Volume mixing is one of the easiest ways to ensure your mix is working.
Understanding the Importance of Volume Mixing in Achieving a Balanced Mix
I’ve learned the hard way that volume and mixing can be tricky. I am not referring to loudness, which is an oft-debated topic, but the actual volume issues you can run into with different tracks in a recording.
Overcoming Common Volume Issues in Mixing: Bleeding, Distortion, and Muddiness
When I started out, I didn’t know how to keep instruments from bleeding into each other, getting distorted, muddy etc. What would sound great on headphones would sound terrible on a sound system. I couldn’t understand what was going wrong. It was frustrating.
The Impact of EQ and Compression on Proper Track Volume Management
Once you begin to understand EQ and to a different degree compression, those concerns become less of an issue, but it is still easy to not mix track volumes properly.
Because I was always turning up the volume as loud as possible to check for saturation, distortion, over compression or any other issue, I never thought to check the music when it was at its quietest.
The Power of Listening at Low Volumes: Unveiling Hidden Mix Flaws
And recently, I learned the ear thinks the louder you play music the better it sounds. Which may hurt your ability to hear mixing level issues.
The Louder, the Better? Debunking the Myth and Prioritizing Objective Listening
If you turn on a professional recording, you’ll notice that at ANY volume it sounds good. That’s why I now turn the volume down as far as possible to really hear how the mix is panning out.
From CringeFest to Masterpiece: Realizing the Importance of Listening at Different Volume Levels
Recently, after dropping a track to SoundCloud and distributing to Spotify. I thought the track sounded amazing. However, the song came on while I was at work, on headphones at a much lower level. It became CringeFest 2023 as I quickly realized I had made the hi-hat too prominent, and the vocals were buried in the verse. When I remixed, I made sure to listen at the lowest, medium and highest levels. Now it’s a vastly improved mix. Listen below:
First Mix (without volume mixing): Human Touch
Remix (with): Human Touch Remastered
Remember that your ears can fool you, that’s why I think this is a powerful trick and makes for more objective listening. Your mix isn’t right if it doesn’t sound good quiet. I often find that drums are overpowering vocals or that a rhythm part’s high end is too up front, but the point is, you have the mix right if it sounds good even when turned all the way down. Be sure to listen all the way though. You might be surprised by what you hear and learn.
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