Getting The Correct Sound

D

DIGITUS

New member
Hey everybody...

I just thought I'd throw this out for the purpose of feedback. When I'm creating a song my technique consist of creating wav loops using various programs. Then I customize the wavs in Wavelab and chuck em into Acid Pro for composing. However, I often use my headphones when working because I have a roommate, and I often do my best work at night. What I hate about this is what sounds good thru headphones maynot sound good thru speakers. I then have to go back and re-edit the mix to arrive at a compromise. This is bothersome because it seems to waste valuable time. I just wanted to know how some of you deal with this issue.

Thanks... ;)
 
I have the same problem man, my landlord has warned me about the noise about 5 or 6 times, and recently I got an eviction warning! So I just run it through my monitors at a ver low volume with a very low bass setting(usually this is what other people hear and get annoyed by) and use my headphones in conjunction with this. As I make music, I get down my basic ideas with the headphones, take them off and check with the monitors. Then I make changes and put the headphones back on, and keep doing this back and forth. Then during the day I turn up the monitors some and really check it. I then use the headphones again for real details. Pain in the ***, isn't it? Its not fair that we can't play it as loud as we want all the time!!!
 
Buy a good set of headphones that are made for studio use(Senheiser or something of matching quality) and Studio Monitors, then your sound will be consistent.

These kind of things are made to pick up every little inconsistency so you can make your track spot on and then when it plays in normal speakers it will sound phat.
 
Thanks Ataxia. About how much should I expect to spend? I have a pair of Sony MDR-V600. They sound great and cost me 100.00, but they maynot be the true quality I need I suppose.
 
Good headphones.......yeah!

Most important is a good monitor speakers. It's not necessory for you to blast you speakers for quality test. By having a good monitor speakers, you could tell how good your track is. Trust me, it make big diff. If you think your monitors are good enough, try getting signal processors like a few efects and a few compressors, hook it up to a mackie 16-chnl mixer or something. It would be really fierce! you dont have to blast it out loud anymore.
Maybe you could come out with one of the best track ever!

Akira -I Do It LIVE-
http://www.nexdna.com

[Edited by Akira on 04-05-2001 at 01:54 PM]
 
I also had this problem, which was remedied to a great extent by getting decent studio quality headphones.

But you can also try getting two different sets of headphones and alternating between them every half hour or so.

Alternatively, if you only have certain times of the day that you have to use headphones try reserving your headphone time to only one task such as:
Creating the building block sounds to be compiled together later during composition time when you can hear your work over speakers.
I find that its never the production of one sound that is a problem, but getting used to the slight nuances that are generated when you put multiple sounds together
and listen to them repeatedly on one set of headphones.

You can also try finishing your bassline before moving to highs and then finishing those before moving on to mids and melodies. It speeds up production time for me as well and later I can go back and tweak, modulate, re-render loops, breakdowns etc.

Re-mixing your own tracks completely is also very useful once you've completed the original. Just like writing, drawing or any other artform you find that your revisions tend to be much better than the original draft.
 
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