Where do you check?

[pohatu771]

When you're mixing tracks in the studio, you're working at a nice workstation, with nice monitors, and in a nice room.

 

But people don't listen to music in those.

 

So what do you do with your mixes to check them?

 

I always make sure they're nice on the best monitors we have... but then I switch to our "C" speakers, which are still nicer than most people's equipment, but not great.

 

If it's good there, I take it to my own room, with nice monitors, but concrete walls and filled with stuff, like any room that someone actually lives in.

 

After that, it goes to the car, which is a true testament to panning. Some instruments disappear completely because they're panned too far in one direction or the other.

 

After that they go to desktop speakers, and then to a notebook with standard stereo speakers. Then to headphones. Generally, if it passes the car test, the rest of them will be fine.

[KL]

We listen to mixes first on decent studio speakers, then we use all kinds of other devices from a decent small stereo, to a £20 cd player, a car stereo, and even a little mono speaker like a small radio would sound etc.

[L5Larry]

You need to think about the "least common denominator". These days it is probably an mp3 player and those little ear bud earphone thingies, and of course the car stereo is the old tried and true.

 

Years ago, when I was doing a lot of recording (way before digital audio), we'd preview the sample mixes through a boom box from a cassette tape. If it passed the boom box test it then went to the car stereo.

 

These days, while working in my home studio (16 track ANOLOG), I mix to CDR and test in my 1974 Kenwood KR-3200 receiver and two-way bookshelf speakers. Then to the car.

 

The car stereo keeps coming up in my post and others, although I do think if I were doing any serious recording today I would be mixing and EQ'ing for those little personal mp3 players.

[Thundergod]

I have a couple hi-fi systems in here and also a car stereo rigged up to a panel with car speakers and all. I also have one of those iPhone/iPod docks with speakers that are supposed to make your mp3 sound amazing

 

Sadly you have to mix for little headphones now, the age of the expensive hi-fi system you could even use to play music at a party is long gone.

[Blackie]

I mix on a flat EQ system with quality speakers.........and then listen over on some basic half raggedy pc system speakers.

There was a time I cared more and actually priced quality studio monitor speakers........If I was doing other folks music yes....mine no