The Truth

I once heard about a studio that had beautiful, giant $10,000/pair speakers that could reveal things in the music that had previously only existed in other utopian dimensions. These were the kind of speakers that would give you a religious experience when you heard them.

But this is not about those speakers. This is about the single speaker that sat between them. It was a small, beat-up old piece of garbage with the frequency response of a flounder. Below it was a sign that said, "The Truth."

All of you out there who have had to mix music that is supposed to sound great on a wide variety of audio systems are nodding your heads knowingly. It's not about how great your music sounds on the BEST speakers - nearly everything sounds great on those - it's about how it sounds on the WORST speakers, because if you can make it sound great on those, it will also sound great on better speakers. Unfortunately, the reverse isn't true.

So to the ancients who equated truth with beauty, I can only say, “Not in this business.”

-Dave Hab