Mixing/Mastering - I MUST be doing something wrong?

[Macska]

Hey hope this is ok in the free zone. I must admit I am rather embarrassed by this problem but I need to talk to some experienced musicians about it.

So everything and everyone swears by mixing on studio monitors, and I get it I really do, I understand the reason and concepts just fine. I have a set of the yamaha hs series with speakers and sub, pretty good as far as I know. My problem is lately I have been making music for playback on what will most likely be small laptop and mobile phone speakers and when I play a mixed track back on my laptop or iphone it sounds like absolute sh!+. Can't hear anything, distorted at high volumes, too quiet at low. Basically what you'd expect from a standard laptop right?

The thing is, these speakers are fine for listening to my music library. No problems there. And here's what drove me to finally asking - I started mixing the tracks on the laptop itself and they sound so much better through those speakers after I'm done! I haven't exported to a phone to test but I suspect it will be better there as well.

That's all good and well, I can load these projects onto my laptop for mixing and finish them that way. But I feel like I must be a complete idiot for doing this! I can't live with myself! I have been working on the mixing and mastering process almost exclusively in the past 8 months in my "production practice time" every day. While I can look back and see the progress I've made, I feel like I'm missing something huge here.

Why am I happier with mixes I make on garbage laptop speakers as opposed to using a $700 studio monitor set?!

[Macska]

My typical mixing process is as follows -

- adjust the levels to where I like them, sometimes normalizing the quieter tracks
- EQ as needed so instruments sit right
- Cut everything around 20 - 80 hz depending on the instrument.
- a little HP filter to make sure that extra low end is gone
- Master Limiter applied with 2 to 5 for the threshold and -0.5 for the ceiling.
- Export all tracks as one 16-bit stereo track using Triangle dithering

And then it's quiet and weak through my speakers. More limiting makes it sound louder, but distorted and ugly. In addition, the Master bus shows my volume's peak around -0.5 most of the time. So it can't be that it's not actually loud enough right?


If anyone has way too much time on their hands, is an expert at mixing, and uses Sonar X3 or Platinum I'd love to send a track and you can give me advice!

General mixing tips appreciated as well

[Synth Guru]

I recently began acquiring studio gear in hopes of recording good quality tracks. I don't have an answer but I too would be interested in what the solution may be. I do know that you should always mix and master using studio monitors vice another medium.

I'm still learning about what the components are for. Perhaps a compressor may help?

I'm sure PauloF will chime in with a good answer.

[Macska]

I've been going through "mixing secrets for the small studio" by Mike Senior this year, and it has brought my sound to a whole new level for sure. I am able to make my other music, like solo guitar stuff, sound nice and pleasant in my car and stereo by mixing on my studio monitors.

It's really mixing for the small crappy speakers that's getting me! Well there you go PauloF - you have been formally asked! :)

[Synth Guru]

Kool. I'll take a look at the book when I get a chance. I just have the monitors and the audio interface. I still need a mixer. Someone recommended I also get an AD-DA converter as we'll.

[Macska]

Your interface should handle all the a/d and d/a conversion, that's part of its job of getting audio into your computer and back out.

[Synth Guru]

Oh ok. That's what the Sweetwater engineer said too but I wasn't totally convinced. Good then, one less piece of gear to get. :)

[Macska]

I may be answering my own question here. I was reading up on it and read a bit about calibrating the studio monitor's levels differently depending on the end goal. Found out I'd had mine much too quiet and the problem was actually that my mixes had lots of frequencies that were too loud on the laptop speakers, kind of overloading them.

Calibrated my monitors to 79 on the SPL, remixed a track and holy guacamole problem solved for the most part!

Calibrate those speakers yall!

[Synth Guru]

Glad to hear you found a solution. Fine point regarding the calibration of the monitors. I saw that mine have a lot of buttons on the back and I too will calibrate them before my first recording.