when monitoring at different levels it may cause you to raise different instruments up each time

how do you deal with this?

at what listening level should i be setting the level/volume (i don't know the difference lets not get into that) if this is the case?

 

Remember the settings you made first. You can also draw a track log 01 - 24 on a piece of paper,
track 1 -7 , track 2 -4 , track 3 + 7 etc. as an example or take screenshots of the settings.

 

There's a lot to consider there. Ideally you should get a sound level meter and make sure you're mixing at around 80-85dB because that's where human hearing becomes the flattest (in theory), but that can be pretty loud and depending on your speakers and acoustics you probably won't get a flat response anyway, not to mention that if you mix on headphones it's pretty hard to tell how loud you're listening without very special equipment.

So, it's probably a good idea to stay on a loud level, but not loud enough so it hurts your ears, probably the level you listen to music to is a good place to start since you're already familiar with how your ears react to that, and if you can get your hands on a sound level meter to calibrate your speaker levels, you can go up to 80-85 just to check every now and then.

Also, for sanity check, you could set a bit of a "limit" on the monitoring level knob, just to make sure you're not pushing it louder just because your ears are fatigued, which might be even more misleading.

Analyzers. For example, if i see that the kick and the bass are kind of hitting at the same level, but i can't hear the kick because i'm not listening loud enough, i still know that when i do listen to it louder, the kick will be roughly on the same plane as the bass. BUT since i couldn't hear it before, it probably means it might be a bit too subby so depending on the context i might need to find a way to put those two on roughly the same plane without having that change in perception because of level.

 

hmmm how do you get this meter and how do i check its 80-85db...i'm using reaper thanks!

 

My monitor level is at 80dB SPL average. That is the level, at which I hear music for entertainment. Leisure time music is played over the same monitors, that I mix on. And I make extensive use of iZotope Tonal Balance and Span and Youlean metering. After years of doing so I can guess most of the times within a margin of error of 0.5 - 1dB where I am with the average loudness.

I think the solution to all of this uncertainties is really to do it for longer periods of time always in the same way. And listening to music nearly always see as listening to reference tracks. Even it is Louis Armstrong in Friedrichstadtpalast in the early 60s.

 

It's a physical thing, you can find cheap ones on the same stores you can find multimeters and stuff like that, like hardware stores or even electronics stores. They are not the most precise ones but they'll do fine for a rough aproximation.

Once you have it, put it on the listening position and turn it on. Set your interface's output to maximum (or any level that's relatively high, but make sure to put a mark on it), set your speaker level (from the speaker itslef) to minumum, play something through your speakers (ideally you should play pink noise, but some people like to measure with music, that's up to you) and start to slowly increase the level from both speakers (not the interface) until the sound level meter reads 80-85. Now, that is 80-85dB unweighted (Also called dBZ), some meters will come with options to measure weighted dBs (dBA, dBC) or straight up won't allow you to measure unweighted. Ideally you should measure unweighted, but if there's no choice, 77dBA or dBC should be in the same ballpark.

Edit: Edited useless detail out

 

Last edited: Aug 21, 2022

This is more complicated than it first appears, so good question!

As others have mentioned, there's an SPL at which your hearing is "flattest". The problem is it's quite loud, and probably a bit too loud for prolonged mixing.

Bobby Owsinski recommends using three levels for mixing:

The Secret To Great Balances

1. Determine 3 mixing levels. Quiet, medium and loud. Don’t vary from these 3 because it will throw your level and frequency perception off.

2. Use the loud setting for bass and drum balance. You usually don’t have to use this for very long during the mix. You might want to come back to this at the end for a quick check.

3. Use the medium setting for most of your mix. This is the level where the majority of your work will be done.

4. Use the quiet setting for the final level adjustment. Quiet means just above a whisper. It will help you make better final balance decisions.

There's also this article from SOS:

https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/establishing-project-studio-reference-monitoring-levels

HTH!

 

Turn it loud, but not stupid loud. Loud-ish.

Then double check it about half that loud.

Great, now try it REALLY FUCKING LOUD!

Now go to bed. Start all over tomorrow.

 

I believe that the lows and highs dropping off in your hearing at lower volumes is called the Fletcher Munson curve as a side note. Pretty sure I learned that here ha.

 

Some things to consider when setting your listening level. 1.If the room is treated. 2. The actual size of the room. 3. Your monitors

One trick I like to use is to imagine I'm watching a live band. Example: If I was right up near the stage ( Loud but not very defined ) or towards the back ( Not too loud but more defined.)