Mix translation has become even more of a moving target than ever, now that music is consumed on earbuds, headphones, iPhones, in cars, and desktop computer speakers—but rarely on large stereo speakers. Mix engineers are aware that they should probably mix on earbuds and tiny speakers, but who can spend hours listening to a mix played back on speakers the size of a nickel? At the end of the day, due to the limitations of current playback media, you hear music in mono far more than you think. For example, music from streaming services isn’t always played back in true stereo. Music piped into an elevator, supermarket, doctor’s office, shopping mall, PA system, or theme park is heard in mono. If only there was an easy way to reference a mix in mono and anticipate how playback will sound in these myriad environments. There is, it’s called Panipulator 2 and it’s a free gift from Boz.

Treating the lowest frequencies is not an easy task. And in some listening environments, it is almost impossible. If you mix while travelling or your mixing room or your system is not 110% perfect, you should see the doctor. Namely SubBass Doctor 808.

Your subs can be harmful

We all want the pumping subs that shake the body. But without the right treatment, they can get out of control. Although they are inaudible in some environments, wrongly mixed low frequencies can even destroy big PA systems.