Nine Essential Tips for Mixing with Headphones

Music is always the best medium to get you entertained. It is becoming one of the best therapies to attain peace. So, all the audio professionals engaged with audio mixing, usually monitor their work in the separate rooms. In the end, they have to make something which has a good impact when played.

Do you have any experience of mixing the songs? You need to do the entire work by being cautious. To make sure that there is no sort of disturbance or any audio errors during the mixing action is essential. 

Well, have you heard of headphone mixing that is the mixing the sound by making use of the headphones? You might get stuck with the question that is it even possible to do the mixing work by making use of the headphones. People are coming forward every day with their personal views. Even with proper reasons, mixing with headphones is in controversies. But it is enough perceptible that you can combine the audios by making use of the headphones. However, you need to make sure that you have the best expertise knowledge to do the work. At the same time, you should accompany yourself with the best supportive tools.

Some of the tips to be followed while you finally plan for mixing with the headphones include:

#1- Selection of the headphones

Well, if you are indeed making use of the headphones for mixing purpose, you cannot rely on an average working headphone. The individually designed headphones help to evaluate the signal levels, EQ and the dynamics. You can go through the various guidelines offered before purchasing one. So, in the end, you should make sure that the headphones are good studio monitored one. People generally engaged design such headphones for the music mixing work. To name some of the recognized choices for the headphones to include:

• AKG 702
• Audio Technica ATH-M50
• Pro Studio Monitor Headphones
• Focal Spirit Professional Headphones
• Sennheiser HD 650 Headphones

If you already have a set up for doing the monitoring work than for you, the headphone is merely a reference element. Well, if your studio has no ideal acoustics, then headphones certainly will be a helping tool. You may find it quite surprising, but the use of headphones to listen to the varieties of music helps in better results.

#2- The tenure of headphone experience you carry

The more time you make use of the headphones, the more opinions you can frame relating to the headphones. The person who uses the pair of headphones will easily make out how the quality sound comes to ears.

#3- Protect your ears

Mixing is one of the most time-consuming works. Hence, you have to take breaks at regular intervals. Indeed, this will help you to provide protection to your ears and prevent any damage or hearing issues in the future. In the end, you have to maintain the overall mixing volumes at the softer levels. An ear remains fresh during the morning hours. It is generally recommended to do the mixing task early mornings. Well aware of the fact that the drivers are situated next to ears, one should be cautiously dealing with it as it might cause possible risks to ears. Keeping a record of the SPL level and the quantum of time invested in mixing even proves to be beneficial. Proper care of the ears if taken by you will ensure that they would too take your adequate care.

#4- Making use of the reference tracks

Indeed, you need some material which can be placed and used up as a reference for the work by headphones. Hence, the reference tracks help in maintaining the balance of the mix. Therefore, neither anything goes exaggerated nor quite. The reference even helps at least to keep the same use of instruments if not the genre.

#5- To get accuracy in balancing the various sounds

There is no doubt that the mixing on headphones is not going to be a more straightforward task. It is a challenging work, to have a perfect balance of all the sounds. You need to collect the music from the source at the correct balance. The problematic thing is that one does not get the low-end information quickly on the headphones.  We work on the entire mechanism is merely on the guess basis. However, if you are a frequent listener of music, then you will certainly do the work well.

#6- Avoid making use of the stereo plugins

You may pan the sound correctly and then mix it up well on the headphones. However, if you test it on the speakers, you will find most of the effects to be missing. Hence, the entire sound gets unbalanced. Their headphones often create confusion by making fluctuating noises suddenly to be louder. So, you should avoid making use of the stereo plugins. Moreover, you need to keep all the processing work subtle.

#7- Making use of the subtle processing work

You are using headphones for the mixing mechanisms, and hence the processing needs to be subtle. Clarity is something which helps to evaluate the quality of mixing work. If you make use of the reverb and delay, the entire results may prove to be muddy and unclear. Hence, we ignore doing the excessive processing work.

It may even create situations when the tone of the sounds would also get hampered. In the end, the results might be an undesirable one. So, you need to make the processing work quite pleasing with a perfect balance.

#8- Using the acoustic simulation plugins may prove to be beneficial

Are you aware of the fact that many people do not make use of the headphones?  Well, if not then this is going to be quite surprising for you. Many such people are even there who have not even once used the earpiece till date. Indeed, listening to music may be pleasing for a limited period. However, it might create irritation if heard for the prolonged periods.

Playing the music on the speakers has got its advantage as the sound gets spread. The sound coming from the left speaker is perceived by the left ears first and then the right ear. In the same manner, audio from the right speakers enters the right ears and then follows left ear. The sound does not come to the ears at the same time. Hence, puts a limit to the amount of music level entering the ears. But, if you make use of the headphones, the sound directly strikes the ears. Hence, the recommendation is made to use the various plugins for the acoustic simulation. They prove to be the beneficial tools.

#9- Need to be cautious enough while translating the audios into different sound devices

Well, this is the most critical part. To bring the beeps sound well for the various sound devices is vital. You should check whether it can be played in a different system successfully or not. Hence, to maintain the quality of sound, DIY mastering is quite recommended. Moreover, if any changes are further required, some final touches can be quickly done.

Things to keep in mind

Are you running out of cash as a musician to afford a luxurious studio for your professional work? You may even possess all the equipment but fail to play the instruments due to the probable loud noise it might cause.  Whatever, might the reason be you do not need to be worried anymore? Properly make use of the headphone for audio mixing, to have surprising results.

In the end, you can frame this opinion that both producing and then mixing work only by making the use of headphones might prove to be challenging work. Many tools are available which helps in overcoming some issues and providing a supplementary aid. Well, it is entirely upon the creative and innovation sense of the person engaged in deciding how to work on the drafting needs.

You can even mix some of the particular portions by headphones while the other ones in studios. Headphones help in focusing on the work and correcting the little errors of the individual track. Being aloof from the various acoustics collaboration it helps in easy detection of errors. Even the tone shaping could not be done with the same perfection as done in studios but still is used. Therefore you can say that until you ready to invest in various acoustics hardware, you can continue the active work by making use of the headphones.

Conclusion

Well if you are looking to have the headphone for mixing, then you can visit any store. You can even check on the various websites, to save time. All you have to aware of are the different tips and tricks of purchasing. Hope you will find the article to be quite beneficial. You can even share the information with all your known ones.

Thank you.