Tried switching to noise cancelling headphones for mixing and it completely wrecked my bass levels...

I picked up a pair of Sony XM5s about 3 months ago thinking they'd help me focus on my music production. First few mixes sounded amazing through them. Then I played my tracks on my car speakers and the bass was almost nonexistent. The headphones were boosting low end so much I was cutting it out without noticing. Went back to my old Sennheiser HD280s and had to redo everything. Has anyone else had their trusted gear totally throw off their workflow like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

piper_kim1mo ago

actually the xm5s are known for that scooped bass thing, it's not really boosting low end as much as it's hyping the sub bass and cutting the mids. your ears adjust to the wrong curve and then everything sounds thin on normal speakers. i had the same problem with beats way back, it's like your brain gets fooled into thinking the bass is fine when it's actually all fake.

avery_jackson1mo ago

@piper_kim nailed it. Same trick as cheap earbuds making you think loud equals good.

ray3561mo ago

and piper_kim's point about your brain getting tricked is exactly what happened to me. i had a pair of those old skullcandy headphones that were all bass and no balance, took me weeks to unlearn that sound signature and start hearing music properly again. a simple eq reset to flat and sticking with it for a few days helped me break out of that fake bass trap.