Speaker Monitors VS Headphones?

J

jpetersmm

New member
Would anyone recommend headphones that would work instead of speaker monitors, preferable that I could track and mix with? Or is that too good to be true.......?

Thanks Ya'll


~~Jackson
 
Well, wait a minute. for tracking, you'll actually have to have headphones if you're micing stuff like your voice, guitars, drums,etc..... Mixing is a different story.
 
Ideally mixing should be done with a decent set of monitors in a well treated room. But you know, you CAN mix with headphones. The learning curve is slower yet steeper, but it can be done if you get very familiar with how your headphones sound and how your mixes translate elsewhere. What's gonna probably happen is you'll do a headphone mix and on playback elsewhere it's going to have all sorts of problems. So you'll need to adjust your perceptions in the headphones so your mix will actually sound correct everywhere else. It's a lot of trial-and-error but it can eventually work out.

And yeah, for tracking, some iso headphones are a good thing.
 
I have been tracking and mixing with headphones thus far and have found that the mixes are def different from car to computer to ear buds.

Greg -- would you recommend a pair of headphones that would be the closest to a true sound or does it just give me somewhat of a inaccurate sound regardless the quality of headphone?
 
jpetersmm said:
I have been tracking and mixing with headphones thus far and have found that the mixes are def different from car to computer to ear buds.
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Some of that is natural. No two systems sound alike. Some of it is the fault of mixing in headphones. The end goal, for most people, is to make a mix that works EVERYWHERE. It doesn't have to sound the same everywhere, but it has to sound good everywhere.

Greg -- would you recommend a pair of headphones that would be the closest to a true sound or does it just give me somewhat of a inaccurate sound regardless the quality of headphone?
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I don't know of any "true" sounding headphones. They inherently can't sound true. They're headphones, not really speakers moving air. I mix through monitors, but I have two sets of headphones, neither great, but they're good for referencing and doing A/B mix checks. I have some old AKG K-301s, and Shure SRH-440. The AKGs are a little brighter, kind of mid scooped sounding, the Shures are fat and bassy. I'd never mix with either, but I do use them for casual listening and mix checks.

jpetersmm said:
Something like the AKG K702?
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Those would probably be fairly decent, and better than average consumer headphones. Probably not good for tracking though.
 
I probably do more than I should on my Sennheiser HD280s, but I ALWAYS go back to the monitors and check my work.
Most of the time I get away with it because I know the headphones, and the type of work I'm doing is predictable and familiar.

Stereo perception is the most problematic area.
When you use speakers, each of your ears can hear each of your speakers, but with headphones each ear can only hear one speaker; There's no crosstalk.
This exaggerates the stereo image. For that reason, I wouldn't fancy treading new ground with headphones alone.
 
By the way, for tracking loud stuff, I really recommend the Vic Firth isolation drummer headphones. I've had them for years and years, they always work great, they're comfy, they really cut out the noise, and I can track drums and stand in front of blaring Marshalls while easily hearing what I'm playing along to. The one drawback - they sound like ass. Lol. But for their intended purpose, attenuating noise while tracking or practicing, they're awesome.
Vic Firth SIH1 Isolation Headphones | Musician's Friend
 
I always mix with a decent pair of reference monitors. I'm using Event 20/20BAS monitors now. But, I also like to listen to my mix on a pair of headphones occasionally to get a feel what it will sound like on smaller speakers. It's good to listen to your mix on a number of different speakers and sound systems.
 
Greg --- That all makes a lot of sense...I will def check out those Vic Firth for tracking! I have had a problem with being able to hear what is going on. I think I am going to start looking at some monitor speakers for my setup.

Steenamaroo --- I know what you are talking about with the stereo perception...one of the issues I have had is with panning. It sounds good through the headphones and sorta weird through car speakers.

Thanks Ya'll for the responses...I really appreciate you taking the time! :)
 
Phil O'Keefe recommended one of the Grado sets if you absolutely can't use monitors. I forget the model, they were about $300 or so. I can see if I can figure out which if you're interested.
 
I think I am going to get some legit monitors just to be as accurate as possible...I wouldn't mind having the name though because I need some new headphones as well.....Thanks ermghoti!
 
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