Mixing Without Studio Monitors: How To Do It Right

It’s not always easy to get into a studio. It’s not always easy to get the equipment you need. And it’s not always easy to make the sound you want when mixing without studio monitors. The problem is that you don’t have studio monitors in your home—and you don’t want to spend $2,000 on them. But if you know what to do, it can be done—and it can be done well! So what do you do? Well, this guide is for all those budding producers who have been asking that question!

Find A Nice, Quiet Room

The first step to mixing your music correctly is to find a quiet room. Ideally, it should be somewhere you won’t be interrupted by family members, roommates (or friends). The room should be big enough to accommodate other equipment you plan on using but not so big that the sound of your speakers will bounce around for miles and make the recording sound muddy. Avoid using rooms with windows or doors that can let outside sounds sneak in—if this is unavoidable, use blankets or double-sided carpet tape over any holes in the walls.

Play Your Mix Back On A Wide Variety Of Speakers And Headphones.

After you’ve finished mixing and your track is ready to be mastered, you must listen to your mix on various speakers, headphones, and rooms.

For example, it’s easy to get used to the sound of one particular set of speakers in one room. If those are the only speakers you use when mixing, your mixes could sound completely different on other systems. Conversely, if all you ever listen on is headphones or earbuds, some elements may get lost in translation without being heard properly at loud volumes through large speakers.

It’s also essential not just for consistency’s sake but because different rooms can have very other acoustic characteristics, which will affect how a mix sounds when played back there again later – even if it was fine before!

Use The Best Headphones You Have Available

While you can get by with monitoring through even the crummiest pair of headphones or earbuds, it’s important to use the best headphones for mixing you have available. If you’re going to spend all day listening to music through these things, they should be good enough! A high-end pair of cans is often a worthwhile investment for any serious musician or producer who spends time mixing tracks in front of the computer.

Don’t Forget About Smartphone Speakers

You might not always have access to a pair of studio monitors. If you don’t, don’t worry: smartphones are everywhere, so you should be able to find a pair of headphones. Smartphones have good speakers and can serve as an adequate substitute for the pricey gear in your studio—at least for mixing on the go.

If you don’t have any headphones at all, though? That’s where things get tricky! What if your music ends up sounding good on your phone but awful when played through other systems? The best solution here is simply to avoid listening to it on anything but your phone—but if that’s not possible (for example, because someone else has control over the playback system), then try using earbuds instead of full-sized cans; they’re generally less accurate than larger headphones with more drivers inside them (and therefore easier to fool).

Put A Timer On Yourself

Time is a precious commodity when mixing. It’s easy to get lost in the process and work for hours on end, only to realize that you’ve been mixing for three hours with no results!

This problem can be solved with a timer. Using a timer is an excellent way to stay focused and on track, ensuring that your mix stays within the time limit for your project. If you’re using analog hardware, this can be as simple as using a stopwatch or clock (preferably digital). There are also many great online apps that can perform this function more efficiently than most devices could ever manage.