Mixing for an iPod? Depressing...

[David Polich]

David,

Maybe the thing your client needs is to hear something that resembles true stereo through her headphones. Er… earbuds. Whatever they're called. The problem is that with no "middle channel" from stereo acoustic crosstalk -- hearing both channels with each ear, separated only by a fraction of a second -- the mix goes extra wide and doesn't sound real. You can mix for open air monitors or you can mix for headphones, but you can't mix for both, and when you try to mix for one while listening to the other, it only leads to problems.

Unless…

… you have something like Redline Monitor.

http://www.112db.com/redline/monitor/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I use this when I'm mixing with headphones, and it really makes a difference. You can use this either way:
1) monitor through headphones a mix for speakers
2) monitor through headphones a mix for headphones

If you were to use headphones to monitor a mix for speakers, you'd simply do just that. Then when you bounce to disk, you'd cut out the Redline Monitor plugin from the mix, and the result would be a decent mix that sounds like you were monitoring it from speakers.

But if you want to mix so that it sounds more realistic through headphones or earbuds, you'd leave the Redline Monitor plugin in place when you bounce the final 2-track. This is what I assume you'd need to do in order to create a realistic mix that satisfies your iPod client. Monitor through headphones, preferably earbuds, and use Redline Monitor to provide the crosstalk between channels. Then bounce your final mix to disk being sure to leave the Redline plugin in place. Naturally, it should be the last plugin in your channel strip, although you may want to place a brickwall limiter after it to make sure the channel mix doesn't send any transients through the roof.

For me, this makes headphone mixes sound like I'm listening through speakers. Maybe it will do the trick for her, too.

Shooshie

Shooshie, thanks. Great tip for the next time I'm going for realism.
In this case, it was simply a matter of the client wanted things with two
dynamics levels - loud, and insane.

As Monkey Man said, her loss may have been my gain - oops, it was a "gain" issue, so perhaps it was my "loss of gain" that led to the "loss of client".
Or something like that.

Anyway, I'm on to a Goldfrapp style project now, this new artist is happy,
I'm happy, the tv and film music supervisors we're submitting the tracks to are happy.

[Shooshie]

Shooshie, thanks. Great tip for the next time I'm going for realism.
In this case, it was simply a matter of the client wanted things with two
dynamics levels - loud, and insane.

As Monkey Man said, her loss may have been my gain - oops, it was a "gain" issue, so perhaps it was my "loss of gain" that led to the "loss of client".

Oh, my bad for missing your third post in which you said that you and she had parted ways. Well, don't feel bad. That was a no-go from the start, it appears. Or to look at it another way, in every life a certain amount of bird crap falls from the sky. You were wise to open your umbrella, thereby cutting the crap.

Shoosh

[monkey man]

So... let me get this staight:

To lose in order to gain, one must lose a gain-happy client, thus gaining time and experience. He must then gain the confidence to run Umbrella 1.01 only to find he risks gaining a blotchy complexion lest he cut his losses and quickly gain strategic deflection skills?

I'm close to the mark and gaining a major victory here; I can feel it. Monkey genius, though not shiny, is at play. I'm a born scientist... or at least, someone who thinks he's a scientist and who's certainly been born. Off to verify this now... the Jungleville enquirer should be able to slap together a profile...

[mhschmieder]

I finally got around to trying this plug tonight, expecting to be unimpressed, and bought it instantly! I'm going to add it to the Master Bus on my templates so it's never forgotten!

Great advice on leaving it engaged if creating an iPod mix. In fact, maybe it's a good idea to save two mixes from each project, and apply the same mastering (possibly but not necessarily) twice, before creating the MP3 version to post on CD Baby and the iTunes Store alongside the "real" version.