Home Studio Mixing Tips, Pt. 2

This series goes over some quick tips for mixing audio in a home studio. Check out my Mixing Cheat Sheet for the full details on the complete mixing process.

Do I need to buy expensive studio speakers for my home studio?

It depends. Mixing only on headphones can lead to overcompensating with your panning, compression, and reverb choices. I generally recommend using both speakers and headphones during music production, not one or the other.

You might be able to get away with using only headphones in a home writing studio situation, but I’d advise against releasing any work made in that setting without first double-checking your own rough mixes inside of a properly set-up mixing room. You can rent these types of mixing rooms quite affordably in many larger metropolitan areas.

Any tips on compression?

Make sure not to over-compress your material. Your mix should retain musical dynamics and a clear, open sound. Be extra careful when using master bus compression during mixing: a little can be tasty, but it is very easy to overdo it.

My mix sounds completely different when I play it back inside my car. What do I do?

If you’re DIYing a mixing project, check your mixes on at least 3-5 different types of playback systems, both headphones and speakers, before finalizing the mix. This will allow you to catch problems that your room acoustics or equipment could be masking.