MR8 - Do what you have to do to get a GREAT headphone signal

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junplugged

junplugged

Taking the slow road
I have to say, that the headphone amp sucks in the MR8. I just boosted the hell out of my input signal w/ my mic pre and had to keep the (mr8) trim pot down near 'line.'

I had faders up pretty high. This allowed me to keep the headphone amp control low. So it didn't distort or have noise - this time. So the result was that I was - inspired - by the sound coming into my ears and I got a better performance. I just have to say that this is really, really important. After all, that's what we're trying to get.

Now I also recall that the 'Glass' book I'm reading had one of the producers say that he had to do something to get a great headphone signal for some famous singer. He did all kinds of stuff, a mixer or something, I don't know I'll go look again if anyone's interested, maybe an external amp might work too for some things.

I kind of stumbled on this nice sound and it was a big improvement. Anyone doing anything for the phones?
 
junplugged said:
I have to say, that the headphone amp sucks in the MR8. I just boosted the hell out of my input signal w/ my mic pre and had to keep the (mr8) trim pot down near 'line.'

I had faders up pretty high. This allowed me to keep the headphone amp control low. So it didn't distort or have noise - this time. So the result was that I was - inspired - by the sound coming into my ears and I got a better performance. I just have to say that this is really, really important. After all, that's what we're trying to get.

Now I also recall that the 'Glass' book I'm reading had one of the producers say that he had to do something to get a great headphone signal for some famous singer. He did all kinds of stuff, a mixer or something, I don't know I'll go look again if anyone's interested, maybe an external amp might work too for some things.

I kind of stumbled on this nice sound and it was a big improvement. Anyone doing anything for the phones?
Click to expand...
The same as you! My dmp3 runs into my mr8 and the trim pots are turned all the way to line. I emailed fostex once and they said turning them all the way to line "simulates" bypassing the pre's. I don't know how well it works, but thats what I do.
I adjust the input via DMP3, and headphone mix sounds very nice.
 
headphones

once and a while i have to shut the unit off and back on to clear out the headphones , but other then that, i get great sound from my yamaha headphones on sale .... 20.00 at mf
 
There's another option if you're going in w/ out needing to monitor, and I did that just now, I used the headphone jack on my mixer, what a difference, I was able to really crank that one up.

I guess if I don't need the mixer on subsequent dubs, I could send the MR8 stereo outs to the mixer and monitor that way. Or, now that I think about it, I guess I could use a y trs cable and - or even a mono cable if I don't need to listen in stereo, to the mixer's in from the MR8 headphone out and crank it up there and use mixer's phone out - also if I didn't need mixer for input....
 
junplugged said:
There's another option if you're going in w/ out needing to monitor, and I did that just now, I used the headphone jack on my mixer, what a difference, I was able to really crank that one up.

I guess if I don't need the mixer on subsequent dubs, I could send the MR8 stereo outs to the mixer and monitor that way. Or, now that I think about it, I guess I could use a y trs cable and - or even a mono cable if I don't need to listen in stereo, to the mixer's in from the MR8 headphone out and crank it up there and use mixer's phone out - also if I didn't need mixer for input....
Click to expand...
wow, we are one in the same. It must be the MR-8.:)
I have been doing some acoustic stuff and running a SP-C1 for vocals and a Shure ksm109 for guitar into a DMP3 into the MR-8.
But.......When I use other shit, like my Boss DR-670, a REAL bass, or some egg shakers or whatever, I run everything into a small submixer(behringer mx802a). Then into the MR-8 through the mixer outs. Then for whatever reason, I guess because I have the extra channels, I run the stereo outs from the MR-8 back into the mixer and monitor from there. I can turn it up WAY loud from there.
But I must say at the same time I am also able to crank up the MR-8 too.
So I am wondering if you are having problems with the volume on yours?
 
noise

there has got to be something wrong with your mr8, im not kidding i get really great sound from the headphones......
 
I'm beginning to suspect that there may have been some different components that went into the headphone amps, because I've never had a bit of problem with mine. I've never experienced the "noise" that many people complain about.

I will try cranking the faders and turning the pot down on the headphone amp tonight though...
 
I'm not sure I can run the MR8 stereo outs to the mixer and keep that feed from the mix going in and monitor on the phones, unless the phones can also hear the monitor mix. that's the only separate group on my old mixer. I'll have to try it, that would be nice. I just tried the mixer yesterday for the first time, I didn't consider using it 'cause I used it for my PA and it's a Peavey. So I ignored it. But I got such a great sound using 3 mics yesterday that I'll have to keep it. But the other thing is that I won't need to use 3 mics for any of the overdubs, so I won't even need it, but I can still use it for the extra amplification of the phone signal.

Headphone problem for me is only that it starts to distort anywhere over noon. But it's an ugly noisy crackling type noise not a smooth distortion...

Thanks, I didn't realize I hit 500.

I'll post the tune pretty soon, I just have to record it one more time to get the vocal mic signal a bit higher. I made 2 pages of notes and took digital pictures to document the mic placement, it was the best sound yet for my acoustic....
 
mixer

ive got a old peavey unity 12 channel, its a great mixer, not many outs though, comes in handy when recording live drums, or the full band......
i think the headphones produce the output from the mains only.....i think

for guitar, i will mic the amp, and put a couple of mics around the room for a great sound

i still have a small behringer cuz the peavey has no phantom power....
but dont knock the peavey gear, ive been playing live gigs for over 20 years, and it is some of the most road worthy gear around, my monitors are peavey, bought them from a guy who used them 15 years, ive had them 4 and they are sill going strong, along with my bass amp and a 31 band eq with fls

the offending channel lights up lets you know which one to cut for feed back, behringer just ripped this unit off on one of there new models......

curious to find out how it goes for you..... good luck
 
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junplugged said:
Headphone problem for me is only that it starts to distort anywhere over noon. But it's an ugly noisy crackling type noise not a smooth distortion...
Click to expand...
That's the WHOLE thing about digital. At 12 dbs a digital signal distorts, and distorts fast and ugly. Analog will gradually distort as the signal peaks. Not digital! So make sure all your levels are set so they don't peak at all. Especially the loudest part of the song, as it will definately make you cringe!

This is where the use of a compressor comes in nicely.
 
I use a Peavey headphone amp. It's small and powerful. It allows me to keep the MR8's headphone volume at around 65 percent and crank up the amp if I need it louder.

You can pick up an inexpensive headphone amp from just about any music store. Be sure to get a 1/4 inch stereo cable to go from the headphone out on the MR8 to the "in" on the amp though.

Here are a few...

http://www.music123.com/Headphone-Amps-d1167.music?src=&man=&o=price
 
Hey, thanks for that link, I didn't even know that there were that many and that cheap too. Just something I never happened to look for.
 
junplugged said:
Hey, thanks for that link, I didn't even know that there were that many and that cheap too. Just something I never happened to look for.
Click to expand...

No prob...

They're good to have around. Nice when they have two or more "outs." They serve as headphone Y jacks.
 
headphone amp

My headphone volume never goes beyond 30% on the MR8. And I get maybe small amount of noise when pushing the pre on my mixer. But it doesn't transfer to my recordings. So I don't worry about it and is very minimal. My phones don't give me a true playback anyway so I mix with monitors.
 
pjh6467 said:
My headphone volume never goes beyond 30% on the MR8. And I get maybe small amount of noise when pushing the pre on my mixer. But it doesn't transfer to my recordings. So I don't worry about it and is very minimal. My phones don't give me a true playback anyway so I mix with monitors.
Click to expand...

That's fine, but in my case I need serious volume in my cans.

I'm a drummer and when tracking drums, the click and other tracks can get lost from the normal volume of my kit pretty easily.

My headphone amp is just what the doctor ordered for me.
 
I think I'll hook up my mixer to my drum machine to amp the phone sig. it's low coming from there for my click too. I really need that since I'm a beginner on drums. BTW I have a new Mapex bass pedal and I'm sliding on it forward and back. Leg up, foot goes down heel down, foot goes forward. Any ideas?
 
Ok, I just did something that was a mistake but led me to an answer.

A few days ago I mixed 3 inputs to mixer and then the 2 stereo outs to MR8's 2 ins. Then monitored using the ext. mixer headphone. (First tracks down so I didn't need to hear MR8 out.) That was an another improvement on the MR8 headphones out.

Then another day, I used a drum machine as click track for laying real drums and used the mr8 output thru mixer and drum machine out thru mixer for headphone monitoring, and of course, the live drums input went directly to mr8 and I head it all.

Today I wasn't awake yet and I used the fist setup with the second setup and of course, 3 inputs to mixer and drum machine to mixer and they all combined and I got all 4 on tape. Yuck. So I decided to try to see if the monitor mix can go to the headphones on the ext. mixer, but they won't. Then I plugged in the headphones to the monitor output on ext. mixer, and I got one side, used an adaptor and I got mono in both cans - good, now b/c I can have fader for drum machine click all the way down, and I can use the monitor send to hear it all. This now opens up the ability for me to mix the output of MR8 into a channel, drum machine click into a channel, and all kinds of inputs - 3 mics or whatever in to channels and just separate the ins and outs by having the outs faded way down and click way down and the ins up for the main mix and monitor thru the cans using the monitor sends and mono monitor fader for my headphone mix. This would probably be obvious to someone with more experience.... I just wish I had a stereo monitor send, but ya can't have it all.
 
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