Most engineers mix at a moderate level, somewhere around 70 to 85 dB SPL measured at the listening position, and many work quieter than you'd expect. Fab Dupont, award-winning producer, engineer and Campus mentor (David Crosby, André 3000, Bad Bunny), used to mix at 85 dB SPL. Today he spends most of his time around 79, and often at 69. The exact number matters less than knowing yours and keeping it steady.
Key takeaways
- Measure, don't guess. A cheap SPL meter or a phone app tells you how loud you're really listening.
- Loud feels better but lies. Volume exaggerates lows and highs and tires your ears, so decisions drift during the day.
- Quiet mixing can mean punchier mixes. Fab says working at 69 to 79 dB SPL lets him make "really punchy mixes and also not get tired."
- Consistency is the goal. The same level every day makes your monitoring a reference you can trust.
- It applies to earbuds too. Fab keeps his AirPods under half volume.
What volume should you mix at?
Mix at a level you can sustain for hours: loud enough to hear detail, quiet enough that a conversation over the music would still be possible. For many engineers that lands between roughly 70 and 85 dB SPL at the listening position. Start in that range, measure it, and adjust to your room and your ears.
In his How To Listen info session, Fab Dupont put it simply: "Another important trick is to watch your listening levels." His own numbers surprise people:
"I used to listen to 85 [...] when I listen to 85, SPL, C weighted, slow, I feel like I'm blasting myself. Because most of the time, I listen to maybe 79, and then even more so, I listen to 69." — Fab Dupont
At 69 dB SPL, he jokes, the smallest noise in the room covers the music. That's the point: at a low level, a mix only sounds exciting if the balance and the punch are really there.
Why does mixing loud cause bad decisions?
Because loudness changes what you hear. Two effects work against you:
- Equal-loudness: our ears are less sensitive to lows and highs at low volume. Turn up, and the same mix sounds fuller and brighter, so a loud mix often turns thin or dull when played at normal level.
- "Louder sounds better": in any comparison, the louder version tends to win. If your monitoring level creeps up, every decision is biased.
- Fatigue: loud sessions tire your ears. By late afternoon you reach for more top end and more level to get the same excitement.
Fab's answer is consistency. Working quietly, he says, "I feel my hearing and my ability and my discernment are the same at the beginning of the day as they are at the end of the day."
How do you measure your monitoring level?
Use an SPL meter at your listening position. "You can have a hardware one or analog one," Fab says. "Oh, you can use your phone, whatever. They have a cheap one on the phone. Make sure you know how loud you're listening." Phone apps aren't lab instruments, but they're consistent enough to stop you drifting.
- Sit where you mix and hold the meter (or phone) at ear height, pointing between the speakers.
- Play a finished song you know well, or pink noise, through your normal monitoring chain.
- Set the meter to a slow response so it shows an average rather than jumping on every hit. Fab quotes his numbers with C weighting and slow response.
- Turn the monitor control until you read your target, for example 79 dB SPL, and mark that position.
- Do it per speaker set. Each pair of monitors or headphones needs its own mark.
Which level for which task?
| Level (approx.) | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Around 69 dB SPL | Balance, punch, long sessions | Low end can feel shy; check it briefly louder |
| Around 79 dB SPL | Most mixing work | Creep: re-check the meter during the day |
| Around 85 dB SPL | Short checks of low end and impact | Fatigue and a bias toward "fuller" |
These are starting points from common practice and Fab's own routine, not rules. What matters is that you know which level you're at.
Does mixing quietly make mixes less exciting?
Usually the opposite. At high volume, almost anything sounds big. At low volume, only real contrast and solid balance survive, so you fix the actual problem instead of relying on the speakers. Fab says listening at 69 "gives me the superpower to be able to make really punchy mixes and also not get tired."
Turn up briefly to check low end and how the mix hits, then come back down. Short loud checks are useful; mixing loud all day isn't.
What about headphones and earbuds?
The same rule applies, and it's easier to forget because there's no meter on your head. Asked whether he also tempers his earbud level, Fab answered: "My air pods are like less than half." He watches the hearing indicator on his iPhone: "I keep mine in the green."
- Keep headphone volume fixed for mixing sessions and note the setting.
- Use your phone's headphone level indicator as a rough guide.
- Take breaks: closed headphones fatigue your ears too.
For checking translation on headphones and AirPods, see how to check a mix on headphones and AirPods.
How can you practice this today?
Practice exercise: one mix, two levels
- Measure and mark two levels on your monitor control, for example 69 and 79 dB SPL.
- Pick a reference track you love and play it at 69. Note what you can still hear clearly.
- Do a 20-minute balance pass on your own mix at 69, without touching the volume.
- Switch to 79 for a minute and check low end and impact. Write down anything that changed.
- Go back to 69 and compare with the reference at matched level.
If the mix still feels punchy at the low level, it will hold up almost anywhere. More listening habits are in how to train your ears for mixing and common mixing mistakes.
Frequently asked questions about mixing volume
Is 85 dB SPL too loud for mixing?
Not for short periods, and many engineers have used it as a reference. For a full day, many work lower. Fab Dupont used to mix at 85 dB SPL and now feels that level is "blasting" himself; he works mostly around 79 and often at 69.
Should I use A or C weighting on my SPL meter?
Either works if you stay consistent. C weighting includes more low end, so it reads higher on bass-heavy material than A weighting. Pick one, use a slow response, and always compare readings taken the same way.
Can I trust a phone SPL app?
For consistency, yes. Its absolute accuracy varies with the phone's microphone, but it will tell you when your level creeps up, which is what matters day to day.
Why do my mixes sound thin on other systems?
One common cause is mixing loud: the equal-loudness effect makes lows sound fuller at high volume, so you add less than you need. Mix at a moderate level, check briefly louder, and compare with references at matched level.
To hear Fab explain his listening levels and other listening habits himself, the full How To Listen info session is free on Campus Replays. For a guided path with exercises, answer keys and a teaching assistant, How To Listen with Fab Dupont is on-demand with lifetime access, a certificate of completion and a 14-day money-back guarantee.
