3) Reference Headphones and Monitors
To hear the true reproduction of you studio mix always mix use reference headphones or reference monitor speakers (Near-field is also another name for reference speakers). Consumer stereo speakers, like the ones that are made for home stereo systems, are designed to make pre-recorded music, such as music CDs and radio sound good by actually polishing the sound. For example some consumer stereo speakers are known for giving the listener the extreme bass sounds, boosted mid-range and extremely high treble sounds. If you were to use your computer to record a bass synthe part to one of your songs while monitoring it through consumer speakers chances are your bass would sound very good. However if you were to burn a CD of the same mix that you just recorded and play it in your car stereo with the volume cranked, you might get a rude awakening! Not only would this bass be too low and ugly sounding, but it might even damage your speakers! You ask "why did my bass sound so good as I was recording it while listening to it through my home stereo speakers? The reason is because the consumer speakers are not flat response speakers, therefore you are not actually hearing what your bass really sounds like in a sonic sense, but instead how good these consumer speakers is making it sound.
Reference Headphones or reference monitor speakers are used because they will let you hear exactly how your music mix is sounding while you are mixing. You will be able to hear if the bass is too heavy, or if the midrange instruments need to be brought up a little more, or if the highs need to be turned down a hair. By getting a nice mix on studio reference headphones or monitors you can be sure that the same music mix will actually sound good on all consumer speakers such as car stereo systems, home stereo systems, nightclub speakers, portable MP3 player, iPhone and etc.
For review: if you use consumer speakers to mix in your studio you will get a mix that sounds good in your room, but lousy when played back on other speaker systems such as car stereo systems, other home stereo systems, nightclub speakers, and etc. You will find that usually the low sounds are too boomy, mids are non-exisent and the highs are too high. Without using reference headphones or monitor speakers for hearing true sound one’s mix will usually end up sounding like an audio wreck when played on another system!
Ever notice how a major recording artist’s CD sound good on any system that you play it on?... Even on AM radio stations? All recording studios use reference monitor speakers when mixing.
A good music production tip: If you are mixing in the studio all day, then your ears can become fatigued. Listen to you mixes the next day while commuting. You will be surprised how much detailed information a "fresh ear" can hear!
Consider using a portable MP3 player while commuting for listening and coming up with ideals on how to tweak your mixes.This is an invaluable tool for songwriters, band members, vocalists and other collaborators to share ideals for original material. You can even download your band’s music video clips to watch and study for new ideals! Not only can you download new music videos and movies from the internet, but you can also download a stack of your favorite music CDs and More!
GREAT DEALS on Retro Looking Portable Turntables, Stereo Radio/CD/Dual Alarm Clock systems!!
These units are truely blast from the past!
Nice Dorm /home decor.
Visit THE GADGETRY!
Can't find what you're looking for on this site? Use the Google search engine below! © 2008 FMP Resources. All Rights Reserved.
