Tracking With Headphones

[Bobbsy]

What about wireless'? I've looked' but I never got around to checking any out.

There's a truism in the live sound side of things:

"You can spend two to three thousand dollars on a wireless system that's almost--but not quite--as good as a ten dollar piece of cable."

Even the best wireless system, as good as it is, won't sound quite as good as a direct cable--mainly down to the companding used in most FM systems.

Beyond that, don't forget you'll need to change batteries every 8 hours or so--and there's some kind of fundamental law of physics that says wireless batteries always go at the least convenient time. (Usually at 2AM on a rainy Sunday morning when the only place you can get more is the 24 hour gas station 10 miles from home--you know, the one that charges twice the going rate for batteries!)

Finally, don't forget that most guitar wireless systems still involve a short piece of cable to a pack that you clip to your belt or guitar strap--so, while better than a long cable, still has potential to tangle with a headphone cable!

 

[Justsomeguy]

i think mixsit may have meant wireless headphones rather than guitar cables. although i do agree that wireless guitar systems aren't as good as a half decent jack cable

i used some wireless headphones for recording for a while; it was ok but the battery running out every couple of hours did become a royal pain in the arse. saying that, i'm sure there's now fancy rechargeable ones which may be pretty cool, but for the price of these, normal headphones and some kind of clever tucking/wrapping/harnessing would be much cheaper and just as effective.

recording guitar, i'm a fan of the headphone cable up the back and over the shoulder technique

 

[grimtraveller]

I love this thread !

 

[mixsit]

i think mixsit may have meant wireless headphones rather than guitar cables. although i do agree that wireless guitar systems aren't as good as a half decent jack cable

i used some wireless headphones for recording for a while; it was ok but the battery running out every couple of hours did become a royal pain in the arse. saying that, i'm sure there's now fancy rechargeable ones which may be pretty cool, but for the price of these, normal headphones and some kind of clever tucking/wrapping/harnessing would be much cheaper and just as effective.

recording guitar, i'm a fan of the headphone cable up the back and over the shoulder technique

Yep. Thanks for the the insight there too.

 

[grimtraveller]

I guess I took a lighthearted stance because it seems like such a non issue. I was obviously wrong though. There seems to be some pretty elaborate ideas out there.
When certain instrumentalists have recorded with me over the years, if the cable got in the way I've just put it up their tops. There's not many places it can go ! I just let it hang behind the guitar or mandolin.View attachment 72332
One thing that did occur to me was comfort. There's very few comfortable positions and some rooms are more comfortable than others, mainly because of what's to sit on and where things like mikes are placed.

 

[heatmiser]

Wow...never given this one much thought...?

I stand up and strap on the guitar..then I put on the headphones and drape the cord over my shoulder so it falls down my back out of the way. Seems to work well.

 

[Justsomeguy]

I stand up and strap on the guitar..then I put on the headphones and drape the cord over my shoulder so it falls down my back out of the way. Seems to work well.

tbf, my very first suggestion on this whole thing was going to be "dude, why not just stand up when tracking guitar!?" but, realistically, this won't suit everybody

 

[miroslav]

The thing that prompted me to make my headphone/guitar cord harness was that when standing up, no matter how I draped the headphone cord, it would always drop straight down and end up right at my feet. So as I was playing (I don't stand frozen in one spot) even if I took a small step I would end up stepping on the headphone cord which would tug at the headphones and twist them up some or even pull them off my ear.

Plus, the headphone cord usually was on my left, 'cuz most headphones put the cord on the left cup...and the guitar cord was on my right, (I rarely step on my guitar cord)...and also my headphones plug in on the right side in my studio setup, while my amps were off on my left.
It made for a tangled mess at times.

So, it was a bit too much, and I started thinking how to have a "single" cord that would stay on one side and allow me to move around much easier without getting tangled up or stepping all over the headphone cord. During tracking, I am often walking back-n-forth around the studio...from the amps, to my console, to my rack gear...etc. With my harness rig, I can move freely and I never get tangled or have to remove either headphones or guitar. I have just enough harness length to get to any gear in any spot. When I'm tracking, I hate having to remove the headphones or guitar any time I need to reach for some gear or walk across to the other side of the room.

Anyway...everyone's situation is unique, but I'm sure there are multiple, easy solutions for most.