[absrec]

I heard Andy Wallace mixes at some pretty low levels. That's what made me want to see what it was all about. For the longest time, I thought that if I mixed at low volumes, my mixes would be too bright and abrasive and at high volumes, I could get nice punchy, warm mixes. Quite the opposite, IME.

I forced myself to do a mix start to finish at a below normal listening level and found the results stunning. Things were a little brighter and more in your face but still smooth. Think about it... If you can hear everything at a low level, then you'll definitely be able to hear everything at a higher one. And the other thing I found was that not only were the levels of each instrument more consistent and even, the frequency ranges were as well. Sure, the vocals and guitars were brighter, but the low mids and bass were right there to balance all of that out. This method of monitoring changed my life.

The other thing that helped significantly was getting an acoustician to get my mix room straightened out. Once I did that and found the correct monitor placement, I could hear the lowest of lows without having to crack the monitors. Now the only time I crank it up is when I'm tracking and at the end of a mix when the band comes in to hear the final product.