Mixing it up. Listen up.

Recently I have been sending several film scores and theme songs to be approved before making final versions of songs. I mix in stereo and surround. I have a sub woofer that rumbles the house but chances are, iPhones and laptops do not have subs hooked up and that is where clients are now previewing work, on the go, on the bus, in the car or at a cafe.

While you want to make sure that your mixes sound amazing in a controlled environment like a theatre or home theatre set up, that is not always where your work will be previewed or even listened to in its finished format.

For example, I recently created a theme for a movie review podcast called Screamwave . I had bass drum percussion running through the piece and in my environment, my subs were booming and it sounded very cinematic. When I reviewed it on my laptop the drums were non existent. I went back to the recording session and added some taiko drum sounds that have a higher frequency and that brought the percussion pattern back to life when I reviewed it on my laptop.

Listen to these on your laptop / iPhone speakers to hear what I mean
Low drums original listen
Higher drums for laptop listen

Always listen to your mixes the way real people do. Laptop, iPhone, car, iPod, desktop speakers and your home theatre. Take the time, listen to your mixes, take ear breaks and enjoy the subtle differences a few changes can make.

This blogpost originated from nathanfleet.blogspot.com