Get the Most 


from Mixing 

on Headphones

1
Table of contents
The Art of Mixing On Headphones
4



Mixing on Headphones: 

Techniques to Deliver Professional Results
13



Better Mixes On Headphones: 


A Useful Plugin
28



Headphones Vs. Speakers:


Which Should You Mix On? 36

2
Introduction
In 1979 Sony released the Walkman® portable cassette play and all
of sudden people everywhere were walking around with headphones
on, listening to music. Portable headphones were not great sounding
devices and certainly wouldn’t be used in a professional setting and
cassettes, while portable, was not a great sounding medium. In 2001,
Apple released the first iPod® mp3 player and brought decent sound,
random access digital audio to the masses. Since then, headphones
have been the principal way to listen to music.

Headphone use in the recording studio used to be limited to

performers and an occasional reference check. In the last decade,
high powered Laptops and personal computers with quality DAWs has
brought headphone use into the world of music production. Audio
producers and even commuters have access to affordable,
high-quality headphones that can be used equally well as audio
production tools or as portable phones that can be plugged into a
smartphone while on the go.

In this eBook Brad Pack explores the pros and cons of mixing on
headphones while David Glenn lets you in on some of his tips on how
to get the most out of your headphones. We will open your eyes to
some tools that can make headphone use more comfortable and Nick
Messite will sum up the debate over whether speakers or headphones
is the better way to work.

“I use whatever it takes to make the tracks

identify what me and Guru are all about.”
DJ Premier

3
The Art of Mixing 

on Headphones
by Brad Pack

One of the most frustrating periods in your journey of becoming a

professional producer or engineer is the “in-between” stage. You’re
not a novice anymore. You’ve got some experience under your belt,
but you’re not at the point in your career where you have a
professionally-treated control room—not yet, anyway.

This is why it’s so tempting to start mixing on headphones.

Headphones are significantly cheaper than studio monitors and they
allow you to make mix decisions without the acoustics of your room
clouding your judgment. In fact, headphones offer a more consistent
listening experience than some professionally treated studios, where
the acoustics are limited by the often crowded environment.
Additionally, headphones are affixed directly to your head, so you’re
free to move around without the sound changing.

Mixing on headphones, however, does come with a few drawbacks. In

this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about
mixing on headphones, including what to look for when purchasing a
set of mixing headphones, how to overcome the limitations of mixing
on headphones, and how to create mixes that translate to any
system.

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

Closed-Back vs Open-Back
Headphones
It’s important to find the right pair of headphones for mixing. Not all
headphones are created equal. Conventional consumer headphones
are designed to make music and movies sound exciting by hyping
certain frequencies. In contrast, headphones designed for mixing
should have a more flat frequency response. Not all studio
headphones are created equally, either, and through thorough
testing of hundreds of headphone models, Sonarworks has
demonstrated that some headphones, like the Sennheiser HD650,
actually produce a fairly flat and neutral frequency response, while
other famous studio headphones are far from flat or neutral.

Each brand of headphones has a family sound, like the characteristic

brightness of Beyerdynamic models or the subdued high-mids of the
Audeze models. Personal taste should certainly play a role in
choosing headphones that you can enjoy, but some models provide
a measurably flatter and more neutral frequency response than
others. If you have Sonarworks Reference 4 software installed, you
can load up profiles of various headphones and easily compare the
frequency response graphs for each model that interests you.

Reference 4 software displays the frequency response of four popular

headphone modes. Beats Pro, Beyer DT770, Audio Technica M70X,
and Sennheiser HD650 (shown L-R)

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

When it comes to studio headphones, there are two basic types:

closed-back and open-back. Closed-back headphones offer maximum
isolation and are great for tracking, as they prevent the microphones
from capturing bleed from a performer’s headphones. However, this
isolation comes at the cost of frequency response and stereo
imaging. Due to their effective isolation, closed-back headphones
create an exaggerated stereo spread, which can make it difficult to
properly balance mixes. Some closed-back headphones also have an
exaggerated low-end or “bass boost” effect, which sounds powerful,
but may not be accurate.

Open-back headphones offer improved accuracy over closed-back

headphones, making them ideal for mixing in studio environments.
Open-back headphones, with their rear-vented speakers, can be
heard clearly by those sitting nearby. While this makes them a bit
impractical for recording or late-night mix sessions in your apartment,
it significantly improves the frequency response, distortion, and
possibly stereo imaging.

Frequency Response
When it comes to mixing on headphones, one of the biggest
drawbacks is frequency response. Due to their limited driver size and
proximity to our ears, headphones simply cannot recreate the deep,
rich lows or crisp, detailed highs the way that studio monitors can.

Since headphone drivers sit so close to our ears, we perceive the

high frequencies to be louder than they actually are. To compensate
for this, many headphone manufacturers roll-off the high-end by 3 dB
or more. In order to keep size and weight down, headphones use
compact divers which can not accurately produce low-frequency
waveforms, which is why many manufacturers choose to artificially
boost the low-end by using closed-back designs.

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

It can be extremely difficult to accurately judge low-end when mixing

on headphones since you don’t physically feel the bass emitting from
the speaker in front of you. Our body responds to frequencies below
about 60Hz via haptic or physical sensations in parts of our body
other than our ears. It’s quite common to see mixers excessively
boost the lows because they can’t feel the bass and also the
headphones do not accurately produce low frequencies. Some
headphone users are reporting good experiences using the Subpac
tactile systems to enhance the feeling of bass response when using
headphones.

To help make sure you’re not boosting or cutting too much low-end,
use a spectrum analyzer for visual feedback to confirm what you’re
hearing. Pay special attention to frequencies below 60Hz, as that is
where most headphones begin to fall off. For best results, take
regular breaks and compare your mix with commercial reference
mixes in a similar genre to your mix.

Calibration software like Sonarworks Reference 4 can also help

correct the frequency response of your headphones, to provide a
more accurate frequency response curve that translates well to
speakers and other systems. Reference 4 software includes presets
for over 300 headphone models, including popular models from AKG,
Audio-Technica, Sennheiser, Sony and more.

Stereo Imaging
Stereo imaging is another common problem with mixes done on
headphones. Studio monitors are typically placed at 60-degree
angles to the listening position, producing a phantom center image,
where center-panned instruments sound like they’re floating in front
of you, between the speakers. Headphones position speakers 180
degrees to our ears, so their stereo image tends to be noticeably
wider compared to studio monitors, which is why center-panned
instruments sound like they’re in-between your ears —

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

inside your head, instead of in front of it. Some newer headphones

position their drivers at a 60-degree angle to the ear to simulate the
positioning of loudspeakers.

Headphones also suffer from warped stereo imaging due to the lack
of crossfeed, which is a term used to describe how much of the left or
right channel bleeds into the opposite ear. Because your ears are on
either side of your head, your left ear hears mostly the left monitor
while it also hears the right speaker a little quieter, out of phase and
slightly time-delayed. Crossfeed leads to a natural sense of space
and three-dimensionality. On headphones, crossfeed doesn’t
happen—the left and right signals are completely isolated, which can
be disorienting.

This makes it much more difficult to judge panning choices. Subtle

panning moves are difficult to perceive, while hard-panning almost
places sounds behind your ears. You may be tempted to pan sounds
closer to the center when mixing on headphones to achieve a more
natural sound. However, this often leads to narrow-sounding mixes,
especially on speakers. On headphones, center-panned elements
seem to be between your ears, instead of out in front of you, which
leads to a “flat” soundstage.

Open-back headphones help introduce acoustic crossfeed for a more

balanced sound. Plug-ins like CanOpener from Goodhertz and Waves
Nx Virtual Mix Room simulate crossfeed and room acoustics to create
a more natural listening experience. For best results, and especially
when you’re starting out, be sure to frequently check your mixes on a
pair of studio monitors.

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

Listen for Details

It’s important to note that even if you rely on monitors for most of
your work, it behooves you to listen carefully, at a moderate level, on
a trusted pair of headphones to check your work for problems that
were masked on loudspeakers. These problems include tiny clicks,
pops and distortions from sloppy edits, clipped plugins, choppy
automation, and digital clock problems. You may also catch mix
problems like sibilance, over-saturated processing or even just
simple performance problems that could be edited better. To make a
mix extra special, it’s nice to find ways to add some subtle “candy” or
cool effects that the listener may only notice in headphones. These
special effects Easter Eggs keep each listen to a song fresh and
interesting.

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

Ear Fatigue
In general, mixing on headphones tends to cause ear fatigue more
quickly than mixing on monitors. To make matters worse, when
wearing headphones, we tend to listen to music more loudly than we
should. Listening at high levels can cause headphones to sound
unbalanced and can even cause permanent hearing damage.

To reduce ear fatigue, try using open-back headphones and mix at

moderate levels. Be sure to check your mix at low levels and take
frequent breaks when mixing to help reset your ears. Remember
also, that underpowering headphones may cause extra distortion
and poor response, so if you are planning on doing serious work on
headphones, you may want to audition your headphones with a
proper headphone amp. These needn’t be expensive, as the 

Schiit Magni and other excellent amps beat almost any interface’s
built-in amp and are available for less than the price of most
headphones.

Affordable and portable headphone amps from (L-R) Schiit,

Audioquest and FiiO can improve the sound of your smartphone or
laptop and properly drive power-hungry studio headphones

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

Translation to Speakers
Due to all the factors listed above, it can be extremely difficult to
achieve accurate translation when mixing on headphones. The
environment we mix in is crucial to the way we hear sound. Without
that physical space, it can be difficult to judge things like frequency,
level balance, depth, and panning.

However, mixing on headphones also makes it possible to hear

mixes in great detail—something that is not always possible through
studio monitors. It can actually be easier to dial in details such as
EQ and compression settings when mixing on headphones.
Headphones are also great for checking for technical errors like
pops, clicks and hiss. Plus, being able to carry your most trusted
listening device with you anywhere you go is worth its weight in gold.

At the end of the day, the more practice you get mixing on your
favorite headphones, the better your mixes will become. In the
meantime, just remember to take frequent breaks, listen to reference
tracks often and double-check your mixes on multiple systems. With
these simple steps, you’ll be well on your way to mixing
professional-sounding tracks on your headphones in no time!

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“I don't know how to
function without
music. When I'm not
making it, I'm listening
to it.”

Billie Eilish

12
Mixing on Headphones
Techniques to Deliver
Professional Results
by David Glenn

I used headphones exclusively for many years to mix professionally

and they still play a vital role in my mixing process to this day. While
nowadays I prefer to utilize multiple sets of monitors and check my
mixes on several playback systems (obsessively—OCD is real), there
are many scenarios, especially when traveling, where working on a
trusty set of cans is the only option.

In this article, I’m going to share the techniques, tips, and tricks that I
use on a daily basis to help you make your next mix with headphones
your best mix yet.

Can you really mix on

headphones
Before we dive too deep into the techniques, I want to address the
stigma associated with mixing on headphones. I believe this
negative perception is fading due to popular mixers and content
creators such as Andrew Scheps openly sharing their workflow and
how they’ve capitalized on the benefits of mixing with cans. Not to
mention that several studies have shown the vast percentage of
people listening to music are in fact using headphones.

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

The Goals of a Great Mix

There are many scenarios where mixing with headphones is your
best option, but at the very foundation of choosing to mix with cans
(or at least incorporating them into your process) is the fact that
they’re a great way to control your acoustic environment.

This is vital when mixing as having a trusted source on which to

make decisions will allow you to make good choices when applying
processing to the tracks in a song.

In order to accomplish our goals as music creators and ensure that

we’re releasing sonically sound art, we have to be able to hear
things accurately. Or at the very least, close to accurate. A good pair
of headphones is a great tool to help you achieve these goals when
mixing.

At the core of the mixing process there are two fundamental goals:

1. To create cohesion between the instruments in order to

properly convey the emotion of the song.

2. For the music to translate well across multiple playback

systems (large stereos, clubs, earbuds, mobile devices, etc.).

We’ll take a look at some of the issues that relying solely on

headphones can present and then how to work around these
“deficiencies.” But first, a common question I see in my inbox and in
YouTube comments is “What is the best type of headphones for
mixing?”

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

What Type of Headphones is

Best for Mixing?
I want to share a brief look at the two main types of headphones:
Open back and closed back.

Closed back
Closed-back headphones are a great choice while
recording because they aim to prevent sound from
leaking to the outside world. This prevents any spill
from hitting the microphone and allows for a clean
capture of the source instrument.

Open Back
Open-back headphones, on the other hand, will
indeed spill a bit due to their acoustically transparent
profile. This open-back design can help to prevent
ear fatigue from setting in too quickly and is
generally accepted as the default option for mixing
and mastering.

I personally own a pair or two of each and will make my decision on

which to use based on the environment that I’m working in. When I’m
upstairs working around the kids playing or where there’s noise that I
don’t want to disturb me from working I choose closed back. I used
to fly quite a bit back when I was producing and recording more and
would have to use closed-back cans while on a plane to get over the
engine noise. Coffee shops? Editing? You guessed it… closed-back
‘phones.

While there are pros to using closed-back cans, open back wins for
me when mixing or mastering in just about every other scenario I can
think of.

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

Benefits and Limitations of

Mixing on Headphones
Let’s identify some of the benefits of mixing on headphones before
listing the cons and ultimately addressing solutions to the potential
problems that come with mixing on cans.

Several benefits include:

Allow you to control your acoustic environment (sound the

same no matter where you’re working)

Cheaper entry point than a good pair of studio monitors

Isolate the sound from the outside world

Work on the go or remotely

Better able to hear the details
Setting reverb tails

Delays and “ear candy” effects are easier to shape
and set up to taste
Gives most people no excuse to just make music

Some limitations would be:

Mixing the low-end without being able to physically feel the sub
response of the music

No headphone provides a flat frequency response 

out of the box

Lack of inter-aural crosstalk

Ear fatigue sets in much quicker than with monitors

Headphones do change sound over time—mainly due to wear
and tear of the earpads. Be sure to replace your earpads at
least once every year. An inexpensive fix!

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

My Favorite Tips, Tricks,

and Techniques for 

Mixing on Headphones
Let’s identify some of the benefits of mixing on headphones before
listing the cons and ultimately addressing solutions to the potential
problems that come with mixing on cans.

Listen to a ton of music using your headphones

I know, I know… You’ve heard this one before.

I get it, but honestly, it’s a foundational technique to delivering

quality mixes on headphones and it deserves to be mentioned first.

I do want to share a quick story that relates to learning your

headphones… About 6 or 7 years ago and back when I relied heavily
on my cans to get me through the mixing process, I was in the
middle of a huge gospel project. I had about 3 or 4 songs where my
final mixes were approved but we still had 13 or 14 more songs to
mix for the album. Up until that point, I was comfortable mixing on
the Beyerdynamic DT 770s. Well, as it happens in life, my 770s
broke. No sound in the right ear… Toast!

Needless to say, I hopped on the phone and called every music

store in town—I lived in Orlando, FL at the time and we had plenty of
music stores. Nothing. I couldn’t find the 770s in stock anywhere.
Stressed and worried about my deadline I was talking to my good
friend and fellow gear nut, Joey Fernandez, when he said “Dave, it’s
time to dump the 770s and move over to the Sennheiser HD 650s. I
was scared. I was nervous to switch in the middle of such a big
project but I trusted Joey and his ears with my life so I got on the
phone and ordered a pair of the 650s right away. I picked them up…
Pumped to put them to use I ripped open the box and felt the
incredible comfort on my head. Okay! I can work with this…

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

Now, the true test… I went into my studio, plugged them in and hit
play on the mix I was working through and… NO. Just. NO! I hated
them… They were SO different from what I had used for years. They
were nothing like I was used to and there was noooooo way I was
going to finish that project using those headphones.

I called Joey. I was stressed. He encouraged me and said to give

them some time. He told me to do what I knew was right and listen to
a ton of music through them. I even watched a couple of movies that
night using the 650s. By morning, I was a new man. I had learned
what good music sounded like through these new headphones and I
could get back to work.

It turned out, I loved the 650s and still rely on them today. Once I
learned their strengths and weaknesses, I could begin to make better
mixing decisions and flew through the rest of that project in no time. I
actually ended up going back and making several huge improvements
to the first few songs due to (in my opinion) the improved quality
differences between my old busted cans and the new 

Sennheiser HD 650s.

Step Away From The Cans

You heard me! Put them down…

Why, you ask? Because your headphones when placed out in front of
you can serve as a set of small speakers. This is a great way to rest
your ears and also check to see if anything in your mix is poking out.
This is also a way to listen to how your mix will sound on smaller
speakers in mono. While I don’t personally check my mixes in mono,
this is a nice little trick to give you that additional perspective. Just be
careful not to crank them too hot like I did once… #ouch

19
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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

Pair Your Headphones with a Sub Pac

Remember Joey? I mentioned my friend Joey in the previous section
about my Sennheiser HD 650s. Joey is a gear nut! When he speaks, I
listen. I didn’t use to listen quickly because he always seemed to
have something new for me to check out and I’ll be honest, it didn’t
help my marriage when my wife saw all of the shiny gear I was buying
as a result of being friends with Joey.

But Joey has never let me down. His ear to help me correct weird
frequencies in my mixes… his taste in music… gear… you name it!
So when Joey introduced me to the SubPac I knew I had to listen.
Wow! What an experience!

From the moment that I strapped the SubPac M2 tactile audio system
onto my back, I fell in love with mixing in music all over again. What a
tool!

If your cans don’t do so well to reproduce the bottom end, check out
the SubPac. If your cans do really well to reproduce the bottom end,
check out the Sub Pac.

It’s a must-have for me from now on and I can’t ever see mixing
without one.

The SubPac M2x in action. Feel the bass!

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

Mix at Lower Volumes

I get that you’ve probably heard this one as well but it’s important 

and I had to share it. I do tend to crank the mix when I work on kick
and bass, but outside of dealing with the low end, I try to be
conservative with my listening level. You don’t have to listen silly low
but you definitely want to avoid jamming out while trying to make
critical listening decisions.

The Dave Pensado Referencing Trick

I saved the best for last as this technique is a game-changer. Actually,
with no exaggeration, this is a life-changing technique. Because once
I began to study industry mixes using this trick, I truly began to shape
my own mixing career and the quality of my work went from zero to
hero.

Inspired by an episode of Pensado’s Place, I once saw Dave mention

using an EQ on the stereo bus to limit the frequencies to only the
subs. By placing a high-cut filter on the stereo bus, he listened to
what was going on in only the bottom end. This would be similar to
working in a professional, well-treated control room and turning off
your mains but leaving the sub on. I saw this and my OCD went into
hyperdrive. I have since not only used this technique to work the
bottom end but to get a clear picture across all of the frequencies.

Here’s how it works:

Step 1. Choose Good Reference Tracks
If you don’t already reference other mixes while you work, you do
now. To kick things off with this technique I want you to select at least
2-3 reference mixes that are in the ballpark of the desired final result.
If you’re mixing for a band or artist, the references would ideally come
from them and/or their producer.

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

This is one of the first questions I submit once a client has signed
their proposal and is prepping to send me the multitracks.

Here are a couple of tips for choosing good references:

Always level match before attempting this technique. Any
referencing plugin worth its salt will have an auto-match
feature. Use it.

If you’re mixing a modern song that resembles anything from
the Billboard Hot 100, consider pulling in references from
multiple genres. If you’re mixing a hip hop track, don’t be afraid
to pull in some of the hot pop/country tracks or even a rock
song (is rock on the hot 100 anymore?).

Choose ONE SINGLE reference as your MAIN reference song.
Ignore the last tip I gave you for this. You want your main
reference song to be in a similar genre or at least represent the
same sonic result that you’re after AND you want your main
reference to be in the same key or close to the same key as
the song that you’re mixing.
While helpful, choosing a song within the same key is
not completely necessary, but it will allow you to more
accurately reference things like kick drum
fundamental, bass sub resonance, etc. At the very
least, keep the key of the song in mind. If you start
boosting sub frequencies into a kick and you don’t get
the same sub response as your reference track, it
could simply be that the kick in the reference is tuned
lower, thus the fundamental frequency will be
different.

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

Step 2. Set a High Cut Filter

Shown in the video below, insert an EQ as the last plugin in your
mixing session (post referencing plugin). Next, instantiate a high CUT
filter and take it down deep. I’m talking real deep… I start at 30Hz
with a steep dB-per-octave slope value (settings shown below). Click
to listen to the reference’s deep sub response and then back over to
your mix. BE SURE TO LEVEL MATCH! You can’t forget this step as it
will throw everything off if you’re not just about dead on the money
with level.

What to listen for:

Is the kick pulsing in the reference track down around 30hz?


Can you hear or feel any of the bass sustain?

Some of each?

You’ll probably have to raise the frequency of the high cut filter a tad
before you hear much, but if you own a SubPac and/or utilize
Sonarworks Reference Software you should feel something from
either the kick or bass between 30-40Hz.

Step 3. Raise the High Cut Filter

30hz is merely the starting point. We need to study what’s going on in
the low end and you’ll begin to hear and feel it as you slowly raise the
frequency of the high cut filter. Don’t go too quickly, especially if
you’re new to this technique. Sometimes I’ll go as little as 10Hz at a
time. Start at 30Hz and move to 40Hz and on to 50, 60, etc. Compare
your mix against the reference every step of the way. When does the
kick begin to really come in? When does the bass start to sustain and
offer power to the bottom end?

I’ll go back and forth with this technique until I’ve learned what my mix
is either lacking or contains too much of. For the low end I usually go
as high as 200Hz. Once I’ve made my low-end adjustments I’ll move
on to the next step…

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

Step 4. High Pass Filter with High Cut Filter

Once you’re fairly happy with your low end, add a high pass (low cut)
filter and move it up to around 100Hz. With the low end out of the mix,
add a new high cut filter and set it around 200Hz. We’re going to do
the same thing but with our focus on what’s going on in the
100-200Hz range. This may seem ridiculous but stay with me.

What to listen for:

In the low mids, what do you hear?

Do you hear the vocal yet? Raise the high cut filter until you
do. Compare to your mix. You may have too much or not
enough of this frequency range in your vocal.

How do your instruments sound in this range compared to
the reference? (Do you see why I said to pick a song
similar to yours as your main reference in the introduction?)
Your main reference should have similar instruments (live
drums vs beat production, male vocal vs female vocal, etc.)

Listen for discrepancies and make adjustments to your mix
as necessary

*QUICK NOTE: Don’t forget to go with your taste. When using

references it can be easy to try and copy the reference so much that
you lose what makes you special. Your taste. I love and swear by this
technique but if there is a downside to relying on it too heavily, it’s the
fact that we can lose sight of what WE like and change our mix to
what another mixer did by default. Don’t do that.

Slowly move the high cut filter up as we did when working the low
end. I like to make my way up to around 1kHz and stop. Get those
mids right before moving onto the next step.

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

Step 5. Upper Mids and Top End

We’re going to do the exact same thing as in step 4 except we’re up a
little higher on the frequency spectrum. Take the high pass filter up so
that everything below 1kHz is out of the picture. Move your high cut
filter up just above 1kHz to around 1.5kHz or even 2kHz. It’s the same
process as in step 4. Go back and forth between the reference track
and your mix to see how your midrange stacks up. Slowly move the
high cut filter up until you just delete it altogether. Make changes as
necessary.

What to listen for:

The vocal
Is anything masking the vocal?

Harsh guitars?

How are your vocalist’s “S” sounds or sibilance in general
compared to the reference?

Are cymbals or any high-end sounds coming across as
harsh? This is a great technique to see which frequencies
should be tamed on cymbals, hats, transition sounds, etc.

EQ Match
EQ Match, as present in a handful of plugins, is the process of using
a reference track to take a snapshot of the frequency response of
both your mix and the reference track to then allow you to equalize
your mix based on the spectrum or frequency response of the
reference. Tongue twister? I promise it’s not confusing once you see it
in action.

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Techniques to Deliver Professional Results

My two favorite tools to utilize this technique are the FabFilter ProQ3
and the equalizer built into iZotope’s Ozone Suite.

EQ Match as found in iZotope’s Ozone 9 Plugin Suite

Two Ways to Use EQ Match

1. Analyze the reference and keep the matching EQ on your
stereo bus as corrective EQ
This option is sort of the thorn in my side. If I’m honest, I get lazy
sometimes and keep an instance or two of matching EQ on the stereo
bus. In fact, there’s a song I mixed where I used 3-4 instances and it
sounds awesome to my ear. That same song has over 100 million
streams on YouTube alone and has been played in stadiums across
the world. If it sounds good, it’s good!

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

2. Analyze the reference but DON’T leave the matching EQ 


on the stereo bus

In lieu of option #1, perform the EQ match but instead of leaving it on

and relying on it for your final mix, learn from it. What does the EQ
match reveal to you? Is it boosting sub frequencies? If so, go to your
kick and/or bass and add or manipulate the sounds at the track level.
Is the EQ match boosting 1kHz? More air on the top end? Cutting low
mids? Study the frequency response presented to you in the matching
EQ menu and then go back into the mix to make fine adjustments as
needed. Not only will you fix your mix without being lazy but you’ll
begin to hear these things in future mixes and become a better mixer
overall.

“Music is the shorthand of emotion.”

Leo Tolstoy

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The Art of Mixing on Headphones

Recap

To recap, I think it’s safe to say that, yes, you can create
great-sounding mixes on headphones. In fact, if headphones don’t
already play a significant role in your mixing process, it’s more than
worth adding them to your monitoring rotation.

We’ve all heard the saying “Practice makes perfect,” but being that
what we do is art, I like to say practice makes you better… A lot
better!

With that, I want to invite you and encourage you to complete the
following labs:

1. If you haven’t already, check out Sonarworks Reference 4 for

your headphones

2. Take 10 mins and make a list of some of your favorite

reference mixes

3. Import the references into your DAW of choice and practice

the following techniques:

a. Listening (really listen! And to lots of music across

multiple genres)
b. Critical listening with The Dave Pensado Referencing
Trick (import good references that match your taste and
practice this technique)
c. EQ Match (reverse engineer)
I. Choose a recent mix of yours to revisit
II. Choose a good song as your MAIN reference
III. Go through the technique as described in this article
to evaluate and make changes to one of your recent
mixes.

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Better Mixes on Headphones
A Useful Plugin
by Rudi Putnins

Boxes or Cans
Traditionally, most engineers mix on speakers and use headphones to
check their mixes. The thinking behind this has always been that
mixes done over speakers will translate better to headphones than
vice versa, due to fundamental differences in the nature of headphone
monitoring relating to stereo image perception and the headphones’
tendency to more readily reveal certain details in the mix. But
nowadays, given that many music lovers use headphones as their
primary listening environment, mixers may have cause to rethink this
conventional wisdom. This is especially true in situations where the
speaker or room environment may be less than ideal acoustically
such as in many small project studios or home studios. Or, when
logistics make it less convenient or practical to mix over
speakers—when doing so would disturb others, or when the mixer is
a musician or engineer on the road with only a laptop and a pair of
phones to provide a consistent mixing environment.

If a mixer does decide to switch to phones or even to just take on a

particular mix project with headphones as the primary monitoring
environment, one of the first things to do would be to calibrate the
headphones for flat (or flatter) response, ideally matching the same
similarly-calibrated response of the main speakers. But while that’s an
important step, there will still be fundamental differences between
speaker and headphone monitoring that need to be looked at, and the
mixer will need to be well aware of those differences to ensure the
widest compatibility for the finished mixes.

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Better Mixes on Headphones

Inter-aural Affairs
The way stereo sound from speakers reaches our ears is inherently
different to how it works in headphone monitoring. In speakers, the
two actual sound sources—the left and right speakers—occupy the
same physical space, so while in theory the sound from the left
speaker is intended for the left ear and the sound from the right
speaker is intended for the right ear, what actually happens is that
both ears hear the sound from both speakers.

Speakers provide direct sound (red) and crosstalk (blue) while

headphones provide only isolated direct sound to each ear.
The left ear receives the sound wave from the left speaker, but it also
receives the wave from the right speaker. Since the right speaker’s
signal comes from a very slightly greater distance, the level is slightly
less at the left ear than the level of the left speaker signal. And again
due to that slightly greater distance, the right speaker wave is slightly
delayed, arriving a little later at the left ear than the left speaker wave.
The same thing occurs with the right ear and left speaker—the left
speaker’s wave arrives at the right ear a little later and at a slightly
lower level than the right speaker’s wave.

29
Better Mixes on Headphones

This is called Inter-Aural Crosstalk. It consists of an inter-aural level

difference and an inter-aural time difference, and it determines the
limitation of speakers to reproduce the stereo image. Specifically, it’s
the reason the stereo image in speakers is restricted to the (usually)
60° angle between the speakers, rather than spreading out to a full
180° width beyond the actual speaker locations, as a real acoustic
sound field would.

And of course the additional delayed signal at each ear combines with
the intended signal for that ear, creating interference effects like comb
filtering.

Of course, stereo perception in speaker monitoring is more complex

than just simple inter-aural crosstalk. The head itself affects the
sound waves reaching the ears, with more of a masking effect on a
sound from a particular source at the more distant ear. Here, the
sound wave may have to travel around the head, and is subject to the
damping effect of that object in its path. Even the shape of our ears
themselves plays a role, with the pinna—the outer ear—focusing
sound waves into the ear canal. These aspects affect not only our
perception of left-right stereo width, but also height—our ability to get
a sense of how high the sound source is relative to our ears.

Inside Your Head(phones)

But for mixing concerns, the width of the stereo image—the
inter-aural crosstalk—is the main thing that differentiates headphone
monitoring from speaker monitoring. In the phones, there is no
inter-aural crosstalk—the left and right drivers in each ear cup are
right up against the corresponding ear, so the left ear does hear only
the left signal, and the right ear hears only the right.

30
Better Mixes on Headphones

Speaker vs Headphone Monitoring

Without the crosstalk, the stereo image is wider and any additional
interference effect from the crosstalk is absent, making for a wider
soundstage and clearer sound, which allows for greater perception of
detail.

This extra detail is especially noticeable with certain aspects of a

typical mix – the amount and depth of reverb and ambience; the
audibility of the delayed signal in subtle short delay effects like
doubling or chorusing, and the general audibility of subtly-mixed
background parts. Sometimes a background part, for example an
instrumental counterpoint that was mixed in speakers to be just barely
audible, or not really perceptible on its own but adding extra thickness
to the main part – will come through more clearly on headphones,
which may not have been the intent.

Back & Forth

And that gets to the question of how those basic differences can
affect the ability of a mix to sound right on both speakers and
headphones. Mixers have long been afraid that if they mix entirely or
primarily on headphones, the extra width of the stereo image and the
extra clarity and detail that can be perceived in the cans—thanks to
the lack of inter-aural crosstalk—will lead them to make decisions that
won’t work well enough in speaker listening. They worry that panning
choices based on the wider stereo image in the phones will result in a
more congested sound field when sound is heard from speakers.

And they may be concerned that subtle mix balances and

reverb/effect levels dialed up with the benefit of the extra clarity in the
phones will result in those parts or effects not coming through clearly
enough when heard on speakers, making the mix sound flatter, or be
lacking in the arranging and processing details they worked so hard to
come up with. On the other hand, if they mix in speakers they

31
Better Mixes on Headphones

may feel that all they have to do is check that certain subtle aspects
of the mix don’t sound too prominent in the cans. And headphones do
have their disadvantages—though the sound field is wider, the centre
sounds like it’s in your head rather than out in front, making it
potentially harder to gauge a sense of front-back depth in the mix,
which can be simulated by the subtle use of delay and early-reflection
reverb patterns.

Headphone Helper
Of course, a mixer who works in phones as their primary monitoring
environment can get accustomed to these differences, and he’ll still
be checking his mixes on speakers. But it is possible to narrow the
fundamental perception difference between speakers and phones
somewhat to bring the two experiences closer together, and that
could potentially be a tipping point for someone thinking about shifting
to mixing on phones as the main workspace.

If a little crosstalk is injected into the headphone signal, emulating the

acoustic effect that occurs with speakers, that could help to somewhat
minimize the differences in perception and make it more likely that
subtle mix choices made in the phones will translate with greater
accuracy when the mix is monitored over speakers. This may allow
the mixer to take advantage of the other benefits of headphone
listening such as clarity, isolation, a calibrated response free of room
effects—and not have to make significant changes when the mix is
eventually checked on speakers.

But you wouldn’t want to just randomly bus some opposite channel
crosstalk from one side to the other. Like speaker calibration, it
should be done carefully, incorporating both the inter-aural level and
time differences, to mimic as closely as possible the actual degree
and character of the acoustic crosstalk effect.

32
Better Mixes on Headphones

CanOpener
You can get that with CanOpener Studio, a plug-in from Goodhertz,
makers of a collection of audio plug-ins.

CanOpener creates inter-aural crosstalk properly, and can help bring

the resulting perceptual qualities to headphone monitoring. It includes
controls to set how strong the crossfeed effect will be (I prefer it at the
maximum setting with the phones I work with), and a simple bass and
treble EQ to counter any unwanted tonal balance changes that may
result from the extra crosstalk (I turn the bass down half a dB). There
are also a couple of useful graphs depicting the stereo image, but
other than that the plug-in just does what it’s designed to do without
the need for complex measurements or major tweaking.

The crossfeed effect is very subtle, as it should be! Aside from a little
bass emphasis, you don’t really notice it until you turn it off and then
the headphone sound seems to very subtly get a little more
constricted/in-the-head. It’s definitely not a 3D/widening effect –
remember, it’s not supposed to be an effect at all!

33
Better Mixes on Headphones

Of course, you’ll still want to check headphone mixes done on your

Reference 4-calibrated, CanOpener-equipped phones, on your main
speakers and other different speakers. Also, you’ll want to check your
mixes on headphones without the benefit of any crossfeed processing
to get a good sense of what other listeners may eventually hear. But
the basic mix done on the primary headphones should translate a
little more successfully onto any listening setup than if it was done on
uncalibrated headphones with the normal lack of crosstalk. The
combination of flat frequency response and a more speaker-like
perception should make the option of mixing in headphones a much
more viable alternative, even for the sceptics and traditionalists
among us.

Plugins that enhance your headphone experience:

Goodhertz CanOpener Studio

Waves NX Virtual Mix Room

Waves Abbey Road Studio 3

112dB Redline Monitor

34
“Virtually every writer
I know would rather
be a musician.”

Kurt Vonnegut

35
Headphones vs. Speakers
Which Should You 

Mix On?
by Nick Messite

Headphones versus loudspeakers: which is better for monitoring? At

some point most beginners ponder this question—though to be fair,
so do most experienced engineers. Glenn Schick, mastering engineer
for J Cole, Justin Bieber, and many others, recently made the switch
to exclusively mastering on headphones, while plenty of other
engineers have gone the opposite route, opting for more accurate
monitors as they progress from home studios to dedicated
workspaces.

As for the core question of which is better–headphones or

loudspeakers–the most honest answer is “It depends.” Monitors
exhibit qualities that make them better in some regards and worse in
others, and the same is true for headphones. I’m here to help you
identify the strengths and limitations of each, so read on to determine
which may be best for you.

Loudspeaker Strengths
Speakers produce sound waves by pushing air molecules throughout
the physical space of your room, and therefore communicate not just
the sound of music, but also physical feeling of music. Hearing a kick
drum solely with your ears versus experiencing the impact of the kick
in your chest are vastly different sensations. Feeling the physical
power of the low-end and midrange waves can help you gauge how
your mix will translate to clubs, cars, and even home hi-fi systems.

36
Headphones vs. Speakers

Many people find it easier to achieve proper musical balances on

loudspeakers than on headphones. For instance, if you set the level
of background vocals using headphones, you might notice the
balance doesn’t translate well in your car, or even on your studio
monitors. This is due, in part, to the natural interaction between
speakers and the physical listening space. As we mentioned earlier,
speakers push sound waves around the room, rather than the way
headphones direct sound right into your individual ears. Sound waves
from speakers interact with objects in the room and undergo tiny
shifts in timing and phase, providing our brain with directional and
level information that feels natural and organic. Headphones, on the
other hand, isolate the ears so that each ear only hears one speaker
and, therefore, only one side of the stereo image. Put another way,
when listening to stereo speakers, your left ear hears a bit of the right
speaker, but with different reflections, timing and phase from what
your right ear hears from the right speaker. Headphones, on the other
hand, do not provide any right channel information to the left ear, or
vice-versa. This acoustic effect of each ear hearing a bit of the
opposite speaker’s information is referred to as “crossfeed.”

On a personal note, I find that mixing toms and hi-hat against

overheads is easier in cans, but that’s about where it ends. Here’s
why: Balancing drum mics is more like a hunting expedition for the
best spatial (timing and phase) relationships, rather than a purely
emotional or creative endeavor. In headphones, the isolation (lack of
crossfeed) between the left and right channels seems to help me
judge the phase and timing relationships between the overheads and
the close-miked instruments. When it comes back to emotional and
creative mixing decisions, crossfeed (from speakers) becomes my
friend again.

37
Headphones vs. Speakers

Speaker Limitations
Now let’s move on to the downsides of speakers. The most obvious
drawback is simply a practical issue: loudspeakers are loud—you
need to drive them somewhere around 80dB SPL for an accurate
representation of balanced frequencies (Remember the
Fletcher-Munson curves?). If you live in a thin-walled city apartment,
you may not be able to run your speakers comfortably loud without
annoying the neighbors. The frequency response of your speakers is
also affected by the acoustics of your room. The shape of the room,
the construction materials, the placement of your speakers/furniture,
and the degree of room treatments—these all have an effect on how
your speakers sound. Headphones, on the other hand, are immune to
the room’s effects.

Speaker quality and accuracy may also, unfortunately, relate to their

cost. While professional headphones with a frequency response from
20Hz to 20kHz can cost under a few hundred dollars, most speakers
under $1000/pair won’t put out much sound below 50Hz, let alone 20
Hz. Many inexpensive speakers purport to reproduce this range, but
independent analysis reveals they do not—and furthermore what they
do give you below 60 or 70Hz may not be accurate enough for mixing
or mastering. For both headphones and speakers, software like
Sonarworks Reference 4 can help flatten most frequency response
problems, but it can’t account for a small speaker’s inability to
produce low frequencies, and it can’t fix an inexpensive monitor’s
distortion or phase issues.

38
Headphones vs. Speakers

The Strengths of Phones

For this discussion of headphones, we are considering professional
headphones and not earbuds or typical consumer headphones. Cost
may not be the sole indicator of professional versus consumer quality,
as many consumer headphones are simply overpriced fashion
accessories. Pro headphones should provide excellent sonic qualities
and typically will not include features like Bluetooth or
noise-cancelling circuitry. Pro headphones may include features like
replaceable earpads and cables and various connector options.

Let’s highlight an important advantage of headphones straightaway:

you can listen to them day or night, at a reasonable volume, without
bothering the neighbors. Closed-back phones are virtually silent to
people around you, while open-backed headphones won’t disturb
anyone more than a few feet away from you.

Is there anything that makes headphones better suited than speakers

for the musical tasks at hand? The answer depends on the
application. Mastering engineers often put on their headphones to QC
(quality control check) their final masters because phones will reveal
details and forensic errors in the master—clicks, pops, and other
incongruities–that may not be obvious on speakers. The clarity that
comes from headphones helps put a spotlight or microscope on tiny
elements of the mix. Frequent users of forensic tools like iZotope RX
may find that headphones are well suited for finding and repairing
clicks, pops and other artifacts.

Headphones also provide benefits to engineers working in

less-than-optimal rooms. If your room has acoustic issues (see our
blog posts on acoustic problems and treatments), using headphones
can mitigate those problems by removing the room’s influence on
audio perception. Consider also that open back headphones might
not help much in a noisy environment like a coffee shop, while closed
back headphones may provide enough isolation that you can spend
an afternoon working at the beach.

39
Headphones vs. Speakers

This brings us to mobile considerations: I often travel from studio to

studio, and I have to work in unfamiliar surroundings and often on
unfamiliar speakers. If I bring my own set of cans, I have confidence
in a familiar and relatively consistent monitoring system, which is
definitely a plus.

Liabilities of Phones
Notice I wrote “relatively consistent” above; there’s a lot of room for
error in that qualifying adverb. If I take my headphones from a pro
studio that uses a high-power headphone amp like the Little Labs
Monotor to a home studio with an inexpensive interface, I’ll likely
notice that my headphones sound different on each system.

A couple of issues are at play here. Since headphones can be

extremely revealing, they often highlight differences in frequency
response, noise floor and overall accuracy of the monitoring chain.
Also, each model of headphones has a different power and
impedance specifications and each headphone may react to a specific
headphone amp or interface in a profoundly different way. Most
headphones will work fine with any decent audio interface, while
some only perform their best when powered by a dedicated
headphone amplifier. My Audio-Technica ATH-M50xs phones, for
example, are not influenced much by most headphone amplifiers,
while my Sennheiser HD 650s do sound different when powered by
different interfaces or headphone amps. If you travel like I do, you
may want to invest in not only a reliable pair of phones, but also a
trustworthy headphone amp, like the affordable Schiit Magni.

Also, since headphones play directly into each ear, you lose the
beneficial crossfeed effects mentioned earlier. This can affect your
perception and mix decisions for left-to-right panning (width), as well
as front-to-back depth. As a result, reverbs, delays, and even
equalization that sound proper on your headphones may sound less
cohesive on loudspeakers.

40
Headphones vs. Speakers

Indeed, a headphones-only mix could lead to improper decisions

during the mixing process. When I create a mix using my
Audio-Technica ATH-m50xs, I find my low-end levels often have to be
tweaked later. Similarly, if I attempt a mix using only my HD 650s, I
may wind up boosting the high frequencies more than necessary.
These are my personal observations and experiences, which leads
me to the final point regarding headphones:

Choosing headphones is inherently personal, perhaps even more so

than choosing monitors. When planar magnetic headphones (like the
Audeze LCD-X), became the rage, I bought a pair and found myself
disappointed with the experience. I went back and forth with the
manufacturer a few times, sending them in for diagnostics, talking
about headphone amps and such. Finally they shrugged and said,
“it’s probably the shape of your head—your ear geometry.” Ultimately
we must consider the physical limitations of headphones. Phones just
don’t push air like speakers do, so you will not feel that guttural,
vibrational punch that speakers provide—a punch that aids in musical
translation.

Conclusion
Since we can’t clearly answer which is better, what’s one to do? Use
both! A combination of headphones and speakers could be your
friend. Throughout your career, you’ll find a process that works for
you—a gameplay loop, if you will. You may build your mix on
speakers, check for forensic issues on cans, and continue switching
between the two while mixing. Perhaps you’ll work differently, setting
up the balances in cans for clarity’s sake and then finishing the mix on
your monitors.

It may take some trial and error, but if you devise a routine that
utilizes the strengths of both, you’re less prone to the weaknesses of
either. And remember that Sonarworks correction software can
improve both your headphones and loudspeakers––whichever
platform you choose.

41
Key Takeaways
Understand the pro and cons of open-back vs closed-back
headphones

Be aware of the stereo imaging effects of listening on

headphones

Don’t let ear fatigue cloud your judgement—take breaks!

Invest in professional headphones

Further improve your headphones with Sonarworks

Reference 4 software and try out some speaker emulation
software, like Canopener

Know the limitations of feeling the bass on headphones vs.

speakers

Try to reference your headphone mixes on other playback

systems

Use reference tracks and try the Pensado trick to further

refine your mixes

Have the confidence that CAN produce great results on

headphones!

42
If you're looking to get the best out of
your studio, then try this...
The same know-how we've used to make this e-book can be used to
vastly improve your monitoring. Our Reference 4 calibration software
makes your headphones and monitors coloration free, so you can
hear what's really happing in your mix.

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on doing what you love!

Available in major DAW plug-in formats and as a standalone

Systemwide app Reference 4 is already used in more than 45 000
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Click to Try Reference 4 for Free or visit sonarworks.com/reference

43