How you listen to music?

[Behind]

I am trouble guys! Well... Not really. It just happens that I use to listen actively to music with serious amounts of eq. This is: highs and lows boosted. Otherwise, everything sounds like shit to me.

I know that flat monitors are supposed to be the best route for an AE but I don't have them in the phone or in the car.

Have you ever had this problem? Do you listen to music by 'equing' the source?

 

[SocialNumb]

Not an AE but I tend to listen to music as it's recorded. (or as close to as I can) In other words, I never boost or cut anything when listening to a CD, Mp3, what ever. Of course speakers, ect, do their own shit on the music you listen to as well.

 

[Nebulous]

I mainly EQ things in the car, but it's more about bringing back a familiar balance then creating a "rock show in the back" type sound.
Headphones and monitors stay flat.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Yep, I never EQ anything except for in my car or maybe a home stereo system. Always used to until I started mixing. Then I realized how important dem midz are......

I can't stand people with amazing systems in their car and they scoop out all the mids and pump the bass way up.....gahhhh they're just totally missing out.

 

[Clockwork]

99% of the time I listen to it as is, however if a mix is really muddy (probably for a no name band that might have good songs but shit mixes) I might EQ it to make it more listenable

 

[Korwent]

Yep, I never EQ anything except for in my car or maybe a home stereo system. Always used to until I started mixing. Then I realized how important dem midz are......

I can't stand people with amazing systems in their car and they scoop out all the mids and pump the bass way up.....gahhhh they're just totally missing out.

This, and it stands true with Hi Fi systems,whenever I visit my father or happen to be in the car with him the sounddrives me crazy cause I know he has quite good sound systems in both situations, but eq them to sound quite bad...

 

[mva801]

Yeah I never touch anything. My cd player in my car just stays on the "Rock" EQ setting and that's that. I just remember having friends who would always turn their bass boost up to max on their home stereos and iPods. Everything sounded like shit.

 

[Random3]

I have everything flat because my speakers and headphones are decent. The only time I touch the EQ would be if I am in a car with sub-par speakers.

 

[GRStudios]

Everything flat. I mostly use my studio monitors when I listen to music.

 

[waltz mastering]

studio_house_car = flat

 

[greyskull]

Flat flat flat

 

[egan.]

I certainly boosted some lows and highs in my car but I don't think that's anything to worry about. Monitors, phones and home in general are flat but listening for fun and critical listening aren't the same thing so do whatever you like. That said, my experience is that the better the system and the better the listening environment the less likely you are to mess with things. Cars often need help b/c the noisefloor is high, the bass response is poor and the tweeters are pointed nowhere in particular.

 

[Behind]

My main concern is that equing things might make you lose focus. If you listen everything equed then, when mixing, you are going to naturally find that comfortable spot... which could create a disastrous mix at the end of the day.

We have been listening to music since we were kids on TV, radios, shitty headphones, hi-fi... How are we supposed to know how a good mix sounds? For example, what I have considered a good mix in my entire life might be a crap on studio monitors...

The most of you say you listen everything flat but you obviously don't because every source sounds different even not applying any eq at all. Maybe I am overthinking this but I'd like to know what you guys think about it and how you deal with this problem. Reference mixes? Listening everything in the same source? Teaching your ears to some specific monitors...

 

[J.Lindmann]

I have the bass boosted a lot.
I love the live show feeling.
That's why I have two big ass subwoofers running.
I like the rumble in the stomach.
I don't need the 100% pure hifi sound.
And I am not a fan of the analytic low bass sound either.

Why? Because it's fun. And that's what music is all about, right?
Shure...not everyone's cup of tea buy I love it that way.

 

[heshian46]

Everything flat except for the car - I have to EQ in the car to compensate for the shortcumings of the system and, like Nebulous said, to "bring back a familiar balance".