Breaking the Audio "Rules" | Mixing in Headphones

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We‘ve all been told the drawbacks of mixing through headphones, but in many real-life situations - such as working in an untreated space or on the go - mixing solely through studio monitors is either impractical or can lead to unreliable results. In this video, Sweetwater‘s Mitch Gallagher attempts to break the oft-mentioned rule of never mixing with headphones by covering situations where the results you crave can be accomplished using a solid set of cans. Check it out!
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#Sweetwater

[@sweetwater]

How do you like to mix for multiple kinds of playback? 👂

[@morbidmanmusic]

...multiple monitors...

[@jloiben12]

There are platinum records that are mixed or mastered entirely through headphones. It isn’t a “can it be done” issue. It is a “do I know what I am doing” issue and many of the tips here are great in this regard

[@Magic_carpet666]

Yeah 100% that. If your ears are broken in you can mix wonderfully on headphones, but there's a period of adaptation that you can't rush.

[@aangtonio5570]

Can you tell me some platinum (or simply well-done) records that were mixed or mastered entirely through headphones? I can only mix with headphones by now, so good references and inspiration are all welcome. 😀

[@correametal]

Mitch has spoken...and when the Master speaks we listen! Thank you Mitch and Sweetwater for another excellent video!!!

[@sweetwater]

Thanks to YOU, Jose! 👍

[@krsTBedfordStudios]

I always mix in headphones first then check elsewhere, headphones let me listen in in detail that I miss from monitors

[@MadDogE134]

best rule of thumb i have found on reverb... cans or no... raise it until you can just hear/note it then drop it about 10-15% from where it was. it is my belief as well as with others that you shouldn't hear the reverb until you turn it off lol (unless you are using it AS an effect) cheers

[@rockythestylishchap7948]

Great comment/ advice by you. I will surely try it. Do you have other advices as well ? Is there a way I can connect with you and share some samples which you can share you feedback ?

[@scarfypedia]

do you mean when you can hear it in the context of the mix? or for solo'd instruments?

[@WindTreeStudios]

Great video Mitch. VERY thorough and comprehensive. Many of these tips I learned the hard way and you just filled in the remaining blank spots. Thank you!!

[@tasteapiana]

Great advice here. Mitch is really a straight to the point guy and he covers a lot of ground. One thing I've found that helps a lot to get over the fear of headphone mixing is just to dive in and go for the best headphone mix you can get THEN upload that mix to a server and listen back to it on a variety of smartphones (without headphones, just through the phones' speakers). Once you've checked the mix on a phone or two, try a laptop, a desktop system or two and then go back with a mindset of balancing the transients of any low frequency instruments BEFORE addressing the lows and low mids of bass, kick, snare body, etc. The trick is to end at the mids, not the lows, at final mix. By saving the mids for last you've gotten to know what the mix is like with a smiley face (leveled lows and highs with a ''scooped'' mids sound), now you can fit those vocals, solos, wind instruments, keyboard, effects, etc in there without having to carve spaces for them as much. This allows for a final pass to bump or salt to taste any mids you might have missed that need brought up (once everything is there). Also, that Trackspacer plugin from Wavesfactory... it's super handy but multiple instances can eat up resources FAST. Be prepared to do several sub mixes and plan, plan, and then plan again for how you need to build them as you go if you're doing anything more than garage rock. I've been using a pair of AKG-240DF for about 23 years now and I 100% agree with Mitch that open-back (diffuse field) headphones are the way to go. Closed back phones lead to all sorts of weird issues, especially with regards to low-mids (basically where air transferred frequencies crossover to those transmitted directly through your skull, think 180hz down to around 90hz). Headphones aren't transmitting sub 90hz to your ear drum via air, that's coming in through the physical vibrations of your skull (think impulse drivers not speakers). When we use the word concussive in relation to sound, that's what is going on with bass in headphones. It's literally taken from the same root as concussion. With closed back phones you get more bass but it is compressed and tends to bleed all over everything. It's better to have a smoother, less compressed, and more dynamic bass response - even though it will be somewhat weaker in the diffuse field (open back) phones - than to have all the problems that closed back phones introduce, your mixes will be more accurate, potentially more complex and your hearing will also last longer.

[@jackiegreen1692]

One of my best mixes was done in a rush with headphones . Had 30 minutes to mix a song for a live performance threw some cans on went to work . DJ at the club turned it up super loud & I was even shocked how good it sounded .

[@ChrisBessy]

wich headphones ?

[@jackiegreen1692]

@@ChrisBessy Cant remember the brand but they were some cheap $50 cans way back in the day .

[@jackiegreen1692]

I mostly mix with a Avantone speaker & do a final check on Sennheiser HD 600 these dayz .

[@TM_Stone]

Thanks for the tips, definitely helpful.

[@davidreidy5750]

I know this will sound cheesy but this is one of the most helpful vids I've encountered in the past yr.My hearing took a beating from playing so many gigs(drums).Now I'm doing my own solo projects mixing thru my headphones and Mitch is right take breaks and go easy on that volume.So glad my ears are not shot to heck.🤖📡

[@thisperfectworld]

This is a fantastic overview of how to approach headphone mixing!

[@teashea1]

Most excellent presentation like always. Mitch is the man.

[@tristanishtar8906]

Excellent insights and advice. Thank you!

[@joseluishernandezseptien]

Great video! Thank you so much!

[@LukeVanGeest]

Thanks for this video Sweetwater!

[@rickdeaguiar-musicreflecti7692]

Great insight. Thank you so much for the tips on mixing with Headphones. So much appreciated :)

[@minioclass2891]

Thank you for addressing this reality! Very much appreciated!

[@TheSoulsandRevive]

Great video, very informative as per usual! Cheers

[@tanukibrahma]

Really good advice. I find Sonarworks SoundID Reference to be quite helpful when mixing on both headphones AND speakers.

[@hakangurdol]

Excellent tips all in one session. 🧿🙏 I found Sound ID is great for calibrating my headphones.

[@jergervasi3331]

This is a FANTASTIC video. 100% truth. I mix on headphones a lot, and every one of these rules is important. Thanks, Mitch!!!!

[@SoCalDrone4u]

Straight to the point as always, Mitch. Very informative. You’re a wealth of knowledge!

[@sweetwater]

😎👍

[@melaniekmusic6092]

What a great video! Thanks for the info!

[@sweetwater]

Thanks for checking it out, Melanie!

[@MrAkifusion]

Excellent, thanks!

[@JoaquinGonzalez2014]

I have mixed and mastered music on headphones all of my life. However, I have always had monitors, boomboxes and hi-fi systems, and I do choose my headphones carefully. They have to work for me. After I choose them, I get to know them well by playing back some of my favorite albums, based on sound quality, how well they were mixed/mastered.

[@LaidbackSounds]

Legend Mitch !!!! Nice video again

[@jimilee459]

Exactly. Reference headphones are a must.

[@mickeymiguel2726]

Excellent pro tips

[@AhtoNajeebRashied]

Thank you

[@ivanfaigenbom5300]

great info thanks :)

[@watch76]

Excellent advice!!!!’

[@afri-dancer9967]

Excellent advise, take you.

[@GearLover]

I really like the Slate VSX Headphones due to all the different models.

[@stevefiorito5379]

I think that sometimes, you can hear more detail with headphones over studio monitors. Checking the final mix on studio monitors is important before finishing the project.

[@jimsimmons2674]

We need a Reference Optimization Standard for headphones and studio monitors across the board,too many headphones and monitors sound different from each other and you cannot really decide on what one monitor speakers or headphones give you a good mix,think something like a THX or Dolby Digital standard for home theater where all the speakers in the system are matched!This would get us all closer to better mixes!Mitch let me know what you think about this?I would like to work on or help develop a standard like this?

[@SteveRockstein2]

I do my initial mix on ‘phones - but in mono. Then I move to monitors - in my case a pair on vintage JBL 4312s powered by an Avantone CLA100 - for refining the mix & creating a stereo field. Then I listen to it on a pair of $20 laptop speakers. I repeat the process as often as necessary.

[@Windiguana]

Goodhertz CanOpener, corrective Eq and some good open back headphones work amazingly well. I have put my (corrected) dt 990's on when it's getting late and had more than a few, oh shit moments thinking the sound was still coming out of my monitors and going to wake everyone up! Again this is with a good crossfeed plugin + corrective eq + open backs

[@Andrew-vr9hr]

I would love to hear his mixes

[@artg7909]

Great video.

[@99MUZIK]

Great info brother!! Your are best. I can’t wait to visit Sweet water so I can spend some money!!

[@sweetwater]

Thanks for watching, John! 👨‍🍳👍

[@J27.Official]

Love Mitch, he's the man

[@nephilymbass1]

I’d recommend to listen to the mix on different systems. Like your car stereo and even cheap iPhone ear buds. As that is how most people will hear the music. This is something a lot of people don’t do wether they mix with studio monitors or headphones.

[@---pp7tq]

Well-treated room should make you going checking mix in your car less often.

[@BLACKSYNTH]

One overlooked aspect is mixing with commercial headphones you use for listening pleasure. I have a pair of over ear Bluetooth headphones I listen to albums at work with. They are not accurate but I know how things should sound in them after a year of listening to my most beloved artists on them So I generally mix on my monitors and my shure reference headphones Then listen to my mix at work or bring my cans home and do a final pass on them.

[@calderonoscar1971]

Thanks for the great video Mitch! Can you please recommend me some headphones with flat sound for my home studio? Thanks in advance!

[@Realrejiche]

Headphones are also great when you have studio monitors that doesn't have a good bass response. So I would recommend to start mixing low frequencies on the headphones to get a better response and then you could move on to the monitors.... And as Mitch said, learn how your headphone sounds... that's one of the most important thing to get better sounding mix.

[@TimmyMadeThis]

Nice got to get them

[@richiebricker]

Great tips. Ive been recording my guitar with way too much bass as I recently found out after playing back my KZbin videos. Now Im embarrassed that I put out such crap. Headphones make it seem that Ya dont have enough bass when its already Heavy in the lows and can realy ruin a mix

[@A.o.D1991]

The funniest thing I blew away my friends when they asked me what monitors I use I told em I never use monitors they aren’t even apart of my studio and my mixes and masters translate it was all a hit and a miss and eventually I got good at it and learned to translate it across other mediums I was making better mixes with Apple earbuds than my shure840s . All the music on my channel was mixed and mastered in headphones 🎧

[@wadewilliams1892]

The great Mitch Gallagher 🧡

[@jorgepeterbarton]

I mostly mix on phones, but then do a check on some bookshelf speakers. Its a lot easier to hear the 3d placement of panning and width on speakers, whereas on headphones its a bit like sounds could go anywhere at any width, rather than notching into a sweet spot so is hard. The speakers have less clarity, so headphones are some plus on finding details, but speakers might hint that you need to separate sounds a bit more as if you can hear everything in detail you may neglect pushing 'frequency separation'. Lastly the speakers aren't very good with bass response, so I try and find a place for the bass that works for both. More recently analysers have helped do these steps with less speakers but took a long time to know what to look out for in bass and width, but I am sure they can be useful as a check for a 'typical' frequency response.

[@musicman700]

Rick Beato of Sweetwater, even better... no bs, just straight to the point!

[@morbidmanmusic]

What are you trying to say?

[@21Goldn]

Sos un capo! un Fenonemo me caíste espectacular

[@gmpas]

great video Mitch thanks. I feel vindicated.

[@PhillipHilton]

Man I wish we had a Sweetwater here in Singapore.

[@toddington5324]

Any good high quality headphone amps that aren't as expensive as the ones he mentioned?

[@TheRyanKirk]

This guy mixes.

[@jojosdde1078]

what would you suggest for voice over?

[@eschatts1]

I mix everything with headphones. There are some valid points for sure.

[@BezserkerProductions]

Get to know your headphones is great advice. I’ve sold 200+ beats and they were all mixed on headphones. I’ve been using Soundmagic headphones for the last 10+ years.

[@jeffevansmusic]

What about the Audeze phones. Apparently the finest out there and way better than most standard brands. Also I find the opposite with reverbs say. When they are just right in the phones they are too soft in the speakers and need turning up. On phones the reverbs are really easy to hear. On speakers they can get lost. Also nothing compares to speakers up loud for what the bottom end is really doing. But it interesting to see the trend moving more towards headphones for mixing.

[@maomao180]

Shoutout to CLA NX quite the game changer for me.

[@DavidRavenMoon]

Andrew Scheps mixes on headphones all the time. I do too. I currently don’t have speakers. You just have to get to know your headphones. Listen to music you know well through them. I also listen to music exclusively on headphones.

[@almur88]

I bought Neuman ndh 20 and 30 and I hope the case for headphones is closed for me from now on

[@goody8321]

i did every mistake you mentioned :)) especially being stuck on little details

[@OfficeofthePacific]

Gteat video! What dB is good to mix with headphones? With monitors I'm at 75dB, but headphones I find bewteen 32 and 42dB. I wish there was more info on this. Thanks

[@sweetwater]

Great question and thanks for reaching out! At the end of the day, whatever is comfortable for you and gets you good results is going to be your best bet, so long as it’s not too loud. Generally you want to stay below 85dB when listening for extended periods of time, and we recommend between 70dB and 85dB for safe and accurate mixing levels for headphones, as well. If it’s uncomfortable, turn it down. I hope this helps! Connor Smith, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1793, [e-mail]

[@OfficeofthePacific]

@@sweetwater I need to figure out what headphone spl is at -32 on my Zen Tour? I bet money thats right at 70dB. Sounds like it to my ears

[@gregorymcclendon5715]

No link to open back vs closed back

[@christiannorton9400]

I find it interesting that there was barely any mention of headphones' fundamental flaw, being the lack of true stereo imaging. Like, isn't that a huge reason why it's a "rule" to not mix in headphones?

[@---pp7tq]

Yet, he mentioned some room emulation plugins, which try to fix that issue

[@dzaxys4643]

Some my best results have come from random speakers and headphones but trying on different speakers is important I find if it sounds good on my headphones my monitors and the car speakers I should be fine most places

[@adirsab]

this dude is cool

[@ismaelgonzalez5475]

Does anyone here mix on open back HIFI headphones? If so, do you have recommendations?

[@rickeguitar9086]

Mitch, what do you think about this as a real situation? How many people today own a full blown "audiophile" sound system in their homes like back in the 70's? Everyone today in my circle are consuming music either by ear buds or tiny smartphone speakers. I don't think the ear today is tuned to hearing all the fine nuances of a great sound system for every day music play. That is my experience. I would be interested to hear more about yours as well as others on this board. Thanks!

[@davidhempel4700]

Agree, most are listening thru buds plugged into a phone. I enjoy the challenge of creating simultaneously for a high end sound system too though... something extra for those putting forth extra listening effort, if you will!

[@rickeguitar9086]

@@davidhempel4700 Good point!

[@sweetwater]

Hi, Ricke. You pose a very interesting philosophical question here - do you create art for the ideal or do you aim for the lowest common denominator? For me personally, there are two sides to this. First - the reason I got into this is because I love great sound and great music. Music is more than just background for me, it’s an art form to be experienced. I wonder if this question even comes up with other art forms - painting, sculpting, etc.? Seeing a masterful painting or sculpture in person is very different from seeing it on your device's screen…. Second - and maybe more relevant to your question: My experience is, if you create something that sounds fantastic, it will sound better on lesser playback systems, too. Will you hear all the details and nuance on a cheap set of earbuds or a smartphone speaker? No. But if you’re listening on those systems, I have to assume you don’t care about audio quality, and besides, the music will still sound as good as it can - within the playback limitations. In other words, my supposition is, if a mix is aimed at audiophiles, it will sound good on a smartphone. But if a mix is aimed at smartphones, will it hold up on an audiophile system? From yet another perspective, if you care about the music you make, why wouldn’t you mix it to the highest standard you can? Strive for greatness! Purely my personal opinion… Thanks for watching! Mitch

[@morbidmanmusic]

Hardly anyone had nice stereos in the 70s.

[@Sheriffvlogs]

You can also mix Dolby Atmos music on headphones as well using the binaural playback in your daw or in the renderer / production suits etc

[@morbidmanmusic]

Yeah, but in headphones, the Atmos experience for mixing I say extremely limited.

[@Sheriffvlogs]

@@morbidmanmusic I'll be trying it out since Cubase and nuendo support the Dolby binaural playback

[@lawrencediggs7957]

I have never found an "objective" target for what makes a good mix and master. Can anyone provide one? If the music will be played back in all kinds of conditions, including on everything from earbuds from the dollar store to acoustically treated halls with all kinds of people playing around with EQ on all kinds of devices, please help me to understand how one is supposed to "perfect a mix". What should I be shooting for? Thanks

[@---pp7tq]

Because one of the most important aspects of a good mix is translation. E.g. sometimes you're mixes can sound worse in mono, but not even everyone cares to check it during the mix, to not sacrifice anything for dying "standard", because now most smartphones are even stereo. Once the mix made on headphones sounds good on speakers, and then on some portable device, it's safe to say it might sound decent.

[@lawrencediggs7957]

@@---pp7tq And if they all sound "decent" , but different in all the scenarios mentioned above what would be the "target" sound? Are you saying it is all subjective, so just go with what sounds good to you?

[@skeennah1927]

When this subject comes up, I just think it cannot be done, maybe by a few, but there is just no point, unless you are on a plane making a track, and want to play it at your gig

[@lovingpeace9715]

Your link "Mixing in Headphones" is useless. It simply sends me to a mix of all Sweetwater videos.

[@gregoryivesdolbyatmosmusic]

you need to sell Audeze headphones They are the only ones I would ever spend money on other than the older Shure HQ Headphones. I also have LOQ earbuds also.

[@niteshades_promise]

open back? i need closed back for drum tracking...🤔🍻

[@joewagner1677]

Crazy how I can hear digital clicks in this video just off my iPhone

[@ArtificialVariant]

I mixed with professional studio headphones and the stuff sounds terrible I hate it so much it sounded okay with the headphones but wow does it sound terrible on anything other than the studio headphones 🎧

[@vanessajazp6341]

I mix in headphones a lot. Mastering, however, is something that should only be done with monitors. At least according to me, LOL.

[@Osiris-wm2kj]

Tbh I’ve mixed solely thru studio monitors and sound treating my room. But after 13 years of sound design and audio engineering. I find my BEST results while relaxing in bed on my laptop with mixing headphones 😂

[@pbenson56fran]

I mix with headphones then without.

[@TC_Conner]

Isn’t it funny and a bit odd that Sweetwater (Mitch?) has only replied to one comment here? The one that says they “can’t wait to spend money?” 😂😂

[@thisperfectworld]

I count at least three other direct replies; so your attempted critique is the only thing funny and a bit odd.

[@TC_Conner]

@@thisperfectworld Uhmm, check when I wrote that reply and you'll see it was 2 days ago at which time Mitch had not replied to anyone else. But it is quite evident that he has since my comment 2 days ago. 😎

[@bourbonick]

DID YOU MIX THIS VIDEO!?! Forget about it.

[@morbidmanmusic]

You trying to make a point. ..? You didn't

[@mocktwo]

Good info but way, way too much camera flipping made it hard to watch (no value in video flipping)

[@brianwarner308]

speaking of headphones RIP to anyone watching this video start on headphones!!

[@SGAndyAng]

More importantly, careful with intro title - like the one on this clip itself - way too loud!!

[@0megalul309]

most kids use airpods these days so mastering in them would be a decent move.

[@morbidmanmusic]

No.. that is still a mistake.