producing/mixing/mastering for different listeners?

[jdc5294]

So me and my singer just recorded a demo in my living room, really barebones just 2 mics and a couple hours. Mixing with my $150 Seinheissers on it sounded great, but then I listened with by $10 earbuds and it sounded very tinny and metallic. So I can listen to these mixes with a couple sets of earphones and maybe in my car and tweak, but I can't listen to them through everything! Anyone have any tips for making it universally appealing while still retaining the sound we want? Thanks.

 

EDIT: If you're curious, here's my soundcloud account. The first 7 tracks (from Big Yellow Taxi to Big Black Horse) are the finished tracks, and the 8th taxiraw is just the 2 raw tracks just leveled out with each other and nothing else.

[kurdy]

Mixing exclusively through headphones instead of a good pair of monitors could be part of your problem...though it doesn't hurt to use 'phones as a reference.

I'm very familiar with this issue. Usually, after I do a mix, I listen to it through my good monitors, then I'll reference it on a couple of pairs of cheap headphones, then my little computer speakers. All of them have their own sonic characteristics. I think listening to it through however many sources you have access to is about the best you can do. It's never going to sound perfect on everything.

Maybe the most important thing I learned over the years (the hard way) is to beware of ear fatigue. After hours of listening to something, your ears are simply not going to hear it the same.  Put it away for the night, and listen again in the morning. What sounds absolutely horrible to you right now might sound just fine once your ears have had a chance to rest.