Does anyone here do "mid-field" mixing?

centurymantra · Post by **centurymantra** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 7:41 am

I'm in the process of streamlining and transforming my studio space into a combo living area/hangout space/recording studio hybrid. It actually should work out quite well as it will simply mean there's going to be a comfortable couch in there now.

Anyway, I will have my primary stereo set up in this space that serves for listening and enjoyment purposes, but it would be ideal if this can double for mixing as well. I will be wheeling my console into position for mixing and tracking sessions and it would be incredibly convenient to simply plug the converter in to this system and go. Bearing in mind that these are very nice speakers made by esteemed makers of studio monitors (ATC floor standers - the SCM20s) in a room that will be well treated with bass traps/some diffusion, etc., what do you guys think? I'll probably end up being 9-10 ft. out. The switch in perspective that will come along with going from microscope near-field monitoring to a mid-field setup like this could be hard to adjust too and I'm concerned about running into a problem where I may not be able to really focus on those inner levels of detail. Then again, it could rule. I know that a lot of mastering guys use this type of monitoring, but I expect it's much less common for mixing guys.

Anyone out there mix like this? Anyone have some observations or thoughts they could pass along?

farview · Post by **farview** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:00 am

I actually do most of my mixing on my mains which are 7 or 8 feet away. I do switch back and forth between them and the near-fields, but do most of the balancing on the mains.

markitzero · Post by **markitzero** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:20 am

farview wrote:I actually do most of my mixing on my mains which are 7 or 8 feet away. I do switch back and forth between them and the near-fields, but do most of the balancing on the mains.

Same here. The only thing my nearfields give me that the midfields don't is some more upper midrange detail. I find it difficult to judge balance on nearfields. Of course, all of my monitors are DIY, so take my statement with a grain of salt.

farview · Post by **farview** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:53 am

I have Genelec 1031's and Urei 813's. I've found that when a mix sounds pretty much the same on both set of speakers, I'm done.

Cojonesonasteek · Post by **Cojonesonasteek** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:17 am

We do it all the time, with Adams S3As about 6-7 feet from the mix position. True nearfield monitoring (where the influence of the room is minimized) is pretty close (inside 3'-4' IMO).

themagicmanmdt · Post by **themagicmanmdt** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 11:40 am

my monitors are about 6 feet away from me.

9-10 feet seems pretty far. double check in headphones - I would think that my panning would be too drastic being that far away.

centurymantra · Post by **centurymantra** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:36 pm

Good to hear that folks are having good results in "mid field" mode. Thinking about it, 9-10 ft may be a bit farther out than I'm thinking. It may be closer to 8 ft. actually.

MASSIVE Mastering · Post by **MASSIVE Mastering** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 9:14 pm

Obviously, the reaction of the room is going to play a big role whether it's going to work well or not - But if the room is reasonably treated (broadband / bass trapping), you'll most likely prefer it (distance) over NF's.

rwc · Post by **rwc** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:40 pm

I sit about 30% from the back of the room, the speakers are about 30% from the front of the room, and a foot and a half away from each wall. I sit about five feet away from them and they are six feet apart from each other, toed in.

I love the thiel 3.6. An accuracy, and honesty of tone I've yet to get out of any other serup.

Message Board

Does anyone here do "mid-field" mixing?

Does anyone here do "mid-field" mixing?

Who is online