I mix at 79dB and spot check a couple of other SPLs before I print a mix. I tried 85dB for a while but found it too fatiguing for a whole day.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sonicdefault  I was always a little curious at the idea that once you calibrate your monitors at a certain reference level, you should stick with it. That appraoch always seemed counter productive to me.
-SD |
I think mixing at a reference level has long term benefits that you don't see right away. After mixing at a reference level for years you get to know pretty much immediately how it will translate outside of the control room. There is no fooling yourself whether something is audible or not.
Once you're used to that reference when you bring up a mix, you either have the balance in the mix that you're after or you don't. I used to do the old "move the playback volume around" and convince myself that things were ok. You can never settle on the low end balance, tough to judge whether the lead instruments are up front enough. But when you do get familiar with a specific reference level it becomes a lot less guessing and allows you to focus a lot more on being creative.
my two cents,
Chad
...oh yeah and most people calibrate -18dBFS as 0VU when you're mixing in the box. That still allows for peaks over 100dBSPL if you use 85dB as your reference level.