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Old 09-13-2020, 02:45 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is online now
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Default I could use some guidance on headphones

Ever since the Covid-19 pandemic began, instead of having our church services in our church building, we've been holding virtual services on Zoom instead.

I can't pretend that I like it, because it lacks the energy that you get in person. But we haven't got much choice, at least for the time being.

Here's my question: what are the advantages to closed back and open back headphones? I've started using headphones in order to hear myself more clearly when I sing, and what I've been doing is covering one ear with the headphone on that side and cocking the other headphone on my temple - that way I can hear both the signal going out and the sound of the room itself.

Will open back headphones give me both of those sounds?

If not, then someone please explain to me what the purpose on those headphones is.

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give me.


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 09-13-2020, 02:52 PM
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Open back generally has a more spacious, realistic sound. You will better hear a mix of the signal and the room live. However the mikes will pick up a bit of the headphones also. Keep the volume of the headphones somewhat low. Record something using the headphones and listen to that recording to see how it comes out.
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Old 09-13-2020, 03:01 PM
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Open-back mics also tend to have less frequency response spikes than closed-back sets. The K240s are really good for this. They are low-fatigue due to both the physical suspension and the lack of response spikes.

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Old 09-13-2020, 03:26 PM
Brent Hahn Brent Hahn is online now
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I have a few different sets of headphones. The AKG240's are the best ones I have in terms of being able to sing in tune with both ears fully on, and even with the click fairly loud I don't get a lot of spill.
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Old 09-13-2020, 03:28 PM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton View Post
Here's my question: what are the advantages to closed back and open back headphones?
In the studio, closed back headphones are preferred for tracking because they do a better job of keeping the sound coming through the headphones from being picked up by the mics.

Open back headphones are generally preferred for mixing (monitors would usually be the primary listening gear but headphones are often used along with monitors) because closed back headphones produce an unnatural bass response.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton View Post
I've started using headphones in order to hear myself more clearly when I sing, and what I've been doing is covering one ear with the headphone on that side and cocking the other headphone on my temple - that way I can hear both the signal going out and the sound of the room itself.

Will open back headphones give me both of those sounds?
If you mean will you be able to better hear what's going on around you in the room in which you're standing, slightly, but not enough where you'll be able to leave the headphones on both ears and hear something in the room clearly over the music coming through. If wearing your current headphones on one ear is uncomfortable and you want to hear what's going on in the room clearly, you might want to switch to a pair of ear buds. You won't hear any better but they'll be more comfortable when wearing them on only one side of your head.
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Old 09-13-2020, 06:13 PM
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What are you monitoring in the headphones? Do you have a full mix that you can control? (When I played in church we all used Aviom personal mixers to control our own IEM mix.)

If you have amps on stage, keeping one [ear] covered and one open is risky because you have a tendency to turn that "headphone ear" volume up higher than safe to hear it against the house sound. You can damage your hearing.

Learning to monitor and sing with headphones is *really* hard. It's a kind of "drive-by-wire" thing. You have to listen to the player/singer you hear in the headphones, and then change how they sound by what you are doing, and ignore the feedback your own body may be supplying. I can say I never really got used to it live. I can do the singing/playing thing at home, but a lot less distractions there.
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Old 09-16-2020, 02:24 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is online now
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Thanks to everyone who posted replies. Since I’m not quite certain which will work better for my intended purpose, I got a pair of both closed back and open back headphones on the way from Sweetwater. Right now Sweetwater is having a sale on their AKG headphones, so I decided that there’s no better way to figure out which will serve me better than to try them both side by side in the room where I’ll be using them.

My Sweetwater sales rep told me that I can return the pair that don’t work for me.

Thanks again.


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 09-16-2020, 03:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton View Post
…Since I’m not quite certain which will work better for my intended purpose, I got a pair of both…
Hey Wade

Many of us said "true, true…SO true".

I liked open back for mixing in studio for more natural sound, and less ear fatigue during long sessions.

At church in the band I prefer the closed back for isolation from the drums (which are not in a cage and are about 10 feet away from me facing me).

Looking forward to hearing from you about your thoughts after they arrive!




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Old 09-16-2020, 04:50 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is online now
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Thanks, Larry. What it came down to, really, is that the only way for me to realistically figure out which will be most useful is to try both. While I keep current on the various trends and whatnot in acoustic instruments, my relationship with electronics is much more fraught and, if not problematic, at least not anything like a field of expertise for me.

A lot of my hesitancy is because I’ve known many friends and acquaintances who’ve gotten into home studio setups, and - at least among the people that I know - those always seem like black holes requiring endless expenditures.

It’s kind of like buying a boat; the first time male boat buyer has these images of beautiful weather and maritime adventures, perhaps with some bikini-clad women oohing and ahh-ing at his masculine biceps as he steers the boat and takes them on a nautical jaunt.

When, in fact, buying a boat or getting seriously into developing a home studio seems more like having a couple of your kids attending college for years and years and never graduating. With the home studio aficionados that I know it seems as though there’s always a new microphone or mixer that they just have to buy.

Since I have very little patience to begin with, and even less discretionary cash, I’ve never gotten into buying either a home studio setup OR a boat!

With the lightning speed of change that’s become the norm in electronics, I haven’t kept up.

Anyway, I do appreciate everyone’s contributions to this thread. It’s helped.


Wade Hampton Miller
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Old 09-16-2020, 08:32 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton View Post
…I’ve never gotten into buying either a home studio setup OR a boat!
HI Wade

Thankfully headphones are neither a studio nor a flotation device. I'm guessing you're safe.

I love closed phones in noisy environments (which often involve multiple children otherwise know as grand-kids), and open ones in quiet places. And I often switch if my ears are getting tired (or just turn everything off). You know how we grouchy-old-guys can get…




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Old 09-16-2020, 08:51 PM
Wade Hampton Wade Hampton is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ljguitar View Post
Thankfully headphones are neither a studio nor a flotation device. I'm guessing you're safe.
Yeah, if I simply HAD to use headphones as flotation devices, my guess is that the closed back phones would be marginally more buoyant than the open back version. But in either case it would be like trying to save money when building a nuclear submarine: “Should we go with screen doors to seal off compartments and make them watertight or go with glass, instead?”


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