If you mix on headphones a lot or don’t have access to studio monitors on a regular basis, then this is for you.
Headphones have their place in every mix that I work on and I’d encourage you to use them as well.
When do I use them?
Even if I’ve completed 80% of my mix on my studio monitors, I find headphones invaluable for checking the level of my delays, reverbs, other effects and also for mix translation.
When I’m on the road, headphones are an absolute must for me to get my work done. Plus, it’d look a bit strange if I took my studio monitors out of my carry-on bag on a plane or train!
How I started mixing on headphones
When I first started mixing, I couldn’t afford monitors; most likely because I was spending most of my money on guitars! The only time I had access to decent monitors was either when I was working in my college studio or when I was in and out of other studios while cutting my teeth as an engineer. Every room was different and I found it hard to get reliable, consistent results.
This was long before I discovered how easily that would have been avoided by using my one hack that guarantees a unique, pro sounding mix (yes, you should download it… it’s free!).
In 2008, I was picking up a new guitar in Guitar Center in Boston and I shared my frustrations about mixing with one of the sales guys there. He said I should get a good set of headphones and really focus on getting used to what music sounds like through those headphones and use them on every mix.
Of course, I initially thought this was a sales pitch and it was, but his advice was also invaluable and completely true. It turns out that my guitar addiction had the positive effect of getting me on the right path as a mixing engineer… Yep, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
I still use those exact same headphones on every mix. Now, I’m sure you’ll want to know what headphones they are, but this article is not about gear – it’s about the concept and getting great results for you!
If you really, really want to know, leave a comment below.
So, here are the secrets to mixing on headphones:
- There are a few articles out there talking about how Andrew Scheps (Adele, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hozier, Audioslave) sometimes mixes on the road on headphones. He has said himself in interviews that there’s “no magic to it” and that he’s able to mix well on headphones due to experience. So, with that in mind, you’ll be able to get great mixes on headphones once you can mix to a high standard in general. You can’t bypass the fundamentals. Keep mixing!
- If you’ve never mixed on headphones before, start your mix on studio monitors to begin with. Even by getting your fader mix together on monitors that you’re used to, you’ll be in a much better position to move forward and finish the mix on headphones. This applies even more if you travel a lot. I understand that studio monitors or speakers aren’t available to you all the time and it’s better to live your life and do the things you want to do while continuing to work and not be tied to a studio. So, getting good at mixing on headphones is a must for you.
- Listen to a lot of music on your headphones. By listening to a lot of music on your studio monitors, you get a great idea of their frequency response and the acoustics of the room in which you’re mixing. The exact same applies to headphones except the room is taken out of the equation. By listening to a lot of music through your mixing headphones of choice, you’re in a much better position to make mixing decisions about your own mixes.
- Use references. Tying in with the point above, what better way is there to get used to mixing on headphones than to use your reference set? This is the set of tracks you bring with you everywhere to get used to a new room, test out different listening environments, test out monitors, and of course, to help you get comfortable with mixing on headphones.
- Once you’re happy with the finished mix, take off the headphones and play the mix through your laptop speakers, iPhone, TV – whatever you can use to get an idea of what it will sound like up against a reference mix or your reference set. It will be a lot more beneficial if you loudness match the tracks first, and in the absence of studio monitors, this is a great way to see if your mix translates well from your headphones to other devices.
Give it a go and see what works for you. If I’m going to be mixing on headphones, I really like using monitors to start my mix and then finish on headphones if I’m travelling. Like I already said, I use headphones on every mix in some shape or form, so it makes sense for us to get used to mixing on a pair of headphones that you’ll use time and time again.
Now, I’d love to know…
What’s your secret to getting a great mix on headphones?
Leave a comment below!
professional sounding mix every time...
Hi Stephen, I actually start my mixes with headphones. Primarily during the editing phase with breaths, mouth and nasal clicks, then on to tightening backing vox as well as kick and bass. Then I may continue with headphones during the repair phase with subtracting obvious undesirable frequencies, then general track leveling before moving to nearfields. I find that I can focus in on those specific areas with less external distractions. Thanks.
Yes, great comment Bruce. Using headphones for editing really helps to clear out all those issues you’ve mentioned and for greater balance – along with a sense of space and depth. Thanks so much for sharing!
I use headphones out of necessity at the moment as I have a monitor down. But I usually use them to check mix translation and balance. I also use the on the road too.
Sorry to hear you have a monitor down, Luke. Sounds great on your how you use your headphones normally. Must make it easier to mix at the moment without your monitors. Nice job!
I mainly mix at night (because I have a daily job) so my personal “tricks” are:
1. Listening to a lot of music and keeping the tracks in my opinon sound better as references, but only after listening when I have time on my monitors
2. Understanding the “room” differences between headphones and monitors
3. (The most important for me) Never change your headphones model. On the contrary you have to get used to the new ones for a lot of time
Stephen, thanks for the article!
You’re welcome Mattia. Great tips!
Get a really expensive pair of headphones. You still have to get used to them with reference mixes etc. Oh I meant expensive headphones like $400. They will have the dynamic response you need.
Thanks Peter. I don’t really think that an investment of $400 is absolutely necessary, but it will certainly help. There are definitely headphones for well under $400 that do a great job.
What headphones are you using. I use the Senheiser HD 201 which are very cheap. I like them. I also tend to turn them over left in the right ear and right in the left ear as I find you hear the stereo mix in a different light. Hopefully this makes sense. Just turn your headphones over while mixing and listen again to the same track. You will hear a different mix. Well I do.
I also have an HD201 set which I like for casual listening and they are one of my instrumentalist monitor headphones, but if you mix on them, remember this: They are pretty light on the low mid range. This means that on other systems, your mixes can come out heavy on this range, making them muddy. I’ve heard this happen when a very experienced mixer used an HD201 to mix on without adjusting for them.
If you mix on these, be sure to occasionally play your mix on other sources and check your mixes against reference recordings a lot.
Thanks Walt.
Great advice Walt. Thank you!
Great question. I use the beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro (80 Ohm version). You’ll definitely hear a different mix if you flip the headphones around and it’s usually pretty clear to me that I have them on the wrong way around when I do that. I’m still a little unclear why you do that?
I think maybe our ears are not hearing exactly the same things and sometimes get lazy. Turning headphones over I hear the pan differently and can sometimes pick up balance mistakes. Could just be my hearing after years of gigs not being as strong in each ear. Grateful for all the advice Stephen thankyou.
i do mix on phones and monitors , but when im mixing on phones i tend to do it quietly for most of the mix then crank it up towards the end to check the bass isnt getting muddy , it seems to work well for me that way , i usually have to make a few minor adjustments when i play the mix back through my monitors but it can get me 90% there most of the time
Excellent comment Pete! I always mix at low levels. It’s a tip I picked up from watching CLA a few years ago and I’ve never looked back. Thanks 🙂
It sounds counter intuitive, however… I find that I can get a great mix on headphones. The main difference for me is that the bass sounds a lot stronger through the phones. I then compensate by mixing again through speakers and maybe boosting bass. The goal being: get a mix that is well balanced on any sound system.
Sounds great Jon. You know what works for you, so keep doing it!
Thanx, by the way. Your knowledge has helped me greatly!
You’re welcome. Hearing that makes my day 🙂
Great advice Stephen. I use about the same ratio – 80% monitors and 20% headset – always using my best headset for mixing. I probably don’t use my best mixing headset for casual listening enough – I need to work on that…
I don’t use a sub and my monitors start getting weak below 100Hz, so the headset is especially important to me for listening to those lows. It also helps point out to me if I’ve exaggerated some panning too much on one sound with respect to the rest of the mix – among other things…
I like the fact that I’m not as prone to ear fatigue with less of the extreme low end for most of the mixing due to using monitors that are weak below 100Hz. I try to mix what I can down around 70dB to help combat the fatigue, too. I find that hard to judge on a headset.
Thanks Walt. You raise some interesting points. When I’m mixing on headphones, I have a set level (like I do with my monitors) at which I mix. If I’m listening to music on them, I try to listen at the same level as well. That might make it easier for you to judge.
Interesting thought Stephen – to also spend more time with casual listening down at lower mixing levels. I’ll have to see if I have the discipline to do that when enjoying the sound of my best cans. 🙂
Thanks!
Same oppinion as Mr. Jon Pappalardo: the bass response seems a lot stronger when using headphones (even in a quiet listening), unless I`m using the cheapest earbuds in the marker (wich I also do) just to chek out how younger people would listen to the mixes while walking down the street… 🙂
Good point, Paulo. Using earbuds really does help when checking your mix.
I use the “Superlux HD 681” (without any other letter in the name), but with this correction:
There is a peak at 6kHz. A coile 0,12mH , a condenser 5uF and a resistance 8 Ohm all parallel in left and also in right (you need every thing 2 times) kill this. The headphon costs about 20,- Euro and is great. The halfopen typ makes a great stereostage, and if you use LCR – panning, is no need for speakers (I use speakers, when I have). Don´t use it to loud.
Thanks Gerd!
I use both headphones (Shure SRH840) and monitors (Yamaha HS8). For non-acoustic instruments and vocals (Mic MXL770), I track the takes using headphones, but comp them on the monitors. Once everything is tracked, comped, and edited – I do the static mix on headphones first (volume & pan in stereo), then switch to mono and apply bus and track level EQ & Compression. Then I go in the air and tweak everything in stereo using the HS8’s. Then I apply reverb, delay, and automation using the monitors, checking again in mono against my reference tracks. Finally I switch around to other monitors/systems (Roland Micro MA-8 with 10cm woofers/3cm tweeters, Rokit 5 in mono, computer speakers, earbuds, car stereo, CD player, MP3 player, etc.) until I’m done for the day. Then I leave it alone for a day and come back to it to make sure I didn’t miss something crazy. It’s a long process, but one that works pretty well for me now after tweaking the work flow for 3 years. Thanks for all the good advice!