|
|
Post by OtisGreying on Mar 3, 2021 8:56:26 GMT -6
Playing an old mix very loud in the car recently made some harshness very audible to my ear rather obviously in the mid/uppermids and top end, whereas If I listen at lower volume on earbuds/ headphones the same areas of harshness seem fairly acceptable and okay.
What are your preferred methods for perceiving this harshness that becomes more obvious at louder volumes? Is the only way to crank the volume? I don't usually like to mix at high volume and it makes my ears tired very quickly is why I ask, I also want to preserve my hearing if it can be helped.. |
|
|
|
Post by srb on Mar 3, 2021 9:15:31 GMT -6
We're still in the business of trying to make audio translate across a wide variety of systems. It's bound to sound better on some than on others, right?
Have you tried listening to these same tracks on other systems at a similar volume? Is the harshness present on those systems, too? Perhaps the car's system is not up to the task in the range where you perceive the unpleasantness.
If the unwanted only occurs in places within the mix, it could be an aspect of your studio monitoring?
I don't like to monitor too loudly, either. It's fatiguing. I invariably turn things up, though, at least for a while. Clients generally want to listen more loudly than I do, so that can help in identifying potential problems areas. Never had any issues with harshness, though.
At some point, I think you do have to crank it a bit, just to see what you're getting.
|
|
|
|
Post by jpanderson80 on Mar 3, 2021 9:27:53 GMT -6
Varying volume differences can help some. Accurate monitoring and a good treated room are the two important factors here. I agree with the srb as well, it could be the car's system having a deficiency at that specific spot in the spectrum. Doing a QA listen through nice headphones is also a good way to hear any harshness that may otherwise be masked with speakers/room.
|
|
|
|
Post by tkaitkai on Mar 3, 2021 10:22:00 GMT -6
I spent a year or two chasing this issue down to the point where I was pretty much obsessed with annihilating 3 - 5kHz and using soothe all the time. Definitely resulted in a few mixes being a little too soft, but I learned a lot from it.
You've already landed on one of the best ways to approach this — the car test. Take any track that's a little harsh and listen to it in your car. Make a mental note of what hurts your ears, and then go back into your studio and listen for those same problem areas. To try really focus on how that harshness is represented by your speakers. If your speakers are a little too neutral/forgiving/flattering, it probably won't be painful to listen to, but it will still be there. You'll just have to make a more of a concerted effort to hear it.
Reference mixes really come in handy for this. There are so many times where I think what I'm doing sounds excruciatingly harsh, only to pull up a reference and realize it's even more aggressive. Listen to the same references in both your studio AND your car. A trick that I find useful when going to the car is to listen to the reference first — that way, my ears can acclimate to the change in environment before I start nitpicking my mix.
Personally, a lot of my issues with harshness seem to be more psychological than anything. I naturally want things to be pleasant/smooth at any volume, but most records I reference are super loud and bright and upfront. It's important to know what harshness sounds like, but I think it's equally important to know what presence/energy sound like.
Also worth noting that harshness can occasionally be cool. In moderation, of course.
|
|
|
|
Post by theshea on Mar 3, 2021 10:35:51 GMT -6
i am using my single avantone mixcube speaker for this. i listen rather loud through them for a short time and it helps me identify those harsh sounds.
i can‘t praise the mixcube enough: it helps me with balance, mids, harsh highs etc.
and i always do the car check too.
... but still my mixes suck and i am still learning. but this little mono speaker helps me learn faster.
|
|
|
|
Post by srb on Mar 3, 2021 11:37:47 GMT -6
i am using my single avantone mixcube speaker for this. i listen rather loud through them for a short time and it helps me identify those harsh sounds. i can‘t praise the mixcube enough: it helps me with balance, mids, harsh highs etc. and i always do the car check too. ... but still my mixes suck and i am still learning. but this little mono speaker helps me learn faster. I have a pair of these as well. Comes in mighty handy. Nice for checking small speaker kick and bass, too. |
|
|
|
Post by phdamage on Mar 3, 2021 13:24:16 GMT -6
good tips in here. also if you know this is a problem for you in your mixing environment, maybe add some harsher monitors. NS10s come to mind, but if you don't wanna shell out the $$, those old radioshack minimus 7s would do the trick, and i'm sure there are several others
I usually sweep through the upper and lower mids on my mixbus to see if anything could use some tamping down. granted, those are super small moves. also DSEQ or Soothe could be helpful. less so the brainworx refinement plug.
|
|
|
|
Post by jpanderson80 on Mar 3, 2021 14:39:18 GMT -6
i am using my single avantone mixcube speaker for this. i listen rather loud through them for a short time and it helps me identify those harsh sounds. i can‘t praise the mixcube enough: it helps me with balance, mids, harsh highs etc. and i always do the car check too. ... but still my mixes suck and i am still learning. but this little mono speaker helps me learn faster. Single use of cubes is definitely up there too. Good call out. I prefer a single to a stereo pair for other reasons too. |
|
|
|
Post by reddirt on Mar 3, 2021 16:15:49 GMT -6
Yep singles with varying levels are great to stop the stereo distraction and focus on the essence of your sound.
Cheers , Ross
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 3, 2021 16:57:04 GMT -6
good tips in here. also if you know this is a problem for you in your mixing environment, maybe add some harsher monitors. NS10s come to mind, but if you don't wanna shell out the $$, those old radioshack minimus 7s would do the trick, and i'm sure there are several others I usually sweep through the upper and lower mids on my mixbus to see if anything could use some tamping down. granted, those are super small moves. also DSEQ or Soothe could be helpful. less so the brainworx refinement plug. Fostex 6301 is like an Auratone that can reveal mud. |
|
|
|
Post by svart on Mar 4, 2021 8:23:43 GMT -6
The best way to hear harshness? Play your mix for the band while they're sitting there. You'll suddenly hear all the flaws that you didn't hear before.
|
|
|
|
Post by Guitar on Mar 5, 2021 7:34:20 GMT -6
I have some Polk speakers in the other room that can be quite bright. So I have to catch myself there, check there pretty often. Then I can "learn" my main room based on how mixes sound in the other room, if that makes sense. You get a sense for it after a while.
The Polks I have are RTi A3. But you could also use TSi 200 or T15 (smaller.) These are not expensive speakers, and are in fact pretty decent for casual listening, maybe not mixing or mastering.
|
|
