Mix at very low volume

[if6was9]

Used to mix louder but lately I've been turning down alot and working at a pretty quiet volume. As you guys have said if you get it sounding good at a low level it will sound good louder and this doesn't work the other way around.

I find it gets very loud when tracking though- the volume always just seems to creep up to get over people talking, fooling around on instruments and the hum/buzz of amps being monitored and it's very easy to fatigue the ears.

Apparently Frederick Nordstrom mixed VERY loudly, to the point of other people in the room need to leave.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

Andy mixes really loud too, I was really surprised when I found this out and actually felt the need to put earplugs (and to put a sweater in summer because the air con was freezing). I started to mix louder from that point and felt my mixes improved, but now I'd like to move back without losing quality...

 

[reg3n]

Golden rule! If something sounds good at low volume, it sounds awesome at high volume! as everyone said, and as a side effect, clarity, and more separation between instruments
The switch i do when i need mo4r, is just headphones, speakers, repeat, seems to work.

 

[ze kink]

I also mix at a very low volume. I enjoy it a lot more than doing it loud, because it tends to sound really uninspiring and bland when you begin mixing something, and I find that I get the most excitement and fun out of when I start getting stuff to sound good. When I've got a good mix going I'll usually crank a bit to check (and to enjoy, too); often I'll find that I have to adjust the low bass and reverbs and delays little bit, but it's just a dB or two, not like everything shitting itself and the balances being all fucked.

I also like using headphones and those Avantone Mixcubes in mono though.

 

[silvermaples]

I think every one is different in thier approach, that's why they make grape koolaid....for the people you don't like orange lol.

That being said I would like to be mixing 20-30 years from now so I try to keep it on the low side, but sometimes you have to crank it to get the vibe.

Cheers
-Cory

 

[Pedro Teixeira]

What everyone says it's true.
I do mix at low volumes as well, it just feels more comfortable and you can get the balancing right, shaping stuff as well, sometimes I turn up a bit for a couple of minutes to check on some crucial peaks, etc, basically surgical stuff.

But the thing that I literally can't do that low volumes is spacialness and depth, I just can't, I need to turn it up to be able to discern room levels, reverb levels, etc, otherwise it will be chaos

 

[mva801]

I'll check at higher levels (80-85) for a minute or two to get the low end balanced and the drums punchy, but 90% of my mixing is probably done at 75db or below. My ears are too fucked up to go any louder. I've got tinnitus and a bit of hyperacusis. Enough to where mixing loud gets annoying to me real quickly.

 

[ScootBaloo]

I mix at low volume except when I am mixing in the drums.
I like a bit of volume when I am adjusting the fader for the snare and the fader for the kick.

 

[Clark Kent]

Mixing volumes is all about what you prefer. Even the well known professionals have different methods. Kevin Shirley does some of the best mixes out there (everything from Bon Jovi and Iron Maiden to Aerosmith) and he has things running so loud that you can hear people speaking in the room. Then f.ex. Andy Wallace (Linkin Park, System of a Down, Rage Against the Machine, KoRn) mixes so low that people speaking in the room will disturb his mixing process so he doesn't let people in the control room when he's doing his stuff. I guess the point is: there are no rules.

The best bet IMO would be to find what works for you. Personally I check my volumes both loud and quiet. I guess it's a noob way to do it but it works for me so why not...

 

[greyskull]

I tend to mix pretty dang quiet too. Although when I reckon I've got it going, I will wind up the wick and pump it out at welding volume. But then I'll immediatly take a break to rest my ears.

 

[Brett - K A L I S I A]

Kevin Shirley does some of the best mixes out there

Oh oh I have to respectfully disagree here, I really don't like his work at all. And I mean, NOT AT ALL. Yuck!

 

[mva801]

I thought the Joe Bonamossa record he did sounded pretty titties.....

 

[Torniojaws]

I love mixing at low volumes It's especially helpful when the room is not so "hot" in terms of acoustics But whatever the case, I get a veeery good balance that way, especially the bass vs other frequencies