Checking a mix on phones, cars and earbuds before you release

A mix isn't finished when it sounds good in your studio. It's finished when it sounds right where people actually listen: on a phone with the speaker facing them, in earbuds on a bus, in a car with the engine running. Hearing your mix on several systems and noting what changes is called a translation check. It takes less than an hour and saves you from the sinking feeling of hearing your own release for the first time on a bad speaker.

What each system shows you

Every playback system lies in its own way. That is useful, because each lie reveals a different problem.

• Phone speaker. It has almost no bass and is close to mono. It tells you whether the vocal and the main instrument still carry in the mids, and whether the song makes sense when the low end disappears. If the hook lives only in the sub bass, you'll find out here.
• Earbuds. They are close and detailed. Harsh high frequencies, sharp "s" sounds and clicks stand out. Stereo width is easy to judge. Bass changes with how well the tips seal in your ear, so seat them properly before you decide anything.
• Car. Often strong in the bass, with road noise on top. It shows whether the low end is balanced and whether the vocal sits above the noise. Listen at the volume you'd really use while driving.
• Laptop, TV or Bluetooth speaker. Typical for casual listening. They reveal the midrange balance and what happens in near-mono playback.
• A friend's bigger system. It shows deep bass and stereo problems your small room may hide.
• Mono and low volume. Press the mono button and turn the level down. Does the vocal still read? Do any instruments vanish?

A note on safety: do your car check while parked, or ask a passenger to operate the phone. Don't change tracks or settings while driving.

Listen first, change nothing

On each system, play the whole song once without touching anything. If you start tweaking in the middle of a listen, you'll fix the first problem and miss the rest. Keep the volume moderate. A loud test hides balance problems, and a very quiet one shows them.

Make notes that mean something

Write a list as you go, with timestamps and the system:

• "1:12, vocal too low in the car"
• "chorus, bass boomy on earbuds"
• "hi-hat sharp on the phone, ok on speakers"
• "second verse, guitar disappears in mono"

When you've listened on three or four systems, look for patterns. If the vocal is low on the phone, in the car and in mono, it is low, and you should raise it. If something sounds wrong on only one system, it might be that system. Fix what shows up in two or more places first.

Avoid endless tweaking

A translation check can turn into a loop: change, re-listen, change again. Some rules keep it under control:

1. Set a limit of three rounds. After the third, you release or you rest.
2. Change one thing at a time, then re-test. Small moves count: about a dB is often enough.
3. Save each version with a number, for example v1, v2 and v3. If you get lost, you can go back.
4. Take a break between rounds. A night away from the mix gives you fresh ears.
5. Aim for "good enough everywhere", not perfect on one system. A mix that is excellent in the studio and bad everywhere else has failed.

Much of what you hear is your own mood. If you've changed the same note three times, it's time to leave it.

Reference tracks at matched volume

A reference is a finished song you love in a similar style. Comparing your mix to it tells you how your bass, vocal level and brightness stand relative to something that works.

The trap is volume. Louder always sounds better, so a reference that's even a little louder than your mix will beat it unfairly. Match the loudness first. Use your DAW or a loudness meter to bring the reference to the same perceived level, or turn it down until they feel equal. Then switch quickly between them.

Use two or three references, and use good-quality files rather than low-bitrate copies. Compare the same sections each time: first the low end, then the vocal, then the highs. Don't try to copy the reference. Use it to answer questions such as "Is my kick as loud as theirs? Is my vocal as clear?"

A one-hour routine

1. Export a full-quality version of the mix and copy it to your phone.
2. Listen on the phone speaker. Note what you hear.
3. Listen in earbuds, with a good fit.
4. Listen in the car while parked, or at a friend's place.
5. Check mono and a low volume.
6. Compare with a reference at matched volume.
7. Choose the two or three changes that appeared in several places, make them, and listen once more.

Then let the song go. A mix that translates well, not a perfect one, is the one that makes it to the listener.