Mixing techniques – monitor volume levels

There’s nothing like a good, loud mix kicking back at you from your studio monitors, especially when you’re tracking or overdubbing parts.  Let’s face it, louder often sounds better.  It’s great to feel the drums and bass hearing the crunch of the guitar turned up.  But does mixing at loud volumes result in a good mix?  Although this can be a fairly subjective topic, here’s my pitch for working at lower and moderate volume levels.

Your ears are the most important element you have when it comes to mixing and producing music.  Long exposure to high volume levels causes hearing damage but even moderate levels over a period of time can cause your ears to fatigue.  Since most of that fatigue begins in the higher frequencies it may cause you to boost them and result in an overly “bright” mix.  Bass frequencies can be overstated at higher volumes too.  The mix may sound great loud but the lower bass may disappear when the volume is turned down.  It’s hard to detect subtle dynamics in your mix when the volume is too loud.  Even panning and EQ choices will be made differently when you work at loud volumes.

My suggestion is to work primarily at a lower overall volume when mixing.  If you can hear each detail of your mix at low volume then you know it’ll be there when it’s turned up.  Dropping the volume to a very low level is a good test too – the fundamentals of your mix should still stand out.  The goal should be to aim for a balanced mix at a low volume and then turn it up to a mid-level and then try a loud level.  Chances are you’ll hear a number of differences in your mix simply by changing your monitor volume and the goal will be to even things out so that it sounds great at all levels.  Noting things that bother you when the volume is turned up allows you to make adjustments and then re-compare at the different volume levels.  Eventually you’ll find a spot where everything sounds good in both cases and then you’ll know you have a balanced mix.

Finally, take a break!  One of the first things to fatigue when mixing for an extended period of time is your objectivity.  You might be surprised at how much a simple thing like a short break can help you keep your perspective and prevent ear fatigue. 

So next time you’re starting to work on a mix, try something as simple as lowering the volume level and see (or better yet) hear what happens – you might like the results.