Why do I need Studio Monitors? Can't I mix on Headphones? Kali vs KRK vs Yamaha
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- Опубліковано 10 лип 2024
- Shooting out 3 different sets of affordable studio monitors!
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This video has been proudly sponsored by Kali Audio
It seems a lot of viewers are mixing exclusively on headphones. Here's a few reasons why that might not be the best idea... and a shootout of several low cost studio monitors.
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About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
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I like how we’re supposed to hear a difference when we’re watching this on iphones while on the toilet.
Skyclad this is literally exactly how I am rn how did you know?? 😂
Bruh
THANK YOU LOL
EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
😭🤭🤣
Engineer 1: Yo what monitors do you have?
Engineer 2: Yamaha HS8s, what about you?
Engineer 1: Lexus ES300s, 1997 edition
Engineer 2: Nice. My first were the Toyota Corolla '08s
this is such an underrated comment
Bruhhhh 😂
I lost it with this one 😂 I mix in my Yaris all the time
😅😅😅😅
Enginer 1 is Scotty Kilmer.
How to mix with headphones
1) mix
2) go listen to it in the car
3) realize it sounds like shit and try again until it sounds...good
@Michael Iris lol I can't do really do monitors in my barracks room.
And spend forever going back and forth. At the moment I feel like I'm in a time loop.
Yoooo I been doing this but I feel like it’ll come out better if I just have studio monitors off the go
I convert all my sound waves to high current AC electricity. Then i shove one electrode up my ass and the other down my throat. When i shit myself and cum at the same time i know I've achieved the perfect stereophonic mix!
Im pretty sure studio monitors are cheaper than most used cars with decent sound systems.
I mix on a pair of tuna cans connected by string and it sounds fine.
What did you do with the tuna tho... like did you eat it or is it still up for grabs or what.
yeah and cause of oil too. flat sound cause of oil.
RIPxBlackHawk bruh have you never talked to a friend with cans connected by a string? You don’t keep the food in the can 😂
@MikeyMike1397 r/woosh yourself buddy. I dnt think you understand the joke to make it.
I used to use the tuna cans too, but i upgraded to kidneybean cans. Much fatter sound.
You forgot mixing with phone speakers??
1:50
Gettin' Down in the Upstate no no, a full mix using phone speakers
@@RudyAyoubwhy would you even want to do that
$2 earphones all the way
...of course bro dude man... the neopherite graphene magnetizers induce the subbass phaze frequency inducers to expand the full potential of the mixband harmonics.
i can mix only by looking the waveform
It doesn't matter what type of speakers I use. I always examine the waveform in every which way I can.
You aren’t a real engineer unless you’re mixing with earplugs in
disliker 22
True engineering gods can mix music without even using their ears.
Nothing compared to my brain to daw interface. Just hear the raw mix one time and then, booom, the mix sounds like i imagine it to sound. Perfect. Flawless.
@@disliker222 I don't even need a DAW, I just look at the WAV files in binary with HEX editor and do the maths myself. I still use soundcards for recording though, I tried listening by ear and writing it to WAV files manually, but I cannot type the numbers in that fast. Yet.
That moment when you realise you need monitors to watch this video
nope, you just need Banana!
Voice meter banana..... #free #NotASponsor
the comparison was to see which tools allowed them to create the best sounding results from your speakers
U need all pair of presented monitors Bro :)
Nah, I'm watching on a TV with default audio settings and can hear the differences between each mix pretty easily
Usually I just run my mixes threw Microsoft paint seems to work
Music G I’m more of a pc guy myself
Music G fucking idiot. you need to upgrade to Blender. There’s no way to get a good mix in paint.
hahahahahhahahaaaaa
ableton suck bruh, I use paint too
@Music G I like that I can draw in wave forms in paint easily but you do have a point
I hook a toaster up to my DAW. The toast pops up when the mix is good
It might be mixxed a little to hot.
You mean a kemper?....
Toasty...
It aint the smartest move to watch this on a mobile
Icke unless you use a GOOD pair of headphones. And no, not the earbuds included in the smartphone box... Watching this on laptop with the built in speakers isn’t wisely too.
@@emiel333 True. For me buying a sound card was one of the best choices I made. For some reason my speakers sound better (logitech ones) and my headset sounds better, at least I feel like I have a bigger frequency response. You can definitely tell the difference. When I come back to mobile it seems it's missing certain frequencies. As for this video I prefer the Yamaha's result on the drums, and I think the Kali's made a better job on the sound of the guitar, especially on the rythm one
Pedro Silva A sound card definitely improves the fidelity for your equipment. Many studios also use headphone amplifiers. A good sound card (audio interface) is capable of 192kHz/24bit audio recording and latency free monitoring. They have build in pre amps and great AD/DA converters. Also the headphone and speaker output is way better in comparison to a pc or smartphone. That’s why you got this nice sound!!
@@emiel333 oh makes sense yeah
Truth
YES! You will NEED both, monitors and headphones. I would first mixing on my headphones, then go listen to the good monitors and then go to the regular stereo speakers (just to verify and confirm if your mixing was accurate, etc.).
Everyone says you need to listen to your mix in the car, so now I mix exclusively in my car.
I think there's a plugin for that but I'm not sure how well it re-creates it.
Glenn the type of guy to listen to the news on studio monitors.
To get a neutral opinion about the elections?
Anurag Arya Glenn the type of guy to listen to his baby’s radio system through a set of A7xs
i play minecraft on my monitors
I play videogames, watch movies, youtube videos on monitors (I haven’t mixed recently). I noticed that I really liked neutral because it sounds just right (voices sound natural, instruments sound like they should) and in games like battlefield V the soundstage and imaging is really accurate at the point that I only use headphones only if I need the mic. I use JBL LSR308
I do this too.
The thing that most people aren't realizing is... When you say... These sounded darker... Or the high end in these sounded louder.... Is that the opposite is actually happening when mixing. If the highs sound louder.. That means that during the mixing process chances are the high end wasn't cutting through as much in those monitors so the engineer is compensating... Same with.."these ones sounded darker" which means there were more mids and highs coming through during the mix and the engineer pulled those frequencies. So it's not the monitors that sounded "dark" or "too bright".. It's actually the opposite. Something to keep in mind when choosing a monitor that's right for you.
Your point is inconsequential, though technically correct. Yes, the opposite of what we hear is happening as you suggest, causing certain frequencies to be emphasized or hidden so you want to choose the most neutral option where the highlighting of frequencies that does occur (as is inevitable) get's you as close to a finished sound as possible, that will translate across multiple systems.
@@OdinOfficialEmcee agreed
This true for light and sound and is interesting technically . I am not sure how it can help mixing ? More thought?
Bang on. I reckon the KRK mix sounds the tubbiest and least clear in the mid range. That would make sense because they're so scooped. I mean, they make everything sound so good that it's hard to be objective, so I'd never buy KRK's except for funsies or DJ'ing (if I were a DJ).
Ya....my monitors sound too good make my bad mixes sound good.
Just got the Kali LP-6 today. They’re great. Thanks for the advice Glenn
Love the video man! Nice work. Surprised to say I love the LP-6 here the most haha
It was easier to pick out the differences when repeating a section for comparison, good stuff Glenn 🤘
Dude I’ve been mixing with my KRK Rokits (G5) for like 8 years now and love them!
BUT (huh, huh, I said but)... I also dump the mix and listen to it in multiple sources, NOT JUST in my studio, but my car, headphones, and a variety of other sources. It’s the only way to truly test the mix.
That's one reason why you'll often see either "horrortones" (ie. Auratones / Avantone mixcubes), or some old "boombox" in studios, precisely for alternate monitoring, or as "average real-world" test-subjects, as it were.
Rokits have a notorious buzzing problem. Maybe you have a good pair, but in general real studios are staying far away from them.
@@KingCornWallis that's an easy problem to fix with youtube tutorials, and i never had that problem. after about a decade my volume slowly faded away to nothing on one of my first gen's, but that was with tons of use. i was watching movies and netflix on them! i found a used pair pretty cheap though!
also i've noticed myself and heard from others that the first gen Krk's are way better than the 2nd or 3rd gen's. This is a real thing. i'm blown away at how different a colleague of mine's 3rd gens sound. i can't imagine mixing on them.
also i think you mean rockit 5's in the original post. G is for generation in Krk's and they're aren't up to G5's yet! your monitors are either rockit 5's or the V series, which doesn't make a 5, but does make 4, 6, 8,. It's their professional series.
i also use rockit 5 first gens, and am really happy with them. enough that i wouldn't bother doing a small upgrade. it wouldn't be worth the money. I'm better off waiting until a can do a rather large upgrade like Genelecs or something.
All three sound great. I liked the Kalis best blind, but the more I listened, the more I liked the Yamaha mix. Can’t go wrong with any of them. Thanks!
I really do like the LP6. Thanks for the video!
Good stuff as usual, Glenn. Glad you’re able to start doing this stuff full time, and your content is just getting better.
I prefer mixing on the garage band app on my phone.
Me too. I'm deaf of one of my legs.
Anus Repair Man Garbage band is the best!
Anus Repair Man do you use some sort of audio interface on the garage band and would it also work for the MacBook?
@@Greenmantislives how are you guys giving serious responses to someone with the name anus repair man
@@khay2210 there is an irig interface made with ios and android in mind that works on pc and mac. Other interfaces do as well. You can also get good plugins for ios and android. I still prefer computers but mobile is definitely an option these days!
Been using a pair of Mackie HR624 mk1 monitors in my personal studio and I can't be happier with them!
I felt like the Yamaha had overall more excitement in the mix and more height, I felt like i got a more honest sense of all the aspects of the piece. The KRK had a nice rounded bass and had a meatier, more gravely feel. I thought Kali had height but it felt more focused than the Yamaha. Nice
Good to know that you approve Kali as a good brand. I just ordered a pair of the LP8s at my local music store last week. Love the content you put out, keep up the great work brother!
Mix B sounded the warmest and most organic on my system. Great playing helps too. Good job!
These is a very good format, Thank you for posting it. I like the sound of the krk's and the yamahas. It is good to know that monitors are not super expensive in comparison to what they can offer. I do believe that many headphones do accentuate certain things to be more marketable, in recent times i hear a lot of headphones that put a lot of accent in bass. But there has to be some that are more plain. Could it be the same effect that happens with our voice, we hear ourselves very different than what we actually sound like.
Awesome thank you! Not the first time I've learned something here. I found exactly what I was looking for! Thanks!
Were we supposed to be listening to this comparison on studio monitors or headphones?
Using my mobile phone's speaker, they all suck.
That's because the phones' speaker sucks.
@@setra23 that's the joke
@@setra23Woosh
old and overplayed meme joke sry
use your usual listening environment
and no this is not a joke but a serious question. listening on phone speaker can help identify quite a lot of mix problems.
I used to mix in a pair of Yamaha HS8. Then I changed them for a pair of Yamaha MSP7 + the sub Yamaha HS8S. The difference is huge. I hear details I wasn't hearing as much on the HS8, and my mixes have really improved in terms of translation.
Just pulled the trigger on a pair of the LP6's- thank you Glenn! I was mixing on headphones and using sonar works but I figured it was time for an upgrade
Thanks for this vid Glenn. The KRKs seem to have the best bang for the buck from what I heard through my Audio-Technica headphones. When I studied audio production at Berklee, the instructor said it was essential to "move the air" when mixing.
Mixing in my room tonight and this comment inspired me a bit
@@Petiej0110 👍😁
All the above are suitable monitors (I am partial to the KRKs), none of them resulted in a bad mix.
All 3 sounded really good by my ears. Loved the drum sounds, tgough sounded like they didn't quite poke through so well on the Kali's.
💯
Very interesting comparison there and great video as always. As a live sound engineer I often get performers that work on backing tracks. If they are home made they tend to always have the same problem... Way too much bass and its always distorted and unclean and my EQ will never remove distortion and or balance it quite right. They never seem to realise that my 18" or 15" subs have way more bass response than their apple headphones. Never underestimate the importance of testing your mixes in different rooms and systems!!
I dont do any music mixing and i still love your channel Glenn, have been subbed for many years, and still love to come back everyonse in a while to get some good tips.
Overall the Kali's have my vote, but I really like the bass guitar level with the Yamahas.
I like the fullness of the KRKs. The Yamaha's sounds a wee bit thin and Kalis sounded pretty clean. I am partial to KRKs, I have a couple of Rokit 8s and Krk 10" sub and I absolutely love them! I'd love to see an episode about subs and tuning them to your room.
This one got me to subscribe, I've always enjoyed your work but the monitor and mixing segment hooked me.
Thanks
Got the Kalis' coming... Thanks for the review to finding a great mixing pair.
Τhis comment is sponsored lol
I'm listening on my Rokit 5s, and the Yamahas sound the crispest, and everything has a nice "sizzle". The bass is certainly more detailed.
I'm not surprised...Yamaha does everything right.
The Yamahas have a bump in the mids & high end. DUH..! of course they're gonna sound crisp..YOU DONT WANT CRISP. YOU WANT FLAT! 😄
@@DavidGonzalez-su6zg keep in mind , that you might get inverse of FR of a monitor... Or engineer might be conscious of that and use it to discern better
@@DavidGonzalez-su6zg Well they still have the NS10 in studios so they must be doing something right.
@@DavidGonzalez-su6zg Bruh, this was a mix comparison... not a recording of each set of monitors. He achieved that crisp defined mix using the yamaha's because they are flatter than the other two. The reason the highs in the kali mix dont sound as good is probably that the Kalis boost them and so he undercompensated in the mix
@@makka7946 lol. Yamaha ARE NOT flat. They have a low mid /mid frequency bump of around +3db. The Kali's are flater than the Yamahas. That's a fact.
I wanteded the Kalis but realized that I'm working in a small room, so I decided to go with the iLoud MTMs. Sure, they're more expensive and are limited in some ways, but the automatic calibration saves money on room treatment so I guess it's kind of a win. And, I get to take them wherever and they sound pretty amazing!
I like the sound of the KRK R6 speakers best. Fuller low end, but not boomy. Thanks for sharing with us Glen!!!!!
Rocking with hs5 for 4 years now. absolutely love em!!!!!!!
I find switching between speakers during tracking and mixing helps avoid ear fatigue and can really highlight problem frequencies. I typically track on fostex ported speakers, as they are easy on the ear and a little flattering in some occasions for the musician I'm tracking who may want to have a in-between listen during recording takes, but I switch periodically to about 5 different speakers, most usually to NS10s (non ported of course) for some refinement, in particular when evaluating the lows (my NS10s don't cover lows very well.. I don't think they are intended to). Then I switch periodically, during listening to old Yamaha Hi Fi speakers which (perhaps oddly) I use to 'visually' see lows that I haven't heard with the other speakers. The Yam Hi Fi speakers are 3 way and with the woofer I look for exaggerated movement and use that visual cue to assist when EQing out bass frequencies. I guess my obvious issue is my control room which must be lacking in good treatment, but honestly after 35yrs of metal there is some frequency loss in my hearing and this switching of speakers seems to help identify rouge frequencies I'm no longer able to hear. Also, I don't use computers.. well, no DAW in any event. Just analog Soundcraft desk, loads of outboard and an Alesis HD24HD which is my multitrack (have not yet found a tape solution I can afford to use and maintain).
It seems to me that the Yamaha's did the best job of letting you hear everything. At least, it seemed to me that minor bits, like pick attack, were clearly audible as opposed to muddy, indistinct, or inaudible in the other mixes.
But I don't think one can do better than Kali's for three hundred bucks.
Listening on Adam A7x & Genelecs 8330A. UA-cam doesn't help that much, but I think you can notice a little bit of difference in the 400 - 600 Hz range and from 5k and over, specially that Yamaha sound. Thanks for making this video, you handle haters so good and I can't stop talking about this kind of stuff. It's not only more time consuming there are acoustic reasons that headphones give you no depth and harden EQ decisions, you might get dynamics fast, but I always listening a lot of EQ problems when I get stuff from headphones users.
Thanks for pushing good information out!
Those Kali's sounded great!!
I find that Sonarworks Reference really helps me out.
Hi glenn. This is just me giving my opinion on this subject which is one of the few I somewhat disagree with but also agree with.
Most freelance or amateur producers don't have a tuned room or high quality monitors to mix on, and if they do, you need to crank them a bit loud to get a good image of whats going on. That can be a nuisance to neighbors if you live in an apartment or duplex.
I have been mixing going on 3 years, and while that isn't much compared to someone your caliber, there is benefits from mixing on the RIGHT headphones. I use the ATH-900x Air open back headphones ran through a preamp to start my mixes. I never, EVER start on monitors. Headphones are imperative when diving into raw tracks. They allow you to zoom in on the audio and see whats actually going on. Monitors can get cloudy if you don't have at least a $500 set. Make sure when you mix on headphones, they are OPEN BACK. Never mix on closed back headphones. It traps the bass and dampens the mids.
After I gain stage, do preliminary compression, eq and slight volume adjustments and get everything in its little pocket, I then turn on my monitors to make sure everything sounds cohesive. After that stage, I switch off my monitors and use headphones EXCLUSIVELY for vocal editing. Vocals are the most fragile part of the mix (besides snare). If you have bad vocal editing, you ruined the track. After I get all my plugins squared away and really saturated the vocals, I switch back on my monitors and make sure they can be heard or if they're too loud.
Most of the time I use my monitors as a "bigger picture" for reference of the entire mix, but rarely do I solely rely on them. In an untreated room (especially) you need a good set of headphones. Funniest part about all of this is whenever I tell people I mix on headphones, they think i'm an amateur or say "I've never heard of that". People think i'm crazy, but once you learn your equipment, it's invaluable. Once they hear the final mix, they swallow their doubts.
So my advice for beginners and freelancers, USE OPEN BACK MIXING HEADPHONES. For professionals that have treated rooms, solid income and can afford them, USE HIGH QUALITY MONITORS.
Bearfoot, Genelec, Neumann and Amphion = High price / high quality
Presonus, Kali, Yamaha, krk, adam audio = mid range price / good quality
Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking on starting producing my own music, almost only digital (trap, drill, house) and was thinking on buying an KRK. Thing is, I didn't know I should have a treated room for mixing. I thought that was necessary for recording vocals and drums. Also, I thought, I would only need monitors, and headphones were just the other options.
I had the feeling that, after mixing on monitors, I would only need to test the song on regular speakers, and regular earphones. So, if the sound comes out as a "Regular" song that you hear everywhere, then the work should be done.
Great reply. Good engineer can mix on anything. By the way I preferred the Kali Audios cause they seemed the most neutral.
Seriously, this open back comment is underrated. I used to be an ath-m50 stan but once I got my first pair of open backs and semi open backs, I only grab the 50s when I'm recording audio and need no sound bleed. Other than that i run 97% of my mixes thru open backs
x If you're justing playing guitar and not mixing, you can use just about any monitor. I recommend the presonus eris line of monitors though. They're very flat and give you an accurate representation of how your instrument sounds across all devices. I have the Presonus eris E8XT's but starting out, i'd recommend the Eris E4.5's or E5's. Great monitors for a good price.
This is exactly the point. Monitors are only as good as the room they are in. Low budget monitors therefore somehow don't really seem to make sense.
The video I've been waiting for
I just bought a pair of the white Kali LP-6 and I love them
Good studio monitors have the best soundstage and imaging, so instrument placement it is better.
For example, when I placed an instrument a bit off center (studio monitors) in a lot of headphones I have (not all) it was panned all the way to the side.
Also when making adjustments to the reverb, in headphones you put more reverb due to the lack of a room (literally).
But headphones are better for (like Glenn said) noticing those tiny details like pops, clipping so you can fix them right away.
Also closed back headphones are needed for tracking so you can monitor yourself singing without bleeding sound into a mic.
Considering the hearing in my right ear is shot (Thanks, Deep Purple!), I have to EQ everything with my left ear when I mix. listening with headphones, I would say the B monitors kicked in some highs that I was uncomfortable with and the A monitors are lacking a tiny bit in the highs. The C monitors I felt provided the best mix; to me they had the best overall sound. Watched the video again listening through a Technics' receiver with a pair of Technics SB-CR77 3-way speakers with JBL crossovers (swapped the crossovers (my home stereo setup)). C was definitely the best sounding of all three mixes. Even with it cranked and listening from an adjacent room, it sounded the best.
The only thing I use headphones for is helping to obtain a balance, never using them to EQ. 90/95% of the balancing is done WITHOUT headphones.
kali sounds the most neutral on my presonus eris 4.5, did ordered the lp6`s today and also a audio technica ath-r70x happy mixing and mastering ! thanks for this video
I'm listening on Kali LP-6. All three sound pretty good!
The Yamaha 7's.
And not just because I'm listening through a pair of them.
Ikr lol
IM noT bIaseD, yOu'Re biAsEd
They have nice clarity and seem well balanced
Same lol they did seem more clear and that guitar solo sat in the mix well.
same same here. Checked this out in my own HS7's and have to agree, it's just so clear sounding.
1:25 But acoustic treatment minimizes the sound's reflections.
1:29 There are headphones designed with a flat EQ too. And you can also use AutoEQ and Equilizer APO to compensate for your specific headphone's frequency response.
I wish you would have included a headphone mix as well. And thank you for leaving it up to the listener to decide which sounded better.
I think the Yamaha mix sounds the best on my Presonus Eris e5's. I found that the rhythm tone in the Kali mix could have used more mid range, and the KRK mix had a bit of low mid mud through my monitors. Not sure what I've learned but really what I've found most important is learning your room and whatever monitors you have.
Would love to see a video on your thoughts on room correction software/hardware. Perhaps before and after proper acoustic treatment.
That rhythm riff !
Spent 10 minutes trying to remember what it sounds like : Amon Amarth, the verse riff of A dream That Cannot Be. Awesome riff :)
Really cool shootout to hear final mixes results!! Highly unscience-ish, but science doesent go a long way in predicting creative results anyways. And as someone producing music, you have to develope your own taste and jugement also. Great job!
JUST GOT THE Hs7s THESE ARE THE BEST MONITORS IVE EVER USED! KILLED THE KALI's IN GUITAR CENTER
I thought the yamahas sounded the cleanest, but I actually liked the Kalis' mix a bit more. There were a few high frequencies that were left seemingly unpolished, but they also gave the song a little bit of the magic that is pretty absent from metal lately.
The other ones didn't really have anything that stood out to me.
Btw I'm listening on headphones because I'm of the group that doesn't own studio monitors yet.
I've listened on three devices (my old stereo, on the phone and a MAC with a Scarlett), the KRK sounded better to me - the Kali lacks some bright (maybe the excessive bass on the mix).
I like these sloppy-highs - agree with you about "The Magic".
I like the price of the Kalis performance. Is the squeeze worth juice ?
Actually, listening from a pair of studio monitors, I can hear a huge difference in the mix as the Krk are more precise and clean than the others, just notice how the overall bass frequencies on the mix get more balanced and expecially the mid/hi freq. of the bass guitar gets clear and more separated from other instruments, while they're completely absent in other monitors. Yamaha have the flattest response in my opinion (i own them) and clearer highs, while the Kali are more scooped on the mids.
@@EricMacFadden The Kalis sounded scooped the Rockits sound like Rockits and the Yamahas sounded similar to the kali w/o the scoop
@@nicolofaettini7458 But did you listen to the mixes on your Yamaha studio monitors? Because if so of course the Yamaha mix is going to sound the best since it's mixed on monitors you are listening to. Not defending the other speakers by the way, I'm just curious.
Monitors do add color in a way similar to that of headphones; the environment in which the speakers operate are a delicate matter. The distance and angle of studio monitors should be carefully considered, coupled with the studio's sound isolation technique. While I do acknowledge that really flat headphones are difficult to come by (especially in the inexpensive variety), one of the main reasons why I tend to use (closed back) headphones is that I can conveniently bring my “studio” wherever I want. But ultimately, if you have the time and resources to setup a proper studio, monitor speakers are highly recommended if not a must.
Yeah, circumstances are probably what caused the vote to go the way it did. I have kids and live in a small apartment. I can only really record and mix at night and there's no chance whatsoever I could do it on monitors. Headphones suck, but it's my only option.
Once you get used to mixing on headphones (and, preferably, always referencing through several other means - yes, even phones and laptop speakers), you learn how to get around most of its shortcomings.
I'd say it's true even to monitors - I've changed models and brands before and, at first, the mixes tend to suck, until you "get" the new sound and from then on it's smooth sailing.
Even though I have a nice pair of Mackies, I tend to do most of my mixing on headphones nowadays, using the monitors only occasionally. Main reasons are that I can do it at much lower volume levels overall, so I don't bother other people and my ears tend to fatigue way, way slower; headphones is how most people are listening to music nowadays. From experience, getting a nice sounding stereo field on headphones and then tweaking so it works nice on the monitors gives me a richer and nicer headphone sound than going the other way around. I could probably learn how to replicate it, if I needed, though.
Get etymotic.
Great vid brother. I'm gettin to be a bit of an old timer in the game (like yourself lol), this'll be super helpful for the youngsters..
I generally try to mix with the budget computer speakers which in general pretty much everyone else use and try to get the best sound out of it first. Then use a couple different headphones including gaming headsets aswell to try minimizing the differences. And then i listen to your mixes and realize that they're 100 times better than my mixes if not more, over and over again. Although i am a home recorder, don't really have much of a studio. Gotta install some fucking sound isolation stuff before i can really crank up the amp and mic it. Then i'll definitely buy some good studio monitors by taking references from your videos, not only for mixing but also for general purposes as well. Thank you Glenn for being brutally honest and awesome.
Glen, have you had a chance to hear the Kali LP8's yet? Curious how they stack up against other similar monitors, and would like to know if most home studios would be better off with 6 or 8 inch woofers.
The Yamaha's are pretty similar pricing in the UK and can actually be bought second hand.
I'm new to mixing on monitors and it has helped me make much better decisions, the hard part was the transition.. first time I heard music my monitors I thought they sounded terrible! What did I just waste my money on?? What I didn't realize was I was devoid of the extra low frequencies and was hearing details I didn't find pleasing but that was probably the mix I was listening to. It really takes time to get to know your monitors and I listened to so much music on them as painful as some of it sounds but I learned what a bad mix sounded like and when you hear a really good one you just know. At the start of this video I was playing back on my Yamaha HS-5's and every time I heard the HS-7 mix I thought it sounded brilliant and the KRK sounded a little duller and even more so on the LP6. Silly me didn't realize the point of the video until you mentioned consumer speakers so I listened back on my shitty logitech's with a sub (dialed way back) and I still thought "the awesome" kicked in every time the HS-7 came on. I've seen you use a couple different monitors in your videos and couldn't really make out what they were.. my questions would be what are they and why do you like them; and also which out of the 3 in this video did you prefer and why?
lol me listening to this on LP8's after watching this 4 years ago! haha love the riffs so much that i comeback to this often XD
The Yamahas sounded more detailed to my ears...especially noticeable was the string attack on the bass guitar.
Caveat...I listened to this vid through a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x's
yea The fact that this video was sponsored by Kali kind of hurt them, cuase those yamahas sounded fire. I thought they were the best on all mixes
Likewise, and I can attest to your observations.
Car stereo evaluation (only two speakers)
Kali: Good. Pretty neutral all around
KrK: Big, punchy bottom end, tamed highs.
Yamaha: The same punchy bottom of the KrK's with a crisp, pleasantly aggressive high end.
I have Yamahas and there is not as much bottom as the KRKs.
@@TheRealHucasys We're not hearing the speakers, we're hearing mixes made on those speakers.
Nicholas. That is right on point.
The krk's were a little boomy...The yahamaha's gave a great overall balance... However the mix with the kalis had more depth. It's a tought one. I guess it comes down to what sounds good to you...If we start going into high end, then that's a different story. Awesome video dude! Btw, I was referncing it on a set of old school KRK13000b monitors.
Absolutely love the drummer, looks so dope
To me, the mix with the Yamaha HS7 sounded best, then the Kali LP6, then KRK Rokit 6. The guitars sounded decisively better and punchier in that order, but the kick drum (and maybe snare) was slightly beefier on the mix with the KRKs. All mixes sounded good, although I might have preferred a more prominent kick/snare combo overall.
I'm listening on Adam Audio T5V.
Mixing on headphones isn't difficult. You just need to learn how to do it, like with speakers. Best of all: it's a controlled environment. Setting up a good acoustic environment for your speakers can be difficult and expensive.
I find the LP6s to be the most transparent and revealing. Then in second place come the HS7s with a gentle boost on the mids and at last come the Rokits sounding just a bit muddy around 300 but they all sounded good. Being that the LP6s are the cheapest blows my mind!
This was an excellent review. Great job showing us three mixes rather than recording the monitors with a mic. For me, the KRK mix sounded the most balanced with nice low end, warm but clear mids, and clear highs that were not harsh. The Kali mix was good but lacked the shimmer in the high end and got a little muddy in the low mids... at least for my taste. The Yamaha mix was crisp and clear but lacked punch in the low end. Just my thoughts.
the kali and yamahs sounded the best to me i was listening thru my yorkville ysm 8s
Love seeing other Yorkville/Traynor users!
@@FinalBaton :)
Listening on A7Xs. To me the KRKS sound the 2ND best. The drums sound a bit thin on the Kalis. Honestly I feel I can hear the difference in the HF on the Yamaha's, and they are still fat.
I’m on the Yamaha hs7’s and their phenomenal! I highly recommend them!
On my seriously low rent speakers there was only a slightly warmer tone from the Kalis, which it should be noted I preferred to the other two. Nice work Kali imo.
I really don't have a choice right now so headphones for me. But I'm very careful to mix and master the whole thing in mono as well. I wish there was a monitor simulation that accurately simulated stereo monitors. I also reference the mix through everything from cheap speakers to higher end sound systems at work.
I'm getting pretty good results. I guess with practise you get good with what you got!
When the sound comes out of the left speaker, it hits both ears same as the sound from the right speaker it also hit both ears. That’s one thing a “headphone” can never do. And it can affect the final mix. So be cautious.
@@blizzbee
I was actually fully aware of that. My idea was to simulate that with clever programming or something like that. Maybe record how music leaves monitors and hits the ears and create what would be the equivalent of an I pulse response.
Sounds like you're looking for Waves Nx?
try etymotic mk5
@@sigurdfyllingkarstad2694 What you're looking for is stereo to binaural. Check out bs2b.sourceforge.net/
Missing one of the biggest equation in this 3 speaker test. The mixing engineer's ear and experience!
Really love your videos! You have very good arguments, but I would also like to hear a comparison between the monitor mix and headphones mix. Like the 4th mix to be made on your studio headphones. I really think this way you would show us, not only tell us, and of course you could tell us how long it took you to make the mixes on each, including headphones (you said it's more time consuming)
Don't shoot, it was just a suggestion for future improvements. 😀
Cheers from Transylvania, 🇷🇴
(Don't worry, the vampires like metal)
Yams...good comparison video... Thanks
You've said it yourself in the past, that you need room acoustic treatment for mixing with monitors based on which it should be better to mix on headphones (where acoustic treatment is kind of given) compared to an untreated room with monitors. Good treatment is expensive unfortunately.
I do know about that. I think an untreated room with monitors would still translate better than headphones.
yeah. gotta agree on With KFX on this. my mixes on krk's in an untreated room sound way better than mixing on my sennheiser headphones.
and sound treatment isn't that expensive. rockwool goes for about 60 USD at home depot or lowes and that one container is enough to do a 6" corner trap nearly floor to ceiling (which probably isn't necessary). i'd say that's very affordable. and it's not like you have to buy it all at once. do one corner, then another, then another, then another, if that's how your budget works. i've definitely seen people use old matresses, blankets, comforters as well in a pinch. not everything has to be expensive.
For the bedroom or single room home recording artist or project studio, you're going to need the acoustic treatment anyway to record decent vocals, or micing anything. whether it be voice, speakers, drums, etc. so the acoustic treatment becomes priority 1 for tracking or mixing making it even more vital.
I will still continue to mix on headphones and constantly reference, and check on other systems. I simply don't have the space or money for monitors.
Man those are some mouth watering fills 🤤
Glenn!!!
Listening thru dt770s... Kalis sound badazz.
The Yamaha pair had the most flat response and a highest ticket price.
I thought the Rokit mix sounded better, which is ironic since I'm listening on a pair of Kali LP6. As these monitors should translate perfectly (they are exactly the same as the A mix), this is indisputable evidence that I disagree with the guy who did the mix... :)
To my ears the KALI and Yamaha sound exactly the same while the KRK’s have more bass response.
Glenn, you should take a serious listen to the Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin for headphones. I think the biggest issue "home" studio users have is always the room. It doesn't matter if someone has killer reference monitors if they are using them in a terrible room. Most home studio users don't have the budget or the knowledge to properly analyze their room and then correct the problems. I purchased the Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin about 1 year ago and it improved how my mixes translate immediately. You install the plugin as the last device in your signal chain. If you aren't familiar with the plugin it works by basically "EQ's" whatever headphones you are using to be relatively flat. Sonarworks has EQ profiles for most of the popular headphones that are available. Their website even has a page that allows you to hear the difference their profile will make to your particular headphones. I have been mixing live sound since 1981 and have been doing the home studio thing since 2004. I know how to use all the various processors and FX but mixing on headphones while running Reference 4 has been the single best investment I've ever made. The plugin is $99.00 but Sonarworks have a free 21-day evaluation period. You can install the plugin on 3 devices and there is no iLok.
I mix on AKG 240’s (headphones) because I am at university. When I go home to my parents, I mix on monitors as much as I can. However, I got a SUPER balanced mix on headphones that I referenced on my guitar instructor’s monitors he has in his office and he was impressed. So, I don’t think it’s completely bad to mix solely on headphones, just reference on monitors when you’re done if headphones are all you have. Find someone with monitors or reference it in the car or your home theatre system.
No use my broken dollar tree earbuds
Signal chain for that super beefy guitar tone, please? :D
I’ve heard you mention Blue Headphones before. Would love to see a review on the Lola model, as it’s the more affordable of the two!
Also worth noting that phones often have mono speaker, so choosing plugins that aren't too wide is important, if you want a track that sounds good on mobile too, have a range of mono and stereo instruments. Also nightclub music systems are often mono so this is especially important for dance producers.