MixDown and Mastering - Understanding Studio Monitors and Why You Shouldn't Use Headphones Or Home Stereos

The Skinny on Studio Monitors

Recording music is easier than ever these days (but still not so easy it rivals falling off a log) but the mixdown and mastering still hold a special place in the minds of many home recording engineers - mainly, that they can't do it.

I would never take anything away from a good mastering or recording engineer - they can do things which I still don't understand.

But that is not the be all and end all of making your stereo master tracks and then Mastering them; everyone has an ear, and mixing multiple tracks into a listenable song is a skill like any other. When you start out the results might not be so pretty, but stay at it.

Understanding the Difference

Understanding the difference between mixing your stereo master tracks and Mastering is crucial, but it is something that a lot of aspiring recordists don't fully understand.

For a moment we are going to assume that all the tracks are synced up in time, that there are not any phase issues and everyone has recorded their parts in the right key.

Recording the Stereo Master tracks are where the greatest part of your sound, good or bad, is going to come from. This is where you actually mix all your individual tracks (or stems) into a stereo master track.

Peresonus Studio One has some great mastering tools which make the process much easier!

Mastering, on the other hand, is when you apply a final stage of EQ and compression to the stereo master tracks which you have created during the mixdown process.

This final stage does a couple of things - it ensures that all tracks you are doing have a similar volume setting, and it applies a bit of final compression and EQ to your mix.

Mastering your stereo mix down tracks should not be thought of as a way to 'fix' a poorly mixed stereo track. The stereo track should sound excellent before the final mastering takes place.

WHAT YOU ARE LISTENING THROUGH

This can make a lot of difference. Actual studio monitors are the best thing to use when mixing as most studio monitors add very little shaping to the mixed music. 

It is possible to use home stereos in a pinch, but the problem with home stereos or good consumer headphones is that they shape the music, accentuating the bass and high frequencies and often scooping a bit of the mid frequencies out.

When using such systems to mixdown your tracks, though, this makes it very hard to accurately tell exactly how your music sounds on a base-line level; this results in a mix which might sound very good on a particular system or set of headphones, but when played through other systems you realize the bass is way to heavy or almost non-existent, or some of the instruments or voices are buried in the mix.

Use Different Sized Monitors

I always liked to run at least two different sized monitors; one fairly small set (Like the Presonus Eris 4.5's) and one set with a bigger speaker or a subwoofer.

The Presonus Eris 4.5 monitors are a great deal, just $199.99!

These Behringers are a 6" monitor, and have a good amount of bass response

Switching back and forth between the two different sized monitors will allow you to pinpoint any frequency problems, and it also helps to reduce the risk of tiring out your ears.

Keep in mind, you are trying to get a mix where the song shines - your goal with studio monitors is not to get the best sounding speaker you can afford, but it is to get a good, flat response so that you can actually hear what you are mixing.

An old trick, and one that works great, is to import a stereo track from a similar type of music into your project, and compare your mix to how the imported track sounds. This gives you a direct A/B comparison to music that you sounds great to you.

Reference, Reference, Reference

Once you have a good stereo mix completed, don't pat yourself on the back to quickly. First you will want to listen to it through a number of different systems. When I am mixing, I like listening to a track that we think is ready through at least three things - a small, cruddy boom box or little CD player, a  good quality home stereo, and a car stereo.

When your mix sounds good in all of these amplification sources, you can be assured that it will sound good in just about any listening environment.

Now, on to the next song!

Mastering - The Misunderstood Art

So, if you had eight songs in your project and they are now all mixed to perfection, now is the time for Mastering those tracks. Even if you are sending your mixdown tracks out to be mastered, you should still master your tracks yourself just to see what kind of results you can get.

Keep in mind, the whole point is to get your music in front of people - 
and being proud of it once it is!

Generally, in mastering a track there will be a bit of compression and some very light EQ involved - you SHOULD NOT have to make big adjustments here; if you find yourself doing that, consider remixing the song.

It does help to have a fresh set of ears at this stage of the process; the goal is to put a final polish on the songs, and to make sure all the songs in a project have a similar volume level, and that they have a volume level which is an average for released songs (you don't want your songs appreciably lower than other source material).

Sending your songs out for mastering can be worth the money, but never assume that the person you are using has the sole gateway to good sound. An engineers best piece of equipment is what is between their ears. That being said, a well mixed song that is properly mastered is going to have a bit more 'pop' than one which isn't, and the hardware and software tools and technology you have available can make this section of the process much easier.

For new and used recording equipment in Charlotte and the surrounding area, including Presonus, Apex, Audio Technica and more, come to James House of Deals, the newest music store in Lincoln County!