200 $ headphones or active monitors question

S

Saloje

New member
Hello guys.

Wanted to post here because i have more questions about home studio , and i would appreciate any help that i can get.

I spent allot of time learning how to record, mix and master my own project in Studio One 2 ad let me tell you it's a hard job.
I learned all the basic stuff to get me going but there are still lot of things i dont know like:

:guitar: Are my headphones HD7 that came with PreSonus Audiobox Studio Complete good for mixing and listening all the EQ changes and other sophisticated changes i make on my track or should i buy a new pair of headphones or active monitors for mixing purposes that will allow me to have a better picture of sound ( I dont have studio monitors, just a hi-fi device to listen and compare with audio image from my headphones) ?

If you think no. Can you suggest me a pair of headphones or active monitors that can do a solid job but are not expencive ( 200 $ ).



Thx for all the help i can get.
 
No matter how expensive your monitors, unless you have acoustic treatment in the room (bass traps), you can't mix accurately. Do you have acoustic treatment?
Although you may find some used monitors in your price range, the least expensive ones I know about are the JBL LSR305s, which go for $150 each, but can sometimes be had for around $225/pair on sale.
 
No i dont have aqoustic treatment in the room. Are there any decent headphones for 200 $.
I found some article about Headphones and these are the headphones around 200$ and pretty decent in performing.

- Shure SRH940 or

- Sennheiser HD 380 PRO

What do you guys think ?

Thx :guitar:
 
Saloje said:
No i dont have aqoustic treatment in the room. Are there any decent headphones for 200 $.
I found some article about Headphones and these are the headphones around 200$ and pretty decent in performing.

- Shure SRH940 or

- Sennheiser HD 380 PRO

What do you guys think ?

Thx :guitar:
Click to expand...

I think MJB is right that the room treatment is a big factor in getting the best out of your monitors. The question then becomes, what's more effective for mixing - cheaper monitors with no room treatment, or decent headphones?

I asked myself the same question and I chose headphones. I use the HD280 Pro's, and I would recommend those over the 380's. However, they are tracking phones, not made for mixing. You can use them for mixing, and I do as well, but it's not what they're built for - they are "closed" phones, while mixing phones are "open". AKG and Beyer make open phones, in addition to many other brands. I'd run up to GC and buy a decent pair, try them out for a few days, and then take them back if you don't like them. But a big point to remember is that it is going to take time to get used to any monitoring situation. You can't expect your first mixes to be phenomenal. With headphones, you are going want to be checking the mix on a lot of other systems to hear what the phones may not be telling you; your car, home system, other hp's, etc...

No matter what you end up with, you have to get used to the way that equipment is coloring your sound.
 
andrushkiwt said:
I think MJB is right that the room treatment is a big factor in getting the best out of your monitors. The question then becomes, what's more effective for mixing - cheaper monitors with no room treatment, or decent headphones?

I asked myself the same question and I chose headphones. I use the HD280 Pro's, and I would recommend those over the 380's. However, they are tracking phones, not made for mixing. You can use them for mixing, and I do as well, but it's not what they're built for - they are "closed" phones, while mixing phones are "open". AKG and Beyer make open phones, in addition to many other brands. I'd run up to GC and buy a decent pair, try them out for a few days, and then take them back if you don't like them. But a big point to remember is that it is going to take time to get used to any monitoring situation. You can't expect your first mixes to be phenomenal. With headphones, you are going want to be checking the mix on a lot of other systems to hear what the phones may not be telling you; your car, home system, other hp's, etc...

No matter what you end up with, you have to get used to the way that equipment is coloring your sound.
Click to expand...


Hm .. tracking phones means that they are for recording purposes , like recording vocals ?

Open ones are the one that can be heard when on someone head, so practicaly when i'm mixing with open ones i have less bass or what ? Am i getting this stuff. I would rather have closed ones so i can use them for tracking and mixing but the real question is how are my phones compared to HD280 pro. I own Presonus HD7. Will i be able to better hear large spectrum of frequencies On HD280 then on HD7 ?

And what about Shure phones ?

Thx for reply mate :)
 
Saloje said:
Hm .. tracking phones means that they are for recording purposes , like recording vocals ?

Open ones are the one that can be heard when on someone head, so practicaly when i'm mixing with open ones i have less bass or what ? Am i getting this stuff. I would rather have closed ones so i can use them for tracking and mixing but the real question is how are my phones compared to HD280 pro. I own Presonus HD7. Will i be able to better hear large spectrum of frequencies On HD280 then on HD7 ?

And what about Shure phones ?

Thx for reply mate :)
Click to expand...

Tracking phones means for recording, yes. They are tight around the ears so that sound doesn't escape and bleed into your microphone. Believe it or not, that doesn't only apply to vocal recording...i've gotten bleed into my guitar pickups before that could be heard on playback (sometimes i listen very loudly when I track, apparently). So closed is the way to go for recording purposes, open for mixing. But again, people use closed for mixing, as do I, it just takes a lot of patience (not days or weeks, but many months possibly) to learn how the sound is different. Listen to your favorite/similar music on them. Take frequent breaks (very important). Many ppl mix on headphones, but it's the amount of time and energy you put into it that pays off in the end.

I have only heard the 380's once, when a friend brought them over. I thought they were brighter than my 280's, but this was nearly 2 years ago and I only listened to 2 tracks on them so my recollection isn't that great. I suggested the 280's because they are very popular and many, many people here use them for both tracking and mixing. In a perfect world, we would be using nice monitors in a treated room, but not everyone has that option. I do not know anything Shure's headphones.

Read this, it should be worth your time:

Studio Headphones

I'll add that I should have read this article before I purchased the Fostex 50's a few weeks ago -the review was dead on. So, whatever you decide to buy, give this article a lookover and see if they discuss it. SOS is a reputable and reliable source for all things recording related. They haven't steered me wrong yet. FYI, they discuss the 280's in there as well as the AKG701's, a possible pickup for me in the future.
 
mjbphotos said:
No matter how expensive your monitors, unless you have acoustic treatment in the room (bass traps), you can't mix accurately. Do you have acoustic treatment?
Although you may find some used monitors in your price range, the least expensive ones I know about are the JBL LSR305s, which go for $150 each, but can sometimes be had for around $225/pair on sale.
Click to expand...

Yo.........^^^^^^........what he said....for sure. Don't go down that road where you're convinced that you can mix acceptably on headphones. You really can't...........despite what you hope. You sound like me when i was in your position. I was wrong wrong wrong. Phones cannot do the job properly.........and trust me.......the cost of them will not greatly change that result. Keep the phones you have for tracking. They'll likely be fine for that and invest or save for decent monitors such as the JBL 305's at a minimum.
 
Mickster said:
Yo.........^^^^^^........what he said....for sure. Don't go down that road where you're convinced that you can mix acceptably on headphones. You really can't...........despite what you hope. You sound like me when i was in your position. I was wrong wrong wrong. Phones cannot do the job properly.........and trust me.......the cost of them will not greatly change that result. Keep the phones you have for tracking. They'll likely be fine for that and invest or save for decent monitors such as the JBL 305's at a minimum.
Click to expand...


Hm.. You are not making this easy . What if i take open ones for mixing ( BeyerDynamic DT 770 PRO 250 Ohm or BeyerDynamic DT 770 PRO 80 Ohm ( what's with Ohm thing ? )), and use HD7 for tracking. Would that be better option than getting new monitors because off budget limmit.
If answer is No what monitors would you pick from here ? ( there are no JBL-s )

AudioPro

:guitar:
 
I think the main point is, no matter what you mix on, you're going to have to check it against various speakers, including mixing with monitors. Using only a single set of speakers to complete a mix would be a mistake, even if you're using monitors. I can tell you that the top pros will check their mixes in their cars and other places. Find something that works for you and get used to that device/equipment. Monitors in a treated room will definitely save you trips to and from the DAW, but acceptable/good mixes can surely be made by headphones...the user of the equipment is the biggest x-factor.
 
So the Real question here is ::

can i use Presonus HD7 for tracking purposes and buy open phones for mixing and maybe later buy proper monitors

or

Should i buy closed phones because they are equaly good for mixing purposes and take monitors in near future ?

Any toughts.
 
I've heard mixes done on headphones that were good. But, and this is a big BUT, those were mixes done entirely with VSTi's and virtual synths. They really weren't mixes because all the tweaking was done by the VSTi. If you're recording audio, and you will be needing to make EQ, compression, reverb, effects, etc. adjustments, then you really need to use monitors in an acoustically treated room.

You can start with headphones as a stopgap until you save enough money for monitors. Treating your listening space isn't expensive at all, if you can DIY it. My little studio cost me about $200 to treat.
 
Chili said:
I've heard mixes done on headphones that were good. But, and this is a big BUT, those were mixes done entirely with VSTi's and virtual synths. They really weren't mixes because all the tweaking was done by the VSTi. If you're recording audio, and you will be needing to make EQ, compression, reverb, effects, etc. adjustments, then you really need to use monitors in an acoustically treated room.

You can start with headphones as a stopgap until you save enough money for monitors. Treating your listening space isn't expensive at all, if you can DIY it. My little studio cost me about $200 to treat.
Click to expand...

I see the point of taking monitors but is it posibble to take monitors for 200-250$ that can do a decent job. Treating a room wouldnt be that expencive. I can do it myself. But can you please recommend a few active monitors ( dont have amp for passive :facepalm: ) .

Thx mate
 
Saloje said:
I found JBL LSR 305.
Is there a huge difference or is it the same speaker ?
Thx to all the ppl helping me. You are all great :)
Click to expand...

JBL LSR305(s = plural). Note that this speaker has a rear-firing bass port. You'll want to have a bass trap BEHIND the speaker (front wall) when using it.
 
Saloje said:
So the Real question here is ::

can i use Presonus HD7 for tracking purposes and buy open phones for mixing and maybe later buy proper monitors

or

Should i buy closed phones because they are equaly good for mixing purposes and take monitors in near future ?

Any toughts.
Click to expand...

Ok now........you're not paying attention here............or you're just determined to buy $$$$$$$ more headphones. To answer your question........save money for monitors if you already have headphones you can track with. Spending money on good open headphones will not help you as much as you want them to. No headphones are recommended for mixing much music........despite what some of the advertisements might try to say. I have some expensive open cans........cheap open cans..........expensive closed cans and cheap closed cans and none of them are a substitute for a treated room and decent monitors........by a mile. If JBL's are not in your area..........what is available locally for you?
 
I have 5 or 6 headphones and I use closed back to mix and record. Focal Spirit One at the moment. Uncomfortable as all hell but they have the best sound.
 
I have found that no matter how much you spend on headphones, $10 or $1000, mixing on monitors in a good sounding room beats it every time.

Use the money to buy a pair of the JBL's every one has recommended, and spend some money on some simple acoustic treatment to improve the room. Some rooms sound not too bad to start with so the acoustic treatment should not break the budget and offer good improvement.

Alan.

Oh and I check my mixes on a pair of Koss Plug ear phones ($15 to $20), thats what I listen to my MP3's on when wandering around so I know exactly what it should sound like on them, however I would not actually mix with them.
 
Mickster said:
Ok now........you're not paying attention here............or you're just determined to buy $$$$$$$ more headphones. To answer your question........save money for monitors if you already have headphones you can track with. Spending money on good open headphones will not help you as much as you want them to. No headphones are recommended for mixing much music........despite what some of the advertisements might try to say. I have some expensive open cans........cheap open cans..........expensive closed cans and cheap closed cans and none of them are a substitute for a treated room and decent monitors........by a mile. If JBL's are not in your area..........what is available locally for you?
Click to expand...

Ok i mannaged to make a list of available monitors to me and i know they are not top of the line but what would you suggest.

1. Tannoy Reveal 402
2. resident audio M5
3. Monkey Banana Gibbon 5 Black
4. KRK Rokit Powered RP5 G2
5. M-Audio Studiophile BX5 Carbon
6. M-Audio AV42
7. Alesis Elevate 5
8. Numark N-Wave 580
9. Behringer Digital Monitor Speakers MS20
10. Behringer Monitor Speakers Studio 50USB
11. Fluid Audio C5
12. Fluid Audio F4
13. Behringer Digital Monitor Speakers MS40
14. Numark N-Wave 580L
15. Behringer Behritone C5A
16. PreSonus Eris E4.5
17. PreSonus Ceres C3.5BT
18. Alesis M1Active 520
19. Alesis M1Active 520 USB
20. Fluid Audio F5
21. M-Audio BX8 D2

Here is the list so are there anny winnere there ?

Thx for reply :)
 
Saloje said:
Ok i mannaged to make a list of available monitors to me and i know they are not top of the line but what would you suggest.

1. Tannoy Reveal 402
2. resident audio M5
3. Monkey Banana Gibbon 5 Black
4. KRK Rokit Powered RP5 G2
5. M-Audio Studiophile BX5 Carbon
6. M-Audio AV42
7. Alesis Elevate 5
8. Numark N-Wave 580
9. Behringer Digital Monitor Speakers MS20
10. Behringer Monitor Speakers Studio 50USB
11. Fluid Audio C5
12. Fluid Audio F4
13. Behringer Digital Monitor Speakers MS40
14. Numark N-Wave 580L
15. Behringer Behritone C5A
16. PreSonus Eris E4.5
17. PreSonus Ceres C3.5BT
18. Alesis M1Active 520
19. Alesis M1Active 520 USB
20. Fluid Audio F5
21. M-Audio BX8 D2

Here is the list so are there anny winnere there ?

Thx for reply :)
Click to expand...

I guess if the JBL 305's are not available to you that's really too bad. As for your list........I have to defer to others here who may have some experience with them. Good luck and I think you're on the right path now. You won't regret getting good monitors and treating your room.
 
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