What volume should you mix to?

So… what volume should you mix at? To hear the most accurate representation of your music, you should mix at 85db to 90db while EQing and critical listening. The rest of the time you should mix at a volume level that allows for a conversation without raising your voice.

What volume should my audio interface be?

A good rule of thumb is that your volume level should be low enough to allow for conversation without raising your voice. If you need to shout to be heard, your monitors are too loud.

What dB to mix with?

We hear frequencies differently at various volume levels. So how loud should you be monitoring if you want to nail your mix? OK – there isn’t really a magical setting – but it turns out setting your monitoring level to 85 dB is the sweet spot for larger control rooms. It has become mix engineers’ adopted standard.

How do I balance my PA system?

Feedback Test

1. Start by setting up several vocal mics downstage.
2. Bring the master fader on your console up to unity.
3. Bring the channel faders for the vocal mics up to unity.
4. Slowly increase the gain of each mic until it starts feeding back, then turn it down just enough to make it stop.

What level should my mix be?

So, how loud should your mix be? How loud should your master be? Shoot for about -23 LUFS for a mix, or -6db on an analog meter. For mastering, -14 LUFS is the best level for streaming, as it will fit the loudness targets for the majority of streaming sources.

How do you do volume balancing?

Establish your general volume balance. This is usually done by starting with the drums and then moving to the bass, guitars, piano, etc until you last set your lead vocals so they set on top. You can then go back to the individual channels and alter the volume balance so the sounds sit in the right place for the song.

How loud should drums be in a mix?

It should be loud enough that the low frequencies are rich and powerful, but not so loud that it masks the bottom-end of the snare drum. Then, start bringing in the toms. These can be almost as loud as the snare if they’re used sparingly, but if they’re heavily featured they should sit a little further back in the mix.

Should bass be louder than vocal?

The bass should be loud enough that the low end is big and powerful, but not so loud that it overpowers the kick drum. Remember to check your reference mixes often to make sure you’re staying on course.