sonics wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 11:10 pmIf you do know that most of your audience will listen on smartphones, for example, you would be foolish not to mix appropriately, which would include listening on smartphones.
A 'made for smartphones' mix is going to sound pretty odd over a PA system, an expensive hi-fi, a car stereo, or a mono 'smart speaker'.
A mix has to sound 'good' on *everything*. So checking a mix on a smartphone (which I do) is a good idea, but I don't mix *for* smartphones.
sonics wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 11:10 pmDo you not check mixes on small speakers or in a car?
Of course - but that's just to check that it sounds comfortable alongside other commercial mixes. I'm not mixing *for* car speakers.
There's only so far you can take this. Use what you have and with which you are familiar - that will tell you what you need to know. Compare with music that sounds good to you.
sonics wrote: ↑Thu Aug 18, 2022 11:10 pmWhat is a "commercially average" mix anyway?
One that sits comfortably at the side of any other 'commercial' mix played back on *any* system.
I'm doing this day in, day out. My mixes HAVE to work on *any* system out there. With this in mind I check my mixes on a number of playback systems, but I certainly don't mix *for* any one of them. In reality, if I notice anything untoward on one system it usually shows itself on others too.