Tendency to needing turning up volume while mixing

[TS1]

I feel like I have to keep turning up the volume for the mix to sound good as I'm mixing.

And I feel like this must be a sign that the mix isn't actually good.

For example, maybe I've got the drums, bass, and guitars at seemingly good levels...than I add the vocals or something to what seems reasonable, but then I want to turn up the volume so it sounds as good as it did before I added the vocals.

Anyone relate? Any thoughts or hints on what this is a sign of...?

Thanks.

[Hugh Robjohns]

It's a sign of listening fatigue and monitor speakers (and/or room acoustics) that struggle to resolve increasingly complex material.

I find it helpful to mark a reference listening volume on the monitor controller, and if I find im turning the level up, reset it and take a break.

[RichardT]

In addition to Hugh's comments, it could be a sign that the mix isn't clear - when you're adding new tracks, they could be obscuring the old tracks and you're turning things up to compensate.

Or it could simply be that you're adding tracks to the mix in a sub-optimal order. Normally it helps to add tracks in order of decreasing importance so that if something doesn't sound right when you add a track, you can adjust something on the newly added track without affecting the more important tracks.

[OneWorld]

You raise a good point. I wonder if there is an 'optimum' volume for mixing and mastering. When I listen to commercially produced music, all the elements remain clearly present, even on ordinary sxpeakers. I find this especially the case when listening to the radio in my car. Each track played is clear and and 'crisp' sounding, punchy too, even at relatively low volumes. Then I play some of my own music and it sounds flaccid.

I have noticed however that I can achieve better results if I simply notch back the volume. Maybe thje issue is, when I mix, I do it in anticipation of my up-coming stadium tour - in one's imagination, everything sounds perfect, in one's studio though, the reality button is set to the default 'on' position, darn it, I should just short it out!

[RichardT]

A lot of top professionals mix at surprisingly low volumes. Apart from protecting their hearing, it does mean that their mixes have to be clear to be properly audible.

[James Perrett]

I'll always at least try a mix at very low volume. It is too easy to make something sound impressive at high volume but which sounds bad at low volume. Just watch out for Fletcher-Munson and don't try to make the low and high ends come out too much at low volume.

I would add that the volume control is set higher here when mixing than it is when mastering simply because unmastered mixes are normally quieter than final masters.

[tea for two]

For example, maybe I've got the drums, bass, and guitars at seemingly good levels...than I add the vocals or something to what seems reasonable, but then I want to turn up the volume so it sounds as good as it did before I added the vocals.

I manage the gain more than volume slider.
Meaning I reduce gain on each instrument first, thereafter volume slider.
This gain reducing enables me to mix better more easily even when adding more and more instruments.

Which headphones, speakers monitors are you listening mixing on.

On my M-Audio MTrack2*2 audio interface :
Headphone out dial marker is at approx 8.45 as on a clock face for my AKG K712;
Monitor out dial marker is at approx 9.50 as on a clock face. With the speaker volume dial at approx 2.10 as on clock face on my nearfield Eris3.5.

Depending on how your hearing is, how the room is acoustically, these lowish settings should be fine to hear a mix clearly.

I have a volume level at which I can drift off to sleep.
If the volume on my mix from my speakers, headphones is preventing me from drifting off then it's too loud.
Also I consider the volume level at which my elderly relatives would be comfortable listening that's the level for me.

Having said this I tend to crank up the volume on completed near completed mixes masters so I can enjoy that loud sound. I do this a bit too much on my headphones would caution against this to protect ears.

[Philbo King]

Good comments...

Another thing to try:
Develop a habit of turning down whatever is too loud, instead of turning up whatever is too quiet.

It can be amazingly effective.

[Aled Hughes]

This article might be helpful:

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques ... ing-levels

[Matt Houghton]

Yeah, what they said!

You need a reference listening level. That article of Hugh's linked to above explains that concept pretty much perfectly. This achieved two things. (1) it gives you a reference point; you can learn how good-sounding tracks sound at that level and should then know instinctively what your mix should sound like at that level. (2) It helps to prevent listening fatigue, which makes you make crappy decisions (tired ears like more sizzle than is healthy!)

Note that when you turn the whole thing up, you're effectively changing the mix balance—because the sensitivity of our hearing systems (ie. ears+brain) to different frequencies changes with level. So you end up chasing your tail!

You also need to learn to listen for what's actually changing when you bring new parts in or as you process them/change their level. Though you should probably also challenge the assumption that 'bringing parts in' is the right way to go about mixing! For that side of things, my article on Achieving Better Separation In Your Mixes might also be a helpful read.

[OneWorld]

For example, maybe I've got the drums, bass, and guitars at seemingly good levels...than I add the vocals or something to what seems reasonable, but then I want to turn up the volume so it sounds as good as it did before I added the vocals.

I manage the gain more than volume slider.
Meaning I reduce gain on each instrument first, thereafter volume slider.
This gain reducing enables me to mix better more easily even when adding more and more instruments.

Which headphones, speakers monitors are you listening mixing on.

On my M-Audio MTrack2*2 audio interface :
Headphone out dial marker is at approx 8.45 as on a clock face for my AKG K712;
Monitor out dial marker is at approx 9.50 as on a clock face. With the speaker volume dial at approx 2.10 as on clock face on my nearfield Eris3.5.

Depending on how your hearing is, how the room is acoustically, these lowish settings should be fine to hear a mix clearly.

I have a volume level at which I can drift off to sleep.
If the volume on my mix from my speakers, headphones is preventing me from drifting off then it's too loud.
Also I consider the volume level at which my elderly relatives would be comfortable listening that's the level for me.

Having said this I tend to crank up the volume on completed near completed mixes masters so I can enjoy that loud sound. I do this a bit too much on my headphones would caution against this to protect ears.

I think therein lies the rub. If something sounds right a say notch 2 on the volumimeter knob then it’s going to sound good times 5 when you crank it up to 10

[TS1]

Thank you all for the replies and article links to my awkwardly worded topic. (I was clearly fatigued when I wrote that.