How to Mix on Headphones So Your Mix Translates to Speakers

No studio monitors, no treated room, just a pair of headphones. That's how a lot of producers and rappers mix at home. It works, but headphones show you a few things differently than speakers do. Your mix sounds wide and full in your ears, then falls flat in the car or on a Bluetooth speaker. This guide explains why that happens and how to make a headphone mix that holds up everywhere.

Short answer: can you mix on headphones?

Yes. You just need to know where your headphones fool you, and catch that with a few fixed checks:

• Use wired headphones that sound as neutral as possible, and turn off anything that changes the sound: bass boost, app EQ, noise cancelling and spatial audio.
• Mix at a moderate volume that stays the same for the whole session, and take breaks.
• Keep comparing with a reference track set to the same loudness as your own mix.
• Check your mix in mono and on a second system, like earbuds, a phone speaker or your car.
• Measure your export with the free Master Checker: LUFS, true peak and stereo correlation.

Why does a mix sound different on headphones than on speakers?

With speakers, each ear also hears part of the other speaker. With headphones, each ear only gets its own channel. According to headphone maker beyerdynamic, that can lead to an unnaturally wide stereo image that's hard to judge. In practice, you notice it like this:

• Panning feels more extreme. A hi-hat panned slightly left already sounds far to the side on headphones. On speakers the effect is much smaller.
• You hear effects very clearly. Reverb, delay and wideners sit right against your ears. That makes it easy to misjudge how much you're using, so your vocal can sound drier or messier on speakers than you expected.
• You can't feel the low end. From speakers, you feel an 808 in your body too. On headphones you only hear it, and every pair has its own character in the low end. That's how your 808 ends up too loud or too quiet.

There's good news too. Headphones don't care about your room. In an untreated bedroom, speakers also give you that room's echo and bass buildup. On headphones that's gone, and you hear small details like clicks, breaths and noise really well.

Which headphones work best for mixing?

• Wired. Bluetooth adds delay and almost always sends your audio compressed. For mixing, you want to hear what your DAW actually puts out.
• As neutral as possible. Headphones tuned to sound exciting, with extra bass and sparkly highs, make your mix sound better than it is. Studio headphones are usually more honest.
• Open-back or closed-back? Open-back headphones often sound more spacious, which is nice during long mix sessions. For recording you need closed-back headphones, because less sound leaks into your mic. Read more in which headphones to use for recording.
• Get to know them. The best headphones are the ones you know inside out. Listen to songs you know well, in the style you make yourself. Then you know what a good mix should sound like on that exact pair.

How to mix on headphones in 8 steps

1. Pick a moderate volume and leave it there. Louder almost always sounds better, so if you keep changing the volume, you can't compare your decisions. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises keeping your device's volume below 60 percent of the maximum and giving your ears regular breaks. That's good for your hearing and for your mix.
2. Put one or two reference tracks in your project. Pick songs in the same style that sound the way you want to sound. Put them on their own channel that doesn't run through your master plugins, and match their loudness to your mix. Otherwise you'll never win the comparison, simply because a mastered track is louder.
3. Start with the balance in the center. Kick, 808 and lead vocal belong in the middle. Set just the levels first, no effects. Once the balance between those three is right, your foundation is there.
4. Pan modestly. Because panning feels more extreme on headphones, it's smart to pan a little less than your gut tells you. Hi-hats, percussion, ad-libs and backing vocals can go to the sides, your lead stays in the middle.
5. Check the low end with more than your ears. Keep comparing your 808 and kick with your reference. Also use the spectrum analyzer in your EQ as a second pair of eyes: if you see a lot more low-end energy than in your reference, your 808 is probably too loud. Kick and 808 clashing? Read how to mix 808 and kick so they don't clash.
6. Set reverb and delay with your reference playing. Put them on a send and listen to how much space there is around the vocal in your reference. Then set your effects in the context of the full mix, not while your vocal is soloed.
7. Listen in mono and on other systems. Switch your mix to mono every now and then: if something disappears or your vocal sounds hollow, you have a phase problem. How to check your mix in mono shows how to do it in FL Studio and Logic Pro. Then listen on earbuds, your phone and in the car too. Those are the places your audience will be listening.
8. Measure your export. Export your mix or master as a WAV and drag it into the free Master Checker. You'll see your integrated LUFS, true peak and stereo correlation, plus roughly how Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music adjust your track's volume. Everything runs in your browser and your audio isn't uploaded. How loud should your master be? Read how many LUFS for Spotify.

Want to put your master right next to a reference track? With Master Checker Pro you compare loudness, dynamics and tonal balance per frequency band with a song that sounds the way you want to sound.

Crossfeed and correction plugins: do you need them?

Crossfeed blends a little of the left channel into your right ear and vice versa, with small differences in timing and level. According to beyerdynamic, the goal is a clearly centered, natural stereo image, closer to what you hear on speakers. Some headphone amps and plugins have this feature.

There are also correction plugins that flatten the sound of a specific headphone model. Useful, but not required. A reference track, a fixed volume and checks on other systems will get you further than any plugin.

Common headphone mixing mistakes

• Mixing too loud. Your ears tire faster and everything sounds more exciting than it really is.
• Setting your 808 on headphones with bass boost. On a neutral system your low end suddenly sounds thin.
• A widener on your lead vocal. It sounds big on headphones, but in mono your vocal can turn hollow or drop out.
• Tweaking everything in solo. A vocal that sounds perfect on its own can vanish in the mix. Adjust it with the beat playing.
• Never listening outside your headphones. Two minutes in the car or on your phone can tell you more than another hour of mixing.
• Mixing until you can't hear anything anymore. After a long session your hearing gets less sharp. Listen again the next day with fresh ears.

Rather have someone else mix it?

After hearing your own song a hundred times, it's hard to stay objective. Want your track to sound good on every system without spending weeks on it yourself? Get it mixed and mastered by NameOnTheBeat, vocals only or vocals and beat together.

FAQ

Is mixing on headphones worse than mixing on speakers?

Not necessarily. Speakers in an untreated room give you a distorted picture too. Headphones have different pitfalls, mainly in the stereo image and the low end. With a reference track and checks on other systems, you can mix on headphones just fine.

Can I mix on AirPods or other wireless earbuds?

Not as your main system: Bluetooth adds delay and compression, and many earbuds have a strong sound signature of their own. As a check they're actually useful, since a lot of people listen to music that way.

How loud should I mix on headphones?

As quiet as feels comfortable to work at, and at the same level for the whole session. The WHO advises keeping your device's volume below 60 percent of the maximum and taking regular breaks.

Can I master on headphones too?

You can, especially if you measure instead of only listening. Check your LUFS and true peak with the Master Checker and compare with a reference. Do leave your mix enough room: read how much headroom to leave for mastering.

Looking for more free help with your mix and release, like a BPM and key finder or an audio converter? Check out all the free music tools.

Sources: beyerdynamic support, "How does the crossfeed model work" (support.beyerdynamic.com); WHO, "Deafness and hearing loss: Safe listening" (who.int).