Can I record without listening in monitors?

  • Thread starter Thread starter metal mike
  • Start date Start date
Monitors are the last thing I would spend on but
I don't negate their imortance to mixing and pre-tracking.
My question is if you had to choose between mixing
with headphones ,Hi-fi speakers ( garden variety) and
computer speakers with sub ( Altec Lansing ) , which would
get the most accurate mix? Thanks.
 
rhythm ranch said:
Blue Bear,
I'm curious about your statement, "The biggest reason you can't use headphones to make any sonic decisions (whether tracking or mixing) is because not one person hears via headphones the way another person does..." I've never heard this before. Could you please give more details?
Thanks,
Mark
Click to expand...
It's very simple - the human ear's response characteristics at the close range provided by headphones varies radically from person to person. In a sense, it's as if everyone has their own version of Fletcher-Munson curves applied to their hearing, which affects what they hear differently compared to what someone else hears. When listening to a very close-range source such as headphones, particularly in bass and mid-range response, the characteristic is very apparent.
 
Deen said:
Monitors are the last thing I would spend on but
I don't negate their imortance to mixing and pre-tracking.
My question is if you had to choose between mixing
with headphones ,Hi-fi speakers ( garden variety) and
computer speakers with sub ( Altec Lansing ) , which would
get the most accurate mix? Thanks.
Click to expand...
You can do a more translatable mix even with cheap monitors than with good headphones.

It's relatively easy to learn to compensate for a monitor's characteristics, it's significantly more difficult to try and compensate for the bass/mid-range response variations that occur with headphones (as compared to the same signal via monitors).
 
Cans

I don't mix on cans, I mix on Monitors. Or, actually, both seperately.

And in the end, so few people are going to listen to it, it might as well at least make me happy.

And here I'm avoiding the subject of subjectivity here (haha) but when I mix on cans then listen to the mix on the monitors, it generally sounds OK TO ME. And vice versa.

I'm not trying to say that having mnitors won't make your recordings better, because they may well, to a varying degree depending on the standard you're working to. But when you have to go to some practice room halfway across town to track the drumz, I think cans are a reliable alternative.

And I'd be grateful if Mr Bear can tell me the difference between cheap monitors and hi-fi speakers? I'm not saying there isn't one, I'd like to add, like some kind of challenge. I just want to know, since I use both!
 
Re: Cans

Cakey2 said:
And I'd be grateful if Mr Bear can tell me the difference between cheap monitors and hi-fi speakers? I'm not saying there isn't one, I'd like to add, like some kind of challenge. I just want to know, since I use both!
Click to expand...
well... the difference between monitors and hi-fi speakers in general is in the design for listening area.

Monitors are designed for a listening distance of about 4-5 feet, while hi-fi speakers are designed for a listening distance of 6-8 feet.

The difference between cheap and expensive monitors OR speakers usually means less coloration and hype as the cost increases.
Except for intended listening distance, you can interchange audiophile-grade speakers with studio monitors very easily.

The more hyped or coloration a speaker or monitor adds, the more you have to learn about how to translate mixes on them.

Generally, cheap speakers AND monitors tend to exhibit higher degrees of hype and coloration than their more expensive counterparts, making them inherently more difficult to work with.
 
Very well put (as usual, BB). I'd only like to add one thing that I think is important as well...

The more hyped or coloration a speaker or monitor adds, the more you have to learn about how to translate mixes on them.
Click to expand...
This is exactly the reason that it's so important to "KNOW" the monitors you're working with, and compare your mixes to similarly arranged professional reference material (er.. store bought CD's that were mixed well). I'd have to believe this is true regardless of what monitors you're using. I compare it to muscle memory - the more reference material you listen to on your monitors, the more natural it will be to work on your own mixes.
 
I think we've missed the guy's point... :p

I can't imagine anyone arguing that headphones are better then monitors when it comes to mixing... that's not even a debatable topic... and I don't think that's even in question here... all the guy was saying was... "Can I record withoat monitors?" And if all he has right now is cans and a pair of cheesy speakers, then by all means... Yes.. you can start recording.. because it's entirely possible to mix and track using only headphones. But sure... you'll get better results once you get a pair of monitors... but heck.. you'll get better results when you get a better mic.. or a better pre.. or a better board... or whatever... don't wait around until the conditions are perfect... just work with what you've got.

WATYF
 
I don't think we've missed his point at alll.....

We described the implication of choosing to use headphones to track with....... and the situations that headphones are best used............

Of course, physically, headphones can be used, but there are good reasons why they aren't a good choice and that's exactly what we've described.........!
 
Deen said:
Monitors are the last thing I would spend on.....
Click to expand...
Ears? Who needs ears for recording music?:confused:

Btw Deen, I think there’s a branch of a fantastic and very inexpensive recording school in Manila. Now, what did I do with that link? Well, I can’t find I, but you can look it up. It’s called the Helen Keller Institute of Audio and Video Engineering. ;)

barefoot
 
I remember reading about that school - didn't Stevie Wonder set up the Video half?
 
Sorry man... I just didn't want his initial question to get lost in all the "extrapolation" of his initial question. He hasn't posted anything since asking, so I just wanted make sure he got a simple "yes" or "no" aswer amongst the more technical disgressions.

WATYF
 
From a performance standpoint, I think it is absolutely necessary to track with cans and not with monitors (assuming you have used monitors to actually tweak your sound beforehand). Otherwise, you will be missing some of the finer detail of your playing and increasing the likelihood of tracking a lackluster performance.

Cy
 
Thanks to Mr. Bear for the reply to my question earlier.

Regarding your last post, I feel more enlightened about
the difference between Hi-fi and studio speakers. So
if audiophile-grade speakers are the only hi-fi's that can
get an accurate mix, then it's better to just get a decent
pair of true near-fields, they're probably cheaper too.
Thanks Mr. Bear. You're usually right about these things.
 
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