Plugging in 2 sets of headphones into audio interface

C

captshiznit

New member
Hi guys,

Quick question. I've bought a focusrite saffire scarlett and you can plug in a set of headphones at the front which allows me to play my vocalist the mix and allows him to hear himself but I was wondering how can a plug in another set of headphones so I can also hear him and the mix, but the problem is there is only one headphone jack on the AI so where would I try plug in mine? Of course I can play it through monitors at the same time but we have the pc in the same room where we record so can't really do that.

I was thinking I could just buy a headphone splitter and plug it into the interface and have 2 sets of headphones in the jack. But I was wondering will it be able to power 2 sets of high quality headphones such as sennheisers or would that not work?

Thanks!
 
It's not "best practice" but, with only two sets of 'phones, it would likely work with a simple passive splitter.

However, to do it properly, you should add a proper headphone amp to your Christmas list. Even the cheapies work fine and would generally give you four (or more) proper headphone outs with individual level control.
 
Bobbsy said:
It's not "best practice" but, with only two sets of 'phones, it would likely work with a simple passive splitter.

However, to do it properly, you should add a proper headphone amp to your Christmas list. Even the cheapies work fine and would generally give you four (or more) proper headphone outs with individual level control.
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Yeah I think i'll go straight to trying to get a headphone amp then one which just have 2 outputs are pretty cheap 30-40 dollars it seems, would they be ok?
 
I used to use a splitter. The only downside I found is there wasn't as much gain available when I used one.

You could snag a cheap Rolls headphone amp if you wanted to go that way.
 
I've been using an 8 way splitter like this for nearly 20 years. It's a great option although for less money a 4 output headphone amp is a better deal. What I've done sometimes when recording with a drummer who really plays loudly is to route his headphones to him from the DAW headphone socket and output the DAW to my stereo amp {which is in the room I record drums in} and use the amp headphone socket for myself, that way, I can have the volume up loud and hear myself. Most of the time, we just use the splitter though.
 
Here's something I bet nobody here has though of. Headphone transducers will act as microphones and send bleed to the other headphones. If recording a loud band all at once with passive splitters a lot of LF will bleed into each set of 'phones and come out the others. It's not a strong effect, but with a bunch of headphones hooked up together it can definitely start to decrease clarity. This may not be the OP's situation but it's handy to know before you get into a big session without a proper headphone amp.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Here's something I bet nobody here has though of. Headphone transducers will act as microphones
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On occasion, I actually use the headphone as a mike. Like if I'm tracking and a bit that fits with the song I'm working on comes to me, I'll use the headphone to record me humming it into a spare track because I couldn't be bothered to set up microphones, leads etc. I've also recorded tambourines and light percussion with the headphone as a mic. Not earth shattering results, but useable. Interesting for lo~fi / raw sounds.
 
There's some people who claim that the best "microphone" for bass drums is actually a loudspeaker up close to the skin. It's not something I've played with myself but those that do it swear by it.
 
:facepalm: Well I have to admit ..... I jam two low impedance microphones into my ears then plug them into my headphone amp. :rolleyes:
 
grimtraveller said:
I've been using an 8 way splitter like this for nearly 20 years. .
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That's the funniest thing. I use the AMR-PD-4 (same company, but the 4 headphone version) for about the last 20 years. One of the first things I ever got for my "studio" at the time. Still works and comes in handy all the time.
 
grimtraveller said:
On occasion, I actually use the headphone as a mike. Like if I'm tracking and a bit that fits with the song I'm working on comes to me, I'll use the headphone to record me humming it into a spare track because I couldn't be bothered to set up microphones, leads etc. I've also recorded tambourines and light percussion with the headphone as a mic. Not earth shattering results, but useable. Interesting for lo~fi / raw sounds.
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I've clamped headphones to bodies of basses and cellos and plugged them right into unbalanced high impedance mic inputs of an old mixer.
 
Bobbsy said:
There's some people who claim that the best "microphone" for bass drums is actually a loudspeaker up close to the skin. It's not something I've played with myself but those that do it swear by it.
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Yamaha's Subkick is exactly that. I think most people use it with another kick mic.
 
moresound said:
:facepalm: Well I have to admit ..... I jam two low impedance microphones into my ears then plug them into my headphone amp. :rolleyes:
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If they are dynamics it will "work" until you burn out the coils. One of the first experiments in recording I did was using a dynamic mic as a speaker inside various containers along with a second mic to pick up the weird effect it had on the source.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
If they are dynamics it will "work" until you burn out the coils. One of the first experiments in recording I did was using a dynamic mic as a speaker inside various containers along with a second mic to pick up the weird effect it had on the source.
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Must of had some really *weird effects*!
 
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