Mixing in headphones

  • Thread starter Thread starter LukeDrum44
  • Start date Start date
don't mix on headphones.

it's the quickest way to make your mix NOT translate across different systems.

the pros do not mix on headphones, so take note.

it's quite common, to check specific things with headphones...
but mix?
nope.
 
First off every mix should be done with a reference song/cd. You should by using a reference song be able to mix with any type of speakers. With that being said mixing with many different types and styles of speakers should be used.
 
The mixing in headphones isnt the best but it can be utilized if done right with the right tools.....saying the pros don't means nothing cause a pro could mix with headphones.
 
What do mean by name one. I know for a fact lord alge def uses headphones to check mixes. I had some of the best producers in the usa talk to me on this subject. Its all about your approach. Of coarse most pros don't use headphones(bigggg budgets) but they have spent years and years of honing their technique. I forget the name of the one producer, but he was known for buying the cheapest boombox you could find to check his mixes on. Why do you think almost every big studio has the yamaha ns10's in the mix room...they are low budget too. Its all about your approach and reference cds. Mixing in headphone can be done and done well period.
 
check mixes, yes.

mix, no.

there's a difference.

my point is, most professional mixers DO NOT mix by headphones, this is a time honored fact, and there is a reason for this.
usually folks that argue that they get 'good' mixes with headphones alone, that translate across the most playback systems, are incorrect.
 
I'd never mix solely on headphones like the way I'd never mix solely on monitors.
TimOBrien's link is a good read.
 
Scorge said:
I'd never mix solely on headphones like the way I'd never mix solely on monitors.
TimOBrien's link is a good read.
Click to expand...

I would never really depend on one set of anything, alone, to mix on. Most of my work is done on one pair of monitors. But I have two others that I know quite well, that show me different things. I myself, cannot even see how it is possible to mix on headphones. It is just way too unnatural. Though it is nice to hear a good mix on them. Just not the right format for myself to get any positive results from. Just my opinion.....
 
To say that one can't mix on headphones is a problematic statement.
To say that one should mix on headphones, equally so.
 
Lt. Bob said:
you can mix in headphones but you have to spend more money on a good pair of cans and headphone amp than you would on a pair of decent monitors.
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Sennheiser HD650s $200. A set of half decent monitors $2,000. :)

G
 
well ...... the hd 650s are more like 500 bucks (cheapest I found them is a bit under 400) and you're gonna spend another 4 or 5 hundred on a good headphone amp.
You can absolutely get some decent monitors for under a grand.

look ...... I'm on the headphone peoples' side.
I almost always jump into these threads and say that you CAN mix with headphones.

My Headphone rig with a HeadRoom amp with their crossfeed circuit sounds almost identical to my JBL monitors.
I can absolutely make mixes with headphones OR monitors and they sound the same so regardless of what anyone else says, after 40 years of recording I know for a fact that you CAN mix with headphones.

I just get tired of the close-minded "the rules say you can't mix on headphones" attitude and it's not worth the argument.

And you do have to have something like the HD650s and a good headphone amp. You can't get a good mix with the headphone out on your mixer and that 39 dollar set of cans you got at WalMart.

But I find my mixes with my headphone rig and the ones I do with just monitors sound pretty much the same.
 
I just get tired of the close-minded "the rules say you can't mix on headphones" attitude and it's not worth the argument.
Click to expand...

all i know is, i've heard a LOT of supposed 'good' mixes done in headphones from folks, that just do not translate.

guys bring mixes in, and i'll notice obvious problems with them, and once the questions and answers start to flow, boils down to 'mixing in headphones'.

it's not that it's a 'closed minded' argument.

it's that it's time tested and proved.

and it's a fact, almost no pros mix strictly thru headphones.

there IS no argument?

so, when folks that are obviously just getting into the game, ask these kinds of questions, i feel bad for them being mislead by folks that mean well, but really don't understand what's going on.
 
GONZO-X said:
all i know is, i've heard a LOT of supposed 'good' mixes done in headphones from folks, that just do not translate.

guys bring mixes in, and i'll notice obvious problems with them, and once the questions and answers start to flow, boils down to 'mixing in headphones'.

it's not that it's a 'closed minded' argument.

it's that it's time tested and proved.

and it's a fact, almost no pros mix strictly thru headphones.

there IS no argument?

so, when folks that are obviously just getting into the game, ask these kinds of questions, i feel bad for them being mislead by folks that mean well, but really don't understand what's going on.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Telling someone that a pro can mix on headphones is probably true. Is it advisable to give that as a best/good idea, for a noob who doesn't know what they are looking for while mixing on them?, probably not. We all can 'learn' the devices that we monitor from. Headphones alone, would IMO, be the slowest way to move forward. I myself would rather have as many monitoring devices as possible. Headphones being the 'last in line'. RIP RJD....
 
GONZO-X said:
and it's a fact, almost no pros mix strictly thru headphones.
Click to expand...
of course ..... they have great monitors and they don't do their recording in apartments or the basement with people sleeping.

GONZO-X said:
so, when folks that are obviously just getting into the game, ask these kinds of questions, i feel bad for them being mislead by folks that mean well, but really don't understand what's going on.
Click to expand...
not sure if you're talking about me but I definitely know what's going on.
 
nope, just talkin' in general

and just tryin' to help, here
 
GONZO-X said:
nope, just talkin' in general

and just tryin' to help, here
Click to expand...
I understand ..... and you're always a great help to the folks here so thanks.

And that's really part of why I've quit saying much about it being possible to mix with cans. While I maintain that it's true IF you have a really good headphone rig (that includes a good headphone amp) and experience ......... that's never gonna be the situation with some beginner who's wanting to use headphones 'cause he can't afford even cheap monitors.

So really ...... the true answer for the newbies that ask if they can mix with cans is no.
They'd be better served with some older hi-fi bookshel speakers which they can find for pretty damned cheap.

If they still HAVE to use cans ...... at least get something like AudioTechnica ATH-700s ...... 90 bucks ....... get 90% of the accuracy and full range sound of my HD-650's for a fifth as much.
 
Sounds from your monitor speakers blend in the air, responding to each other & having some affect on each other and the stereo sound stage isn't as discrete as in cans.
Sounds from your monitor speakers respond to your listening space and whilst headphone speakers respond to their environment that environment is small and isolated.
Sounds from monitor speakers often respond to a wider freq range.
Yep, some justification for h/phones mixes for h/phone wearers and 5.1 mixes for 5.1 listeners and radio mixes for single speaker radios etc etc etc.
Stereo is still king, (quad is very cool but failed to set the world on fire, 5.1 is slowly growing but the playback gear is often less than decent, mono is cool, retro and actually pretty hard to do well), headphones are still, generally, for personal & not necessarily quality listening, (what's the rate for an iytoon track?), mixing in headphones is what you do when you don't have better options and this debate will continue for some time yet.
 
DISCLAIMER: not trying to convince anyone .... no argument here .... just explaining MY reasons for my controversial pro-headphone views .... :D
These are purely explanatory in nature and in no way meant to diminish anyone's contrary position. :laughings:



rayc said:
Sounds from your monitor speakers blend in the air, responding to each other & having some affect on each other and the stereo sound stage isn't as discrete as in cans .
Click to expand...
true ..... however companies like HeadRoom and others have crossfeed circuits that blend a little bit from each ear to the other one in the same way two speakers do in the room.
The HeadRoom ones even attenuate the freqs as if they're having to cross your head to get to the other ear and put the proper time delay in the crossfeed too.
It does a pretty good job of replicating the way that sound from the left speaker still gets around to your right ear and vice versa.

And the freq. range of my HD650's is 10-39,500 hz so that's more than most monitors.

Your other objection is true, of course. There is no room interaction whatsoever going on ........ but you know, sometimes that's a good thing! ;)

As I have said many times ..... with the HeadRoom amps crossfeed on, my HD650s sound extremely close to what my monitors sound like in the room.
Soundwise, believe it or not, I can forget which is which.
The biggest difference is there is no real physical impact from deep bass.
But there's no lack of deep bass there for your ears to hear what's happening ......
I use both, ...... I have monitors, of course, and I use them constantly. They're also my main critical listening spot when I want to play some vinyl ...... so I use 'em a lot but if I could only have one or the other ...... I don't know ....... my headphone rig is gonna sound EXACTLY like that no matter where I go .... it's a reference that doesn't change and is very accurate and detailed.
I like it for those reasons ...... if I have a dozen instruments all going along in some dense mix I can hear every little volume change and placement change of each and every instrument.
Slight EQ changes show up ...... the only room sounds I hear are what are on the recording ...... I get REALLY detailed info of what the 'verbs are doing .....
I like 'em .......


:)
 
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