Audiobus: Use your music apps together.
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Anyone recommend a good pair of headphones?
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Anyone recommend a good pair of flat response headphones to create tracks on ipad ?
Comments
If possible, try them on before ordering. I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 280 Pros based on a boatload of internet reviews. They are indeed wonderful sounding headphones but their max size and my head's size are incompatible for long stretches! Feels like my head is in a vice. Mind, when I'm trying to track drums or a loud guitar this really helps with isolation but by hour two I'm wishing for a pair of headphones for the more well endowed head.
I have 2 pairs of headphones for that reason. I would personally get a really comfortable pair of high-end phones for mixing ... i really like any high end Sennheiser $200+ with the comfortable velvety inside, you'll be really happy with the sound and comfort. Then I would get a cheap pair of "drummer headphones" for isolation style recording. Like recording quiet vocals over loud music and stuff like that. I cant really recommend a type as there are many different ones and they are all the same. Kinda like earmuffs over earbuds... (which also serve as isolation headphones if necessary)
Sony MDR V6 You might want to check this out. They rank up with the more high end Sennheisers but cheaper. Bonus is spiral cord that extends 15 ft. Read the reviews.
15 ft coil sounds really good
@syrupcore The Sennheiser HD 280 looks great with the closed monitoring and clarity of sound yet uncomfortable as you said and as commented by a few people on Amazon.
@mgmg4871 The Sony MDR V6 seem very cheap and highly rated and have a Wider frequency response of 5 Hz - 30 kHz vs 8 - 25000 kHz (not sure how noticeable this would be). Are they loud and comfortable ? Does the extra frequency range really make a difference ?
@spacesmediaCA I think the sound and comfort are an essential factor, the ones I have now give me earache after about 45mins and don't seem to give me the desired loudness or grunt when I get into the groove (audiotechnica ATH-M40fs).
Also a 15ft coil, my tendency to leave wires trailing unawares and a clumsy daughter and wife could lead to some serious personal problems I think!
I use Klipsch S3's for mobile stuff and Bose AE2's for my home stuff. I love them both. I went through several pairs of headphones before settling on these. The S3's are really pretty awesome actually. I'm sure others will have different opinions based on their tastes, but these work well for me (after LOTS of trial and error with other brands).
@DaveMagoo - the extra frequency response won't make any difference, since people can only hear from 20-20,00Hz...and that is young people. Once you get past your 20s, it starts dropping off.
Beyer DT770 Pro for balanced audio and comfort, Sony MDR 7506 for detailed work
Sennheiser 480 II (discontinued) - for pure enjoyment; no better cans!
So which ones give the best mix on a song. And yeah, I know "never mix with headphones"... but when I do, which ones give the truest mix without coloring the sound and making it sound horrible with too much of this or that in the speaker world?
@boone51 how do the in ear headphones compare in terms of loudness, comfort, bass and other frequencies against the over ear ones ?
@funjunkie27 at 35 and having seriously abused my ears over time I think you have a point, what about the theory that the frequencies you can hear are affected by the presence of the frequencies you cannot hear (eg 20,000hz +) and therefore this gives the frequencies you can hear more room to breathe or is this a myth?
The ones that your ears know best!
You can get loads of different recommendations, but ultimately you have to make a choice and then get to know the 'phones and understand how they sound by doing mixes on them, listening to tracks you know well and then after a while you will figure out how they sound and then you'll mix on them effectively. Comfort is important too if you'll be wearing them a lot. I'd say you can't go wrong with many of the suggestions here (except Bose); pick ones that suit your budget and style (over ear, in ear) and just get to know them. As long as they're not complete shit, you will adjust to them as you learn their characteristics.
A bit like monitor speakers. Everyone used to mix on NS-10's - not because they were fantastic speakers, but because people knew their sound and how to mix on them.
And, never take notice of anyone's opinion off the Internet... :-)
@snoopy those beyer's look like beasts!
The Sony's seem a popular reliable and cheap option and the sennheisers look like a try a few on before you buy. Interesting options.
Good to know what ipad producers are using.
Thanks for the advice Snoopy. I think I need to get a pair of those sonys.
@DaveMagoo - beasts indeed, but the most comfortable for my head and do sound great overall to my ears! Need a bit of ampage to drive them though, although an iPad/iPod has enough power to drive them to a reasonable level (not earsplitting).
@sealpt the 7506 are a step up from the V6, but for my head are not comfortable for wearing longer than an hour or so before my ears start to hurt where the plastic inside is pressing against them. High frequency detail is where these shine and as long as your brain can compensate (no, they are not flat) you can mix on them - I wouldn't, but that doesn't mean you can't.
@DaveMagoo - I haven't heard that theory before, but if there was any impact, I wouldn't think it would improve them. I believe you could have harmonics or beat frequencies at the frequencies outside your hearing range that interfere with those within your range, but that would degrade the range you can hear. But any frequencies that are outside your range would have to be reproduced by the amp and headphones at a level that's high enough to cause interference. I don't think you'll run into that with any decent gear.
Headphones, and speakers for that matter, that profess to have a flat frequency response do so over a stated range. Outside that range, and sometimes slightly inside, that flat response becomes less flat. A wider stated range for a pair of headphones, even if it goes above your limit of hearing, tends to mean that the frequency response is more likely to still be flat up at the limits of your hearing.
@DaveMagoo that's semi-true. But there are a number of things at work here. For starters, the only way that those frequencies could interfere with what you hear is if they were being reproduced by the speaker system (i.e. your headphones) Since everything up until that point is merely signal/digital code, then there is no physical acoustic "interference." Therefore, if your headphones don't go that high, then those high frequencies won't be interfering with the sound.
At 35, and having done 'some' damage to your ears, you're likely going to start to hear frequencies at best around 16-17k and below. If you can hear things above this, then you're actually doing REALLY well as compared to most people.
@sealpt
This is entirely subjective. First of all, how do you know when it's the speaker's coloring a sound? or the mic that was used to record the sound? or the d/a, a/d converters that are converting the sound? or the plug-in's that you're processing the sound with? or the software you're using to track it, mix it, and bounce it out?
Test. Lots of set-ups. Lots of speakers. Lots of pre-amps. Lots of mics. Lots of headphones. Lots of everything.
And in the end, it isn't the equipment, but how well you know it. Fun experiment: pick one of your favorite albums and a pair of headphones that you have owned for a long time. Listen to it through the headphones, through your stereo, in your car, on your ear-buds... listen to it everywhere and start to notice how the different speakers tweak the sound in different ways.
Then you will be able to really pick out a set of headphones that sound good to YOU. Then use that reference music again. Compare your new headphones to all your other systems. Learn your new headphones. How do they behave differently from your first pair? Are the lows much louder? Is the sound fuller/thinner/"tinny"/ etc.
I owned Sony 7506's for years, and quite frankly, they're not well balanced at all. Very thin sounding to me. Those headphones are ideal for picking out sounds/frequencies in the very low and very high ends of the audio spectrum... frequencies you may not hear on your average speaker system and possibly even your monitors. You can find offending frequencies and zap'em. For this purpose and for stereo imaging, they are pretty good.
I'd also have to disagree with Snoopy about Bose headphones. I have actually fully mixed a handful of tracks with just a pair of $120 bose headphones that ended up transferring VERY WELL to other audio systems. Something I could NEVER say about the Sony MDR 7506s.
With that said, I wouldn't recommend the Bose's either. I highly recommend spending an extra $100 on the Sennheiser's or something comparable. For starters, they feel better, are built better (7506's are flimsy cans, the fabric comes apart pretty quickly, etc.) and give a more accurate response.
@DaveMagoo I replaced the earpads on the Sony V6 headphones after a year with velour earpads by Beyerdynamics. Really comfortable. I got them on Amazon for about $20.
I like the Samson reference cans. No bass enhancement or whatever. All you hear is the true signal. Totally affordable and, after a little burn-in, nice and warm.
I use Audio-Technica ATH-M35. Excellent value for money in my opinion and worth looking at for anyone on a budget.
Here's a couple of handy links
http://stereo-headphones-review.toptenreviews.com
http://headphonereviews.org/
The first link has some info on my beloved cans along with some others and the second one is a database with in depth reviews from audiophiles. It's got a handy selection wizard too
@paulb and @snoopy and @uglykidmoe are dropping science!
Get headphones you like and don't mind wearing for a long time and then spend that long time getting to know them. There is no 'standard' but your ears and your relationship with your listening environment. All speakers are lying to you.
The stated range thing is so painfully true it makes me mad when people don't publish the curves. Yamaha put out a book 100 years ago called 'the sound reinforcement handbook' or some such and it is worth the read for the 'how to read specs' section alone. The rest is great too.
@Snoopy Best day of my musical gear life was buying an sh-101. Second best day was getting rid of my NS-10s!
@syrupcore thanks for the book reference. I was told long ago to pick this up and never remembered to.
One other thing I wanted to say, once you've gotten to know your speakers, that's when you can accurately start to answer the rest of these questions:
The truth is that everything in the signal path colours the end result. The aim is to set the equipment up so that there is a minimum of unwanted colouration to start with, so that it minimises the amount of EQ compensation (i.e. extra work, time and hassle) you have to do on every track in every mix on every project.
I use Beyerdynamic DT 770, very comfortable for the Long Haul & accurate. Tried & True method test on a pair of every common consumer type, in ear buds, non isolation, ect, & when it sounds good on them all.... Your done!
Works every time!
Good advice thankyou everyone I am now more confused than ever !!
You're very welcome, Dave.
We do our best. Lol
I have Sennheiser HD280 Pro headphones and Sennheiser IE8 in-ear monitors. The HD280 has a flatter frequency response, but I much prefer to use the IE8, despite their mid-bass hump. I've been using the IE8 every day for 3 years now, so I know their sound very well.
The HD280s can definitely be tight out of the box, so I recommend loosening them up a bit by putting them over a soccer ball or something like that when not in use. They're very good for amateur production, considering the price.