what headphones to mix on?

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tony moore
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what headphones to mix on?

Post by tony moore » Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:18 pm

anyone care to recommend some headphones that are decent to mix on?

i travel a fair bit and even when home, would like something to mix/listen with so i won't wake up the wife and kids. i've used the same fostex phones and ns10's for about 10 years now, so my standards aren't all that high, but something that translates reasonably well would be great.

if it matters, i'm using an m-box mini these days...

thanks!

tony

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Rodgre
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Post by Rodgre » Sun Jun 17, 2007 7:35 pm

Because they take up a lot less room than several sets of monitors, I like to use a couple of different headphones when I have to mix in phones.

That said, once I listen to the mix on real monitors it always sounds completely different than I thought it did.

Ones I like, though:
Fostex T-20 (no longer available, but replaced by the MKII)
These are comfortable, pretty even sounding across the board and they don't fatigue your ear as quickly as others.

SONY MDR-7506
These are comfortable and compact, and have quite a bit more bottom-octave bass than other phones. The midrange can get a bit hard and after an hour or so, you need to take a breather and listen to something else, but I find that these can tell me things that are going on in the bottom that others won't. The forward midrange isn't exactly honest, but it does help you make decisions on how to make room for things in the middle.

I like some others, including AKG and Sennheiser, but these are the two I rely on most. After that, I actually like a decent set of Sony earbuds that I use with my Ipod.

Roger

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Post by lancebug » Mon Jun 18, 2007 4:48 am

Senn HD600 and HD650 are both good. Sort of open backed designed, so not real good for tracking.

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Post by hiddendriveways » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:32 am

I use Audio Technica ATH-M40fs. They're closed back, so I use them for tracking and for mixing. I bought them because I had heard good things about them from forums and from people I spoke to. Another reason I bought them is that they're $75. They were the cheapest highly-recommended headphones I could find.

I'd like a nice set of Ultrasone PROline-2500, but I can't justify coughing up the cash when my M40fs are solid and deliver clean and balanced mixes.

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Post by kayagum » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:39 am

I like my AKG 240 fine. Definitely useful.

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Post by earl parameter » Mon Jun 18, 2007 7:47 am

K240S - is the only ---

everything else is dumb - like this emoticon :rockin:

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Etymotic ER4-P/S

Post by PublicMelody » Mon Jun 18, 2007 8:31 am

I have the ATH-M40fs, and I think they are good for the money. I've used them long enough that I know them pretty well. I use them, primarily, for checking the low end of my mixes.

I use Dynadio BM6p monitors, and the headphones that come closest to my Dyns are Etymotic ER4-p/s. These are in-ear monitors that possess great depth and clarity.

On a train to D.C. recently, I completely remixed a problematic tune using the Etymotics. When I got home, and checked against my Dyns, the mix was 95% complete. If it's there (in the mids and highs) the Etymotics will reveal it. The very bottom end might be weak, if you do a lot of bass-heavy stuff, but the rest of the spectrum is complete.

I bought the Etymotics for tracking (I do live work), and they are great for that. Suprise, surprise, when I got a great mix reference as well!

Note, that I work primarily acoustic music, not rock.

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Post by trask » Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:01 am

I also use the K240S'. Love em.
off somewhere listening.

FNM
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Post by FNM » Mon Jun 18, 2007 1:33 pm

Rodgre wrote: That said, once I listen to the mix on real monitors it always sounds completely different than I thought it did.
I also use a bunch of different headphones for reference, but I never try to mix on them for exactly that reason. Any time I try, when I go back to the monitors it sounds weird.

The k240's are my favorite for just listening to mixes. Then the MD7506, they sound weird in a kinda cool way. The Sehnheiser hd202's I use for tracking are good for listening to bass levels since they have an interesting hyped bass. Earbuds are also essential IMO.

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Post by @?,*???&? » Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:36 pm

None to mix on, but many to reference on.

Grado SR 60's are an amazing value and the Sennheiser HD 580/HD 600 headphones are the real deal.

What's your budget?

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Post by vsr600 » Mon Jun 18, 2007 10:52 pm

I love my K240s' as well though they can be deceptively good sounding some times.

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Post by xSALx » Mon Jun 18, 2007 11:18 pm

Has anyone tried out the new highend AKG K-400s? I'm dying to get pair, especially because they're a lot cheaper on ebay.
"I'd rather her sound artificial [auto tune] than sound completely drunk." As said by the producer during a long pitch shifting session.

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Post by vier-personen » Tue Jun 19, 2007 12:53 am

xSALx wrote:Has anyone tried out the new highend AKG K-400s? I'm dying to get pair, especially because they're a lot cheaper on ebay.
you mean the k401? have a pair of those, but I replaced them with a pair of k601 that have more bass and better imaging (if that is the right word). they are a open design, so the one sitting next to you will hear everything you hear.
all open akg studio-phones have a certain sound, not hyped and a little on the boring side when compared to e.g. beyedynamics, but I found them quite useful for mixing if there is no real monitor around because they are quite neutral (a little mid-scooped if anything - in that they complement each other very good with my tannoy ellipse10s). they also sit very nice on the head (the 601 a little better than the 401)

but I agree that to have more different headphones is good.

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Post by takeout » Tue Jun 19, 2007 7:55 am

I've got AKG K240s and Senn 580s. The AKGs strike me as a bit low-mid humpy (great for "more me" bass players), while the Senns are flat in the same area. The Senns go higher, and in smoother fashion.

A/B'ing the two of them, I get pretty close to finished. The Senns are for business, the K240s are for pleasure.

If I had my 'druthers, I'd be on some Beyers though...

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pk
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Post by pk » Tue Jun 19, 2007 10:07 am

Sony 7506

I have mixed music for a few tv ads on these at coffee shops when I couldn't use the home studio and was amazed at how well it translated. For $100 you can't go wrong with those.

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