Why does my mix sound good on headphones but bad on speakers?

Headphones bypass your room's acoustics and create an artificially detailed stereo image. On speakers, the room reflections mask detail. The fix: mix on both, but use headphones for detailed work (EQ cuts, reverb tails, de-essing) and speakers for the overall balance and low-end decisions. You can also use crossfeed plugins like CanOpener Studio to simulate speaker cross-listening on headphones.

How loud should my mix be before mastering?

Your unmastered mix should peak between -6 dBFS and -3 dBFS, with an integrated loudness of around -23 to -18 LUFS. This gives the mastering engineer headroom for EQ, compression, and limiting. Don't worry about loudness while mixing — focus on balance. The mastering stage adds the loudness.

Should I mix with a limiter on the master bus?

Beginning producers often slap a limiter on right away to make the mix loud, but that masks problems. Leave the limiter off until the final stage . Mix into gentle bus compression (1-2 dB, 2:1 ratio, SSL-style) for glue. Once the mix is balanced, add a limiter as part of self-mastering — but always render a version without it for a professional mastering engineer.

How many plugins per track is too many?

There's no fixed limit, but if you have 6+ plugins on every track, you're probably fixing problems that should have been solved earlier. Before adding a plugin, ask yourself: can I fix this with fader volume, panning, or a different sound choice? Great mixes often use few plugins: an EQ, a compressor, and maybe one creative effect per track. If you find yourself stacking 4 EQs in a row, reconsider the source sound.

How to Make Your Mix Sound Professional: 10 Common Mistakes to Fix

Quick answer: How to Make Your Mix Sound Professional

Quick answer: Fix the 10 most common mixing mistakes that keep your tracks from sounding professional. Learn proper gain staging, compression, reverb control, and how to use referen...

undefined undefined undefined.

Get free VST plugins, EQs, compressors, and mixing tools — everything you need for professional-sounding mixes.

Browse Free Downloads

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my mix sound good on headphones but bad on speakers?: Headphones bypass your room's acoustics and create an artificially detailed stereo image. On speakers, the room reflections mask detail. The fix: mix on both, but use headphones for detailed work (EQ cuts, reverb tails, de-essing) and speakers for the overall balance and low-end decisions. You can also use crossfeed plugins like CanOpener Studio to simulate speaker cross-listening on headphones.
How loud should my mix be before mastering?: Your unmastered mix should peak between -6 dBFS and -3 dBFS, with an integrated loudness of around -23 to -18 LUFS. This gives the mastering engineer headroom for EQ, compression, and limiting. Don't worry about loudness while mixing — focus on balance. The mastering stage adds the loudness.
Should I mix with a limiter on the master bus?: Beginning producers often slap a limiter on right away to make the mix loud, but that masks problems. Leave the limiter off until the final stage. Mix into gentle bus compression (1-2 dB, 2:1 ratio, SSL-style) for glue. Once the mix is balanced, add a limiter as part of self-mastering — but always render a version without it for a professional mastering engineer.
How many plugins per track is too many?: There's no fixed limit, but if you have 6+ plugins on every track, you're probably fixing problems that should have been solved earlier. Before adding a plugin, ask yourself: can I fix this with fader volume, panning, or a different sound choice? Great mixes often use few plugins: an EQ, a compressor, and maybe one creative effect per track. If you find yourself stacking 4 EQs in a row, reconsider the source sound.