I’m not attempting to beat up on you for using headphones. All I am really getting at is that you may be mixing in them a little too loud, thus experiencing the Fletcher-Munson curve (our ears act as compressors beyond a certain threshold). There are many people I know, myself being one of them at one time, that believe that loud music has to be mixed loud, which is not only false, but dangerous.

That being said, I do a lot of my mix work on headphones, main due to the fact that I have become more of a night owl during this lockdown. I will record guitars through my amp though, since it doesn’t bother my wife like the mixing does. She can’t stand the repetitive nature of mixing. However, I do listen to my mixes on a set of monitors as well as some consumer grade computer speakers, to make sure that the mix translates well to each of them. Once I am done, I will listen to it on my iPhone speaker as well as my laptop speakers to ensure that bass guitar is heard and the make sure that the hi-mids are not at cringing levels. After that, I give it the road test. Road factor is important because the music has to be able to cut through that. I’ll gladly make adjustments if it doesn’t survive that test. Only when it passes all of those tests, will I release it.

It’s just my opinion however… that and a two-dollars are worth a coffee and a doughnut.

jord