Kingofpain678
Returned from the dead
is it better to use headphones or monitors when testing out microphones positions?
RawDepth
New member
If you have separate rooms, (control room and studio room) then monitors are definitely the only way listen. But this takes at least two or three people. One to play the instrument, one to move the mic, and one to listen and make judgment.
If you are alone or have a single room studio, headphones may be the only choice short of recording and playback multiple times to A/B each position. If all you are listening for is proximity effect and sweetness, they work great for that. Knock yourself out.
However, understand that headphones (cans) usually give us a false sense of space, dynamics, and sonic character. While they may sound awesome, they don't give us what we need to hear when it comes to translation to other systems. Always use your monitors for critical mix decisions.
Step one should be...play the instrument in different spots around the room and listen with your ears. Find the sweetest sounding spot in the room before you even put up a mic.
If you are alone or have a single room studio, headphones may be the only choice short of recording and playback multiple times to A/B each position. If all you are listening for is proximity effect and sweetness, they work great for that. Knock yourself out.
However, understand that headphones (cans) usually give us a false sense of space, dynamics, and sonic character. While they may sound awesome, they don't give us what we need to hear when it comes to translation to other systems. Always use your monitors for critical mix decisions.
Step one should be...play the instrument in different spots around the room and listen with your ears. Find the sweetest sounding spot in the room before you even put up a mic.
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R
rebirth
New member
I Would say that monitoring is a fairer representation with regards of how well it will sit in the sonic spectrum although cans will be a more true measure if you are doing it as a seeperate entity.
kcearl
I see deaf people
Both..along with several playback methods to check levels afterwards (CD, Mp3 player, HiFi etc)...
antichef
pornk rock
Agree with everything so far -- one thing you can do is to record a track in a bunch of different places and positions, announcing each one before it starts, and then go back and listen to the track (with monitors in a treated room) and see which ones are best, then repeat to narrow down further.