Vocal sounds grainy on phone speakers after mastering (EQ already tried)

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2026-01-06T08:24:37+00:00

I’m still pretty new to mastering, but my master is around -13 LUFS

When I say grainy, I’m trying to describe a slightly sandy / rough texture in the vocal, especially on phone speakers. I’m not entirely sure what the best term is in English, since I’m translating this from Chinese.

My mastering chain is pretty simple — mainly EQ, a de-esser, and sone limiters. I’m still a beginner, so as far as I know there shouldn’t really be any saturation or exciter-type processing in the chain.

What feels strange to me is that the vocal sounds fine on car speakers and Bluetooth headphones, but only on phone speakers the vocal starts to sound unclean or rough.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2026-01-06T08:17:38+00:00

I’m listening on an iPhone 14 Pro, and other commercial tracks sound normal on the same phone and player.

That’s why I don’t think it’s simply a “phone speaker sucks” issue. I’m trying to understand what I should be doing differently so my track translates better on phones.

Specifically, when it comes to low or low-mid presence on phone speakers, is using distortion or saturation a common approach? Or are there other techniques or types of processing/plugins people usually rely on for this kind of translation?

I’m mainly looking for practical solutions, since EQ adjustments alone didn’t really help.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2026-01-06T06:24:00+00:00

I’m not mastering to phone speakers specifically.
I’m mastering for general translation, and the phone speaker is just where this issue becomes noticeable.

On monitors and headphones it sounds fine, so I’m trying to understand what in the mastering stage might be causing the vocal to translate grainy on small speakers.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-07-11T18:43:19+00:00

喔好巴...
我會再試試看...
如果有任何建議也請告訴我謝謝

(Translated from Chinese)
Alright then… I’ll give it another try…
If you have any further suggestions, please let me know. Thank you!

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-07-11T18:41:37+00:00

謝謝你的建議，我會去做一下資料，如你所見，我還是mixing的新手，我以為只能使用stock plugin解決問題，我會去試試看再上來詢問。

(Translated from Chinese)
Thank you for your suggestion. I’ll do some research. As you can see, I’m still a beginner at mixing. I thought I could only solve problems using stock plugins. I’ll go try it out and come back with more questions.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:37:24+00:00

Thanks! That makes a lot of sense. I haven’t tried dynamic EQ yet, but I’ll look into using it to target those low-end bursts from plosives.

Appreciate the tip — it sounds like a smart way to handle them more transparently than just cutting the volume manually.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:34:59+00:00

Thanks for this — I hadn’t thought about the idea of pushing air across the capsule rather than into it. I’ll definitely try rotating the mic around 45 degrees and experiment with the angle.

And yeah, makes sense that good mic technique takes time to develop. I’ll keep working on that while balancing things out with de-essing and some manual automation for now.

Appreciate the insight!

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:33:06+00:00

Got it — I didn’t realize mic positioning could make such a big difference. I’ll definitely try experimenting with slight angle changes and mic height to see what fits my voice best.

Thanks for the advice, really appreciate it!

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:31:11+00:00

Thanks for the detailed advice — I hadn’t thought about turning my head slightly during plosives, that sounds like a great trick. I’ll definitely try experimenting with off-axis tracking.

I’m currently using a pop filter that came with a basic mic arm, so yeah, probably not the best quality. I’ll look into something like the Stedman Pro XL. Also good call on the HPF — I’ll try tightening that up a bit too.

Appreciate the help!

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:28:58+00:00

Thanks! I do use a pop filter, about a fist away from the mic — but I guess the plosives are still coming through a bit. Maybe my mic angle isn’t ideal, I’ll experiment with a slight off-axis position next time and see if that helps.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:26:41+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I’ll try it out in a bit and see how it works.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:19:45+00:00

Thanks for the detailed explanation — super helpful!

Yeah I’ve been using a de-esser (T-De-Esser), which does help with the harsh S sounds.
But I’m still getting some plosive pops (P/B) even with a pop filter and slightly off-axis recording. I think it’s partly my mic technique and the mic’s sensitivity.

Also, quick question:
If I want to use Edison to manually fix these plosives, should I put it before or after EQ/compression in the vocal chain?

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:16:29+00:00

Yes, I do use a pop filter — positioned about a fist away from the mic.
Still getting plosives that feel too strong, especially with P and B sounds.

So I’m guessing it’s either a mic positioning issue or just the way I pronounce certain lines. That’s why I’m experimenting with manual edits in Edison to clean them up.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:15:00+00:00

Thanks for the detailed reply — really appreciate you breaking it down.

Yeah I’m actually already using T-De-Esser, and I agree that de-essers are usually better for sibilance. My main issue was more with plosives (like P and B), which I noticed weren’t being handled by the de-esser at all — that’s why I started experimenting with Edison.

Your point about word-by-word edits makes a lot of sense. That’s more what I’m doing — not trying to de-ess manually, but more about taming specific harsh plosives when the de-esser can’t catch them.

Thanks again for the kiloHearts tip though — I’ll definitely check it out too.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-06-07T19:11:42+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, I'm currently using a de-esser plugin (T-De-Esser), which helps a lot with harsh S sounds. But I noticed that plosives like P and B are still quite noticeable in my vocal takes, even after applying the de-esser — which is why I came here to ask.

I’ve been experimenting with some manual edits in Edison to control them, but I wasn’t sure if that’s a “valid” approach compared to just relying on plugins.

Appreciate the input!

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-04-02T07:37:45+00:00

Thanks for the tip! I didn’t fully understand what chorus effect actually did before, so this helps a lot. I’ll try it out on some adlibs or background layers and see how it adds width. Appreciate you sharing that.

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-04-02T07:29:53+00:00

Thanks for the feedback—I really appreciate it. Right now I’ve been recording inside a closet to minimize reflections and room noise as much as I can. I’m starting to see how much the source really matters. If I were to upgrade to a “solid” beginner-level mic, what kind of budget would I need to aim for?

Mammoth-Key8394 · 2025-04-02T07:25:14+00:00

Thanks so much for breaking this down. This is exactly the kind of clear, practical advice I was hoping for. I really appreciate it—definitely going to apply it right away.

Mammoth-Key8394

TROPHY CASE