My mixing changed for the better when I abandoned my studio monitors in favour of mixing in headphones using the Realphones software. This software has an addon called the Osinsky Studio addon which includes the Aurotone Cubes. Highly recommended. Many thanks for your excellent videos. They are one of the reasons I watch more youtube than television.
Underrated comment, alot of people do know that they listen to 60% of music in mono. Like one ear bud or pn ur phone out loud. If ur mono mix sounds just as good as the full sero track, ur innthe right ballpark
ISOL-8 is an excellent (free) tool to help with isolating the bands LF, MLF, MF, HMF, and HF so you can quickly check. per Mike's comments - work in each band and take a break before switching back to full so you can properly assess. later in the process, feel free to switch more quickly during the final checks.
Back in the day I used to run a pair of old car speakers out of the desk and did a lot of a mix through them. If they sounded good on them, they'd sound good on anything. Great tip, Mike. And Happy Xmas!
This is really great practical advice. Trevor Horn once admitted in an interview that his friend told him about the EQ of monitors. This really makes sense. The human ear hears in the range of 20-20. Each frequency is, in a sense, a multiplication of energy. I came up with an idea and simply divided the entire range in half. So instead of the 20-20 range, I work with the "100"-10 range without aggressively cutting the EQ so that the math matches. By cutting the frequency band in "half", you hear the same thing in a smaller range, which will allow for better mixing in an imperfect room. It is quieter but more stable. You hear as much as you need to. If the fundamentals are good you'll be fine. Mono mix is also crucial😉 Great video!
I can see the value of this technique and it's probably easier than my old method of mixing and listening on various playback scenarios, including the car) making mental notes, do another mix, rinse and repeat.
It's important to check mixes on as many speakers as possible, but I agree the EQ tip does work very well. A lot of studio monitors can crowd out the mid-range, especially in an untreated room. I'm currently doing at least one pass in this kind of EQ mode (although less severe than yours), switching back to the full range version section by section. I've found this not only makes for more accurate mid range mixing but it also reveals mistakes in the low-end. A common problem in electronic music is overly boosted low-end, switching between the two versions makes for a more disciplined mix - for me anyway.
It's all great and I agree to a point (to check out what is going on in the mid range) but the problem is that bass frequencies directly influence the mid and the high frequencies by lowering them or boosting them. So you need to hear them so that they don't destroy your mid range excitement and "balance". The level has influence, the compresion of the bass and high's, side chaining, automation etc. It's hard to get to the masterfull, larger than life mix and that's a great thing :)) It takes years, decades; if it would be that easy everybody could do it in 5 minutes and mixing and mastering jobs would be a part of history. Nice video do. :)
On my phone, I could tell it was a guitar but only because of the physicality of the way the strings are being triggered by a fingers or a pick, I definitely couldn't tell what notes were being played
Was hoping you were going to actually play music and show what to listen for in the mid range. What a good sounding mid range would sound like.....if that's even possible lol.... and what a bad mid range would sound like.
There is a really useful, free, plugin called ISOL8, which can be dropped onto your 2 bus and use it for many different things, like summing to mono, cutting left or right, soloing or cutting frequencies. It would be a good one to look into or for Mike to do a video on.
For some genres, low end is more or less important. My own music wants to have the low end that we hear in Trap, R&B, Reggaeton… So when I’m finishing a mix, I shift my focus to how midrange interacts with powerful low end.
Studio One has a very nice multiband compressor. Why do you not use that one? Anyway, thank you. I was just thinking of getting some Auratones for X-mas, but now I shelve that urge.
You are very right, the MB Dynamics in S1 are excellent, but when I'm making a video for any DAW user, I try to go for something more neutral in my examples.
This feels like the first part of a two-part series. So now we've isolated the mid-range - now what? Are we just checking that all the parts sound similar volume? Do we need to make sure that we can hear some bass guitar and kick drum? Even though that means they'll then be very loud when we listen back to the full mix? Or is that where we use a reference track - see how our full mix compares. and then see how our mid-mix compares?
I do my initial faders-up mix on the cubes or the monitor bus filter. Then when I go full range I use EQ to bring the low end and high end under control as necessary. Then I start refining the mix.
Does this mean you a/b between good monitors and the auratones? Or do you recommend getting the mix to sound as good as possible on the auratones alone and call it done?
My Theory: Midrange is the Middle focal point of speakers. This is why when speakers are large or small, the sound is till reasonably audible. I think this method is trying to simulate that effect of different sizes of speaker, but IDK. Like how if you remove a tweeter or a subwoofer, it still sounds reasonably good. I don't use this method; I use location to do it; in/out of the room.
So do people listen to the reference track using just the mids as well? I can see that might be helpful but also very unnerving at first. This is definitely a technique I want to try, thanks, Mike!
Could it be these are sort of the modern day Yamaha NS10 (exception single driver). NS10 the studio monitor one has to learn not to hate. Thank You Mike.
Hi Doug. In fairness, these were around at the same time as NS10s. It's a few years since I owned mine, I really did hate using them! These are a similar concept, but despite having even less range, are actually a more pleasant experience IMHO.
Hmmm, well, i was - but more recently I start the mix listen to the mix. But honestly, it's not a cut and dry thing - as while I'm tracking (which includes a rough mix), I'm listening in full range.
You didn't explain how to mix With the EQ technique.you didn't explain what to listen for. What the are som of the best EQ moves to make to get the best results thank you
Was thinking about getting the CLA ns10's or these maybe, I have VSX headphones , they have Auratones and NS10 models in some of the studios, but I still prefer in room monitors, just got some Kali's but my room is pretty crappy treatment wise and I don't feel like I am hearing the low end at all well making its pretty hard to get a mix that isn't out of balance, but not sure how much room I have for second pair of monitors desk though.
I use Harrison MixBus V10 but not for tracking. I can’t say enough good things about Studio One Pro as an all-around audio-midi DAW for a tracking, mixing and mastering all in one package. Cakewalk was my first love in the world of DAW. I am so happy that BandLab saved it after Gibson threw it in the trash. I use cakewalk and sonar for tracking but most everything else ends up going to studio one now because it’s just such an all-around great product that is very intuitive. Good luck.
The last time I tried it was about 3 years ago, and it's wasn't for me. In some ways it has many nice things. But I use a fair amount of MIDI, and it was quite weak in that area for me.
@@CreativeSauce how was it weak midi? What couldn't it do?Mixbus 10 is on sale for $15.mixbus 10 pro is on sale for $129. Should I buy it? Why or why not?
I've used 5Cs for thirty years to insure my mix sounds OK on cheap or small speakers. (Spoiler alert, I am a TERRIBLE recording engineer, i know all the right moves, but when I make them they sound like crap, mud or a screeching harpie...🙄)
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My mixing changed for the better when I abandoned my studio monitors in favour of mixing in headphones using the Realphones software.
This software has an addon called the Osinsky Studio addon which includes the Aurotone Cubes.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks for your excellent videos. They are one of the reasons I watch more youtube than television.
This is the same idea behind mixing on NS-10s. I finally got some a few years ago, and they have helped me a lot.
Mike, mate, mate mike. You started this video perfectly, the example you chose was perfect. Keep up the good work Buddy.
Mono monitoring is very important as well.
I'd always switch to mono to listen to Auratones when mixing
Underrated comment, alot of people do know that they listen to 60% of music in mono. Like one ear bud or pn ur phone out loud. If ur mono mix sounds just as good as the full sero track, ur innthe right ballpark
💯
ISOL-8 is an excellent (free) tool to help with isolating the bands LF, MLF, MF, HMF, and HF so you can quickly check. per Mike's comments - work in each band and take a break before switching back to full so you can properly assess. later in the process, feel free to switch more quickly during the final checks.
+1 for ISOL8
yeah - its a god send !
ISOL8 is helping me in almost every mix I do! Love it!
All the action is in the Midrange! Great video!
Your content and explanations have always been extremely sensible, easy to understand, and so helpful!
Thank you, much appreciated:)
Back in the day I used to run a pair of old car speakers out of the desk and did a lot of a mix through them. If they sounded good on them, they'd sound good on anything. Great tip, Mike. And Happy Xmas!
Right back at ya Pat!
Thanks for mid range subject revision Mike, very appreciated. I've used these in a home studio mid 80's and it was great to see them in your video.
This is really great practical advice. Trevor Horn once admitted in an interview that his friend told him about the EQ of monitors. This really makes sense. The human ear hears in the range of 20-20. Each frequency is, in a sense, a multiplication of energy.
I came up with an idea and simply divided the entire range in half. So instead of the 20-20 range, I work with the "100"-10 range without aggressively cutting the EQ so that the math matches. By cutting the frequency band in "half", you hear the same thing in a smaller range, which will allow for better mixing in an imperfect room. It is quieter but more stable. You hear as much as you need to. If the fundamentals are good you'll be fine. Mono mix is also crucial😉
Great video!
Nice. Yes, I think i need to do a follow up on volume. Especially the fact that our perception of certain frequencies changes with different volumes.
I can see the value of this technique and it's probably easier than my old method of mixing and listening on various playback scenarios, including the car) making mental notes, do another mix, rinse and repeat.
Yes, it's still good to check on various systems, but i think you'll find you get there in less iterations.
Great idea Mike. Similar to mixing on lo-fi Auratone cube speakers. 👍
Thanks for posting. Very helpful!
Great video!!! Regardless of what DAW you are using
I have a behritone speaker which it is like an auratone and it works great with me.
It's important to check mixes on as many speakers as possible, but I agree the EQ tip does work very well. A lot of studio monitors can crowd out the mid-range, especially in an untreated room. I'm currently doing at least one pass in this kind of EQ mode (although less severe than yours), switching back to the full range version section by section. I've found this not only makes for more accurate mid range mixing but it also reveals mistakes in the low-end. A common problem in electronic music is overly boosted low-end, switching between the two versions makes for a more disciplined mix - for me anyway.
I use the AURATONE cubes with an Auratone A2-30 amp. (Purchased via SWEATWATER) I agree with you 100%. They are a great monitoring method.
It's all great and I agree to a point (to check out what is going on in the mid range) but the problem is that bass frequencies directly influence the mid and the high frequencies by lowering them or boosting them. So you need to hear them so that they don't destroy your mid range excitement and "balance". The level has influence, the compresion of the bass and high's, side chaining, automation etc. It's hard to get to the masterfull, larger than life mix and that's a great thing :)) It takes years, decades; if it would be that easy everybody could do it in 5 minutes and mixing and mastering jobs would be a part of history. Nice video do. :)
A fair point for sure!
On my phone, I could tell it was a guitar but only because of the physicality of the way the strings are being triggered by a fingers or a pick, I definitely couldn't tell what notes were being played
🔥 Another great video
Thank you! 🔥
Excellent video!!
I'm a big fan of using one 5C in mono. I like using a stereo pair too, but the single mono check is important.
Was hoping you were going to actually play music and show what to listen for in the mid range. What a good sounding mid range would sound like.....if that's even possible lol.... and what a bad mid range would sound like.
There is a really useful, free, plugin called ISOL8, which can be dropped onto your 2 bus and use it for many different things, like summing to mono, cutting left or right, soloing or cutting frequencies. It would be a good one to look into or for Mike to do a video on.
For some genres, low end is more or less important. My own music wants to have the low end that we hear in Trap, R&B, Reggaeton… So when I’m finishing a mix, I shift my focus to how midrange interacts with powerful low end.
I picked it as an acoustic guitar right away. Its ADSR values gave it away for me.
Cool idea. Thanks.
i use ISOL8 and also a small 3 inch mono speaker in a small box
The amp for my cube speakers had to be "reassigned" so I switch-in a filter on my monitor bus with a high-pass at 300 Hz and low-pass at 3 kHz.
Master plan has an NS10 setting and ISOL8 is a free plugin that lets you solo all the different ranges
Of course!
Now you told us... what a great tip!
Thank you...
🫣
My pleasure!
I use just one mix cube in mono to start
It does give that
“ radio vibe “
🖐
It sure does!
What is the problem with 50-density wood fibre slabs as insulation material? What is the "diffculty"?
Studio One has a very nice multiband compressor. Why do you not use that one?
Anyway, thank you. I was just thinking of getting some Auratones for X-mas, but now I shelve that urge.
You are very right, the MB Dynamics in S1 are excellent, but when I'm making a video for any DAW user, I try to go for something more neutral in my examples.
This feels like the first part of a two-part series.
So now we've isolated the mid-range - now what?
Are we just checking that all the parts sound similar volume? Do we need to make sure that we can hear some bass guitar and kick drum? Even though that means they'll then be very loud when we listen back to the full mix?
Or is that where we use a reference track - see how our full mix compares. and then see how our mid-mix compares?
I do my initial faders-up mix on the cubes or the monitor bus filter. Then when I go full range I use EQ to bring the low end and high end under control as necessary. Then I start refining the mix.
Nice video! So now you use Kali IN-8? 😁
They kinda temporarily here as I'm building a second studio at the moment where I'm testing my Adam A7Vs. But most likely the Kalis will end up there.
@@CreativeSauce got it! Good luck with your work. I use Kali IN-8 v2 for a year now and I am happy with them! 😁
Does this mean you a/b between good monitors and the auratones? Or do you recommend getting the mix to sound as good as possible on the auratones alone and call it done?
My Theory: Midrange is the Middle focal point of speakers. This is why when speakers are large or small, the sound is till reasonably audible. I think this method is trying to simulate that effect of different sizes of speaker, but IDK. Like how if you remove a tweeter or a subwoofer, it still sounds reasonably good. I don't use this method; I use location to do it; in/out of the room.
So do people listen to the reference track using just the mids as well? I can see that might be helpful but also very unnerving at first.
This is definitely a technique I want to try, thanks, Mike!
Yes, it's definitely unnerving. But I find using references using this filter, helps me to in terms of a target balance.
I have hearing loss and tinnitus so focusing on the mids (and lows) is practically all I can physically do. Is this secretly a superpower??
Could be!
likewise, I hear nothing above 6kHz so if it sounds "bright" to me I back off on the highs
It just means you have to turn up wayyyy louder for everything for extra long periods of time. Not a set back at all
I"m also a member of the tinnitus club. An occupational hazard from the 70s playing small rooms with Marshall stacks, an SVT and terrible PA systems
I made my own. Auraclones
Love the Horrortones.
Me too :)
Wow!!
The first one was definitely tom toms and I think the second one was acoustic guitar. What did I win?
You won a comment like :)
Could it be these are sort of the modern day Yamaha NS10 (exception single driver). NS10 the studio monitor one has to learn not to hate. Thank You Mike.
Hi Doug. In fairness, these were around at the same time as NS10s. It's a few years since I owned mine, I really did hate using them! These are a similar concept, but despite having even less range, are actually a more pleasant experience IMHO.
where would you place this if you have a room correction software? would it be last or before?
I would place AFTER room correction plugin (the same place the equivalent speakers would be). Of course, make sure they are both off before exporting!
Hi Mike. This might be an obvious deduction, but, you are starting with a fully mixed song, before you start tweaking the midrange, right?
Hmmm, well, i was - but more recently I start the mix listen to the mix. But honestly, it's not a cut and dry thing - as while I'm tracking (which includes a rough mix), I'm listening in full range.
You didn't explain how to mix With the EQ technique.you didn't explain what to listen for. What the are som of the best EQ moves to make to get the best results thank you
Was thinking about getting the CLA ns10's or these maybe, I have VSX headphones , they have Auratones and NS10 models in some of the studios, but I still prefer in room monitors, just got some Kali's but my room is pretty crappy treatment wise and I don't feel like I am hearing the low end at all well making its pretty hard to get a mix that isn't out of balance, but not sure how much room I have for second pair of monitors desk though.
One thing you can try, if you havnt already, is mixing at a lower volume. It helps in taking the room out of the equation a bit.
@@CreativeSauce thanks, I do that , probably inexperience at mixing that causing my problems, I will keep learning of course to improve.
How do you feel about Harrison Mixbus 10 Pro ? How does it compare to cakewalk by bandlab or studio one? Thank you
I use Harrison MixBus V10 but not for tracking. I can’t say enough good things about Studio One Pro as an all-around audio-midi DAW for a tracking, mixing and mastering all in one package. Cakewalk was my first love in the world of DAW. I am so happy that BandLab saved it after Gibson threw it in the trash. I use cakewalk and sonar for tracking but most everything else ends up going to studio one now because it’s just such an all-around great product that is very intuitive. Good luck.
The last time I tried it was about 3 years ago, and it's wasn't for me. In some ways it has many nice things. But I use a fair amount of MIDI, and it was quite weak in that area for me.
Why do people always call it ‘Cakewalk by Bandlab’ instead of just Cakewalk?
@@uncleted3961 because that's what it's called. They have 3 different products. Google it.
@@CreativeSauce how was it weak midi? What couldn't it do?Mixbus 10 is on sale for $15.mixbus 10 pro is on sale for $129. Should I buy it? Why or why not?
I've used 5Cs for thirty years to insure my mix sounds OK on cheap or small speakers. (Spoiler alert, I am a TERRIBLE recording engineer, i know all the right moves, but when I make them they sound like crap, mud or a screeching harpie...🙄)
What? I don't get it nothing. What will I do with the mids? Should I mix the mids to sound better or what?
He explained how to focus on the mids better. The rest is up to you and your abilities. Make it sound good!
The main thing you are looking for is balance. Using a reference will give you a sense of what balance sounds like when listening in this context.
You could also just try this with the highpass only & mix the bass separately..
The best monitors for mixing midrange period. NS10s are second
I have been basically mixing on my AirPod Pros due to my situation... would you recommend trying this still?
If it's all you have, yes it think it still has value, if for no other reason than I helps you to focus on the most important aspects.
get really familiar with reference tracks so you can mix based on those
To me, Auratones have the worst sound ever. Could never work on them. Not because of the restricted Frequency response, but because of the character.
I use a Samsung TV and it works just fine ruclips.net/video/sTMhHM_E1q4/видео.htmlsi=x_k3UEz_2GvaPPpH