Description

Headphone Mixing Course

The Headphone Mixing Course is built to give you the essential skills for putting together professional-sounding mixes on headphones. Whether you mostly work on speakers or you mix exclusively on cans, this course teaches you how to create mixes that translate to both without guesswork.

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Add to Cart — $99 $59

Class 1: Mixing With Headphones

Headphones give you plenty of advantages over speakers, but they also come with some inherent issues you need to understand before they become an effective mixing tool. This class starts with the basics.

Headphone History & My Experience With Headphones
Types of Headphones
Impedance and Sensitivity
Head Related Transfer Function (HRTF)
Assessing Your Headphones

Class 2: Headphone Software

This class wades through the available headphone enhancement software and how to integrate it into your mixing workflow.

Headphone EQ Calibration Software
Basic Binaural Compensation Software
Mix Room Simulation Software
Monitor Simulation Software
Strategies for Integrating Headphone Software
Bonus Content Reviews: Re-Head, CanOpener, Waves NX, Abbey Road Studio 3, Ocean Way Nashville, CLA NX, Immerse by Embody, dSONIQ Realphones, dearVR Monitor

Class 3: Listening Exercises for Headphones

It’s not enough to just listen to commercial productions on your headphones. You need to become consciously aware of imaging, depth, and separation characteristics. Whatever headphone model you use, understanding them with the most intimate detail is essential to making solid mix decisions.

The Sound Field Inversion Principle of Headphones
The Headphone Monitoring Playlist
Frequency Response Characteristics
Compression Characteristics
Depth and Space Characteristics
Integrating Headphone Software

Class 4: The Primary Sound Field (Levels and Panning)

This class kicks off the actual mixing process by teaching you how to translate level and pan decisions through headphones.

Headphone Tuning Exercise 1: Sound Field Perception
Levels and the Front-Back Sound Field
Panning and Width Adjustments
Integrating Monitoring Software
Balancing Adjustments Between Headphones and Speakers

Class 5: Frequency Balancing for Headphones (Equalization)

Frequency balancing is probably the toughest technique to nail on headphones. The proximity of the drivers to your eardrums creates a false sense of density, especially in the lower frequency range. This class hones in on those issues and how they affect your perception of the whole frequency spectrum.

Headphone Tuning Exercise 2: Frequency Balance and Height Perception
The Bottom Up Approach to Equalization in Headphones
Low and Low Mid Frequency Equalization Techniques
Midrange Equalization Techniques for Localization
Balancing the High Frequency Spectrum

Class 6: Density and Imaging Quality (Compression)

Density and imaging characteristics translate differently through headphones than they do through speakers. This class zeroes in on those differences and how to get your mix working in both worlds.

Headphone Tuning Exercise 3: Density and Imaging Perception
Primary Sound Field Placement with Compression
Stabilizing Compression Techniques
Parallel Compression Techniques
Saturation Techniques for Density and Imaging

Class 7: Creating Space in Headphones (ER, Reverb and Effects)

Speakers put a sense of space mostly in front of you. Headphones drop the listener right in the center of the experience. Understanding the Sound Field Inversion Principle is critical when you’re creating space with early reflections, reverb, and effects.

Space and the Sound Field Inversion Principle
Headphone Tuning Exercise 4: The Perception of Space
Early Reflections in Headphones (Creating Space)
Reverb in Headphones (Filling the Space)
Delay Effects in Headphones
Immersive Enhancements for Headphones

Class 8: Headphone — Speaker Compatibility Adjustments

This class goes into the adjustments and techniques needed to make your headphone mix translate effectively to speakers. If you don’t have physical monitors handy, control room emulation software becomes critical here.

Headphone Tuning Exercise 5: Control Room Software Monitoring
Selecting Your Control Room and Speaker Setup
Translating Level and Pan Settings
Translating Equalization Settings
Translating Compression Settings
Translating ER, Reverb and Effect Settings
Checking Against Alternate Monitor Setups

Class 9: The Automation Process in Headphones

Automation is what shapes the flow of a production from start to finish. The objectives are the same whether you’re on speakers or headphones, but bridging the translation between the two is key for compatibility.

Headphone Tuning Exercise 6: Automation in Headphones
Automation for Foundational Tracks
Automation for Sectional Tracks
Automation for Transitional Tracks
Automation for Lead Instruments
Automation for Effects

Class 10: Finishing the Mix with Headphones

The final ‘glue’ on any mix lives in the processing of mix stems and the mix buss. Rolling headphone and control room monitoring into that process is what finishes the job. This class gets into that integration and what you need to adjust to bridge the gap.

Mix Stem and Mix Buss Processing Defined
Harmonic Processing
Compression
Equalization
Using Maximizers
Final Compatibility Checks
Headphone Mixing Course Wrapup

✅ What’s Included

✓ 10 full video classes covering calibration, levels, EQ, compression, space, automation, and translation
✓ 6 headphone tuning exercises to calibrate your ear for each stage of the mix
✓ Downloadable PDF workbook with module-by-module exercises
✓ Headphone EQ cheat sheet (printable reference)
✓ Translation checklist for comparing headphone mixes against speaker playback
✓ Bonus software reviews: Re-Head, CanOpener, Waves NX, Abbey Road Studio 3, and more
✓ Lifetime access — watch and re-watch at your own pace
✓ Works with any DAW and any closed-back or open-back headphones

🛒

Limited Time — Save 40%
Add to Cart — $99 $59

If you are new to mixing on headphones, we recommend reading the Sound On Sound guide on headphone mixing techniques before diving into the course — it provides a great foundation on how headphone playback differs from speakers. You can also check out the Audinate learning hub for more on audio signal flow if you want to brush up on the fundamentals.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Do I need headphone correction software to take this course?
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Not at all. This course puts listening skills and mix decisions first. Correction plugins and monitor emulation tools are mentioned as optional extras — handy but in no way required. Everything you learn here works with stock plugins and whatever headphones you already own.

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What headphones do I need?
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Any decent pair will do the job, closed-back or open-back. The course has a dedicated module on evaluating your specific headphones so you know their quirks before you lean on them for mix decisions.

Q
What format does the course come in?
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Streaming video lessons plus a downloadable PDF workbook. Access is instant once you purchase — no waiting around, nothing to ship.

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How long do I have access?
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Lifetime access. Go through it at your own speed and jump back into any module whenever you need a refresher.

Q
Will my headphone mixes actually translate to phone speakers and club systems?
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That’s exactly what the closing modules are built for. Translation checks, mono comparisons, and reference-track workflows get proper treatment — not just a quick nod.

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What is the refund policy?
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Standard digital training terms — once you access the course, the sale is final. If a technical access issue pops up, our support team gets it sorted for you.

The Headphone Mixing Course exists because most people mixing on headphones end up guessing at adjustments that actually have straightforward, teachable answers. A mix that only works in your cans isn’t finished — it’s untested. This course hands you the listening skills, translation checks, and workflow strategies to lock in a mix and move forward. If headphone-only mixing has cost you client revisions or made you second-guess your own tracks, grab the course and put these techniques to use on your next session.

Mixing With Mike – Headphone Mixing Course