Yeah, but it's also the calm tone of his voice and the pace Some people on youtube do my head in; it's like listening to an ad where they try and cram as many words into a minute as possible. By the time you are done watching you've got a headache. That or they give you anxiety...
Thank you for not being one of those "never mix in headphones" people. So many UA-camrs seem to not understand the reality of people's situations. Also, I've gotten some great results in headphones. It's all about understanding how things will translate.
You're always gonna get the best results using different sound devices. I do the majority of the work in my earphones. Then when I feel like I've got a basic mix done I'll use my monitors to fix things up. I also use my laptop speakers which are pretty good for general high-end mixing like the snares, hats etc. Then I use some open-backed headphones and check that everything still sounds good. Finally, I'll take out and use my car speakers, if there are low end issues then your car with its bass-heavy speakers and closed acoustic environment will expose them - don't forget that if it's a big track then a lot of people are gonna be listening in a car.
This is not based off of this particular video, but rather after me watching several of yours over the past couple of days. Being a teacher myself, I'm really intrigued by your way of speaking calmly and focused to the camera. It's VERY evident that you know very much about the topic at hand. But you also have a way of really being present when you speak. I think I could listen to you for hours about any topic. Do you have anything to share regarding how you've become this good at teaching? Keep it up! You're really helping me sort out this production and mixing thing :D
He does exude confidence, ( not arrogance). I'm a luddite wishing to learn and he appears to be extremely knowledgeable on the subject. However, being a luddite, I wouldn't know 😅.
As a music composer & audio engineer, I understand where you're coming from. This video was well structured, informal and technical. Me personally though I mix, master and compose my music with my earphones (Currently Skull Candy), because I'm very private and I don't have the space to work with studio monitors. I've had many people who were musical artists, band members, singers, engineers, beatmakers, producers listen to my music and they never had any real complaints with the sound of my music. They can possibly point out few minor flaws if they have great ears, but overall it's all good. I would however not recommend doing this because while it maybe good for me, it may not be good for someone else. Some people would rather record and mix/master with studio monitors only. I say whatever really works for you and keep going at it to improve yourself. There's always room for improvement
Thats funny you say that. I used skull candy’s before they were wireless. For some reason, those headphones specifically helped me with a lot of my mixes and I would only use them when mixing even though I had a pair of ATH M50x’s. You can easily hear the mono tracks clear and up front when you do it right, and anything that doesn’t sound right, you’ll be able to notice. I got some beats pros that can connect to my iMac, but its not the same. Going to have to go back to the skull candys lol
SPL's Phonitor solves the mentioned problems (crosstalk/mono) and is together with my Beyer DT 931 my solution for decades now. I purchased the Beyer back in 1994 and use it since then almost every day. Few times exchanged the cushions, one time the plastic cups - nothing else, perfect workhorse even for long sessions. However, I'd never would wear them for more than 2 hours without a break, but actually that applies to any pair of loudspeaker as well. The only remaining problem is a reliable evaluation of bass. Only experience can solve this because you always have a bit to abstract. This way I mixed countless productions since many years (primarily but not exclusively clasical music). In the past I was used to work in perfect studio rooms (in terms of acoustic). I would still prefer this. However, 99% of today's music production sites are more or less far away from being acousticly perfect. In most of these cases such a headphone combi is the much better solution (or the lesser evil - if you wanna say so) - just my two cents ...
I have been using Audio Technica M40x for three years , now im upgrading to DT1990. I had a doubt about using headphone amp whether if I have to buy a new amp for it or if that works with my new Appolo Twin , when I asked the store guy, he said I need to buy, but I randomly came across your video and in one of your videos you mentioned how amp isnt needed for DT1990 as interface supports it, it sorted my problem in no time, also your videos are so good. On point , calm voice , brilliant reviews. Thank you so much ! Also i was very happy to hear my country's name India in this video :) wishing you hit 1m soon :) much deserved ! Cheers , from India :)
I have done lot of projects for different clients in the past 20 years and most of my work was finished on headphones. My main work is demo recordings of classical music. I would say, using Studio Monitors are not essential for great final results. If you have really good headphones you can mix in them but, you have to listen to the mix also in different sources like crappy headphones, then on your cellphone, a pair of crappy stereo monitors, on your computer speakers. Not all of them but at least three different sources because at the end of the day most people that will look you out will listen to your tracks on cheaper headphones or computer speakers, so those are the sources that you can focus on. I love my headphones and I have the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro. I use a headphone amplifier to bring the best volume to mix. I also listen to my mixes in mono and work on them a bit that way before the the mixdown. I also use a Phase meter on the master track to check for any phase problems. By the way, love the video. Just wanted to say that if I waited to have the best monitors, I would have never started on my business 20 years ago. Also most of my work is on the go and monitors and room acoustic treatment materials are not portable things. Cheers!
I'm very happy that I've discovered your channel. Direct, no stupid way of talking, no stupid "jokes"...very professional and simple, you sir, are the best here. PS: you remember me of a certain, glowing "vampire".😅 Dont know why tho.
If someone is still confused, Simply buy a studio headphone and just get used to its sound. Listen to professional songs on them and focus on several things like how the kick is sounding or the bass or different elements in the headphones. After few days/weeks of using it, you'll definitely get better at mixing with your studio headphones. PS Using this video's tips are definitely gonna help you out, especially with the Sonarworks Reference plugin. Studio monitors are not always gonna be available to you when you're on tour (Atleast not for me ) ...So trusting your ears are definitely gonna help you in the long run ! 👍
This is true! By referencing and actually hearing how other professional music sounds in your headphones you can mix your songs properly with pretty much any headphones imo.
My best advice, is if you have speakers or monitors, don’t just go to them when you mix right off the bat. Pretend like you don’t have them, and mix the beat from headphones. Once you have it sounding how you want it, then go to speakers/monitors and make tweaks from there. This will narrow the sound down, and make it as accurate of a mix as you want!
I am an old home recording man going way back. Right away, you are spot on! My take on crosstalk has always been, All mixes are for headphones. Every one should experience headphones. No speaker system is comparible. Some are more discrete, but crosstalk is the enemy. LOL! No matter what speakers are used, the strong suggestion is; This was made to listen to with headphones. Back in those days, most of the public never experienced Headphones. They knew little of the soundstage, or discrete stereo. Nowadays, I imagine most everyone is on headphones/ earplugs. If not car stereos. Thanks for being knowledgeble and informative, besides, easy to listen to! Bravo!
I trust my headphones more than my monitors for mixing. Not that my studio monitors are bad (I think my A7Xs sound amazing) or because mixing on headphones is 'better', but my room acoustics are too problematic to rely on them and there's not much I can do about it, unfortunately. So I listen to my monitors for the more physical experience and to give me a perspective of how my mixes would sound in a room. But I mostly use my headphones to do the heavy lifting. And many people are listening through headphones anyway, so it's important to get this right too I suppose. That trick you mentioned of using the headphones as kind of little speakers on the table or something to judge balance is interesting. I should try that! What I often do for a similar purpose is routing my monitoring through a plugin that turns everything mono and rolls off the bass and highs quite dramatically, but the trick you mentioned sounds like a really useful hack for that too. You can never have enough different perspectives :) Anyway, thanks for the video!
Same! Whenever I do something that doesn't require very close listening like loose sound design and composition I do listen on my monitors but my monitor setup in my room is far from perfect and I'd have to invest a lot of time and money into it to be able to mix properly on them in my room.
Personally, I feel like monitors are far more accurate when trying to balance the low end. If you get your bass sounding good on your monitors, they will likely sound good in other environments. When I get my bass to sound good on my headphones, the bass usually sounds way off on the monitors. Gotta use both really :p
same here my room is so bad that for years i couldnt get a proper mix with great studio monitors. was forced to use headphones once and et voila. now they sound way better. mixing in a bad room is absolutely fatal. a k.o. i might say whereas mixing with headphones is only slightly suboptimal. so always go with headphones in case of a bad room
Thanks Michael, you are the best mixing/mastering teacher on YT! I've decided to consistently improve the quality of my mixing (of my own music) and for that your videos are just the best resource.
9:20 - I have a DT 990 Pro of 250 Ohm, and listening in my laptop output jack, and the sound is incredibly loud. I don't understand your statement, but I confirm 250 ohm headphones works without dedicated audio interface. Please correct me if I'm wrong, I really appreciate your work and love your videos!
Damn. After watching a bunch of your videos ... You and Warren from Produce Like A Pro are definitely my favourite "music production" UA-camrs. Insane amount of information presented in an impeccable fashion. Thanks for your work!
I use Beyerdynamic Dt 990s, absolutely love them! and i use Sennheiser HD 280 pros as my closed back. but they are actually a really nice combo for mixing. the 990s are crystal clear and let me hear every little detail, the 280s really help me hear the transients and exaggerate the frequencies that dont stand out in the 990s
Hye... If i use HD280 for mixing/live stage mixing/broadcast mixing.. can i use this close-back HD280 headphones??? I just confuse to choose Hd280 or Dt990 pro headphones to buy it..? I just work for monitoring mixing and balance for live stage event and broadcast mixing.. can u help to explain what i should use or buy...
@@joefickry I would check the frequency response on the current hd280s, mine I really old and exaggerate the mid frequencies. Beyerdynamic also has a closed back headphone, the dt770, that could probably work well for live mixing. Their headphones are also very comfortable.
@@marcushanlin oww okey.. tq so much... bcauze im very confusing about my work.. i just for live mixing for FOH and Broadcast/stream.. so i dont know where should to pick Hd280 or DT770 pro.. hehehehhe
@@joefickry im assuming you have to wear the headphones for long periods of time, I'd go with the 770s, they are also easier to repair or replace individual parts.
The headphone fatigue is real. I’ve created some good mixes, using two sets, one open, one closed. But everything you say is so true. I did a lot of bouncing to then check on portable speakers, car speakers etc in order to be sure things weren’t lost or overpowering. I finally got a set of monitors, and literally will start using them today. New sub
Those Beyerdynamic are awesome! Just to add my grain of salt. There is the mix between open and closed: semi-open. I have the DT880 Pro which falls in the middle of the DT770 and DT990 that you have, and I LOVE THEM. Great video! I liked the gimmick trick, will try that soon.
ATH M50x’s + sonar works for me.. +mix-reffing on 2 sets of monitors, the car, the work truck and my mates big sound system. Once they're all good - she's done.
Kicking myself for getting some inexpensive M-Audio headphones. When ever I mix with them, I cut out way too much bass. I'm going to try the sound flattening software and see if that helps these things.
Halfway through the video and I can agree with everyone else, your posture, tone and selection of words are very smooth and intelligent. It’s very easy for me to understand everything your saying and your points. And your voice is just relaxing bro! It helps me focus on the video and not get distracted by other things around me. And on a side note.. I could leave your video on to help me sleep! But because the sound of your voice and tone. Anyway, amazing video bro; definitely getting a sub.
This video just solved the problem I had with volume! I was wondering why my levels were not right after I'd exported. Turns out I just put my computers volume on max while my headphones were plugged into my computer's aux. Beginners mistake, but now I know! Thank you so much In The Mix!
Really great information. As someone who has produced for a while but never dove much into properly mixing/mastering, I feel like I have a good basis to dive further in!
Three things happened while watching this video, >I discovered mixing headphones are such a thing >I got to know you're from Scotland >You gave a shout-out to my country 3:39.. 😊😊😉😉
Great channel! Not sure if anyone has already mentioned this, but here's an additional thought: What speaker or headphone to use for mixing depends on who you are mixing for. In my day for example you would have one mix for vinyl and home HiFi, and another dedicated 'radio mix' for public broadcasting for all those stuck in traffic jam listening on their mono car radios. Therefore, you would often listen back on those systems. The TV sound engineer I knew listened back on several TVs at least 50% of the time. So to translate this into today's listening environment, look at your clients and what they are predominantly listening on. My teenage daughter listens to her pop-stuff on iPods, my metal head friends would only listen on oversized high end LOUD speakers, etc. Not saying mix on iPods, but I find that there is generally too little aim identification when it comes to mixing - and recording. There is no right or wrong technique, only one that suits the situation. Your client will expect a certain sound, and that needs to be discussed, then the appropriate monitoring technique chosen. If you are mixing for yourself, mix for whatever you are mainly listening on and make it sound the way you want it to sound and not how others might expect it to sound. I use some old AKG open headphones with a flat response, some boring sounding Bose noise cancelling headphones and a stereo system (that I can adjust like a consumer) to get the basic mix, then I switch to whatever medium required. Walking around the room whilst listening on speakers also works for me, so does listening withOUT intent. However, there is one application that requires monitoring speakers: When mixing together with the client. Just a different perspective folks! Have a lovely day!
How is possible, that so young man like You, know all this things and share with so warm way, and how is possible, that You speak so clear English language without Scotish accent :) You are great mate! I'm a user of Cubase, but still a lot of your advices are very helpful. Thanks for this channel!!
By the way, I'm going to buy headphones in the next few days. This video has helped relieve my stress. Thank you very much Michael. You answered all my questions about headphones
I highly recommend my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm. The sound is much better than from a 32 Ohm Headphone and it gets loud enough when just plugged into my Smartphone.
For Mixing with Headphones and get accurate. You need to mix with Open Back headphones that's the professional way.......Like the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm. Nothing less
I just want to personally thank you for your content, man. I've learned so much from your channel and in a lot of ways have fallen in love with music production and engineering from perspectives I never thought I could understand and progress in, relative to my reality. I grew up in a family with not much money, but was bountiful in the love a music and in an art-form that money on some level is required to improve quality, I look for every way to get better for the cheapest way possible. And with so many channels that say you need the newest, top of the line, sleekest products to improve. It's nice to see that my, now 7 yr old Presonus Studio Monitoring headphones M-Audio Axiom Air 25 MIDI keyboard can still be enough. But honestly, it's your sincerity and obvious love for music that makes me compelled to push myself outside of my comfort zone to try and understand and learn as much as my ability and brain will allow. I absolutely love that you just get down to business and and make the content about the reason we're all here, THE MUSIC!!! But it seems like an ocean of UA-cam content is click bait and/or about the guy or gal that's creating the content, rather than the content itself. So I feel a real sense of professionalism from your channel because not one video seems to be about vanity or subscriber-gathering or making yourself wealthy and/or successful. It's just a very pure and genuine love for music and an obvious sense of satisfaction from being able to help guide and teach others how to develop their own ability and understanding of music production and design. And for myself, personally, I don't care if I ever become "successful' in the music industry. I don't make music for that purpose. I MAKE MUSIC BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH IT!!! It's my escape, my therapy and meditation. So to see your content reminds me every time of why I'm still learning and why I WANT to keep learning, because music is for all of us and it brings us together as humans on a meta-physical level. So genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you bro. Keep doing what your doing because you've personally impacted my life in such a positive and meaningful way that I want to learn as much as possible to pass it on to the next guy who's never been good at anything, except this. Much love and thank you again for everything.
Michael's videos are great an so informative with short lenght. But you're wrong. There are also many other good videos about production, you just keep searching and check first if you can trust video's authors. Many trash, but also many good stuff.
Trust me you are not getting anywhere near the full potential of those headphones without an amp to power them, the UR22MK2 does not have a powered headphone output (obviously nor does the iPhone). Sure the headphone will still make sound and play your music, but the driver is physically not able to achieve its intended frequency response. It's not a matter of volume or gain, it's about how much physical energy it takes to get the driver moving. Its like having a Ferrari that takes premium fuel only to put regular in it, sure it will still start up and maybe even drive, but you would entirely be missing the point of buying a Ferrari in the first place.
@@squigglesmusic9660 I have some friends who're scottish. And sometimes I really have to do my best to understand what they're saying, while he isnt even supposed to be that bad lmao
Hey man, I’m from Scotland also, I’ve been mixing for about 5yrs now and I can say by far the DT990 pro open back headphones are amazing. I’ve mixed music for artists and myself and never received any complaints. Some well known artists too, just released an EP and amazing results just using headphones. I believe it can definitely be done, it’s all based on experience as getting used to your setup. Great video buddy. 👍
MA2 no, headphones like those have a sound curve with the bass and high end to make songs more enjoyable to the average consumer. would not recommend mixing with those.
Definitely not. You want dedicated studio monitoring headphones that have a flatter freq response, otherwise the sound you hear doesn't replicate as well.
Beyerdynamic 770pro and 1990 pro. I'm not sponsored but I do think they are super comfortable. The 770 don't have a lot of bass and are very bright, just to let you know
@@WnderSouls it's present but has an amazing thick bass. I have heard that the much cheaper 990 also has better bass too, bit I have not tried them myself
Alenzo I have several over-ears. I love my 990s. Very clean, fairly flat (not v-shaped), open back for great staging, and super light/comfortable. I highly recommend. I use these along with my Yamaha HS7 monitors, but I agree that if you “know” your equipment you can get a great mix on pretty much anything.
had to switch out of my audio engineering class due to disability preventing me from getting on campus easily. your videos have easily taught me way more than i probably would have learned in this entire semester alone, or even two who knows.
Ideal situation is you have open back, closed back, and monitors, id say start with a pair of mid range closed backs, then go for some cheap (relatively) monitors like the krk rokit 5s, then go for some open back headphones if you want something you can use at any time of the day if you dont live alone/have a full studio
At a guess (and as I NO expert i really am guessing) he probably means that with headphones, the sound waves are not bouncing off walls before hitting your ears. When waves bounce off walls and ceilings, they fold back on each other but not in perfect alignment i.e. they are out of phase. So various frequencies get cancelled out. In small home studios this is always a huge problem and why good bass traps etc are so important. If you don't have the space or budget for room treatment one option is to use headphones to check for that low end.
I like the headphones on the desk trick... I usually try playing my mix on a rubbish set of speakers, but the headphone trick is much easier as I don't have to export to wav first.
You are my online teacher now. I really appriciate your vibe and knowledge. I will make you proud by watch all your videos and educate myself. I started today. Thank you for being a super nice human being and your will to educate people who really needs and will get somehow. Much loves from Turkey. King regards
Sonarworks is fantastic. I use to mix with three different made and model, open and closed back headphones depending on where I am (home, road or studio) and I use Sonarworks all the time. Every single mix sounds good no matter where I made it so I can send my pre masters to the engineer without any doubt.
i think beware of flat response anything because you need to hear/know especially how the bottom end expands or fleshes out in an eq-ed system with native boosted bottom end and cuts. Beyerdynamic hphones have some enhanced bottom end which helps but the bottom end is specific - so you need to compare - eg ive got a set of Phillips headphones that are just designed for listeners and the bottom end is very different (i tend to trust them at the end stage.) Sennheisers are huge with rock musicians here (Oz) but i can't quite hear why i'd be using them except to get mid-hi relationshiops. But some mastering in flat response environments can help alot.
@Shovine Bojraj @deadpaul I'm saying he looks young, but knows as much as a producer who has been doing music for decades. I was exaggerating, I know he's not 14 (it was a joke)
Waves NX seems to take care of the stereo imaging by cross-talking some of the L/R channels, and SoundID Reference seems to EQ pretty much all the major mixing headphones to a good flat curve.
👌I have been watching your videos since 2015. But after 2017 I did not watch the music production videos for some reason but now I am watching them again. And I am learning from you. Your videos are very good and explain very well. You explain very well because of your calm nature. All in all, I like your video very much.🙏🙏🎶
Hello. I use 2 types of headphones. Both were inexpensive. Both cost below $20.00. I also use a laptop. One of the headphones has open back, and the other is closed. They both work well for music production. I don't have any issues with any of them. Enjoy your day.
To be frank bro you are the only mentor i have right now because your teachings are always clear and more understandable bro, just keep up the good work God bless you, lemme check this one out too because i dont have monitors thanks for this tutorial.
This is such an amazing video, as an artist myself I use Open Back headphones and my sound comes out very nicely, I need to invest on a pair of Closed headphones just in case I am in a noisy area. Thank you so much for this info!
I mix with the 770s especially because of the fan I have blowing on the back of my IMac….its a pretty quiet fan but with my Sony MDR I would hear it…great Channel Michael….I subscribed 💥🤝
i produce and mix on Sennheiser HD 650 for many years now, i really love them. they just sound fantastic, for 300 € phones. they are opne, i can wear them for many many hours without trouble
A tip for Sonarworks is make sure the desktop systemwide version isnt running in the background while the plugin is activated on your daw bc then you’ll get two instances of it and it messes up your mix
Timestamps
1) 0:50 - Pros and Cons
2) 8:30 - Which Ohm value sounds best
3) 11:20 - Closed or Open Back?
Hey bro is 40ohms good?
@@TruTimeRecords In the video I mention how it's all about the situation. 30 or 40 ohms often sounds amazing with the right equipment
@@inthemix ok bro thankyou soo much please make more videos about mix master i want to mix beats 808 snare hi hats perfectly 😭
Misspelling at the end of the description below the vid
Thanks for paying attention and responding!
I have to mix in Headphones because I don't have the space nor the money for audio monitors. You need to make the best off of what you have! :)
You're absolutely right!
Same
✊😔
Still love these videos tho
Same
It's difficult to get the low end right with headphones. Try to invest in a room and monitors.
People teaching good video communication skills should use your work as an example. Not a syllable or second wasted
I so agree!
So great
100% agree!
Agreed, if this dude was a salesman he'd be poppin' the fuck off lmao.
Yeah, but it's also the calm tone of his voice and the pace Some people on youtube do my head in; it's like listening to an ad where they try and cram as many words into a minute as possible. By the time you are done watching you've got a headache. That or they give you anxiety...
Your videos are just pure gold! You're calm, choose your words well, and the content is just amazing. Subscribed!
agreed.
agreed
Quite.
Thank you for not being one of those "never mix in headphones" people. So many UA-camrs seem to not understand the reality of people's situations. Also, I've gotten some great results in headphones. It's all about understanding how things will translate.
You're videos are extremely informative, half of my knowledge of music production is from your videos only. Keep doing what you do:))))
You're always gonna get the best results using different sound devices. I do the majority of the work in my earphones. Then when I feel like I've got a basic mix done I'll use my monitors to fix things up. I also use my laptop speakers which are pretty good for general high-end mixing like the snares, hats etc. Then I use some open-backed headphones and check that everything still sounds good. Finally, I'll take out and use my car speakers, if there are low end issues then your car with its bass-heavy speakers and closed acoustic environment will expose them - don't forget that if it's a big track then a lot of people are gonna be listening in a car.
this guy is looking and talking not only clever and very polite but always gives you the best answers possible.
This is not based off of this particular video, but rather after me watching several of yours over the past couple of days. Being a teacher myself, I'm really intrigued by your way of speaking calmly and focused to the camera. It's VERY evident that you know very much about the topic at hand. But you also have a way of really being present when you speak. I think I could listen to you for hours about any topic. Do you have anything to share regarding how you've become this good at teaching? Keep it up! You're really helping me sort out this production and mixing thing :D
He does exude confidence, ( not arrogance). I'm a luddite wishing to learn and he appears to be extremely knowledgeable on the subject. However, being a luddite, I wouldn't know 😅.
I'm in India. and I remember starting out on headphones and just finishing the project with sweat
Yeah that's what I was on about, it's not pleasant is it!
I totally get you bro 😂😂
@@inthemix nope. definitely not
Do u produce music bro ? If yes then in which music style u produce ? If in Edm style then we can help each other .
@@navdeepthakur383 My main genre is hybrid trap but sometimes i can do some EDM like future house and future bass
I'm new to the family but I feel so welcomed such a clear explanation 😎
Glad to have you here!
@@inthemix I'm also glad guard me through.
I thought I was the only one experiencing irritation in my ears when I'm on it for a long time 😂
As a music composer & audio engineer, I understand where you're coming from. This video was well structured, informal and technical. Me personally though I mix, master and compose my music with my earphones (Currently Skull Candy), because I'm very private and I don't have the space to work with studio monitors. I've had many people who were musical artists, band members, singers, engineers, beatmakers, producers listen to my music and they never had any real complaints with the sound of my music. They can possibly point out few minor flaws if they have great ears, but overall it's all good. I would however not recommend doing this because while it maybe good for me, it may not be good for someone else. Some people would rather record and mix/master with studio monitors only. I say whatever really works for you and keep going at it to improve yourself. There's always room for improvement
Thats funny you say that. I used skull candy’s before they were wireless. For some reason, those headphones specifically helped me with a lot of my mixes and I would only use them when mixing even though I had a pair of ATH M50x’s. You can easily hear the mono tracks clear and up front when you do it right, and anything that doesn’t sound right, you’ll be able to notice. I got some beats pros that can connect to my iMac, but its not the same. Going to have to go back to the skull candys lol
Keep making amazing insightful videos! You’re a real blessing to all producers!
Thanks Michael, your great,much love from East Africa Tanzania.
SPL's Phonitor solves the mentioned problems (crosstalk/mono) and is together with my Beyer DT 931 my solution for decades now.
I purchased the Beyer back in 1994 and use it since then almost every day. Few times exchanged the cushions, one time the plastic cups - nothing else, perfect workhorse even for long sessions. However, I'd never would wear them for more than 2 hours without a break, but actually that applies to any pair of loudspeaker as well.
The only remaining problem is a reliable evaluation of bass. Only experience can solve this because you always have a bit to abstract.
This way I mixed countless productions since many years (primarily but not exclusively clasical music).
In the past I was used to work in perfect studio rooms (in terms of acoustic). I would still prefer this. However, 99% of today's music production sites are more or less far away from being acousticly perfect. In most of these cases such a headphone combi is the much better solution (or the lesser evil - if you wanna say so) - just my two cents ...
Thank you so much Michael, for all you do. I would've never have learned what I know now without knowledge like this. ❤
2 years ago still video helped me become on of the top earning mixers in my country. Appreciate you bruv
You inspired me to sit and enjoy my 990 pros, Open Back all the way!
I have been using Audio Technica M40x for three years , now im upgrading to DT1990. I had a doubt about using headphone amp whether if I have to buy a new amp for it or if that works with my new Appolo Twin , when I asked the store guy, he said I need to buy, but I randomly came across your video and in one of your videos you mentioned how amp isnt needed for DT1990 as interface supports it, it sorted my problem in no time, also your videos are so good. On point , calm voice , brilliant reviews. Thank you so much ! Also i was very happy to hear my country's name India in this video :) wishing you hit 1m soon :) much deserved ! Cheers , from India :)
I have done lot of projects for different clients in the past 20 years and most of my work was finished on headphones. My main work is demo recordings of classical music. I would say, using Studio Monitors are not essential for great final results. If you have really good headphones you can mix in them but, you have to listen to the mix also in different sources like crappy headphones, then on your cellphone, a pair of crappy stereo monitors, on your computer speakers. Not all of them but at least three different sources because at the end of the day most people that will look you out will listen to your tracks on cheaper headphones or computer speakers, so those are the sources that you can focus on. I love my headphones and I have the Beyerdynamic DT-990 Pro. I use a headphone amplifier to bring the best volume to mix. I also listen to my mixes in mono and work on them a bit that way before the the mixdown. I also use a Phase meter on the master track to check for any phase problems. By the way, love the video. Just wanted to say that if I waited to have the best monitors, I would have never started on my business 20 years ago. Also most of my work is on the go and monitors and room acoustic treatment materials are not portable things. Cheers!
I'm very happy that I've discovered your channel. Direct, no stupid way of talking, no stupid "jokes"...very professional and simple, you sir, are the best here.
PS: you remember me of a certain, glowing "vampire".😅
Dont know why tho.
If someone is still confused, Simply buy a studio headphone and just get used to its sound. Listen to professional songs on them and focus on several things like how the kick is sounding or the bass or different elements in the headphones. After few days/weeks of using it, you'll definitely get better at mixing with your studio headphones.
PS Using this video's tips are definitely gonna help you out, especially with the Sonarworks Reference plugin.
Studio monitors are not always gonna be available to you when you're on tour (Atleast not for me ) ...So trusting your ears are definitely gonna help you in the long run ! 👍
You're absolutely right!
This is true! By referencing and actually hearing how other professional music sounds in your headphones you can mix your songs properly with pretty much any headphones imo.
@@sebastianlagundzija8001 yup
@@sebastianlagundzija8001 Exactly,man!
I just wanna say: I love you and thx for all the knowledge you're giving to us
We love you too 💗
Can I ask you do you use closed back or open back headphones?
My best advice, is if you have speakers or monitors, don’t just go to them when you mix right off the bat. Pretend like you don’t have them, and mix the beat from headphones. Once you have it sounding how you want it, then go to speakers/monitors and make tweaks from there. This will narrow the sound down, and make it as accurate of a mix as you want!
I am an old home recording man going way back. Right away, you are spot on!
My take on crosstalk has always been, All mixes are for headphones. Every one should
experience headphones. No speaker system is comparible. Some are more discrete, but crosstalk is the enemy. LOL!
No matter what speakers are used, the strong suggestion is; This was made to listen to with headphones. Back in those days, most of the public never experienced Headphones. They knew little of the soundstage, or discrete stereo.
Nowadays, I imagine most everyone is on headphones/ earplugs.
If not car stereos. Thanks for being knowledgeble and informative, besides, easy to listen to! Bravo!
I trust my headphones more than my monitors for mixing. Not that my studio monitors are bad (I think my A7Xs sound amazing) or because mixing on headphones is 'better', but my room acoustics are too problematic to rely on them and there's not much I can do about it, unfortunately. So I listen to my monitors for the more physical experience and to give me a perspective of how my mixes would sound in a room. But I mostly use my headphones to do the heavy lifting. And many people are listening through headphones anyway, so it's important to get this right too I suppose.
That trick you mentioned of using the headphones as kind of little speakers on the table or something to judge balance is interesting. I should try that! What I often do for a similar purpose is routing my monitoring through a plugin that turns everything mono and rolls off the bass and highs quite dramatically, but the trick you mentioned sounds like a really useful hack for that too. You can never have enough different perspectives :)
Anyway, thanks for the video!
Same! Whenever I do something that doesn't require very close listening like loose sound design and composition I do listen on my monitors but my monitor setup in my room is far from perfect and I'd have to invest a lot of time and money into it to be able to mix properly on them in my room.
Personally, I feel like monitors are far more accurate when trying to balance the low end. If you get your bass sounding good on your monitors, they will likely sound good in other environments. When I get my bass to sound good on my headphones, the bass usually sounds way off on the monitors. Gotta use both really :p
You amcant adjust your monitors?
same here my room is so bad that for years i couldnt get a proper mix with great studio monitors. was forced to use headphones once and et voila. now they sound way better. mixing in a bad room is absolutely fatal. a k.o. i might say whereas mixing with headphones is only slightly suboptimal. so always go with headphones in case of a bad room
Thanks Michael, you are the best mixing/mastering teacher on YT! I've decided to consistently improve the quality of my mixing (of my own music) and for that your videos are just the best resource.
1:53
Micheal: "However, there are plenty of times where headphones start to fall down..."
Me: yea when I shake my head
stop. please. im gonna have to report you to the authorities for this one
lol
9:20 - I have a DT 990 Pro of 250 Ohm, and listening in my laptop output jack, and the sound is incredibly loud. I don't understand your statement, but I confirm 250 ohm headphones works without dedicated audio interface.
Please correct me if I'm wrong, I really appreciate your work and love your videos!
Damn. After watching a bunch of your videos ... You and Warren from Produce Like A Pro are definitely my favourite "music production" UA-camrs. Insane amount of information presented in an impeccable fashion. Thanks for your work!
Thanks
I use Beyerdynamic Dt 990s, absolutely love them! and i use Sennheiser HD 280 pros as my closed back. but they are actually a really nice combo for mixing. the 990s are crystal clear and let me hear every little detail, the 280s really help me hear the transients and exaggerate the frequencies that dont stand out in the 990s
Hye... If i use HD280 for mixing/live stage mixing/broadcast mixing.. can i use this close-back HD280 headphones??? I just confuse to choose Hd280 or Dt990 pro headphones to buy it..? I just work for monitoring mixing and balance for live stage event and broadcast mixing.. can u help to explain what i should use or buy...
@@joefickry I would check the frequency response on the current hd280s, mine I really old and exaggerate the mid frequencies. Beyerdynamic also has a closed back headphone, the dt770, that could probably work well for live mixing. Their headphones are also very comfortable.
@@marcushanlin oww okey.. tq so much... bcauze im very confusing about my work.. i just for live mixing for FOH and Broadcast/stream.. so i dont know where should to pick Hd280 or DT770 pro.. hehehehhe
@@joefickry im assuming you have to wear the headphones for long periods of time, I'd go with the 770s, they are also easier to repair or replace individual parts.
@@marcushanlin yes I also think so .. because of that I am looking for a headphones that can be used for live mixing FOH. tq so much explain to me..
The headphone fatigue is real.
I’ve created some good mixes, using two sets, one open, one closed.
But everything you say is so true. I did a lot of bouncing to then check on portable speakers, car speakers etc in order to be sure things weren’t lost or overpowering.
I finally got a set of monitors, and literally will start using them today.
New sub
Those Beyerdynamic are awesome! Just to add my grain of salt. There is the mix between open and closed: semi-open. I have the DT880 Pro which falls in the middle of the DT770 and DT990 that you have, and I LOVE THEM.
Great video! I liked the gimmick trick, will try that soon.
I always appreciate you chipping in your wisdom! Take note people :)
ATH M50x’s + sonar works for me.. +mix-reffing on 2 sets of monitors, the car, the work truck and my mates big sound system. Once they're all good - she's done.
Great video as usual Michael. the amount of music production knowledge i have learned from your channel is amazing thank you so much
Kicking myself for getting some inexpensive M-Audio headphones. When ever I mix with them, I cut out way too much bass. I'm going to try the sound flattening software and see if that helps these things.
Thankyou for everything you do brother 🙌🏻 ♥️
I have a friend who does many of his mixes in his car. It actually yields some great results.
I asked a question regarding this in the last video, thanks for covering! 😃
Thanks for the suggestion!
Halfway through the video and I can agree with everyone else, your posture, tone and selection of words are very smooth and intelligent. It’s very easy for me to understand everything your saying and your points. And your voice is just relaxing bro! It helps me focus on the video and not get distracted by other things around me. And on a side note.. I could leave your video on to help me sleep! But because the sound of your voice and tone. Anyway, amazing video bro; definitely getting a sub.
This video just solved the problem I had with volume! I was wondering why my levels were not right after I'd exported. Turns out I just put my computers volume on max while my headphones were plugged into my computer's aux. Beginners mistake, but now I know! Thank you so much In The Mix!
Really great information. As someone who has produced for a while but never dove much into properly mixing/mastering, I feel like I have a good basis to dive further in!
Three things happened while watching this video,
>I discovered mixing headphones are such a thing
>I got to know you're from Scotland
>You gave a shout-out to my country 3:39.. 😊😊😉😉
Great channel!
Not sure if anyone has already mentioned this, but here's an additional thought:
What speaker or headphone to use for mixing depends on who you are mixing for.
In my day for example you would have one mix for vinyl and home HiFi, and another dedicated 'radio mix' for public broadcasting for all those stuck in traffic jam listening on their mono car radios. Therefore, you would often listen back on those systems.
The TV sound engineer I knew listened back on several TVs at least 50% of the time.
So to translate this into today's listening environment, look at your clients and what they are predominantly listening on. My teenage daughter listens to her pop-stuff on iPods, my metal head friends would only listen on oversized high end LOUD speakers, etc.
Not saying mix on iPods, but I find that there is generally too little aim identification when it comes to mixing - and recording. There is no right or wrong technique, only one that suits the situation. Your client will expect a certain sound, and that needs to be discussed, then the appropriate monitoring technique chosen. If you are mixing for yourself, mix for whatever you are mainly listening on and make it sound the way you want it to sound and not how others might expect it to sound.
I use some old AKG open headphones with a flat response, some boring sounding Bose noise cancelling headphones and a stereo system (that I can adjust like a consumer) to get the basic mix, then I switch to whatever medium required. Walking around the room whilst listening on speakers also works for me, so does listening withOUT intent.
However, there is one application that requires monitoring speakers: When mixing together with the client.
Just a different perspective folks!
Have a lovely day!
You forgot to mention that besides impedance, sensitivity also plays a big part about how loud a headphone is on a specific device.
Yes, sensitivity does really really matter. People just overlooked it. Such an important thing to focus on.
How is possible, that so young man like You, know all this things and share with so warm way, and how is possible, that You speak so clear English language without Scotish accent :) You are great mate! I'm a user of Cubase, but still a lot of your advices are very helpful. Thanks for this channel!!
By the way, I'm going to buy headphones in the next few days. This video has helped relieve my stress. Thank you very much Michael. You answered all my questions about headphones
What did you choose ...berodynamics or Audio technica
I would suggest mixing in studio monitors and then listen it on headphones for close details and errors to fix. Works for me
I highly recommend my Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm. The sound is much better than from a 32 Ohm Headphone and it gets loud enough when just plugged into my Smartphone.
I love those headphones. I have them as well.
For Mixing with Headphones and get accurate. You need to mix with Open Back headphones that's the professional way.......Like the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm. Nothing less
I drive a 250ohm DT Pro 770 through a Focusrite 2i2 - it does lack bit of power but it works good enough
Tysm u're iconic I love ur channel
I just want to personally thank you for your content, man. I've learned so much from your channel and in a lot of ways have fallen in love with music production and engineering from perspectives I never thought I could understand and progress in, relative to my reality. I grew up in a family with not much money, but was bountiful in the love a music and in an art-form that money on some level is required to improve quality, I look for every way to get better for the cheapest way possible. And with so many channels that say you need the newest, top of the line, sleekest products to improve. It's nice to see that my, now 7 yr old Presonus Studio Monitoring headphones M-Audio Axiom Air 25 MIDI keyboard can still be enough. But honestly, it's your sincerity and obvious love for music that makes me compelled to push myself outside of my comfort zone to try and understand and learn as much as my ability and brain will allow. I absolutely love that you just get down to business and and make the content about the reason we're all here, THE MUSIC!!! But it seems like an ocean of UA-cam content is click bait and/or about the guy or gal that's creating the content, rather than the content itself. So I feel a real sense of professionalism from your channel because not one video seems to be about vanity or subscriber-gathering or making yourself wealthy and/or successful. It's just a very pure and genuine love for music and an obvious sense of satisfaction from being able to help guide and teach others how to develop their own ability and understanding of music production and design. And for myself, personally, I don't care if I ever become "successful' in the music industry. I don't make music for that purpose. I MAKE MUSIC BECAUSE I'M IN LOVE WITH IT!!! It's my escape, my therapy and meditation. So to see your content reminds me every time of why I'm still learning and why I WANT to keep learning, because music is for all of us and it brings us together as humans on a meta-physical level. So genuinely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you bro. Keep doing what your doing because you've personally impacted my life in such a positive and meaningful way that I want to learn as much as possible to pass it on to the next guy who's never been good at anything, except this. Much love and thank you again for everything.
s/o from sweaty-headphone South Africa
literally all of the other producer channel on youtube are so empty inside! thanks for making the best production videos on youtube!
There are a couple of good ones out there! Check out Asher Postman and Synth Hacker!
Michael's videos are great an so informative with short lenght. But you're wrong. There are also many other good videos about production, you just keep searching and check first if you can trust video's authors. Many trash, but also many good stuff.
Damn so young and yet you are going so hard with all this info. Bless u for kindly sharing such quality videos bro. Keep them coming 🔥
Awesome explanations about the headphones. You're just excellent in your submissions. Well done and thank you so much.
About the Ohm thing: My 250 Ohm 990's work just as fine with my iPhone 6, as with my UR22MK2, so I think it's not that important.
Yeah they don't go as loud but it's enough :-)
Trust me you are not getting anywhere near the full potential of those headphones without an amp to power them, the UR22MK2 does not have a powered headphone output (obviously nor does the iPhone). Sure the headphone will still make sound and play your music, but the driver is physically not able to achieve its intended frequency response. It's not a matter of volume or gain, it's about how much physical energy it takes to get the driver moving. Its like having a Ferrari that takes premium fuel only to put regular in it, sure it will still start up and maybe even drive, but you would entirely be missing the point of buying a Ferrari in the first place.
@@oCorvus WELL SAID!
i mix in airpod max’s with the wire and use reference tracks, love them and they work amazing for what i do and need
Your English is so good i don't need subtittles
you have no idea how much that probably means to this scottish guy 😂
@@squigglesmusic9660 I have some friends who're scottish. And sometimes I really have to do my best to understand what they're saying, while he isnt even supposed to be that bad lmao
Hey man, I’m from Scotland also, I’ve been mixing for about 5yrs now and I can say by far the DT990 pro open back headphones are amazing. I’ve mixed music for artists and myself and never received any complaints. Some well known artists too, just released an EP and amazing results just using headphones. I believe it can definitely be done, it’s all based on experience as getting used to your setup. Great video buddy. 👍
Mixing in headphones pro: you don’t annoy everyone with repeating the same stem over and over and over and over again 😂😂😂
i couldn't explain how valuable this channel is to me
Would you use noise canceling bose headphones for mixing /mastering?
MA2 no, headphones like those have a sound curve with the bass and high end to make songs more enjoyable to the average consumer. would not recommend mixing with those.
Definitely not. You want dedicated studio monitoring headphones that have a flatter freq response, otherwise the sound you hear doesn't replicate as well.
@@RangerKun Are the Beyerdynamic DT990 pro good for mixing? Like flat response
@@Hydrasito they would work though I've heard they are a tad bit bright.
You couldn't have updated this video idea more conveniently. I just watched your older video yesterday. I appreciate it.
What is the name or brand headphone you using on this video?
Beyerdynamic 770pro and 1990 pro. I'm not sponsored but I do think they are super comfortable. The 770 don't have a lot of bass and are very bright, just to let you know
@@inthemix what about the 1990 pro? Is it the bass really present?
@@WnderSouls it's present but has an amazing thick bass. I have heard that the much cheaper 990 also has better bass too, bit I have not tried them myself
Alenzo I have several over-ears. I love my 990s. Very clean, fairly flat (not v-shaped), open back for great staging, and super light/comfortable. I highly recommend. I use these along with my Yamaha HS7 monitors, but I agree that if you “know” your equipment you can get a great mix on pretty much anything.
@@inthemix hoho thanks for reply, i was actually wanna fine a great headphone for value. Beyerdynamic seems great for me to invest with😄
had to switch out of my audio engineering class due to disability preventing me from getting on campus easily. your videos have easily taught me way more than i probably would have learned in this entire semester alone, or even two who knows.
I’ve mixed in headphones for years bc my apartment walls are thin!
Ideal situation is you have open back, closed back, and monitors, id say start with a pair of mid range closed backs, then go for some cheap (relatively) monitors like the krk rokit 5s, then go for some open back headphones if you want something you can use at any time of the day if you dont live alone/have a full studio
sweaty headphone Australia checking in... definitely need a break after a while
The best part about subscribing to your channel is I really understand what you are saying and it helps me implement it in my music. :)
What did you mean with "getting everything in phase"?
At a guess (and as I NO expert i really am guessing) he probably means that with headphones, the sound waves are not bouncing off walls before hitting your ears. When waves bounce off walls and ceilings, they fold back on each other but not in perfect alignment i.e. they are out of phase. So various frequencies get cancelled out. In small home studios this is always a huge problem and why good bass traps etc are so important. If you don't have the space or budget for room treatment one option is to use headphones to check for that low end.
@@agentcalm ah okay, thanks ^^
I like the headphones on the desk trick... I usually try playing my mix on a rubbish set of speakers, but the headphone trick is much easier as I don't have to export to wav first.
Does someone have experience with 250 Ohm headphones and the focurite Interface solo ?
Check their website.As far as I remeber, the Solo does not support 250 Ohm headphones.
You are my online teacher now. I really appriciate your vibe and knowledge. I will make you proud by watch all your videos and educate myself. I started today. Thank you for being a super nice human being and your will to educate people who really needs and will get somehow. Much loves from Turkey. King regards
wait you can wash the pads of those 770's? that is most important piece of advice I have gotten of this haha
GREAT VID NEEDED THAT INFO
Wish i have four ears so that I can wear my both closed and open back headphones together.. damn.😬
Great stuff dude! Love it!
can you please make a tutorial about fl srudio stock plug in.
please teach me how to tweak thing in a plug in. please do harmor first please.
Sonarworks is fantastic. I use to mix with three different made and model, open and closed back headphones depending on where I am (home, road or studio) and I use Sonarworks all the time. Every single mix sounds good no matter where I made it so I can send my pre masters to the engineer without any doubt.
It’s very rare that my mix sound good after ONLY using headphones
You probably don't have the reference for each frequency and parameter down properly.
i think beware of flat response anything because you need to hear/know especially how the bottom end expands or fleshes out in an eq-ed system with native boosted bottom end and cuts. Beyerdynamic hphones have some enhanced bottom end which helps but the bottom end is specific - so you need to compare - eg ive got a set of Phillips headphones that are just designed for listeners and the bottom end is very different (i tend to trust them at the end stage.) Sennheisers are huge with rock musicians here (Oz) but i can't quite hear why i'd be using them except to get mid-hi relationshiops.
But some mastering in flat response environments can help alot.
You're like 14 years old and have the wisdom of a 114 year old engineer
What?
lol
@Shovine Bojraj @deadpaul I'm saying he looks young, but knows as much as a producer who has been doing music for decades.
I was exaggerating, I know he's not 14 (it was a joke)
@@LC-yo3bj lmao, you had me confused there
Great video! Do you think closed or open back headphones are better for playing digital piano at home?
been mixing on closed ones for years, no wonder the mixes never translated to other systems:P thnx for sharing! great tips
Waves NX seems to take care of the stereo imaging by cross-talking some of the L/R channels, and SoundID Reference seems to EQ pretty much all the major mixing headphones to a good flat curve.
11:20 Especially at 14:04 thank you for explaining the sound experience with open headphones!!!
👌I have been watching your videos since 2015. But after 2017 I did not watch the music production videos for some reason but now I am watching them again. And I am learning from you. Your videos are very good and explain very well. You explain very well because of your calm nature. All in all, I like your video very much.🙏🙏🎶
The most enjoyable video tutorials, so much information with such narrative and audio/video quality!
Thank you for your work!
Hello. I use 2 types of headphones. Both were inexpensive. Both cost below $20.00. I also use a laptop. One of the headphones has open back, and the other is closed. They both work well for music production. I don't have any issues with any of them. Enjoy your day.
U SHOULD BE SPONSORED BY THEM!!!!!
Because that’s why I’m literally buying a pair now. Get yo money bro, u deserve it.
To be frank bro you are the only mentor i have right now because your teachings are always clear and more understandable bro, just keep up the good work God bless you, lemme check this one out too because i dont have monitors thanks for this tutorial.
I have always mixed on headphones because I didn't know any better, but I've also received nice comments about the production
That's brilliant, honestly you can do so much with a decent pair of headphones these days and they let you just zone in on anything in the mix :)
P.S. I use beyerdynamic dt100
I've been shopping for a new pair of headphones. I'm so glad I caught this video before I bought anything. Wonderful explanation; thank you.
This is such an amazing video, as an artist myself I use Open Back headphones and my sound comes out very nicely, I need to invest on a pair of Closed headphones just in case I am in a noisy area. Thank you so much for this info!
I mix with the 770s especially because of the fan I have blowing on the back of my IMac….its a pretty quiet fan but with my Sony MDR I would hear it…great Channel Michael….I subscribed 💥🤝
I'm so grateful for your videos...!
Answered everything someone would need to know thank you!!!
i produce and mix on Sennheiser HD 650 for many years now, i really love them. they just sound fantastic, for 300 € phones. they are opne, i can wear them for many many hours without trouble
A tip for Sonarworks is make sure the desktop systemwide version isnt running in the background while the plugin is activated on your daw bc then you’ll get two instances of it and it messes up your mix
You can set that to automatically switch off