Acoustic Treatment vs Studio Headphones

[Dav3Danc15]

This question might be a dumb one for most people but I want to know if you had under $600 would you get a better set of studio headphones or get an acoustic treatment for your mixing room?





What acoustic panels are best to get from?

What Headphones are good for mixing?

 

[Massive Master]

What Headphones are good for mixing?

None of them. They have their place for certain tasks, zeroing in on particular details and what not. But for making general critical mixing decisions?

If they were any good at all, we'd all be using headphones in untreated rooms.

What acoustic panels are best to get from?

I'd personally go grab as many bags of Roxul Safe-and-Sound as you can get with the $600 and start stacking it in the corners. If you feel like wandering over to GIK or somewhere and checking out what might fit into the budget as far as some 2'x4'x4" traps, there you go.

 

[Dav3Danc15]

Thanks for your reply!

But what do you think about Auralex acoustic panels?

 

[Massive Master]

I try not to.

Don't get me wrong -- Auralex is absolutely wonderful stuff for what it is and what it's designed to do. Cheap too when compared to the "big guys" stuff (think Ilbruck, Sonex, etc.).

But it's foam -- It tackles the top end. 90% of your problem is in the low end. Throwing foam all over the place only makes it 100% of your problem.

 

[homestudioguy]

This is a nicely done YouTube video showing one way to build your own bass traps.
How to Build DIY Bass Traps and DIY Super Chunk Bass Traps - YouTube

 

[Dav3Danc15]

I see. So, Can you please give me brand names that YOU would go for for acoustic panels

 

[Massive Master]

GIK Acoustics, RealTraps -- But you're going to get the most bang for the buck on the Roxul... Just won't be so pretty.

 

[homestudioguy]

I see. So, Can you please give me brand names that YOU would go for for acoustic panels

As I live in Central Illinois, I buy the "Naked" OC-703 Panels from ATS Acoustics and wrap them myself.
They are located north of me (and south of Chicago) so shipping is not too much $$$

In fact, I have three 4" thick 2X4 panels in a box waiting to be covered.

They also sell premade and custom Acoustic Panels.
http://www.atsacoustics.com

 

[hannanahmad]

You can use any headphones for audio mixing. But, make sure they neither enhance nor diffuse any frequencies of sound, or it will cost you in the shape of performance.
Acoustic Panels and Bass Traps - Mixmastered Acoustics

 

[grimtraveller]

This question might be a dumb one for most people but I want to know if you had under $600 would you get a better set of studio headphones or get an acoustic treatment for your mixing room?

Presuming that I could treat the room I mix in, it's a no brainer ~ I'd spend it on the room treatment. I cannot forsee any circumstance that even God could conjour up that would entail me spending 600 big ones {or even just under 600 big ones !} on headphones. Even my imagination is not that expansive.
But I do not agree that one can't mix with headphones. You can, but it's not a simple, straightforward event that can be cracked in a day, which is why it's rarely recommended, especially to those new to mixing. But like anything in audio, it is possible. Not preferable, but possible, once you've learned to figure out how your headphone X translates to real world Y.
If you're still around reading this, all I can say is that if you have near $600 and these two are your options, forget the headphones ! As you use the term 'better', I presume you already have some.
Invest in some monitors and bass traps.