GOOD Isolation tracking/recording headphones?

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Grahambo!

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Hi. My 3 piece rock band plays together in one room in my basement. We record just fine, however, we want to wear headphones when tracking. I bought some Direct Sound Extreme Audio EX-29 for $90 as I read they blocked a lot of outside noise...but I have to pump up the volume to the max in order to get the drums to show themselves in the mix.

After watching a bunch of DVDs of bands from the 70s and 80s recording in their studios (in one room) i noticed they all wore these big, retro headphones (not retro then, of course). They looked like they blocked a lot of noise.

Can anyone recommend me/us a pair of headphones that block A LOT of noise. More than the EX-29s I got.

I'm thinking of searching ebay and buying a pair of vintage headphones in hopes that'll work...
 
More-Me's for tracking. They're cheap, and great workhorses. If you're wanting to step up a bit, Sennheisers 280Pros work for me.
 
really? those don't look like they would block much sound at all... I'm trying to keep sound from coming IN, not leaving...
 
I find that both provide a nice balance of listening quality and isolation. If your emphasis is on the isolation aspect then you're going to probably be looking at something more like what drummers would wear;

http://www.quietheadphones.com/

http://www.vicfirth.com/products/headphones.html (My son uses these and likes them...he's a drummer)

We've used these in the past but had really bad luck with the ear pads. They're very comfy at first since they're liquid filled but they leak over time http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Metrophones-Isolation-Headphones-with-Metronome?sku=446902
 
punkin said:
f you're wanting to step up a bit, Sennheisers 280Pros work for me.
Click to expand...

I have some of these and they're really good for this sort of thing. I use them when I record as well as live. I play drums and we play with keyboards on backing tracks so I have these feeding me the click with a guide guitar. I've never been in a situation where I haven't been able to hear what's coming out of them, and they do the job of really good ear plugs too, you can still hear stuff, but they take a hell of a lot of the edge off. Oh, and we're a metal band so we play pretty loud :D
 
:cool: Try a pair of Beyer 250s, if you can find them. Quality cans. And, not really expensive.

Green Hornet:cool::D
 
If you want something cheap but useable that won't make you cry if they break, or a musician forgets that you shouldn't sit on them, more me is a good deal. Not suitable for mastering by any means, but give good isolation and decent sound.
 
Beat me to it but... more me's and the Senn 280 Pro.
I don't have the more me's yet but enough people I trust say they're good so that's good enough for me.
I've got the 280's and the Extreme's. And you're right, I've gotta crank the Ex's up almost all the way too. Both are good for keepin the sound out as well as in. :) I like the 280's better but it might be cuz I have too fat of a head for the Extremes. :D
 
If you want super isolation, and your a bit handy, you can make make your own :D

that's what I did, and these babies isolate better than anything else i've tried. I picked up these Peltor Earmuffs. I grabbed some cheap headphones I had laying around that sounded 1/2 decent. Took them apart, crammed them into the earmuffs, sealed up any holes i drilled to pass the wires, and blammo! Super isolating headphones :)
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XN5KN3ZapB4
Dave Chapelle as "Fisticuffs" in Turn My Headphones up!
Hilarious!

Seriously though, I have a pair of Sennheiser 280 Pros and they are good but I find I like my Grado 120's much more for late night mixing, tricky editing and mic placement, but they bleed so I got the Sennheisers for tracking. However, I think with that amount of money I could have bought a couple of MoreOfMe's and still saved some money to put on something else.

Part of the reason I bought the Sennheisers was for doing mic placement, but I've found my placement to be consistently better when using the Grado's because they are open so they are flatter in response and they sound more detailed too. I thought it would be the opposite because of the bleed coming in, but that's been my experience.
 
Maybe I'm mis-reading your post, but it seems like a problem with the mix if you have to crank it up all the way to hear the drums. I'm assuming your the drummer? Even if the drums aren't in the mix at all I would think you could hear them fine just with the 29db cut from the headphones.

Are you wearing the headphones to protect your hearing or to hear your self (or vocals) above the other instruments.

Do you have the bass and guitar in the mix as well, or are you just hearing yourself in the mix.

If everyone is in the mix than you could probably just where the hearing protection head sets like they sell for when your using a chain saw or lawnmower. then you should be able to hear everything find, just cut by 30db.

I've used the Direct Sound EX-29's and a Rolls headphone amp so just my sax mic is going to my headphones (the Rolls amp has a mic thru so you hear your mic and then the signal goes to the pa). The rest of the band I just hear from what bleeds through or is picked up by my mic. Usually my problem is that I'm too loud in the headphones and drowning out the rest of the band (in my ears). (we were basically a power trio + two singers + two saxes in a small one car garage, so very loud)

The only phones I've seen on this post that cut more db's than the Direct Sounds are the Sennheiser 280 Pros which cut 32db. I don't think you going to find any 'vintage' phones that do better than that.

Have you thought about the stage monitor type isolating ear bud headphones like the Shure E series. They work great as long as you get a good fit with the earplug part.
 
I have the EX-29's and I really like them alot. I plan on picking up a few sets of the More-me's for a cheaper solution now that I have a 6 channel headphone amp.
 
Trust Me!!!!!!!!!!!

The Coss 4aa Are The BeST Head Sets Then And Still Now Great Range Sombody Can Holler Right Behind You And You Wont Know It.
There Also Good In Gamming
 
I have always been happy with Sony 7506's. Very loud and a pretty decent sound. Personally, I have some of the More Me's. They seem very durable, but they aren't nearly as loud or comforatable as the Sony's and the Sony's really make the More Me's sound pretty bad. Then again, they are also a fraction of the cost of the Sony's. If you want even better isolation and more comfort, try the 7509's, but they ain't cheap.
 
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