Yesterday we discussed the pros and cons of mixing on headphones. If you haven’t chimed in on the discussion, head over there. Lots of interesting comments.
I’m not here to say that mixing on headphones is better than mixing on monitors. However, it has been my experience that you can get a good mix on headphones, even though there are a lot of people who claim you can’t.
The moral of the story isn’t that you can always get a good mix on headphones. No matter what your mixing/monitoring environment is, it’s your job to learn how to get good mixes out of the equipment you have.
That said, any pro engineer will tell you that while they CAN get a good sound with cheap equipment, using high-end gear oftentimes makes it much easier.
With that in mind, I’d like to tell you about my favorite set of headphones, the Sennheiser HD650′s.* (As you can see in the picture, they’re Owen’s favorite headphones, too.)
When having a discussion about mixing, you obviously need to talk about the monitoring environment. Studio monitors, the acoustics of the room, acoustic treatment, monitor isolation pads, monitor placement, distance from the monitors, etc.
We would hopefully all agree that being able to accurately hear what’s going on in the mix is very important. However, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for everyone. An amazing pair of expensive studio monitors won’t sound all that great if the room isn’t treated.
Do you own good headphones? Are you thinking about getting some but you’re not sure which ones you need? What about closed vs. semi-open vs. open?
There’s a lot to consider. Headphones are a crucial part of any home studio. You’ll be spending a LOT of hours wearing them, so you want to make the right choice.
This video should help. Enjoy! (Also, leave a comment below and tell us what headphones YOU use.)
You posted some really interesting stuff. Here are a few of my favorites:
David S.:
i cater to the most popular form of listening. so far, i’ve found that mixing to headphones and then listening on speakers has worked. i’m not rick rubin, but neither is anyone else who is not rick rubin.
Dave:
I do the main mix with Sony MDR-CD180 headphones, while checking with iPod buds, little Logitech laptop speakers and finally in my car. Between those, I can pretty much get it in the ballpark. I must be doing something right – on my last CD, even my most pickiest of listeners actually commented on how good it sounded. (excuse while I break my arm trying to pat myself on the back )
You guys give some really great answers, so let’s do it again, shall we?
How do you mix your songs? Do you use headphones? Do you use studio monitors? Are you a 90% monitors, 10% headphones kinda guy? Are you 100% one way or the other?
I talked about this briefly in the latest podcast. I’m particularly interested, since I’m working on mixing my album right now. I can definitely see the pros and cons of both methods of mixing. I’ll post my thoughts in a day or so, but FIRST, I want to hear from you.
Leave a comment. Tell us if you prefer headphones, monitors, or both. Also, be sure to tell us why.
Right now I’m sitting in my studio. Later this afternoon I need to do a final mix-down on a song. Everything is pretty close to where it needs to be. Now it just comes down to the final tweaks, automation moves, etc.
However, before I can smile and say, “Done!” I need to check my mix on as many systems as I can. You can never check your mixes enough.
Before I go any further, check out this picture. I’ve got a few different monitoring options. How many do you see? We’ll see if you’re right at the end of this article.
The other day I was doing the dishes (shout out to my wife). Normally I listen to music or a podcast when I’m cleaning or working out.
This time I popped in those amazing Apple earbuds and tuned my iPhone into Josh Rouse’s album 1972.
I’d listened to this album plenty of times before, but always in the car or in my studio through my studio monitors. I’d never listened to it on headphones.
I was honestly shocked at all the things I heard for the first time…even over the sound of dishes clanking and water running.
Yesterday we discussed the pros and cons of mixing on headphones. If you haven’t chimed in on the discussion, head over there. Lots of interesting comments.
)
