Brian C Cai Fei Hong-never let you go- Sonictramp

[SonicTramp]

Well, you guys talked me into it, especially after watching Scheps' video (thanks MikeJ). That's just too much weight on me, so I decided to go back to the cans and give them another try after a couple months stayed completely away. It's not like I am taking a big risk or anything. This time, tho, I hear things differently, and it seemed easier to work with, especially the bottom end.

I spent about 6-8 hours learning how they sound and react to my moves, and it's not too bad. What I did differently was, yeah, a lot of LP and HP on the bass, things that I wouldn't normally do, not this drastic. For example, the sineoid bass (bass2) was LP all the way down to, good Lord, 230Hz. Bass 1 LP to 6kHz, and bass 3 HP to 528Hz and LP to 9kHz. One the bottom end is sorted out, I found that the rest is much easier to mix. For example, I couldn't for the life of me got all the guitars all represented, and that piano is buried down there somewhere before I did that to the bass. I also couldn't get the snare at the transition part from the chorus to break to slam either.

I hope I do better with headphones. That would save me a lot of money (to treat the room) and heartaches (sucky mixes). I think my mix translates better when mix with headphones and check with monitors than the other way around. The most important thing is to sort out the bass. Or suffer the consequences like I did. I remember reading somewhere that the pros spend a lot of time working on the low end, and only now I know why.

Let me know what you think of the mix and whether I should stick with headphones (preferred) or abandon them for the HS8. I think the headphones helps me but I would be more confident if you agree too. How does it translate on your ends is what I really want to know. Thanks for the listen. No need for long post (unless you want to), just a thumps up for a go ahead is good for me. Thanks

sounds like you have the low end under control now, no need to limit to mixing on headphones just reference for low end as the hs8 are well regarded and the rest of the mix was good above the bass. I can say from experience that using only headphones is tiring.

*Thanks, man. I'm indifferent to whatever format, monitors or headphones, as long as it helps my mixing. And yeah, why limit myself to just one or another, right? Yeah, they do, the HS8. It's not them, it's the room I am in. But, I put some (yeah, still duffle bags and blankets ) absorbers in the first reflections and it sounds like I am in the RFZ (reflection free zone). That helps me hear the low end more accurately. And it reproduces the bass just like the way I hear it in the headphones, beefy and clean.

I used to get really tired and fatigue mixing with headphones. I hated it. But at the time I couldn't get the monitors even if I wanted to. Even worse, I didn't know what I was hearing or doing. The compressor was a constant nightmare. Forget about the EQ. If you ever seen a thoroughly defeated man, look no further, me after a long night battling with it. But out of the love of god I stuck with it thru thick and thin, mostly thin. I bought the HS8 soon as I could, roughly 3 months ago, with great hope that they would help me mix better. They didn't, not inside my tomb of a room. Imagine the disappointment. Yeah, like you're on the last bud and your "friend" is on vacation until next week. Such quiet desperation!

Anyway, I came back to the headphones to avoid the room. Surprisingly, they don't sound too bad at all. I hear...things. I guess rolling in the mud for a couple years should make one dirty enough. It only makes sense that I should hear better than I used to. It's been more than 3 years. Mixed 3 songs straight to test consistency and no tired, no fatigue, just a little stiff on the neck, but there is always a gf to take care of that. All 3 sound similar to each other despite diff genres, very consisting on the low end, instruments are better represented, etc. So I think that the reason we get tired and fatigue is bc we don't hear things correctly and we spend too much time chasing the ghost.

The very first thing I do is to sort out the low end. There is nothing in the middle that I want, just the very low (LP) and very top (HP) of the bass. The rest will be filled in by the guitar, piano, pad, etc. All of them are reeked with mid. If I happen to LP/HP too much, I can always put them back while mixing along. I find doing that allows me to work longer, less frustration, and better mixes bc I can hear how the compressor/EQ/delay/reverb reacts to my moves lead to better decisions lead to, our ultimate goal, better mixes.

I just want to share my experiences and some thoughts about monitoring system and how they work for me for your entertainment . Your experiences may differ. The main thing is I got the bottom end. That's all that matters! Cheers, and thanks for your time. I appreciate you.