sYgMa said:
Normally, what I do is I EQ my beats so they sound nice in my Headphones, in my sound system (I got no monitors) and my earplugs... but that doesn't mean it will sound nice in my cuz's car sound system... so....In othe terms, what should we be looking at so our track can be played in all (or many) sound systems.
If you don't end up with good monitors, then do what I did when I had some shitty joints... Mix it, then listen to it EVERYWHERE and then take notes on what's too bumpy, too low, too thin, and just not there. I used to valet park cars when I was goin 2 school in Boston and I'd test it out on EVERY single car, even if the speakers farted.
Some REAL basic tips:
1) Add a pleasing-sounding frequency to the kick drum above, say 300 kHz, so that in small speakers, you can still hear that "pop".
2) If you're in a small, really live room (a lotta wall with a lotta high-gloss paint, for instance) then you should mix it BRIGHTER than usual, even if it sounds terribly trebbly. <-- don't know if that's a word, but it should be.
3) Get a graphic equalizer that you can tweak before sound gets to your monitors. Find out what your monitors are lacking and what frequencies are too prominent. You can either get a really expensive frequency analyzer microphone and literally SEE what's missing from the whole room. Or, just take notes in other places with better systems. Now tweak the equalizer until a room sounds good. It's better to do this with one of your favorite CDs, as you know it like your own ear, and can usually tell off the rip where it's lacking.
4) If there's not enough bass in your room, and your room is too small, and you've tried everything, buy a subwoofer speaker and place it in the corner of the room. Bass frequencies are accentuated +3dB per wall, so two walls in a corner, do the math. Plus a little more for the floor too, if it wasn't on the floor to begin with.
OR...
5) Only listen to the mix yourself, and don't let anyone else in the world hear it, and if it sounds good to you, then what else matters, right? Well, there's always your mom, who will always say it sounds like shit to her, but don't let that git chu down nun, ya'erd?