Mixing On Small Speakers

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Sonic consistency is something we music producers can shoot for but never practically obtain. Here are some tips to help us make mixes that sound good even on small speakers like ear buds.

The video above shows how to set 

Mix in mono!!!!
Mixing in mono is a great test. If you mix in mono you and it is one of the tests that helps you to make sure that your song sounds good on all devices. Why? Because not all speakers are stereo. Also you can check for phase issues. 

Example 1: If you can't hear both guitar tracks when mixing in mono then there are phase issues. That is something you can't check in stereo.

Example 2: If an instrument gets lost or fades out of the song when it shouldn't when in mono, then there are frequency issues to be addressed. I have seen this happen when I am playing back a song and all the sudden the bass note in the synth and the bass take each other out. The remedy is to try to avoid using the exact same note. Why not leave out the base note in the piano or invert the chord? This usually helps. 

Here is a great article from Waves. https://www.waves.com/tips-for-great-mixes-on-small-speakers

There are even courses in mixing in mono and referencing in mono. Here's a link:

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