I don’t understand why people use headphones in properly treated studios. Any ideas?

I don’t understand why people use headphones in properly treated studios. Any ideas?

Sometimes HP can reproduce details that can be harder to hear. Even a well treated room can have ambient sounds that can overshadow small details. For example someone doing some editing. However quiet, the keyboard is producing some noise. I don't know if that's a real good example, but in short headphones provide 'sonic privacy' to a degree.
I heard in an interview that CLA mixes at such a low volume that he can hear someone working on a keyboard....and it annoys him :D
 
I heard in an interview that CLA mixes at such a low volume that he can hear someone working on a keyboard....and it annoys him :D

I saw that interview too. Things like edits and minor details are heard more easily on headphones.
 
I don’t understand why people use headphones in properly treated studios. Any ideas?

As the other guys said, sometimes it can be easier to focus on, or hear, some small details with headphones.
I generally wear headphones when I'm doing solo instrument editing.

It's hard to describe, but I definitely feel more focussed that way.

Also it's worth considering that a huge number of people might be listening to the final product on headphones.
I don't necessary agree with the mix on headphones for headphones deal, but it definitely does no harm to check in.
 
In any recording setup no matter how basic (but the bigger the more important!) it is a brave man/gal that does not check the feed with headphones. Finding a low grade hum loop or worse a digital 'whine' in the takes, 3 hours after band has gone 'pub can be a bit of a chilling moment!

Cans will find things you won't notice in the 'heat' of tracking. It is also sometimes illuminating to run a 'silent' recording of the rig and run that through a spectrum analyser. Things 'move' and ***t gets in. BIG culprit is line lump PSUs.

Dave.
 
In any recording setup no matter how basic (but the bigger the more important!) it is a brave man/gal that does not check the feed with headphones. Finding a low grade hum loop or worse a digital 'whine' in the takes, 3 hours after band has gone 'pub can be a bit of a chilling moment!

Cans will find things you won't notice in the 'heat' of tracking. It is also sometimes illuminating to run a 'silent' recording of the rig and run that through a spectrum analyser. Things 'move' and ***t gets in. BIG culprit is line lump PSUs.

Dave.

Yup....what he said ^^^^. Throw on a pair of MDR-7506 or MDR V6 cans (both known for being EXTREMELY revealing) and take final listen to your mix. Often there's a surprise in there that you didn't hear.
 
Yep. Fine tuning.

We all are better mixing in a treated room with acoustic treatment. The ear fatigue happens way quicker with headphones.

It takes like 5 minutes on headphones before my head just needs a break. But I do go to them to find details I may have missed.

To each their own. I personally just hate cans for anything but reference.
 
I use phones for zeroing in on anomalies. That's pretty much it. Clicks, pops, WTF's, and the like. Sometimes that's for a few minutes (removing a few clocking errors from a single track), other times it's hours and hours for days and days (a full-on vinyl restoration can take about an hour per minute of audio).

And if it means anything to anyone -- Grado Prestige Series phones upgraded with the G-Series cushions are long-term awesome.
 
Grado Prestige Series phones upgraded with the G-Series cushions are long-term awesome.

There are several Prestige Series models...and prices...where you referring to any one model in particular? :)
Also...the upgraded G-Series cushions...do you get them with a particular model, or was that a separate purchase after?

I've been wondering about a new pair of phones, just for my studio use for checking mix issues, etc, not for tracking use.
My current go-to phones for that are the Fostex T50RP MkII, semi-open back model. I have 3 pairs of them, and also a couple of pairs of the T40, which is closed, that I use for tracking, but I like the T50 sound much better, so I took one of my T50 phones, and made them closed-back...simple mode with some gaffer's tape inside the cup, just to cover the open slits, which is how the T40 are "closed", the slits are covered.

Anyway...I've looked at some of the Focal phones, and the real good stuff is way pricey...but would like to have something else besides my T50RP for mix checking.
 
I use the 225's, but the 125's are [this close]. I recommended Grado to a guy who bought the 80's and said they were some of the best phones he's ever heard - but I admit to not having much time with them myself. The cushions are an upgrade (and worth every penny IMO/E). The Prestige line comes with the "L" type - which are okay, but I found them rather uncomfortable after a relatively short amount of time.
 
Back
Top