Guest petesasqwax Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 http://therecordingrevolution.com/2015/10/19/why-derek-ali-kendrick-lamar-mixes-in-mono-for-80-of-the-mix/ Interesting article about the guy who mixed, amongst other things, the Kendrick Lamar album. He uses an Auratone, but most people seem to use a Behringer Behritone. I can dig the concept, but I'm fucked if I fancy spending a ton on what is essentially a really shit sounding speaker. I have no problem pressing the "mono" button on my amp, though. That thing is the shit! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rasteri Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Those Auratone speakers were known for giving a good average of shitty mono speakers - same reason Yamaha NS10s became popular. Careful though, a lot of people read articles like that and buy Auratones or NS10s to use as their main monitors, which is a terrible idea. They're just for testing your mix on different systems. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest petesasqwax Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Yeah, I always thought that using the "shittest speakers you can find" theory was a well established principle by now. I've got some shitty PC speakers and various other crap listening options I like to try mixes out on before I consider them done. I love my Sennheiser HD650s, but I appreciate that they give a false picture of what things will sound like the majority of times they're played anywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rasteri Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Yeah, I always thought that using the "shittest speakers you can find" theory was a well established principle by now. I've got some shitty PC speakers and various other crap listening options I like to try mixes out on before I consider them done. I love my Sennheiser HD650s, but I appreciate that they give a false picture of what things will sound like the majority of times they're played anywhere. The trouble with mixing on shitty speakers is that your mix will only sound good on those same exact speakers. Mixing on proper decent studio monitors will give a more accurate picture of the mix as a whole, which you can then check on shitty speakers. I really don't subscribe to this "if I could get something to sound amazing on crappy speakers, it’ll sound brilliant on normal speakers" theory. Doing 80% of your mixing in mono though I totally agree with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest petesasqwax Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 Yeah, I should clarify - I do all the production and mixing on my HD650s (I tend to make music after my youngest kids are in bed so headphones is the only option). Then I'll reference them on my 60s Kef floor-standers to see if they still sound over on those. Once I've done a mix I'll try it on shitty PC speakers, laptop speakers, phone speakers, in-car speakers etc. to see if there's anything missing anywhere or anything that needs fixing which wasn't noticeable on the headphones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Rock Well Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 I'd say make your music on decent stereo speakers and/or headphones, get it sounding right and than test it on shit speakers, PA systems, mono, in a car or whatever to make sure what sounds good in an optimum situation doesn't completely fall apart in the less than ideal situations. I know that once upon a time, anything that was going to be played in clubs was tested hard in mono. But times are changing and although the stereo image can be used to hide a multitude of sins, it also offers pros that it seems a bit backwards to lose. Also, because mono really kills a lot of reverb, if you mix a lot that way, make sure it doesn't become a soupy mess when you go back to stereo. I suppose in the end how well a track works in each mono and stereo is up to the individual producer. Ultimately, it would be nice if it worked everywhere, but by that measure it would be nice to have professional mix engineer mix and master every track. Back in the real world, I think amatuers like me have to sometimes make decisions about where they want stuff to sound strongest. It's the same story when it comes to loudness/master compression - do you want you track to excel on little headphones streaming soundcloud or pumping through a sound system with big bass bins? I've definitely gone for the latter before, but I have to accept that most people won't ever hear that and probably just though my efforts were just too quiet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted October 20, 2015 Share Posted October 20, 2015 https://instagram.com/p/9B_3L5iGnF/?taken-by=jon1st <- your boy who mixes Kendrick Lamar needs to get these 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest petesasqwax Posted October 21, 2015 Share Posted October 21, 2015 Crazy lava lamp speaker feelz! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kebzer Posted October 22, 2015 Share Posted October 22, 2015 Nah, mixing on crap speakers will most probably end in a disaster. Using crap speakers for later reference though, is a completely different story. As for mixing in mono vs stereo, it depends on how much you are using the stereo field anyway. If your sounds are all speudo-stereo, it won't make any difference on how you mix them. And 99% of the music produced these days is pseudo-stereo, not true stereo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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