bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
I've had click bleed with closed back headphones.
I've had click bleed with closed back headphones.
(OP here.)"Open backed" headphones are a relatively new phenomenon (I speak as one who came from "telephone" cans to the original AKG K50s WHAT! a revelation!) and came about because it is very difficult to make truly "hi-fi" closed backed phones, there is always some residual colouration.
But since it is generally agreed that you should not do a final mix on cans there seems little point to me in having OTHER than closed types around the "studio"?
By all means have a set of seriously expensive open types for quality checking (or just casual listening) but since you should not be judging mix "quality" on cans on a day to day basis, just have modestly priced closed jobbies about the place.
And BTW! Whilst you can probably "close off" open cans in desperate circumstances do not for one moment think that you have NOT ****up the sound quality!
Dave.
(OP here.)
Many good points here. Especially Dave's above. I do have 3 or 4 pairs of closed back cans in the studio, but I think they all sound pretty crappy, like cheap ear buds. I've been an audiophile for 30 years and really notice that coloration. I put the open back cans on this singer because they sound far more natural and more "hi-fi" if you will. I understand that it's the job of the engineer to make the artist feel comfortable, confident, and inspired to perform. I figured that reaching for the better sounding cans would help to do that.
Maybe I just need to invest in better quality closed cans. ...if they exist.
WOW!
That must some crazy loud click track!!!
So like, of the click is that loud to bleed thorugh closed-back headphones....how loud is the rest of the audio?
Drummers and some other performers move around a bit and that can break the seal between the cup and head letting enough sound out to bleed. It happens.
Iem's are also good because they act as ear plugs, so the sound of the drum kit isn't as loud int the drummer's ears, so the playback doesn't have to be loud at all.
I used them live and in the studio and I was able to get away with a stupid low volume for the click and backing tracks. It was so much better than monitors or headphones.
I get uncomfortable just thinking about Koss Pro4AA headphones. Those things must weigh 5 pounds, and 9 out of the last 10 that I've seen had deflated cushions.
Ride the click in the quiet parts, fades etc. This was handier just patching an old HR16 into a fader on the monitor mixer. (I don't sync anything to proj tempo typically here so that can take place of the DAW click.You don't hear it during most of a song, but during quiet parts and the cymbal decay at the end sometimes it can be picked up by a mic. Drummers and some other performers move around a bit and that can break the seal between the cup and head letting enough sound out to bleed. It happens.