Testing on a Club PA is not the best way (especially if the club is empty)

a club PA sounds completely different when the room is FULL to when it is empty

PEOPLE absorb the higher frequencies and less frequencies bounce around the room

 

Heh, and he also sounds like a dialup modem.
Personal taste aside, he would be treating his mac like a live instrument, i am betting he doesnt just plug a stereo out into the foh mixer and crank it up ;D
Soundcheck and an engineer that knows his sounds inside out as well as the p.a gear and he would be fine to do that till the cows come home.

I admit, maybe you can get away with this in dubstep, but i am betting on any of his actually released stuff going through alot more than headphones before it hits a cd pressing plant.

 

Absolutely right! And that is a discussion on Mastering for studio release, not mastering for a performance (in this case, preparing clips to be triggered and tweaked, and sound good on a PA system).
When he's done with his producing, mixing, and mastering (the guy uses Ozone for it), it's then ready to go to a real studio for real Mastering of a studio LP release.

What? Since when does he need Joel's permission to do anything? Skrillex has his own label: OWSLA, and only "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" was produced by mau5trap.
And if you listen, watch, and read you'll see: Skrillex does whatever he wants (for good or bad).

The fact remains: what he writes on the road and plays (I never said released) each night is mixed on Ableton, monitored with his Beats cans, and mastered with Ozone.
All this is done on a Mac laptop with no outboard gear, aside from his M-Audio Trigger Finger he uses live to manipulate clips. The dude doesn't even have a mouse...



He performs 322 nights on tour out of the year. That leaves approximately zero time to race back to a studio for each song he writes on the road (which are a lot of songs).
By the way, that studio in the article I linked to is not his. It belongs to 12th Planet: 12th Planet's Studio
Skrillex was collaboration with him on the track "Right on Time", and has no such personal studio. The guy pretty much lives in his bus, hotels, etc. :phones:



In an interview by Izotope, Skrillex is asked about his headphones: complete interview
"You've said that because you're on the road so much, you're often making music on headphones. Do you ever run into issues with composing and mixing that way, where you play a mix on a sound system and it's just completely not what you expected?"

"I think there are just as many issues when you take the song out of a studio environment that you're used to, you know? It's another set of issues, but it's all trial and error. It's like the [Yamaha] NS10. That's such an inaccurate sound. Not only is it more than flat, it's like a mid-rangey bump. Back when everybody was using those, you'd go into any studio and your mix would sound the same because everybody had them. So it's all relative, and it's about what you like to work on.

Obviously you get extremes. You wouldn't necessarily want to work with bad speakers, but I have mixed stuff on computer monitors in the past. All of My Name Is Skrillex is mixed on computer monitors coming out of a headphone jack [laughs], and I got by. So it's all about what you're comfortable with."

 

Mixing is not mastering though. Skrillex may be mixing on cans, but who knows where his mixes are mastered (and fixed)?

And: not every one is Skrillex. It's called talent, you know? If you have it, be happy, if not...

 

Strange at it may seem, I've been following a very special approach in this area. While others keep wishing for (or even using!) high-end gear, I've found through the years that mnost of the times exactly the opposite works surprisingly well for me. I guess this may have a psychological explanation, i.e.:

1) With fantastic gear, everything sounds extremely well or, at least, good enough. So you don't try SERIOUSLY to make it sound better. Also, once that recording is player through bargain equipment... well... anything can happen. Get it?.

2) On the other hand, if you use mid-to-low quality stuff, most things tend to sound "less than adequate" so you are feeling psychologically "pushed" to make it sound better. Then, you try hard to get a good result. Over and over. More and more. And when that production or mix is played through low-fi gear... know what? IT SOUNDS VERY GOOD!.

This "if-it-sounds-ok-on-a-cheesy-player-it-sounds-good-anywhere" method has been working very well for me. It may seem unorthodox, but it works.

Oh... and I use to mix on low cost headphones and verify the mix on low cost speakers. After, I do a final test on several kinds of gear (yes, hi-end equipment, too). I may have to go back to mixing for a few tweaks here and there, but when it finally sounds good enough everywhere, then it's done.

Best wishes!

 

The cans are in my range the laptop too.
One thing I'm sure not the Skrillex's talent.
Even his look is good!

 

one word,


ultrasone.

but I know nothing!

 

When I read this post the first thing came to my mind was that (ultrasone),
so I thought Skrillex was the front page of this thread

 

Headphones are important for mixing (don't care what anyone says). That being said, your near field and aux monitor(s) are equally important and demand equal attention. I use AKG K240 MKII -- a great 'quality' pair of phones for reference monitoring. The key is to avoid using shit that boosts the low-end (bottom) when mixing -- this will make for a troubled mix. Essentially, the ideal studio setup uses a few monitors (headphones, near field monitor(s)(unported is often recommended), an optinal auxiliary monitor and a test system (big speakers) - Its important to get a sampling of your mix across several speakers. I know some engineers that use an auratone/avantone monitor(s) almost exclusively during mixdown, switching back and forth between the (auratone) auxiliary monitor, the near filed monitor, headphones, and a test system (HI-FI, or something with that 'big sound') -- I'll often drop the rendered file on my iPod and plug it into my car system for a listen. The key is to tune your mix so that it translates well between each, to gives you a better idea of how your mix will be heard on the end user's system. AND -- If you ever have access to a well tuned soundsystem system ($10k or better) -- play it there -- I am always amazed at what comes out of a mix when bang'n in the club -- amazing !

I use a set of ported (w/ ports blocked) near filed monitors ($550), a cheap mono speaker, and my phones

As far as headphones go -- I recommend AKG -- but it's really a personal choice. Decide on a spending limit, and get the best you can afford for the money. When shopping, do some research (reading) -- Look for phones that list the specifications so that you can compare things like frequency response. Best of luck

 

I stand by my headphones, used DT 770 Pro for years, great for tracking and for mixing but your ears get tired after a while, nonetheless, for the price it's an amazing set of cans. I use Sennheiser HD 25-1 II for mixing now and for djing, they're great for both, around the same price as the DT 770, you should most definitely check the HD 25s out if you plan on doing both mixing and live play. My next headphone investment is either Senn HD800 or Denon AH D7000.

 

Cheers for the agreement on the DT770 bro

those sennheiser fit "on the ear" not "over the ear" do you still find it comfortable after an hour

 

Yessir! I've given up on the DT 770s and as I said only use them for tracking since they seal really well, but I wear the HD 25-1 II at least 6-8 hours out of the day and another 4 at night so yea they're extremely comfortable, they come with an extra pair of cups, one's vinyl and one's more of a fabric, I heard the vinyl ones seal better, I like the fabric cushion ones though.

 

I agree, best there is atm.

 

Today i bought these ones for my MP3 Player :

http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/headphones/1289635/philips-she9000/specifications

 

Someone will proberly have a really good reason for why what I did is a bad idea but it seems to have worked.

I bought reasnably cheep headphones
Sony MDR-XD200 £15 at tesco's after christmass 3 year ago. I might be wrong, it was under £20 at a supermarket.

I got an equalizer (in the form of a DJ mixer with broken channels)
a frequency sweep track (Sony creative's web site had them, you can make your own if they don't still)
and a micraphone I know the frequency responce of (Sure SM57)

I played the track threw the EQ snd out my headphones. I played with the EQ till I got a recording through the mic that matched that of the mic's own response.

What my theory was if the frequency sweep played out of the head phones and recorded on the mic, looks like what the mic dose on it's own.
The head phones must be playing all frequencies equal.
In other words the EQ boost the same as what the headphones loose, so output is all frequencies equal power.

A few things to make clear.
I haven't got them perfect, there are a few drops in frequency but not by much and a slight peak at 60hz baut still not much. It's still better then any I've ever owned.
the 20hz slider is maxed out, 60hz is pritty much the same.
If I had a better spair EQ to wast on headphones it'd be better.
If I'd bought better headphones, it be better.

Still my results are good and have given me some headphones that represent kick the same as the 15'' speakers I use at work.

If I've over looked something and there's a major flaw in what I'm useing let me know
I'm kind of in doubt since it seemed too easy to be getting these results.

 

Thats crazy

 

Whats crazy about it? I EQ'd my headphones
At work I use the EQ to counter act the rooms frequency responce make the songs sound good. I applied it to my headphones.

I used a frequency sweep not my favorate song so it's a flat responce.
Not made to sound better, mde to be more accurate representation.


I know it seems strange but give me a reason for it being wrong

 

BeyerDynamic DT-48 they is pretty good sound..!

 

I think I'll design a manager's or task chair with a built in crossover, amp, and transducer, designed so when you have headphones on it will run sub-sonics right up your bottom end, so to speak. New meaning to the term "rumble seat". Headphones just don't translate subs. I have owned and have worked with Sennheiser, AKG, and currently have the ATH-M50 model. They sound sweet and smooth, but are a little tight on my head. Insert big head joke here. (great for isolation, bad for long term comfort). Get the straight cable, as the coiled is a pain in the bottom end. lol I live in an apartment/flat. I just do the best I can with near fields at low volume and phones, then take my mix and listen to it on other systems.

 

If your going to fit speakers to a chair why bother with the head phones at all?

A chair with proper speaker cones fitted eather side of my head sounds good to me.
Let me know if your design works.

It'll let me work at quieter volumes in the house if the speakers are that close to my head.