how many headphone sockets..
- Thread starter djgc
- Start date
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
I don't think one can say there is a "standard" number of headphone feeds any more than there is such a thing as a "standard" studio. But just to give an example, at our studio we have six stereo headphone mixes - seven if you include the headphone jack on the mixer itself, though we have not had a need to use that one for anything yet.
G.
G.
Bristol Posse
Okey Dokey
Do you really mean headphones or are we talking about Channels in and out here (how many lines in and out of the desk are there for example)
Cos if it's really about headphones it a rather bizzarre question IMO
Cos if it's really about headphones it a rather bizzarre question IMO
witzendoz
Senior Member
I usually run my phones in mono as the aux sends on the console are in mono and to set up a stereo mix uses 2 sends. I have had one complaint in 15 years from someone who wanted a stereo headphone mix, (I think he was trying to big note himself in front of the band coz they were recording with me and not in his own home studio). I suggest to a lot of players that they only use one side of the headphones anyway when a lot of the band are tracking together so that they can hear their own instrument clearer, not in the headphone mix.
I usually have 2 different headphone mixes available I can set up 4. I have a 4 channel headphone amp that can take any of the 4 aux sends and have independent volume treble and bass controls. Each headphone amp channel can also take a mix of 2 of each console aux. I can run up to 4 sets of phones on each channel of the headphone amp (if needed) that's a possible 16 sets of phones. I do start to scrape the bottom of the barrel with which phones I have when more than 8 pairs are needed, which is almost never.
How it works, 1 mix would have more rhythm section, drums. Bass, guitar with a little vocal and whatever else is going on. The person doing vocal or guide vocal or other stuff gets a mix of louder vocal and what ever they want to hear.
When you have a band of 4 or 5 together it's nearly impossible to get the headphone mix right for all of them, only last night the singer doing guide vocal wanted more and more vocal in the phones, until all the others told him he was deaf as the vocals on that send were unbearably loud.
Mostly my setup works.
Alan
I usually have 2 different headphone mixes available I can set up 4. I have a 4 channel headphone amp that can take any of the 4 aux sends and have independent volume treble and bass controls. Each headphone amp channel can also take a mix of 2 of each console aux. I can run up to 4 sets of phones on each channel of the headphone amp (if needed) that's a possible 16 sets of phones. I do start to scrape the bottom of the barrel with which phones I have when more than 8 pairs are needed, which is almost never.
How it works, 1 mix would have more rhythm section, drums. Bass, guitar with a little vocal and whatever else is going on. The person doing vocal or guide vocal or other stuff gets a mix of louder vocal and what ever they want to hear.
When you have a band of 4 or 5 together it's nearly impossible to get the headphone mix right for all of them, only last night the singer doing guide vocal wanted more and more vocal in the phones, until all the others told him he was deaf as the vocals on that send were unbearably loud.
Mostly my setup works.
Alan
D
dintymoore
Guest
I have for the most part stopped using headphones - am I glad that's over. How did we get sucked into that? 
frederic
New member
I have two headphone jacks in the vocal booth and two more in the console room all fed by an oz-audio HR4 unit. The HR4 is fed by an analog line mixer that can sum up the 8 busees as well as the stereo mix, and has a separate outboard (Yamaha R100 - tiny old dinosaur) dedicated to this purpose.
This allows me to feed into the headphones the mix, part of the mix, and sprinkle on a little reverb.
Over the years I found that a mono mix annoys musicians significantly, and a little ambience makes them whine and complain less. Except drummers - it's been my experience that drummers don't care about stereo imaging or reverb, and usually they want it as dry as possible so they're not distracted by the timing artifacts of synthesized ambience.
Anyway, that's what I do.
This allows me to feed into the headphones the mix, part of the mix, and sprinkle on a little reverb.
Over the years I found that a mono mix annoys musicians significantly, and a little ambience makes them whine and complain less. Except drummers - it's been my experience that drummers don't care about stereo imaging or reverb, and usually they want it as dry as possible so they're not distracted by the timing artifacts of synthesized ambience.
Anyway, that's what I do.
P
Phyl
Guest
Jealous!
What mixer and headphone system are you using?
I've got a 32 channel Midas Venice so I have to get inventive to get more than two headphone mixes. Should probably look at doing it ITB.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
First a bit of a correction. While our headphone distribution lines are wired for stereo, in reality since we're using aux sends for our headphone mixes, the signals are only in mono.
The aux sends are the six sends coming out of a Presonus StudioLive 16.4 digital mixer:
and controlled and distributed through an ART 6-channel distrubution box (Second unit from top in next picture):
And I don't know what you're jealous of; I'd love to have a Midas in there myself!
G.
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SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Ah, but that *IS* indeed what I meant.He's jealous because he thinks you can do 6 separate/different headphone mixes.
I don’t believe that’s what you meant.
It's a pretty sweet benefit of that mixer design, actually. We have 6 different aux sends with complete and separate fat channel control over each one, and can set up 6 entirely different headphone mixes simultaneously. And that ART box is not just a 1-in/6-out distribution splitter, but it does indeed take 6 different ins as well.
We haven't had to use more than three of them simultaneously *yet*, but we have some choir work coming up in a couple of weeks and also want to try some live band recording in studio Real Soon Now, and for those gigs the extra headphone mixes will come in handy.
G.
frederic
New member
Very nice setup Glenn.
I am leaving now to drive out to Chicago, and when I arrive I'm going to waste a day of your time looking around and oogling, and I expect an endless supply of coffee in exchange for the 500+ compliments I more than likely will drop while my tongue hangs out.
Kidding, but very nice.
Which control surface is that? I'm still in the dark ages so I didn't recognize it off the top of my head.
I am leaving now to drive out to Chicago, and when I arrive I'm going to waste a day of your time looking around and oogling, and I expect an endless supply of coffee in exchange for the 500+ compliments I more than likely will drop while my tongue hangs out.
Kidding, but very nice.
Which control surface is that? I'm still in the dark ages so I didn't recognize it off the top of my head.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
Ah, but that *IS* indeed what I meant.
Oh...then I misread.
I have 6 Auxes on my console...but I too rarely do more than 2 different (more me) headphone mixes.
And I usually patch in a couple of FX/processing boxes on at least two of the Auxes...so's we can have some "vibe" during tracking.
I also have a 4-channel/stereo headphone distro box...though I tend to put up only one stereo mix (the same one I'm hearing) and only let them adjust the overall level with the headphone station boxes, but I don't do a lot of outside projects, or where there are bunch people in the studio... so it's no big deal...and, it's not a democracy.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Hey, fredrick,
If you are going to be anywhere near the far southern suburbs of Chicago and want to check the place out, PM me and we'll exchange contact information. We have a few projects in progress at the studio at the moment, but hopefully we can make some mutual time for you to come by and check the place out and meet the gang if you're interested while you're in town.
The Presonus StudioLive boards technically are not control surfaces in that it does not provide DAW control in the traditional sense; they're really just digital mixers only. But because it does provide for simutaneous 16x18 Firewire I/O with the DAW computer, there is a way of mixing DAW tracks through the mixer.
G.
If you are going to be anywhere near the far southern suburbs of Chicago and want to check the place out, PM me and we'll exchange contact information. We have a few projects in progress at the studio at the moment, but hopefully we can make some mutual time for you to come by and check the place out and meet the gang if you're interested while you're in town.
The Presonus StudioLive boards technically are not control surfaces in that it does not provide DAW control in the traditional sense; they're really just digital mixers only. But because it does provide for simutaneous 16x18 Firewire I/O with the DAW computer, there is a way of mixing DAW tracks through the mixer.
G.
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
The way we have it set up is we have the inserts on all 16 mixer tracks run to the patch bay in the hardware rack, allowing us to patch the analog compressor and/or EQ on any of the channels as desired. Since we currently have no outboard verb or delay, we don't need to use any of the aux sends for that. But we still can get that "vibe" - and usually do - by using the digital verbs built into the mixer and assigning those as wanted via the mixer fat channel controls.I have 6 Auxes on my console...but I too rarely do more than 2 different (more me) headphone mixes.
And I usually patch in a couple of FX/processing boxes on at least two of the Auxes...so's we can have some "vibe" during tracking.
And yeah, like I said, we have not yet needed to use all 6 headphone feeds; the most we have needed at once was when we had one for the drummer, one for a bass player recording direct, and one for a scratch vocalist in the iso booth. But as long as we have the capability, it's nice to know the extra head mixes are there if/when we need them.
G.
miroslav
Cosmic Cowboy
I'm kidding about the "no democracy".
But honestly, these days I'm rarely tracking more than two people simultaneously...so the separate headphone mixes are never called for....at least not like when you have 5-6 prima donnas, and they all want their tracks the loudest in their cans!
But honestly, these days I'm rarely tracking more than two people simultaneously...so the separate headphone mixes are never called for....at least not like when you have 5-6 prima donnas, and they all want their tracks the loudest in their cans!
dodgeaspen
New member
I have a DOD 6 channel. I can hook it up in mono or stereo. I like the stereo sound. I also have the headphone jack from my console.