Head phones for mixing?

[Bloodsoaked]

I live in an apartment and can not listen to monitors that loud or in the middle of the night went I can not sleep and want to mix sone songs/tracks. Can anyone suggest a good pair or head phones that I would buy? Anywere form $50 to $200 range. Thank you...

 

[peritus]

I have used Sony 7506 in the past.. 99 bucks

 

[ericlingus]

i've heard great things about those headphones. I suggest you buy those.

 

[ericlingus]

oh and don't worry about not being able to listen to monitors that loud. It's actually good to mix with the monitors at a lower level. But in the middle of the night you probably couldnt get away with it.

 

[peritus]

oh and don't worry about not being able to listen to monitors that loud. It's actually good to mix with the monitors at a lower level. But in the middle of the night you probably couldnt get away with it.

^^ agreed... Don't get too loud with the phones either!

 

[bennychico11]

oh and don't worry about not being able to listen to monitors that loud. It's actually good to mix with the monitors at a lower level. But in the middle of the night you probably couldnt get away with it.

i would actually disagree....It's good to CHECK your mix at a lower volume, but I would never mix the entire time at a quieter volume. 79-85dBSPL is the recommended standard.

hopefully you've read this first: http://www.bluebearsound.com/articles/headphones.htm

but of course...in the real world we can't all mix with monitors all the time. I'd first recommend just EDITING with headphones during the night instead. And for that, I'd recommend Sennheiser HD280 Pro

 

[peritus]

I stand corrected... Thanks Benny!

 

[ericlingus]

I wouldnt either. Im saying at night he could though. At other times of the day he could monitor at higher levels. Just saying that listening at lower volumes is good.

 

[Kryptik]

I like my AKG K271's.

 

[DigitMus]

I stand corrected... Thanks Benny!

Well. I don't know that I'd be so fast to backpedal. It is more usual among experienced engineers to monitor at lower volumes and check your mixes at high volume than the other way around. There are 2 main reasons for this. 1st, lower volumes help to point out things that "stick out" in the mix; and 2nd, ear fatigue takes much longeer to occur at lower volumes.

There are no absolute right and wrongs in this business, but more mix engineers with verifyable track records and longevity in the business do their main mix monitoring at or below 80-85 dbSPL than at higher levels.

 

[Dr Biscuits]

Great Blue Bear article...
I've got a pair of Grado SR 80's that have served me well for years, I think they run about $90 - $100...

 

[peritus]

Well. I don't know that I'd be so fast to backpedal. It is more usual among experienced engineers to monitor at lower volumes and check your mixes at high volume than the other way around. There are 2 main reasons for this. 1st, lower volumes help to point out things that "stick out" in the mix; and 2nd, ear fatigue takes much longeer to occur at lower volumes.

There are no absolute right and wrongs in this business, but more mix engineers with verifyable track records and longevity in the business do their main mix monitoring at or below 80-85 dbSPL than at higher levels.

Right on.. I'm pretty cool just "playin' by ear", if you will ...

I couldn't monitor loud if I wanted.. I can hear things too well, as it is ..

 

[studiomaster]

Out of all the headphones, i like the Sony studio monitor series headphones the best. they have a fairly decent flat response compared to others.

 

[bennychico11]

There are no absolute right and wrongs in this business, but more mix engineers with verifyable track records and longevity in the business do their main mix monitoring at or below 80-85 dbSPL than at higher levels.

which I would consider fairly loud listening levels...especially in a home environment.
Again, 79-85dBSPL is the recommended standard listening level based on where the human ear hears all frequencies almost evenly. Take an SPL meter...play pink noise and I think you'll see that 79-85 is actually rather loud.

I agree with your first idea that ear fatigue sets in faster at higher volumes but you should CHECK at lower volumes. One reason I suggest that is because the lower the volume gets the harder it is for the ear to hear lower frequencies. Mixing at home with monitors or ESPECIALLY headphones which can have terrible bass response....at low volumes can comprimise everything you've done with monitors at louder volumes. Besides, I bet the average level most consumers listen back to their music is at loud volumes (ie. huge booming car systems )

 

[LeeRosario]

I reference mixes between two sets of headphones:

Sony MDR 7506 and Sennheiser HD 280 pro. Both go for about the same price and are distinctly unique in thier sound. I personally have become more aquainted with the Sonys, but I would argue that they are both very reliable pairs.

The MDR are amazingly clear, but actually make mixes sound a little thinner than they really are (snare drums are a dead give away). It's just a matter of getting used to them.

The Sennheiser's handle driver compression more aggresively, so if you're the dangerous type that likes listening loud, then the Sennheiser's do that all too well.


In terms of speakers, those variables depend. You have to factor in speaker compression and amplifier compression. Different monitors handle and manipulate sound differently. That's also a good reason to keep your mixes in moderate amplitude (85-90db). You don't need a meter to figure it out, just a little common sense and finesse.

 

[aaroncomp]

I like my AKG K271's.

I concur with Kryptik - I have the "S" or closed model (I think they're called) - and they're great. Never mix with cans though. You can use them for critical listening, clean up work ,etc.

 

[tombuur]

I am happy with the Sony 7506 too, though I don't mix using them. However, headphones are great when listening for some detail, like whether there is distorsion somewhere. The 7506 are closed, so they work fine too when recording vocals while listening to the backing track.

 

[Sonixx]

note that the Sony is very hyped in the bottom and top (coloured). they are comfortable and do sound pretty good but don't always translate.

another to consider is an open back headphone like the AKG 240DF. it's not as loud as the 7506 but has much better sonic representation.

 

[Synkrotron]

Beyer Dynamic DT250's