Are headphones getting enough love?

rick-slo · #1 10-09-2016, 06:35 PM

A paragraph from my latest issue of Tape Op magazine.
Yea, nay, or undecided?

Yamaha Man · #2 10-09-2016, 06:44 PM

Yes headphones are a key test to a quality mix, just as burning a cd and playing it on your vehicle's sound system. Try it out on you home stereo too. All are important, and a good mix should sound good on all of the above.

I found out the hard way that you need a quality set of monitors to get a good mix. Headphones are important, but studio monitors are first things you should mix on.

With my old monitor setup, I couldn't get a good mix that would transfer well. It would sound good on my monitors but way too bassy in my truck. Getting the new monitors helped to cure this problem.

Rudy4 · #3 10-09-2016, 06:53 PM

I'd say yea, with the proviso that it should also translate well to a variety of other listening environments.

One of the reasons why it's so difficult to deal with audio-related postings on forums such as this is the VERY few individuals that are going to download a (hopefully) high resolution audio file and then listen to it over something that can justify the effort. My guess is only a very few will listen beyond what's available in front of them, i.e. desktop speakers or earbuds.

In the final analysis it's vital that anyone that is serious about what they put out will do it by keeping in mind all the various listening environments. It's getting harder and harder to put serious effort into audio that's normally going to be heard as low res mp3s piped through something as "high end" as a set of Beats stuck over someone's ears.

KevWind · #4 10-09-2016, 08:48 PM

I would say yea, and agree broad translation is key.

Personally I think that a good set of mixing HP's are an integral part of a complete studio home or commercial, in todays listening environment.

I have actually mixed a couple of mixes completely on HP's just as an exercise experiment.

I do however prefer to mix on a good set of monitors but will periodically check the mix on HP's and certainly check final mix or master on HP's as well.

Also would though suggest this caveat . I think that a mix that is well mixed on good monitors only, will almost with out fail, translate and sound good across all listening devices. Where I think that something well mixed on HP's only, has a higher chance of not translating as quite well

Also I think that HP's and Monitor speakers actually bring strong points of slightly different perspectives to the table.
For example, I think HP's (good HP's) can bring out the balance of specific elements of frequency relationships within a mix sometimes with slightly more detail.
Where good monitors are better at placing different elements within the stereo field left to right and front to back, as well as for for determining the total over feel and balance.

rick-slo · #5 10-09-2016, 09:14 PM

Personally almost all my attentive listening has been on headphones for some time now. I think there are optimizations to make for the best headphone listening and other optimizations to make for speaker listening.

An advantage for headphone listening in the editing mode is not having room acoustics play such a big roll - especially in the acoustically challenged rooms most people have.

Then you have the various environments and quality of playback gear people listen to music in and with. Sort of like the mono compatibility issue - what percentage of general listening, and separately more serious listening, is done where and how.

Yamaha Man · #6 10-09-2016, 09:25 PM

Yes headphones are important in a studio, why ?? For me a lot of my listening is done late at night and I don't want to disturb my neighbors. Lately I've been listening on headphones, turn off the lights, and watch my Lava Lamp...when doing this I can concentrate of every detail of the music.

runamuck · #7 10-09-2016, 09:41 PM

I agree with the quote from TapeOp and would add that I've found it useful to check mixes on several headphones. What sounds good on on ATH M50s takes my head off on Sony 7506s.

Yamaha Man · #8 10-09-2016, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runamuck

I agree with the quote from TapeOp and would add that I've found it useful to check mixes on several headphones. What sounds good on on ATH M50s takes my head off on Sony 7506s.

Absolutely true...I have a bunch of different headphones and have rated them best to worst. They all sound different. So I picked out my two favorite ones and just use them.

KevWind · #9 10-10-2016, 06:46 AM

For mixing I like open back head phones. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD 600

For tracking I use closed back Sennheiser HD 280

I will often check the mix on both as well as bounce to Soundcloud and check the 128 bit MP3 stream on laptop & ear buds and laptop speakers

rick-slo · #10 10-10-2016, 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by runamuck

I agree with the quote from TapeOp and would add that I've found it useful to check mixes on several headphones. What sounds good on on ATH M50s takes my head off on Sony 7506s.

I agree about the Sony 7506s. I started off using those but found them way to bright and brittle sounding. Now I use various Grado (225s and 325s) headphones and occasionally an AKG K240 Studio for a check with a less detailed sounding headphone.

paulp1960 · #11 10-10-2016, 02:32 PM

Headphones are handy to have - required really if you are overdubbing vocals and other stuff. And late night listening.

I use AKG K702 and Sennheiser HD25 SP.

I don't walk down the street wearing those in case anybody was wondering.

runamuck · #12 10-10-2016, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rick-slo

I agree about the Sony 7506s. I started off using those but found them way to bright and brittle sounding. Now I use various Grado (225s and 325s) headphones and occasionally an AKG K240 Studio for a check with a less detailed sounding headphone.

The reason I check on at least 2 pair plus earbuds is you never know what the user is listening with. If I can get a mix to sound OK on both the Audio Technicas as well as the 7506s I assume I've covered the bases.

runamuck · #13 10-10-2016, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Maniac

Absolutely true...I have a bunch of different headphones and have rated them best to worst. They all sound different. So I picked out my two favorite ones and just use them.

Yeah, but favorite may not represent average. My favorites are the Audio Tech M50s but they don't sound at all like many of the much cheaper headphones and earbuds most people use.

The type of headphones we use to check our mixes are fraught with many of the same issues that studio monitors (and the rooms they're in) challenge us with.

Yamaha Man · #14 10-10-2016, 03:02 PM

Yes I have the AT M50's and Tascam TH300X. Those are my two favorite headphones of the ones I have. Both sound pretty darn good.

muscmp · #15 10-10-2016, 07:30 PM

i use the sony 7506 or sennheiser hd280 or velodyne VTrue headphones. each is different so i listen to mixes on each as well as my room monitors and even as an mp3 on my iphone. that gives me a good overall response. same with tracking actually, except for the mp3 part.

play music!