Monitors vs Headphones - Questions

[awoodfellow]

Hey Folks,

I read over the weekend that it's better to mix down using monitors rather than headphones.

I did this over the weekend mixing with headphones...

(nevermind my voice )

and, at least to me, it sounds "ok" in headphones. But when played back through monitors ( actually pc speakers ) the song really gets "mushy". It seemed to totally lose the bottom end.

So how does one mix so that the sounds are good in both headphones and speakers? I'm sure thats a fairly vague question and would require volumes to cover. If someone could point me to quality ( but not overly technical ) reading material, I'd appreciate it. My first "home recording" book was a for dummies edition and the title aptly fit!

Best

Ambrose

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

So how does one mix so that the sounds are good in both headphones and speakers? I'm sure thats a fairly vague question and would require volumes to cover.

The question is neither vague nor requires volumes to answer.... the answer is "mix through monitors..."

Monitor mixes translate very easily to headphones, but headphones mixes don't generally translate well to anything but headphones....

More info here --> Whad'ya Mean I Can't Mix With Headphones????

 

[Ed Dixon]

The answer is usually not that simple. It sounds like your PC speakers may not be anywhere near monitor quailty. Trying to mix using low end speakers can many times be worse than using headphones.

One way or another you need a good reference system. If you don't have good monitors (and can't buy any right now), check our your car stereo, or home stereo. Find the nearest system that seems to sounds good to you, something like you want to achieve. Then create a mix (using headphones or speakers), burn a CD, then listen on reference system. Listen to what's missing or wrong, change the mix accordingly, then repeat the test.

After a while you'll know what to listen for in the first place, and get much closer the first time around. Use which ever approach (headphones or speakers) that gets you to your result the quickest.

Clearly the best choice is good monitors, however a good set can easily cost as much as your PC.

Ed

 

[Ed Dixon]

Here you mp3 does not sound mushy at all, but does seem to lack some bottom end. When I use headphones, I tend to get too much bass. It sounds like your setup results in the other end of the spectrum.

It also sounds like everything was panned direct to center. Adding some stereo separation can sometimes be a good thing as well.

Ed

 

[Ding Dong]

Most decent headphones have a lot of bass response due to how close they are to you ears (Bass proximity effect applies to micing and monitoring, the closer your ear or mic is to the sound source, the more bass you pick up)
This tends to make you think there is more bass in the mix than there actually is. You can mix with phones, but you'll spend time and waste CD test mixes that youll have to throw out. I have a pair of KRK rockit monitors that were about $400. They arent the best, but they are a huge improvement over any headphones IMO. very worth it if you are seroius about recording. another option is if you have a decent home stereo. you can use your home stereo as a cheap monitoring solution.

 

[Ed Dixon]

The bass proximity effect is usually more associated with directional microphones than ears. Bass response on headphones varies greatly based on design. Some headphones that cover the ears tend to have more bass increase than open-air headphones that let in other sounds from the outside.

The trick is to know the built in biases and then compensate for them when mixing. If past experience shows that bass ends up being 6 db high, when it sounded OK using whatever source you use (headphones, PC speakers, etc), then bringing the bass down 6 db before the first burn may save a step.

Ed

 

[TimOBrien]

Whad'ya Mean I Can't Mix With Headphones????

http://www.bluebearsound.com/articles/headphones.htm

 

[brandrum]

when using your home stereo, is it best to flaten any equalizers?

 

[Ed Dixon]

Home systems vary considerably and placement also makes a difference. What some do is to find a known CD/song and set the system so that the known song sounds 'right'. That may be flat or some other combination, but to some extent that becomes the reference.

Ed

 

[jimfrusciante]

brain bubbles

Hi

I'm having the exact same dialema.
Of course I NEED some monitoring to make recordings with in the first place, but I haven't found good enough monitors in my price range to know what to get, so I thought headphones was the way too..

Now I'm just totally abstractly confused.

I will look through the monitor threads, and maybe add some more questions here or there.

Still, I'm glad I'm not alone, this may eventually come down to which cans look the best if I can't figure out the truth of the matter.

Cheers

Jim

 

[Ed Dixon]

The reality is that you can mix with anything that works for you. If you can make tin cans on a string work, then press ahead.

For some headphones work just fine. For other PC speakers can work. For others standard monitors are used. It boils down to what you have, what you can afford, and how you work. There are lots of combinations and many can yield a good result.

Ed

 

[KonradG]

Is it ganna do me alot better if i go out and spend a hundred or two on low quality monitors, or should i mix on a computer speker system that has 4 small speakers and a sub?

 

[awoodfellow]

Folks,

As a total rookie in home recording, both sides of this coin make sense to me. So it seems like it comes down to personal preference and the ability to correctly mix based on a reference point, your experience and your preference.

As it stands, and like many others, I can't go out and drop a few of C notes on monitors. So I'll have to learn how to use my head inside the headphones. And that's ok. I also use open air headphones. Which now that I think of it, makes me an airhead???

I really appreciate the wealth of knowledge here.

Thanks folks.

Ambrose

 

[Ed Dixon]

It costs zero to try to use what you already own. If that works, you're done. If not, then consider other choices.

Ed