Curt said…
I’ve been experimenting with mixing in headphones. I listen to commerical CDs of similar styles and note the placement of the instruments, mix, eq, etc., and then try to emulate those qualities when i mix.
Mixing with headphones can be useful for exact placement of sounds, but you need to switch between headphones and speakers. Something can sound fine on headphones and yet is much too big for speakers. Speakers move a lot of air and that creates a completely different quality of sound. We have to EQ the mix for the air that’s moving when the speaker vibrates. Headphones sit right on your ears. Very little air needs to move in order for you to hear the music. Speakers send music over at least 10 feet… that’s a lot more air and that changes everything. I find that when I do a mix on headphones, the bass and the guitars will end up too heavy.
I’ve found that the bass can get a little heavy too and I feel I’ve kinda “memorized” in headphones what the low end of my recording sounds like on my monitors. It takes restraint to keep from driving everything up but it’s fun and like I said, I’m just experimenting! When inspiration hits at 3AM, headphones are my only option.