Headphone Mixing Revelation!!!

Sid Menon · 10th January 2007, 09:24 PM

We should all be mixing on stock ipod earbuds because that's all anyone is going to be using to listen to music within the next year.

No but seriously, wouldn't it be cool if itunes, etc. had two different mixes for download of a song? Like one where the mix engineer made it optimized for headphones and one where the mix engineer used speakers so people could have a.... nevermind I just changed my mind. Dumb idea.

VincedB · 10th January 2007, 10:16 PM

Yes we owe pencer with that....

Sir.Audio · 10th January 2007, 10:26 PM

Damn.

Your logic Sid, is already underway...

I feel SO old, and I'm just 28!

No, really... my 19 yr old sister, during a family dinner, got some sort of plate-overload in her brain and asked how vinyl records worked, how many songs fit in one, dj's were idiots to still use them, and LOADS more rubbish... SHE'S 19 !! WE DO HAVE VINYL AT MY PARENT'S ! I'm SHOCKED she never actually got one going...

I know, I know, it's progress... but isn't that just contradictory? The more we progress, the shittier music sounds (not talking about composing, talking mp3 etc) and the more the world demands more shite...

So yeah, Sid, there will be a day when you will be prompted for A/B/C format to choose from... hell, you aready are! CD, MP3 and DVD just to start with...

People mix to CD's. Re-mix for DVD's. Sure as hell ripping a CD to high quality MP3 conveys some sort signal degradation. Direct mastering to MP3? If you thought of it, sure as hell someone is already doing if for iTunes and such...

But... mixing for headphones specifically? Erm... dunno... there could be "radically" different mixes. Guess it could be mastered so extreme L/R panning go down to, err, like 95% or something, and emulate, sort of, the speaker experience?

kats · 11th January 2007, 02:33 AM

Quote:

We should all be mixing on stock ipod earbuds because that's all anyone is going to be using to listen to music within the next year.

Hopefully the music will be worth listening to more than a year after it was recorded<------ even if your the only one who's going to listen to it.

Look at the big picture and ignore short term fads.

Sid Menon · 11th January 2007, 09:06 AM

Haha thanks for humoring me.
Dear Kats, my idea was kind of a tongue-in-cheek one, not that i'd ever do it - or I should say lets hope it never comes to that :)
But yeah, the whole vinyl thing - it's amazing that people who know what it is really dig the magic of it. And it sucks as well that "fidelity" is unquestionably replacing "magic". It's amazing how we freak about all the details and turn audio engineering into so much of a science that we slip here and there remembering that the dudes that were the best at it just had a couple mics and a single chance to get it right. It's like video games. Nintendo and Atari didn't have 128 bit graphics and all that crap so they just had to make killer games (instead of the trend now to have images so lifelike that the screen might as well just be a movie). In the same way, when you don't have the "fidelity" and billions of options, you just have to make sure the songs are perfect. The glitz and flash of fancy modern recording can make complete garbage sell millions of copies.

theblotted · 11th January 2007, 10:21 AM

funny, when i mix in my headphones, later i listen on near-fields and it sounds like shit.

when i mix on near-fields, and later listen on headphones it sounds pretty damn good.

Horpe · 11th January 2007, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sid Menon

We should all be mixing on stock ipod earbuds because that's all anyone is going to be using to listen to music within the next year.

SOS, jan 2007, has an article about mixing in cans (to meet future demands of iPod listeners etc.)

Check it out!

Cheers!

/horpe

FFTT · 11th January 2007, 03:57 PM

Just fair warning that any extensive use of headphones can permanently damage
your hearing.

I would not use headphones for any longer than it takes to monitor your tracking.

The rest should be done with nearfields at a reasonable volume.

kats · 11th January 2007, 04:46 PM

Some of the greatest recordings ever were recorded during a time where 90% of the listeners had an AM transistor radio for playback. Aren't you glad these engineers weren't so miserable and just said fak it?

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10th January 2007, 09:24 PM	#1
Sid Menon Gear Head Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 66	Headphone Mixing Revelation!!! We should all be mixing on stock ipod earbuds because that's all anyone is going to be using to listen to music within the next year. No but seriously, wouldn't it be cool if itunes, etc. had two different mixes for download of a song? Like one where the mix engineer made it optimized for headphones and one where the mix engineer used speakers so people could have a.... nevermind I just changed my mind. Dumb idea.

10th January 2007, 10:16 PM	#2
VincedB Gear Head Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Kain, Tournai Posts: 63	Yes we owe pencer with that.... __________________ Vincedb www.myspace.com/vincedb www.sonarstudios.be

10th January 2007, 10:26 PM	#3
Sir.Audio Gear nut Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 97	Damn. Your logic Sid, is already underway... I feel SO old, and I'm just 28! No, really... my 19 yr old sister, during a family dinner, got some sort of plate-overload in her brain and asked how vinyl records worked, how many songs fit in one, dj's were idiots to still use them, and LOADS more rubbish... SHE'S 19 !! WE DO HAVE VINYL AT MY PARENT'S ! I'm SHOCKED she never actually got one going... I know, I know, it's progress... but isn't that just contradictory? The more we progress, the shittier music sounds (not talking about composing, talking mp3 etc) and the more the world demands more shite... So yeah, Sid, there will be a day when you will be prompted for A/B/C format to choose from... hell, you aready are! CD, MP3 and DVD just to start with... People mix to CD's. Re-mix for DVD's. Sure as hell ripping a CD to high quality MP3 conveys some sort signal degradation. Direct mastering to MP3? If you thought of it, sure as hell someone is already doing if for iTunes and such... But... mixing for headphones specifically? Erm... dunno... there could be "radically" different mixes. Guess it could be mastered so extreme L/R panning go down to, err, like 95% or something, and emulate, sort of, the speaker experience? Last edited by Sir.Audio; 10th January 2007 at 10:30 PM.. Reason: my laptop fell from the 13th floor and hit a "POST" by accident

11th January 2007, 10:21 AM	#6
theblotted Lives for gear Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 1,857	funny, when i mix in my headphones, later i listen on near-fields and it sounds like shit. when i mix on near-fields, and later listen on headphones it sounds pretty damn good. __________________ the Dude abides.

11th January 2007, 09:06 AM	#5
Sid Menon Gear Head Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 66	Haha thanks for humoring me. Dear Kats, my idea was kind of a tongue-in-cheek one, not that i'd ever do it - or I should say lets hope it never comes to that :) But yeah, the whole vinyl thing - it's amazing that people who know what it is really dig the magic of it. And it sucks as well that "fidelity" is unquestionably replacing "magic". It's amazing how we freak about all the details and turn audio engineering into so much of a science that we slip here and there remembering that the dudes that were the best at it just had a couple mics and a single chance to get it right. It's like video games. Nintendo and Atari didn't have 128 bit graphics and all that crap so they just had to make killer games (instead of the trend now to have images so lifelike that the screen might as well just be a movie). In the same way, when you don't have the "fidelity" and billions of options, you just have to make sure the songs are perfect. The glitz and flash of fancy modern recording can make complete garbage sell millions of copies.

11th January 2007, 03:57 PM	#8
FFTT Lives for gear Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: A stoned throw from ground zero Posts: 2,955	Just fair warning that any extensive use of headphones can permanently damage your hearing. I would not use headphones for any longer than it takes to monitor your tracking. The rest should be done with nearfields at a reasonable volume. __________________ Don't look at me in that tone of voice

11th January 2007, 04:46 PM	#9
kats Lives for gear Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 2,366	Some of the greatest recordings ever were recorded during a time where 90% of the listeners had an AM transistor radio for playback. Aren't you glad these engineers weren't so miserable and just said fak it?

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