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Evaluating mixes on various devices?
In putting together my latest album I decided to listen to it through my JBL studio monitors in addition to my Sony 7506’s. I was disappointed to hear on a piano bass track that the bass way overpowered the piano.
Then I played it on AudioEngine 5+ bookshelf speakers and it sounded much more like the headphones with just a bit more bass and was acceptable.
So, what should I mix to? I guess I could look to a compromise, but then the good balance, on two devices that I prefer listening to, will be less effective.
Here is the track in question. Could you pls listen on your fav device and comment about the piano/ bass balance? That would give me a better idea
Comments
A more extreme approach...?
"This $8 Speaker Will Make You A Better Producer":
Your mixes have always sounded just fine to me Mike… on Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, IPad Pro and Naim Mu-So 2 👍
Piano and bass sound just right to me on my Rokit 5's - which are a bit bass heavy. Lovely track, of course!
(I'm not great at mixing, but I usually try to do the car test as mentioned in the video above - if it sounds okay on my crap car speakers, it should sound okay everywhere else.)
I start with my average headphones, then goto a Bose Soundlink portable speaker to hear whether the bass that the headphones misses is really overpowering. A good shortcut is to reduce Eq below 100hz before doing that. Most average headphones don't do well with bass. Then I listen in the car for final checks.
I'd love fancy speakers but not many people have these anyway, so I'm happy if things sound ok in the car.
What about the Slate VSX?
https://stevenslateaudio.com/en/vsx
If a desktop app is an option, this is pay what you want (including free):
https://kwhaley5.gumroad.com/l/yjxgm?layout=profile
Thx for the help @Simon @GeoTony @pbelgium @belldu @tyslothrop1. It’s odd that my JBLs are so bassy since they’re supposed to be neutral monitors (still, they look good on their wall brackets 😎)
@LinearLineman It sounds balanced to me. You say your JBLs are on wall brackets? Does this mean they are mounted on the wall? Which model are they? It could be you’re generating extra bass response in their current location. What does other music (other than your own) sound like on them?
For what it’s worth, your tracks generally sound great.
It could be down to the bass reflecting off the wall and getting amplified, or because of standing waves and room modes, which create inaccurate and boomy bass.
With speakers the room has enormous influence on the bass response, so it's very hard to get a neutral sound without extensive room treatment.
The most accessibly reliable way to accurately evaluate bass is with good (neutral) closed-back headphones or IEMs. Open-backed headphones can't generate the air pressure required for bass below 100hz (because there is no seal), but closed-back headphones (and IEMs) can accurately reproduce bass down to 20hz.
Yes, speaker placement can make a tremendous difference in bass response, as does your listening position.
In mixing and mastering bass content is almost impossible to have it on the right place without the right tools. The same as you can’t color correct a movie or a photo for printing without a calibrated monitor, you need mastering speakers for that duties. Of course when you have a deep connection with your speakers, and spent hours and hours listening to all kind of music you can have a better picture of how will translate your own mix, knowing your speakers is VERY important. But if they don’t reproduce some frequencies , or the phases are no right, then there is nothing you can do to hear that content.
ITOH, @LinearLineman , when mastering your songs for the Audiobus collective I remember they sounded very good. If you send me one of your songs I can check it here at the mastering studio and give you some advice or diagnostic about the bass!
More accurately some speakers don’t have a good response to the lowest frequencies rather than not being able to handle it all all, but they can handle those frequencies with the right filter (or stacked filters). Cutting it all can make things sound tight, but sometimes a little bit of ‘wooly’ sound can be more satisfying.
The low end is definitely one of those areas where a lot things impact how you hear it, and all of the things mentioned so far are valid things to address.
@Mountain_Hamlet @richardyot @rs2000 @Synthi @michael_m Duh! Of course I should have considered their placement and the room. When I had them on stands in another room i didn’t notice a problem. I will experiment with them a bit. They’re JBL MK ll 5”.
Thanks for all the good advice. Since folks said my mixes seem ok I’ll keep relying on my Sony 7506s
I solved my battery problem by buying a new M2 13”. It should have arrived today but Debbie has stopped everything cold. Will get it by Saturday and will confront the lack of a home button and hp jack. Ah, cck was bliss.
I don't miss the Home button at all, the gestures are fine once you get used to them. The headphone jack is more annoying, but I just leave the Apple dongle permanently tethered to my headphones.
Those monitors are rear ported (which means a lot of bass energy pumping out the rear of the speaker). If you put them too close to a wall things could get a little messy.
You’ve nailed it, bro!