Most producers and mixing engineers are familiar with mix translation concepts such as "the car test", checking your mix in mono, mixing at low volumes, and so on. But what's the deal with these concepts and why are they so important?
There are many reasons why they're important, but the key takeaway is they give you a way to listen to music under different circumstances. Circumstances that are more normal for the average listener than what you hear in your studio.
So in this article, I'll go through some of the reasons why these methods are important, how a mix will never sound "perfect" on every playback system, and some things to keep in mind to make sure your mix translates well anywhere.
