Mix Balance - Level sounds Headphones vs. Studio Monitors

[Caine123]

hi guys, another day another topic.

i've thought im pleased with my mix/master and then i double checked with my Beyerdynamic headphones and some 20 bucks small headphones and on both 1-2 sounds are louder around 2-3 db than hearing it in the studio on my monitors. would you then adjust and make these 2 sound a bit quieter and trust the headphones on this? cause 2 headphones showing me this difference shouldnt be ignored i guess?

thanks! always try to stereo and mono listen every track on monitors + 2 different headphones.

[BertKoor]

If it bothers you, then adjust it. Simple

It's worth investigating why these sounds appear to louder in headphones. Do they have frequency content mainly in a region which is louder on headphones (or softer on monitors) ? Know the weakness of your gear so you can compensate for it.

[_leras]

Likely, yes, you can lower these sounds. If you are checking mixes - and please do on more than headphones - if things stick out then lower them 1-2 dB and check again, equally if you find an element has got lost then raise it a bit.

Keep checking and adjusting, try some different speakers. And don't forget your room and monitors may have its own bumps and dips.

*One caveat for headphones... Check a headphone response EQ curve and just double check that the headphones don't have an EQ bump at that frequency.

[BertKoor]

Very wide stereo stuff (reverbs) also has the tendency to sound too loud on cans but too soft on monitors. You need to find a compromise