Ipod World: Making mixes that sound good on Headphones?

[brutze]

A question.
If most of our audience is now listening on Ipod headphones in the underground etc. What would be the most important factors in mixing for them...
Squished and middly like Springsteens last one, or the Killers last one.

Many of you will have noticed that lots of 60's mixes (e.g. beatles) have vocals in one speaker and instruments in another. Sort of dual mono rather than stereo. This always sounds uncomfortable on headphones.

Like many people I've been collecting together top tips for different instruments/mixing/acoustics....etc. etc. here.
So. Top tips for making mixes sound good on headphones?
Without sacrificing that lovely big main monitor sound?

[dangoudie]

I always find it easier to make mixes sound good on headphones because everything sounds more present and intimate because it's 1cm from your eardrum.

I'd say one of the more off-putting things for me is a non-central snare. It just sounds all lop-sided. same with kick.

Balance is slightly important than when speaker listening. Also, anything extreme left or right can sound very odd unless it has a symetrical counterpart. The only think I put wider than about 80 either side these days is OHs.

If you've got lots of vocal harmonies then it can be absolutley gorgeous putting each voice in a different place. listen to "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap...WOW

[AllAboutTone]

I see your point but its also a little crazy, all headphones , ear buds sound different just like colored speakers, i think i would stick to flat response monitors.

[primemeat64]

Interesting thread. A screamingly obvious point is that part of this monumental paradigm shift that is music in the 21st Century, sees listening environments and mediums change. When SACD and DVD-Audio came out, they lost completely to an inferior format (MP3) because of convenience... Patently, the number of listeners on earphones has shot up dramatically and that in all likelihood the majority of uneducated consumers are probably listening on the earphones that come with their players - the horribly crappy things with a frequency response that's not got a lot going on under 200Hz. Added to this - ANY type of earphones listening is going to be subject to what the OP is talking about where mixes have L/R imbalance of any kind.

Mixes have been produced for the average end listener for a while now - a good example being club dance music which is almost mono so that all speakers in a club - no matter their locale - get the important stuff equally.

Ultimately, unless you're going for an artistic goal of some kind, ignoring commercial viability then do what you like BUT for the majority of listening environments - shops, earphones, homes etc it is important to take a little consideration and balance things a little.

BTW, love the bith avatar