The importance of balance has been discussed in an earlier post and in this one I want to talk about completing this process whilst working at low volumes.
We all like to hear everything loud, especially the drums and bass, they have fundamental frequencies we want to feel as much as we can hear but in the context of mixing this isn’t the best way to operate as it can prevent you from accurately balancing, EQ’ing and compressing. Listening to a mix too loud is at the very least a distraction and also potentially damaging to your hearing if listening for long periods of time.
It’s important to balance at low volume levels because you are able to accurately balance your track levels and you’ll also find that you have a better sense of depth and width which is particularly useful for panning and adding reverbs.
Think of it like this…If your mix sounds good at low levels it’s a lot more likely to sound good if not better when it’s turned up. It’s important to realise how easily your ears can be tricked especially when listening at high volume levels and this can be very problematic when using compression. A snare drum or a lead vocal may sound just right when the mix is cranked, so you might not use compression to its full advantage however, you might notice when you turn your mix down, these instruments start to get lost in the mix and aren’t as ‘in your face’ as you first thought. If you focus on achieving ‘punch’ with compression whilst operating at low volumes, you will definitely get a more satisfying result that will translate very well when turned up.
It is also good practice to EQ at low volume levels, but always check your adjustments at higher levels especially with low frequencies as they are much harder to judge when they are quieter.
It’s not wrong to mix at high volume levels but you’ll find that you balance, compress and EQ your tracks more accurately and you will begin to appreciate the quality of your mix if you utilise working at low volume levels. Of course, go between low and high level volumes to check your mix and even just listen to it cranked at the end of a session and just sit back and enjoy your hard work. Take care of your ears for maximum productivity and value being able to mix at low and high volume levels.
If you would like to discuss your project, use the contact page on www.jwaudioproductions.co.uk
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