using headphones instead of monitors

[outlawtorn86]

i got some pretty good SONY mdr-cd280 headphones. i think theyre pretty good except theyre a little quiet it doesnt bother me. now im thinking i can hook em into my mixer to preview the audio before recording it, thus eliminating the need for monitors. then when it is recorded to my PC, i have a 60 watt, pretty good stereo system that can help me mix the stuff. is this a good idea? or should i use monitors instead of headphones?

 

[HogansHiro]

If you use your headphones you'll get what is called the bass-proximity effect. Basically the bass will be falsly represented due to the fact your ear-drum is aC-hair away from the speaker. If you do set your record levels using your headphones you should remember that what you hearing will actually have less low end when it is recorded. I would suggest using monitors for more un-biased sound representation.

 

[Light]

Headphones also give you an inaccurate perspective of the stereo field. You will not be able to use them for panning. Your home stereo is not going to have a very flat frequency response, which makes mixing difficult.

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[darwin]

I agree with following replies. I would also add that using headphones in addition to using decent monitors in fairly accurately tuned room can have good benefits. Especially, if you are trying to get a good mix that the singer is trying to monitor while tracking vocals.

 

[zer0sig]

i use headphones for finding unwanted noise and to hear details clearly-i use speakers to find overall soundstage/impact, and i use both to make sure recordings don't sound all screwed up in either.

 

[outlawtorn86]

thanks a bunch guys, i think the first reply was right, because for some reason there is more bass in the headphones ,so i guess ill have to set up the monitors again ;-) thanks for the advice