# Why your mix sounds bad on other speakers | SpinZ CZ

> I do the boring part first. Mono on. Volumes. EQ. Then a second mixing pass, just for width. Sri Barratan’s mono-first routine.

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Sri Barratan · 7 October 2026

## Why your mix sounds bad on other speakers.

Sounds great in your studio. Sounds off in the car, on the phone, in the club. Here’s the step you skipped.

Most people jump straight to limiters, reverb and distortion. I do the boring part first.

**On this page**

Read next

[How to prepare a mix for mastering](https://spinzcz.com/guides/prepare-mix-for-mastering) [How to use a reference track for mastering](https://spinzcz.com/guides/reference-track-mastering) [All guides →](https://spinzcz.com/guides)

### Mid is the centre. Side is the width.

Mid is what plays equally in both speakers. Side is the difference between left and right: the width.

#### Mid

**The centre**

Kick · Bass
Lead vocal · Snare

#### Side

**The width**

Reverb · Wide pads
Doubles · Stereo FX

Typical places for these sounds, not fixed rules.

### Same mix. Different way to look at it.

Stereo is left and right. Mid/Side is centre and width. Sum the mix to mono and you hear the Mid. That’s why I start there.

### Mono. Before anything.

Step 1

I click the mono button on the master fader before I even touch a volume.

**Mono on.**

It stays on for the next two steps.

### Set volumes. Still mono.

Step 2

Faders only. No plugins yet. Get the balance right without the width getting in the way.

[![Studio One channel faders in a mixing session](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/studio-one-mixer.webp)](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/studio-one-mixer.webp)

Faders first. Studio One example from [Sweetwater.](https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/studio-one-mixer-is-stuck-in-mono/)

### EQ. Still mono.

Step 3

Cut. Boost. Get the tone right. Sounds good? Now turn mono off.

[![FabFilter Pro-Q 4 equalizer interface](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/fabfilter-pro-q-4.webp)](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/fabfilter-pro-q-4.webp)

EQ example: [FabFilter Pro-Q 4.](https://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-q-4-equalizer-plug-in)

### Hear that yuck?

That’s why I don’t stop at mono. The width is back. Anything that sounds wrong now needs attention too.

**Mono off.**

Now you hear the stereo.

### Treat width like a fader.

Step 4

Waves S1 Imager on the tracks that sound off. Too wide? Narrow it. Too narrow? Spread it.

**A second mixing pass, just for width.**

[![Waves S1 Stereo Imager; Width is the second fader from the left](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/waves-s1.webp)](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/waves-s1.webp)

The Width fader is second from the left. [Waves S1.](https://www.waves.com/plugins/s1-stereo-imager)

### Watch it. Don’t guess.

Step 5

PAZ Analyzer shows the width while I move things. I watch the picture and listen. The meter helps me see it; my ears make the call.

[![Waves PAZ Analyzer with stereo-position display at bottom left](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/waves-paz.webp)](https://spinzcz.com/assets/guides/mix-sounds-bad-on-other-speakers/waves-paz.webp)

Watch the stereo-position display at bottom left. [Waves PAZ Analyzer.](https://www.waves.com/plugins/paz-analyzer)

### Do this before the fancy stuff.

Skip the width pass and you can end up making the junk junkier with every plugin after it.

1. Mono.
2. Volumes.
3. EQ.
4. Width.
5. Then limiters, reverb, distortion.

That’s my order. Get the balance and width right first. Then check it on other speakers.

Adapted from [Sri Barratan’s original carousel](https://www.tiktok.com/@spinzcz/photo/7686475624642317589) with AI editing assistance. Product images are credited examples, not Sri’s sessions or settings to copy. Mono/stereo symbols are illustrations.

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