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Mixing and monitoring guides

Monitoring questions answered properly, by an acoustic designer: the method, the numbers, and where they stop.

Loudness

Loudness compensation: mixing at low volume without losing the bass

What the ISO 226 contours ask for when you turn the monitors down, and why the right correction is the difference of two contours.

 Reference

A/B your mix against a reference track, level-matched

Match loudness in LUFS, compare like for like, and how the reference plugins, ListenHub, Stream AB and PHON differ.

 Calibration

How to calibrate your studio monitors

ITU-R BS.1116, SMPTE RP 200 or K-System: which reference to use, and how to measure one speaker at a time with pink noise.

 Monitor controllers

Software or hardware monitor controller: which do you need?

What software does before the converter, what only hardware can do, and how to choose.

Written by Jean-Pierre Baroni, acoustic designer and developer of PHON, the studio monitor controller for Mac.