...and there's no way to know how they perceive it until it's out there.

I retired a few months ago and have been trying to spend time in the studio, mainly on refreshing old stuff I have on SoundCloud. Haven't done anything new in a long time. Haven't been here in a long time either. Anyway....

First, I go through my music CD's to find a good reference song and then I rip it to a Reference Music folder on the DAW and import it to the mix and eventual master projects.

Once I have a mix/master I'm happy with, I export a 16 bit wav file and burn it to a CD (cd-r are fairly cheap). Then I take both the reference and my song CD's to the Kia and the Ford for listens. I repeat the mix/master/car tests as many times as it takes.

Then I upload the wav file to SoundCloud (Private) and listen on my phone/earbuds and on an Anker SoundCore. I stream the reference song also on those same devices matching levels as best I can.

I'm getting tired of the car tests though. But I still have a CD player and an old Peavey powered mixer and PA speakers which I hope will replace the car tests. Again, I'll listen to the reference and my song on that same system.

I've stopped using SonarWorks. I have a partially treated room, and I bought a pair of powered Auratone's not too long ago to go with a pair of Kali IN 5 monitors. I know about the EQ trick to highlight the mid-range, but I got the Auratone's anyway $$. I find they do help me get closer to a good mix sooner.

Scott


My stuff:
https://soundcloud.com/scott-h-olson
https://www.youtube.com/@ScottHOlson

Sonar Platinum, Studio One Pro 4, Windows 10, Hybrid Home Studio