Want To Hear How Mixdowns Through Headphones Sound?

[Blue Bear Sound]

true...i would hope that would be common sense to most folks though...

You'd be surprised....!

Much about the use of headphones ISN'T "common sense" -- it's misunderstood by many - especially novices.

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

Re: Headphones!

OK, it seems no one thinks mixing on headphones is a good idea. But what if you have little alternative?

You do what you gotta do! You *can* eventually learn to work around the problems tracking/mixing with headphones, but it takes quite a while......

Mixing on a cheap pair of heaphones is a disaster - I've tried it!

It will be no different on "better" headphones.

I appreciate monitors are the best answer, but would a good qaulity pair of headphones still be better than the surround option?

IMO, you'll have an easier time learning the shortcomings of "lesser" monitors than you would trying to adapt to headphones. (ie - cheap speakers are still a better choice than using headphones only)

I need decent headphones so I can hear what I'm recording initially anyway

The same issues that exist for mixing also exist for tracking, headphones aren't useful for making tonal decisions on a sound source. A good example is a dirty guitar sound. In cans, that high-gain tone might sound ripping, but play it back in monitors and it'll sound like buzzing bees. You'll be tempted at that point to blame the monitors when in fact, the real problem is that your tonal selection was based on headphones that are very forgiving of poor tonal choices.


Your sound is onnly going to be as good as your monitoring system - if you can't hear what you need to hear then your results are going to suffer.

 

[glynb]

If you can afford it...

...go out and buy a cheap all-in-one second stereo system. Get one from a second-hand store or whatever.

Set it up nearby your recording setup and you can monitor using the second hifi system. OK, not as good as fancy expensive monitors, but a damned site better than using headphones. Even turned down so not to annoy the neighbours you'll still get better mixing results.

When the girl friend isn't around you can check the results you're getting on the good hifi system.