Topic: Poll: What's your playback method for mixing/post work?

[goodcooker]

Curious what everyone is using to work on their recordings.

I've been doing some multitrack work and with the high track count/panning/plugins I've been using a couple of different check ins before deciding on a mix/master outcome - my dedicated 2.1 playback at my desk (Focusrite interface>Hafler amp>AR M2 2 ways+Polk 10"sub), headphones, a pair of bookshelf 2ways and an inexpensive BT class D amp at my GFs house, earbuds and the car via streaming>BT.

Specifically what you use to do your post work - not what you use for casual listening - although I'm curious about that too.

[mccordo]

Great question! I started out using earbuds mainly for convenience, but once I plugged in my ATH-M50X headphones I never went back.

[EmRR]

Since I run a studio the answer is more off the usual track. 2 sets of full range speakers there, a broadcast monitor speaker with 1.5” drivers that sounds more like laptop speakers, then checks in the car, and on 2 pretty different sets of speakers at home. Plus Sony MDR-7506 headphones.

[robeti]

I use my playback setup since that is what I will be using mostly for playback.

fiio m1 (audio player)
final d8000 (headphones)

As long as it sounds good on my playback setup, I'm happy.
After mastering I do a quick check on my homestereo and sometimes another pair of cheaper headphones to make sure it sounds OK on those too and that's it.

[capnhook]

JDS Labs O2 Headphone Amp and/or Topping D2 Headphone Amp


Sennheiser HD600 Headphones

[Fatah Ruark (aka MIKE B)]

Studio monitors (JBL 306P)...BUT...sometimes I will take the master and try it out on different systems before tracking. Usually I will do this for shows that didn't sound that great and needed a little extra work in post, to make sure the processing sounds good on lower end systems like in my car.

[Thelonius]

The answer varies for me.

If I'm travelling and doing post work after the show - Sony mdr 7506 or 1 more quad driver IEMs.

If I'm at home and on my main computer  - Yamaha studio monitors

In all cases I do a rough mix and then listen on different systems over the following weeks (including tubes with horns, Sonos, regular amp and totem bookshelf, bluetooth speakers, car stereo and various headphones) and make adjustments as required. Generally just lowering audience around the music and dealing with close clapping, etc. to get up to a sufficient volume level for all sources.

[fanofjam]

Computer USB > Audient ID4 (that I bought from you) > Senn HD650's and/or Westone B30 IEMs.  Both of these are a little low-end biased so I do account for that in my final master.  I'll sometimes double-check with my ATH-M50's that are known for their neutrality, but they're closed back phones and they get so damn hot on my head that I can't wear them for long.

[Gutbucket]

I'm currently without a monitoring system I fully trust.  Have been intending to check out a pair of Neumann monitors since last winter, but have yet to commit. I plan to use their calibration kit to hopefully enable an improved degree of monitoring consistency when moving between various locations.

I currently use Sennheiser HD650 and Senn HD600 headphones for the most part, both of which I use for casual listening as well, and the car via analog line-in.  Biggest problem for me is getting sufficient insight into the low end.  The Senns are a bit overly accommodating of excessive bottom. I know them well and trust them for critical listening from the midrange on up, but they really like a touch of excessive low frequency emphasis in the source. Not sure if I'd really call them "overly lean" sounding on balanced material, but "overly accommodating of excessive bottom" seems a good description.  When playing material straight off the recorder made with my current rig that includes a pair of relatively wide-spaced omnis in addition to other directional mics the Senns are just about perfect.  But I cannot trust making low end EQ decisions that correctly translate elsewhere.

My car stereo is an alternate check, but less trustworthy than the Senns.  It has the opposite problem in being an overachiever down there, not just with an elevated low frequency response, but something of an unfortunate Q hump. Unless the material was overly lean to start with it generally requires a decent amount of low shelf tone control reduction simply for normal radio/CD/whatever listening.  Stuff that sounds great on the Senns requires fully cranked low shelf reduction in the car and even then it's usually still too much.

My folks place has a Bose sat-sub system I plug into, which has response issues similar to the car, just less so.  Its another good check, but similarly unreliable for mix decisions.

I didn't have the same degree of low end translation problems back when I had a multichannel setup based around 3 floor standing B&W802M across the front, optimally arranged in the room.  And my long term experience with that system instilled a strong desire to get everything from the low-mids on down carefully dialed in correctly and not just lopped off, particularly with live music recordings. That system is currently in storage.

[rumbleseat]

I'm so glad that several members check their recordings on their car stereos.  I was a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I've found that my 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan (stock audio system, -3dB setting on bass) does a superb job of alerting me to low-end issues.  There is a very narrow acceptable range between "thin" and "boomy" in that car that I haven't been able to pin down on any of my other systems.  I also use a set of KRK Rokit 6 monitors calibrated with a KRK 10" sub, Drop (Sennheiser) HD6xx phones, and a towering pair of Philips FB1000 speakers.  I also try to calibrate my ears with some Steely Dan from the Aja album before listening to my mixes.

[rocksuitcase]

I'm going to start my answer and come back to edit as I am receiving new open back headphones for a B-Day gift!
Currently I use my Audio Technica A50X headphones for most of the post work. then to determine if anything needs to be done, I typically listen on my PC monitors. [Audioengine A2's] The audioengines came recc'd by a member on here.

I used to like to take it to the Hyundai Santa Fe for many of the same bass reasons rumbleseat mentioned. Now I have a 2016 Subaru Forrester and it has the shittiest stereo ever known to mankind. (but it does have a CD player)

[goodcooker]

I have a Subaru Forrester and it has the shittiest stereo ever known to mankind.

LOL. Same. I have a 2004 Subaru Outback with the 10 speaker McIntosh stereo from the factory (which looks cool with the McIntosh black glass faceplate on it) and it's absolutely terrible.

The reason that the Yamaha NS10 studio monitors were so popular is that they sound like garbage. If your mix sounds good on those it will sound good anywhere.

[Gutbucket]

Cool having a car old enough that it still has a CD player in it.  I've a mix-CD making friend currently looking for a used car who says 2017 was around the phase out so is searching that era or prior simply because of that, he's not overly picky about how it sounds as long as the CD player works.  My base-model 2014 Mazda CX5 features both CD-player and a manual transmission and I plan to drive that thing into the ground. Have considered making a little EQ correction device for the line-in to fix the bass hump issue.  Maybe I can just find a little inline active EQ device that will clean it up.

[fanofjam]

...Sennheiser HD650 and Senn HD600 headphones for the most part, both of which I use for casual listening as well, and the car via analog line-in.  Biggest problem for me is getting sufficient insight into the low end.

I know exactly what you mean.  The IEMs I'm using do a great job of tightening bloaty low end that can sound like shit in my car.  They're great for general listening, but not as great for mastering.

I'm so glad that several members check their recordings on their car stereos.  I was a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I've found that my 2013 Dodge Grand Caravan (stock audio system, -3dB setting on bass) does a superb job of alerting me to low-end issues.

Don't be embarassed.  To me, my car system is the true test of how well I've mastered by recordings because that's the only place where I consistently listen to them loud.  My wife a) has incredibly sensitive ears, and b) hates my taste in music.  So I love using my car as my own version of a sound booth. 

[Gutbucket]

^ I still have the Senn HD700's I picked up from your years back, but have not used them in a long time as they are in bad need of replacement pads and cables.  Need to make that happen.  Somewhat brighter and more details apparent through those, almost approaching electrostatic-like, which can be helpful for critical listening but a bit much and somewhat tinnitus aggravating for longer term casual use.

It's good to listen in numerous ways.  Other good 'phones on hand are closed back:
Etymotic ER4 in-ears, SoundPro's SP-HP-1 (similar to ATH-M50), and a good old pair of Sony MDR-V6 I've had since the late 80's, essentially the same as MDR-7506