headphones

[Ferchu]

hello people!
Do you think that recording with headphones is the best way going about it? I mean, better than a good hi-fi system if I haven´t got good monitors?

Fer

[MrM]

Sennheiser HD580 or HD600

Note, these are open phones, so do not shut you down from the outside world. But soundwise and comfortwise these are tha bomb.

Added / Edit:
I must learn to read, I misread your post as; 'which headphone is good'.
It says whether mixing is best with headphones or monitors...

I fully agree with the answer of Wogg.

[wogg]

Mixing with headphones can be quite misleading. They're good to have around to check for barely audible pops or clicks and occasionally checking the mix though.

Open back headphones are going to cause big bleeding problems if you track with a microphone. I use Sony MDR-7506's for tracking but the Senn. HD-280's are also commonly recommended.

Your best bet with or without good monitors is to listen to your mixes on as many systems as possible and keep tweaking until your satisfied on every system you can get your mix into.

Good monitors simply shorten that process by allowing you to get damn close the first try.

[Joe Hannigan]

The Wogg speaks the truth! <G> To reinforce what he's saying; you really want to know that what you're hearing is accurate and will translate to other playback systems as well. (The industry buzzword is now: "Portable Mixes" - mixes that can be played anywhere and still sound good.)

I'm a Sony MDR-7506 user as well, (Nothing wrong with the Senn's, either), and I'm comfortable for those as REFERENCE tools in that I know what they're telling me, and where they leave off. (No serious sub-bass, for example.) It's like getting the advice of good friends. You take some of it, you ignore some of it, based on your experience elsewhere.

As Wogg said, you want & need headphones for really fine-tuning your recordings, and making sure you've heard everything in the tracks. Spurious noises, ticks, clicks and low-level buggers like HUMMMM are much more apparant in HPs.

On the other hand, it's like using a microscope at times, and you can easily fool yourself with hearing things too close and detailed, and then overcompensate. Ear fatigue kicks in faster, as well. For many live recordings I do, they're a vital tool, but I often can't wait to get them off my head and let my ears "breathe" again. A whole day or several hours in the studio like that would drive me bonkers. <G>

I know there are times when HPs are a must: tracking sessions with no control room, live gigs where you're stuck in a broomcloset somewhere, or it's late at night and your room mate needs sleep, but at some point you do need to check your tracks and mixes on speakers, usually of several types, from bookshelf through full-sized playback systems. (Even a home theater system these days is a good place to at least reference-check your mixes).

Bass management is another consideration, and HPs will fool you there as well: be aware of what you're hearing (and not hearing), and make sure you double-check that "perfect" mix you did on HPs before you commit to a final burn. You could be surprised!

You CAN do mixes on cheap speakers, as long as you know what's missing or is overemphasized by them, and work accordingly, always checking your work elsewhere. (It just might make you a better mixer!) Eventually, I"m sure you can get you hands on a pair of good near fields & sub for a bit more fun.

They're all good tools...just know how to use 'em for the job at hand.

[Ferchu]

thanks wogg and Joe a lot.
I´ll try to take the matter seriously while recording and mixing later on.
Joe: what are near fields and sub?

fer

[macouno]

By nearfields he means... Good studio monitors and a subwoofer (though the woofer must be optional).

For recording it doesn't really matter what you use... but for mixing.. well.

Think like this... you can make a beautiful mix that sounds perfect on headphones, but then it'll be just that... a mix for headphones. Or you can make a beautiful mix on good monitors, then it'll be just that... a mix for speakers.

Mix on what you think you'll audience will use. If you compose for joggers... use headphones ;)

[DougMac]

Mixing monitors play a big role in the resultant product. I think the Motown sound was largely attributable to being mixed on AR speakers. Phil Spector was successful because he played his mixes through a 6x9 car speaker before final approval.

I've got the Beatles Anthology CD's. On them is a cut of "Yesterday" sans strings. With my subwoofer, you can hear all the thumping of Paul's foot on the floor and a lot of other deep bass noise. Given the technology of the time, I'm sure the original recording engineers never heard it during the session.

Doug