![]() The good news is that new technologies out there can be used as alternatives without breaking the bank. Of course, not everyone has 100K or more to spend on speakers or speaker systems and acoustic treatment. Slate VSX – Modeled Rooms, Headphones, and Speakers What are the more affordable options? Mastering engineers also tend to listen at the same loudness level throughout the day, whereas mixing engineers will often vary first listen softly, then loud while switching regularly. So when mastering engineers hear a new song, they know immediately that the low-end sounds too ‘boomy’, for example, or that the dynamics are not sufficient in the high-end, or that the high-end is not wide enough. As a mastering engineer, you have a mental map of what to expect or how a particular genre should sound like. Also, they prefer working in the same room day after day and know all the intricacies of their signal chain, which allows them to make decisions instantly and with confidence. Mastering engineers tend to go for one no-compromise full-range system that they know exceptionally well, inside-out. From that perspective, what’s essential for a mastering engineer, is consistency. Now let’s look at the mastering process where you often work on ten or more songs a day. Since you spend on average a day per song, you listen to it many times, so hearing it through different speaker systems is extremely helpful. And then, there might even a smaller stereo set in a lounge somewhere or a connection to playback through Airpods. Then there might be even a third smaller set (like the Auratones or NS10s), accentuating the midrange more and representing how it will be played back for the “average” household. Then there might be a second set of speakers, maybe more analytical to do the fine-tuning in the mix, often called ‘near field speakers’, that allow you to hear all the music’s inner details. Situations like when an A&R or the artist is coming over, you want to ‘ blow them away’ and powerful speakers can help with that. 1, 2 or even 3 sets of speakers…Ī traditional studio for mixing might have a massive set of ‘far-field speakers’ (sometimes even horn-based and/or with a lot of power), often used to impress and “fill the room”. That means a close understanding of how the end-user will listen to the song and explains the switching between multiple speaker systems while mixing. Their goal is to understand the song’s emotional intention, its target and help deliver the message. Mixing engineers often work on one song or two songs a day, then come back and do revisions. Mixing on speaker systemsīut first, let’s quickly go over the differences between mixing and mastering as it will help understanding why they gravitate towards different systems. Recently, this became an interesting topic of discussion among producers and engineers, so we decided to dissect this and go into a bit more detail and help you figure out what is right for you. Slate VSX, Acustica Sienna, Waves NX, or Sonarworks SoundID are some of these manufacturers. ![]() In recent months, we’ve seen many new technologies allowing you to listen in multiple environments through your headphones. However, did it ever occur to you that mastering engineers often only use one set of speakers? Why is that? And what are the alternatives? And what about headphones? Then, you might have seen professional mixing engineers use 2 or 3 different sets of speakers or speaker systems and regularly switch between them while listening. ![]() ![]() Just like many of us, I’m sure you have experienced the following: you finish your mix in the studio, and then, later on, you listen to it in your car or on your iPhone, and you’re surprised to hear things that appear missing or over-exaggerated. Header/ cover image: Studio 1, Abbey Road Institute Amsterdam Author: Robin Reumers & Yoma Schertz | Editor: Dennis Beentjes.
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