up in three different rooms of my studio, all totally different. I check them all and also my vehicle stereo's, home stereo, mp3 player with phones, main pc in the house, and anywhere else I can find to test the mix.

A great example is this: I tested my cd mix on all of the above mentioned systems and thought it was close to being done. Then I was at my drummers place and we played it on his outdoor speakers and it sounded like hell. I had to take note of everything that sounded bad and go make more adjustments. The reason it sounded bad on his system and not mine is that he doesn't equalize, just leaves his stereo flat. Also the outdoor speakers are very mid range heavy. So the mid range was smoking the highs and lows. Making the changes to suit his system, hardly affected other systems because of the equalizing I normally do to any stereo I listen to, so I basically fixed what could have been a disasterous sound for many people listening to my cd.

[JustOneOldMan]

Ya, I still listen on the car stereo, home stereo, and a few other places. I also move around in the room and the house while I'm listening on various systems to get a better feel for the acoustics and overall sound (like listening from another room or hall).

But having good monitors in addition to the cans can help cut down on the number of times you might have to do that. With cans only, then moving to different systems, you have to take really good notes and try to remember the sound and the feel.

Not disagreeing with what you said, just saying that good monitors will help more than just cans while sitting there mixing and cut down the need for as many runs to the other systems...