It's impossible.

[Hatstand]

I watched or read (I cant remember) something the other week that mentioned that a lot of the great current engineers are in their 50's and try their best not to look old because of the perception that the older you get the more chance you can't hear the full spectrum easily and therefore can't mix and master which is obviously B*ll*x. Luckily experience and the ability to read a spectrum analyser helps. I for example use Sonarworks a) because the sound in my room is flatter (but not necessarily nicer) and b) because I am used to knowing what to expect.

I am aware my top end is lacking so compensate for that by listening to reference tracks where I also can't hear the top end (but can see it) and mix the tracks I have been given to achieve a similar sonic and visual match. I know it will sound different to someone without the same 4k notch that I have, but am also confident that it won't sound harsh to them. I also know that if it sounds slightly harsh to me it will be excruciating to people with pristine hearing.

I avoid car stereos as no car is the same. but do recommend listening via bass enhanced headphones or a bass amp to see if the bass end is overpowering and at the opposite end through laptop speakers a mono phone speaker or cheap earbuds to check that the vocals and top end are not too over-emphasised. Bear in mind they are expected to sound like cr*p so don't over compensate, but they shouldn't be unlistenable.

and yes I mix ITB.

|It is a cardboard box under the third arch of the local railway bridge

Edited January 26, 2021 by Hatstand

[Bruno de Souza Lino]

22 minutes ago, Starise said:

You mean using TRackS  Master Match? I had that problem with MCompare. Not intuitive at all. 

Yes. I never used MCompare or much of the Melda stuff. Their plugins have confusing user interfaces.

24 minutes ago, Starise said:

I have been less prone lately to over analyze a mix at the master stage. This is mainly because I just don't have the time. Having said that, I can get a decent master much faster than I once could. 

I was talking about analyzing a mix at the mix stage. In my cases, mastering is something that may happen somewhere or it's just a suggestion.

[Shane_B.]

1 hour ago, Bruno de Souza Lino said:

I was talking about analyzing a mix at the mix stage. In my cases, mastering is something that may happen somewhere or it's just a suggestion.

Same here. I try to make my mixes as close as possible to the end result as I can. It's not easy but when I did the -6/-18 thing they came out a lot better.