Why do I need Studio Monitors? Can't I mix on Headphones? Kali vs KRK vs Yamaha 

I like how we’re supposed to hear a difference when we’re watching this on iphones while on the toilet.

Engineer 1: Yo what monitors do you have? Engineer 2: Yamaha HS8s, what about you? Engineer 1: Lexus ES300s, 1997 edition Engineer 2: Nice. My first were the Toyota Corolla '08s

How to mix with headphones 1) mix 2) go listen to it in the car 3) realize it sounds like shit and try again until it sounds...good

I mix on a pair of tuna cans connected by string and it sounds fine.

You forgot mixing with phone speakers??

i can mix only by looking the waveform

That moment when you realise you need monitors to watch this video

Usually I just run my mixes threw Microsoft paint seems to work

I hook a toaster up to my DAW. The toast pops up when the mix is good

The thing that most people aren't realizing is... When you say... These sounded darker... Or the high end in these sounded louder.... Is that the opposite is actually happening when mixing. If the highs sound louder.. That means that during the mixing process chances are the high end wasn't cutting through as much in those monitors so the engineer is compensating... Same with.."these ones sounded darker" which means there were more mids and highs coming through during the mix and the engineer pulled those frequencies. So it's not the monitors that sounded "dark" or "too bright".. It's actually the opposite. Something to keep in mind when choosing a monitor that's right for you.

YES! You will NEED both, monitors and headphones. I would first mixing on my headphones, then go listen to the good monitors and then go to the regular stereo speakers (just to verify and confirm if your mixing was accurate, etc.).

I felt like the Yamaha had overall more excitement in the mix and more height, I felt like i got a more honest sense of all the aspects of the piece. The KRK had a nice rounded bass and had a meatier, more gravely feel. I thought Kali had height but it felt more focused than the Yamaha. Nice

It aint the smartest move to watch this on a mobile

Dude I’ve been mixing with my KRK Rokits (G5) for like 8 years now and love them! BUT (huh, huh, I said but)... I also dump the mix and listen to it in multiple sources, NOT JUST in my studio, but my car, headphones, and a variety of other sources. It’s the only way to truly test the mix.

Everyone says you need to listen to your mix in the car, so now I mix exclusively in my car.

It seems to me that the Yamaha's did the best job of letting you hear everything. At least, it seemed to me that minor bits, like pick attack, were clearly audible as opposed to muddy, indistinct, or inaudible in the other mixes. But I don't think one can do better than Kali's for three hundred bucks.

Glenn the type of guy to listen to the news on studio monitors.

Were we supposed to be listening to this comparison on studio monitors or headphones? Using my mobile phone's speaker, they all suck.

The Yamaha 7's. And not just because I'm listening through a pair of them.

Hi glenn. This is just me giving my opinion on this subject which is one of the few I somewhat disagree with but also agree with. Most freelance or amateur producers don't have a tuned room or high quality monitors to mix on, and if they do, you need to crank them a bit loud to get a good image of whats going on. That can be a nuisance to neighbors if you live in an apartment or duplex. I have been mixing going on 3 years, and while that isn't much compared to someone your caliber, there is benefits from mixing on the RIGHT headphones. I use the ATH-900x Air open back headphones ran through a preamp to start my mixes. I never, EVER start on monitors. Headphones are imperative when diving into raw tracks. They allow you to zoom in on the audio and see whats actually going on. Monitors can get cloudy if you don't have at least a $500 set. Make sure when you mix on headphones, they are OPEN BACK. Never mix on closed back headphones. It traps the bass and dampens the mids. After I gain stage, do preliminary compression, eq and slight volume adjustments and get everything in its little pocket, I then turn on my monitors to make sure everything sounds cohesive. After that stage, I switch off my monitors and use headphones EXCLUSIVELY for vocal editing. Vocals are the most fragile part of the mix (besides snare). If you have bad vocal editing, you ruined the track. After I get all my plugins squared away and really saturated the vocals, I switch back on my monitors and make sure they can be heard or if they're too loud. Most of the time I use my monitors as a "bigger picture" for reference of the entire mix, but rarely do I solely rely on them. In an untreated room (especially) you need a good set of headphones. Funniest part about all of this is whenever I tell people I mix on headphones, they think i'm an amateur or say "I've never heard of that". People think i'm crazy, but once you learn your equipment, it's invaluable. Once they hear the final mix, they swallow their doubts. So my advice for beginners and freelancers, USE OPEN BACK MIXING HEADPHONES. For professionals that have treated rooms, solid income and can afford them, USE HIGH QUALITY MONITORS. Bearfoot, Genelec, Neumann and Amphion = High price / high quality Presonus, Kali, Yamaha, krk, adam audio = mid range price / good quality

I prefer mixing on the garage band app on my phone.

It was easier to pick out the differences when repeating a section for comparison, good stuff Glenn 🤘

I used to mix in a pair of Yamaha HS8. Then I changed them for a pair of Yamaha MSP7 + the sub Yamaha HS8S. The difference is huge. I hear details I wasn't hearing as much on the HS8, and my mixes have really improved in terms of translation.

All three sound great. I liked the Kalis best blind, but the more I listened, the more I liked the Yamaha mix. Can’t go wrong with any of them. Thanks!

I'm listening on my Rokit 5s, and the Yamahas sound the crispest, and everything has a nice "sizzle". The bass is certainly more detailed. I'm not surprised...Yamaha does everything right.

All the above are suitable monitors (I am partial to the KRKs), none of them resulted in a bad mix.

Mixing on headphones isn't difficult. You just need to learn how to do it, like with speakers. Best of all: it's a controlled environment. Setting up a good acoustic environment for your speakers can be difficult and expensive.

The Yamahas sounded more detailed to my ears...especially noticeable was the string attack on the bass guitar. Caveat...I listened to this vid through a pair of Audio Technica ATH-M50x's

I thought the yamahas sounded the cleanest, but I actually liked the Kalis' mix a bit more. There were a few high frequencies that were left seemingly unpolished, but they also gave the song a little bit of the magic that is pretty absent from metal lately. The other ones didn't really have anything that stood out to me. Btw I'm listening on headphones because I'm of the group that doesn't own studio monitors yet.

Overall the Kali's have my vote, but I really like the bass guitar level with the Yamahas.

1:25 But acoustic treatment minimizes the sound's reflections. 1:29 There are headphones designed with a flat EQ too. And you can also use AutoEQ and Equilizer APO to compensate for your specific headphone's frequency response.

Thanks for this vid Glenn. The KRKs seem to have the best bang for the buck from what I heard through my Audio-Technica headphones. When I studied audio production at Berklee, the instructor said it was essential to "move the air" when mixing.

Monitors do add color in a way similar to that of headphones; the environment in which the speakers operate are a delicate matter. The distance and angle of studio monitors should be carefully considered, coupled with the studio's sound isolation technique. While I do acknowledge that really flat headphones are difficult to come by (especially in the inexpensive variety), one of the main reasons why I tend to use (closed back) headphones is that I can conveniently bring my “studio” wherever I want. But ultimately, if you have the time and resources to setup a proper studio, monitor speakers are highly recommended if not a must.

Good to know that you approve Kali as a good brand. I just ordered a pair of the LP8s at my local music store last week. Love the content you put out, keep up the great work brother!

I find switching between speakers during tracking and mixing helps avoid ear fatigue and can really highlight problem frequencies. I typically track on fostex ported speakers, as they are easy on the ear and a little flattering in some occasions for the musician I'm tracking who may want to have a in-between listen during recording takes, but I switch periodically to about 5 different speakers, most usually to NS10s (non ported of course) for some refinement, in particular when evaluating the lows (my NS10s don't cover lows very well.. I don't think they are intended to). Then I switch periodically, during listening to old Yamaha Hi Fi speakers which (perhaps oddly) I use to 'visually' see lows that I haven't heard with the other speakers. The Yam Hi Fi speakers are 3 way and with the woofer I look for exaggerated movement and use that visual cue to assist when EQing out bass frequencies. I guess my obvious issue is my control room which must be lacking in good treatment, but honestly after 35yrs of metal there is some frequency loss in my hearing and this switching of speakers seems to help identify rouge frequencies I'm no longer able to hear. Also, I don't use computers.. well, no DAW in any event. Just analog Soundcraft desk, loads of outboard and an Alesis HD24HD which is my multitrack (have not yet found a tape solution I can afford to use and maintain).

To my ears the KALI and Yamaha sound exactly the same while the KRK’s have more bass response.

Good stuff as usual, Glenn. Glad you’re able to start doing this stuff full time, and your content is just getting better.

Car stereo evaluation (only two speakers) Kali: Good. Pretty neutral all around KrK: Big, punchy bottom end, tamed highs. Yamaha: The same punchy bottom of the KrK's with a crisp, pleasantly aggressive high end.

I really do like the LP6. Thanks for the video!

Love the video man! Nice work. Surprised to say I love the LP-6 here the most haha

I like the fullness of the KRKs. The Yamaha's sounds a wee bit thin and Kalis sounded pretty clean. I am partial to KRKs, I have a couple of Rokit 8s and Krk 10" sub and I absolutely love them! I'd love to see an episode about subs and tuning them to your room.

No use my broken dollar tree earbuds

The KRK mix sounded a little bit more bassy on my system. Most noticeable in the kick drum. Highs were a little bit softer/unpronounced but not drastically. The Kali mix sound very round and balanced, little bit less low end and more pronounced highs. Felt a little bit cold compared to the other two but also the most flat and honest. The Yamaha mix sounded really good with the perfect amount of low end and high end. I got the impression that the mix sounded a little bit like it got the smiley face-eq treatment but also not in a huge way. I like the Kali and Yamaha the best, which is crazy considering their price points

Good studio monitors have the best soundstage and imaging, so instrument placement it is better. For example, when I placed an instrument a bit off center (studio monitors) in a lot of headphones I have (not all) it was panned all the way to the side. Also when making adjustments to the reverb, in headphones you put more reverb due to the lack of a room (literally). But headphones are better for (like Glenn said) noticing those tiny details like pops, clipping so you can fix them right away. Also closed back headphones are needed for tracking so you can monitor yourself singing without bleeding sound into a mic.

Mix B sounded the warmest and most organic on my system. Great playing helps too. Good job!

Something very strange going on with the bass guitar on the yamahas

I wanteded the Kalis but realized that I'm working in a small room, so I decided to go with the iLoud MTMs. Sure, they're more expensive and are limited in some ways, but the automatic calibration saves money on room treatment so I guess it's kind of a win. And, I get to take them wherever and they sound pretty amazing!

I will still continue to mix on headphones and constantly reference, and check on other systems. I simply don't have the space or money for monitors.

All 3 sounded really good by my ears. Loved the drum sounds, tgough sounded like they didn't quite poke through so well on the Kali's.

I find that Sonarworks Reference really helps me out.

These is a very good format, Thank you for posting it. I like the sound of the krk's and the yamahas. It is good to know that monitors are not super expensive in comparison to what they can offer. I do believe that many headphones do accentuate certain things to be more marketable, in recent times i hear a lot of headphones that put a lot of accent in bass. But there has to be some that are more plain. Could it be the same effect that happens with our voice, we hear ourselves very different than what we actually sound like.

The Yamaha's are pretty similar pricing in the UK and can actually be bought second hand.

I mix on HS7 monitors and i love them. I checked the Mix on my Headphones too (ATH-M50x) and i liked the HS7 mix the most. The Kali was not bright enough and the KRK was to boomy.

I thought the Rokit mix sounded better, which is ironic since I'm listening on a pair of Kali LP6. As these monitors should translate perfectly (they are exactly the same as the A mix), this is indisputable evidence that I disagree with the guy who did the mix... :)

Considering the hearing in my right ear is shot (Thanks, Deep Purple!), I have to EQ everything with my left ear when I mix. listening with headphones, I would say the B monitors kicked in some highs that I was uncomfortable with and the A monitors are lacking a tiny bit in the highs. The C monitors I felt provided the best mix; to me they had the best overall sound. Watched the video again listening through a Technics' receiver with a pair of Technics SB-CR77 3-way speakers with JBL crossovers (swapped the crossovers (my home stereo setup)). C was definitely the best sounding of all three mixes. Even with it cranked and listening from an adjacent room, it sounded the best. The only thing I use headphones for is helping to obtain a balance, never using them to EQ. 90/95% of the balancing is done WITHOUT headphones.

If you own a pair of great flat response (-ish) headphones and those are the only ones you normally listen with, then mix with them. Your ears will be so trained for them that getting monitors will confuse you, you will be mixing on your monitors so that the sound resembles what you get with those headphones you use 90% of your time. Monitors will definately be necessary if you want to go for producing as a career though. But seriously, are you going pro? Like seriously? Know your true motivation and goals, and you will be better off in all areas of life.

Listening on A7Xs. To me the KRKS sound the 2ND best. The drums sound a bit thin on the Kalis. Honestly I feel I can hear the difference in the HF on the Yamaha's, and they are still fat.

I really don't have a choice right now so headphones for me. But I'm very careful to mix and master the whole thing in mono as well. I wish there was a monitor simulation that accurately simulated stereo monitors. I also reference the mix through everything from cheap speakers to higher end sound systems at work. I'm getting pretty good results. I guess with practise you get good with what you got!

"Makes stereo imaging more difficult because it takes the room out of the equation" Yes. Exactly... That's literally why we mix on headphones. Because we have shitty rooms and don't have $300k tracking and mixing rooms... We have DAWs and direct input... Our "room" is inside the box... That said if you can afford monitors its a good investment. Good 3 way systems will show up issues especially in the low frequencies that headphones simply cannot do... Since the majority of audio is played back on cell phone speakers and car radios it's not "crucial" to have perfect low end... Advantageous of course... Will your track be shot down by snobby taste makers... Probably. But you do what you can with what you have...

I get that monitors need to sell, but all that monitors do extra in a home environment setup is color the sound in such a way that your mix will never translate. If you want crossfeed, witch is the only advantage of loud speakers when compared to cans, you ca do that in headphones too with plugs like Waves NX or better yet, Goodhertz's Can Opener. Needless to say that cans don't excite room modes and don't create standing waves in a room no matter how small.

Lol, I'm watching a review on Kali LP6's with Kali LP6's. I wonder if that technically phase cancels each other out?

You've said it yourself in the past, that you need room acoustic treatment for mixing with monitors based on which it should be better to mix on headphones (where acoustic treatment is kind of given) compared to an untreated room with monitors. Good treatment is expensive unfortunately.

Very interesting comparison there and great video as always. As a live sound engineer I often get performers that work on backing tracks. If they are home made they tend to always have the same problem... Way too much bass and its always distorted and unclean and my EQ will never remove distortion and or balance it quite right. They never seem to realise that my 18" or 15" subs have way more bass response than their apple headphones. Never underestimate the importance of testing your mixes in different rooms and systems!!

Been using a pair of Mackie HR624 mk1 monitors in my personal studio and I can't be happier with them!

Missing one of the biggest equation in this 3 speaker test. The mixing engineer's ear and experience!

the kali and yamahs sounded the best to me i was listening thru my yorkville ysm 8s

Glenn, you should take a serious listen to the Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin for headphones. I think the biggest issue "home" studio users have is always the room. It doesn't matter if someone has killer reference monitors if they are using them in a terrible room. Most home studio users don't have the budget or the knowledge to properly analyze their room and then correct the problems. I purchased the Sonarworks Reference 4 plugin about 1 year ago and it improved how my mixes translate immediately. You install the plugin as the last device in your signal chain. If you aren't familiar with the plugin it works by basically "EQ's" whatever headphones you are using to be relatively flat. Sonarworks has EQ profiles for most of the popular headphones that are available. Their website even has a page that allows you to hear the difference their profile will make to your particular headphones. I have been mixing live sound since 1981 and have been doing the home studio thing since 2004. I know how to use all the various processors and FX but mixing on headphones while running Reference 4 has been the single best investment I've ever made. The plugin is $99.00 but Sonarworks have a free 21-day evaluation period. You can install the plugin on 3 devices and there is no iLok.

I think the Yamaha mix sounds the best on my Presonus Eris e5's. I found that the rhythm tone in the Kali mix could have used more mid range, and the KRK mix had a bit of low mid mud through my monitors. Not sure what I've learned but really what I've found most important is learning your room and whatever monitors you have.

To me, the mix with the Yamaha HS7 sounded best, then the Kali LP6, then KRK Rokit 6. The guitars sounded decisively better and punchier in that order, but the kick drum (and maybe snare) was slightly beefier on the mix with the KRKs. All mixes sounded good, although I might have preferred a more prominent kick/snare combo overall. I'm listening on Adam Audio T5V.

That rhythm riff ! Spent 10 minutes trying to remember what it sounds like : Amon Amarth, the verse riff of A dream That Cannot Be. Awesome riff :)

I learned production and mixing using headphones for 4 years, when i got Yahama monitors, my music started to sound cool without having to overwork and then settle for what i had.

Holy Shit? A video without glen screaming????

I think I actually can hear the yamaha's sound better Not sure I'm listening with ear buds, need studio monitors to hear the differences in studio monitors.

They all sounded good...so I'd go with the cheapest and get the kali

Those Kali's sounded great!!

I liked the Yamaha first, then closely behind was the KRKs and lastly the Kalis.... At 56 , my ears are not what they used to be , but I could definitely hear a difference that I would want in my setup! I listened first time with my 250 watt system consisting of 2 MISSIL MA-302 satellites @ 50/channel and a 150 watt 10" sub. Second time with ATH-M50x and I get the same order of selection.

I'm going way out on a limb here and saying that Glenn is messing with us. Because based on my understanding of these monitors, the mixes don't make sense. For example, the KRK are super bassy, yet they resulted in the bassiest mix. The Yamahas have a nasty midrange spike yet translated as the most balanced mix to me. So I'm saying that mix C is actually from the Kalis. Mix B is from the Yamahas. And mix A is from the KRKs. That said, all of them were really good and favorites would be a matter of taste.

I would've liked seeing you mix an unknown genre to you, so you really have to rely more on the speakers. Since you re mixing this on a daily basis, the monitors are not gonna have that massive of an impact, cz you already have a rough idea of how everything sounds and how u have to treat it.

I mix on AKG 240’s (headphones) because I am at university. When I go home to my parents, I mix on monitors as much as I can. However, I got a SUPER balanced mix on headphones that I referenced on my guitar instructor’s monitors he has in his office and he was impressed. So, I don’t think it’s completely bad to mix solely on headphones, just reference on monitors when you’re done if headphones are all you have. Find someone with monitors or reference it in the car or your home theatre system.

I literally gave a like becuase the recording was great. I like all music, but a lot of not mainstream rock bands just sound like guys trying to be hard core and making noise. These guys sound great, clean, and I could feel the music.

The Yamaha Hs7 mix sounded the best to me on my HS8 monitors... go figure lol.

Would love to see a video on your thoughts on room correction software/hardware. Perhaps before and after proper acoustic treatment.

Just got the Kali LP-6 today. They’re great. Thanks for the advice Glenn

Kali- Neutral KrK- Boom bottoms Yamaha- crisp Hi. All three are pretty dang sweet but mixing is a game of inches. My ear preference falls on Yama / KrK since I like a mix of dat throat punch and potato chip crisp.

I liked A and C over B (this one missing something on the higher range). I'm not using the names 'cuz I feel Gleen could be deceiving us with brand-names and looks.

Glen, have you had a chance to hear the Kali LP8's yet? Curious how they stack up against other similar monitors, and would like to know if most home studios would be better off with 6 or 8 inch woofers.

I find the LP6s to be the most transparent and revealing. Then in second place come the HS7s with a gentle boost on the mids and at last come the Rokits sounding just a bit muddy around 300 but they all sounded good. Being that the LP6s are the cheapest blows my mind!

Most noticeable difference in the mix where the low end and high frequencies taming (at least to my ears, listening on a DT-770). For the low-end : The KRK mix sounded uneven (feels like there is conflicting stuff around 100-120Hz). The others mixes had some build-up too but lower around 50Hz and on my sound system it seems like the HS7 mix is not boosted as much the LP6 mix. I wish i could get a better picture with my monitors but my room is too small (so i have a lot of low-frequency building/cancelling in the corners of the room :/). For the high-end : The KRK and HS7 sounded nice (feels like there is slightly more compression on the KRK) but i fear the tweeters are REALLY harsh on the LP6 => The cymbals sounded so far away, like there is a big cut around 8KHz-10Khz. I mean, the DT-770 is known to be flattering around that range so if it sounds far away on those headphones, i fear some listeners don't even hear the details on the cymbals on lower-end speakers. If you do another one, could we also get the reference mix to refresh our ears before switching directly from one mix to another ? would be great :) Anyway nice video, thanks Glenn.

My ears are still in elementary school.

I was hearing more mids from the kali, more highs from the krk and all around balance from the Yamahas

Just pulled the trigger on a pair of the LP6's- thank you Glenn! I was mixing on headphones and using sonar works but I figured it was time for an upgrade

I just bought a pair of the white Kali LP-6 and I love them

What's the point of mixing if every speaker sounds different?I leave my music as it is

Signal chain for that super beefy guitar tone, please? :D

Do you use a subwoofer in studio as well or do these monitors cover the whole spectrum?

I honestly do the majority of my mixing on headphones and only use my monitor speakers for the rough mic and to determine where to place stuff spacially and for final evaluation. With headphones I do not have to worry about the inevitable problems with bass cancellations and accentuation through room modes, get great extension down to 20hz without any problem, don't have to think about time arrival due to reflections and just can get away without spending a fortune on room treatment. Because a flat on axis response will still get pretty messy in any non treated room.

having only ever used headphones to mix for the last 10-15 years, I often found my mixes lacking. I even invested in a nice pair of flat response aka headphones (which are amazing by the way) but I always liked the mixes until I played them on another device (more often than not my car stereo). I finally got a pair of Yamaha hs8s for my birthday this week, setup the listening area with some sound treatment and instantly I noticed a huge difference. I could easily pick out what was too Loud and what was lacking in the mix, I've even gone back to the drawing board with some of the takes because I could now pick out some of the less obvious trouble areas in the initial recordings. the monitors aren't even that expensive. should have gotten some years ago

I preferred the KRK from the 3 but I think the Kali and KRKs are pretty similar. I recently went from KRKs to the HS7s because I thought I was "upgrading" monitors basically off of price point. I feel like the HS7s don't accurately reproduce the low end especially on Kick drum. I'm going back to KRKs.

Tip for any producer: although you mix on studio monitors, always check your mix on headphones. Not only pro studio headphones but also consumer headphones and even EarPods if you can. Most people listen your music via streaming services on their mobile devices with a headphone.

I never thought i needed studio monitors until i visited a professional studio .... it does make a huge difference !