I know, i know do not use headphones for mixing. I know that. I'm moving to another room. It's totally untreated, just a small room. My question is, should I buy a 5 inch pair of monitors or some open back headphones? And what should I buy? Thank you.

 

Is nothing wrong with headphones, if you know how will song translate to speakers and know how to achieve that. It has been proven many times before, you can produce with headphones with no problem after you get a grip. So if you don't have a plan to treat room later, then go with headphones without hesitation, otherwise by all means go with speakers.

 

Last edited: Sep 12, 2016

The more refrecinces you have the better you can get a grip on your mix. I would recommend good monitors and inexpensive headphones. I am very impressed with JBL 305s.

 

I've been mixing on headphones since ever (that would be since mid 80s) and no-one ever complained about my mixes quality (thank goodness for that).
Of course you would have to use the best headphones you can afford, closed for tracking and open-back for mixing but MOST IMPORTANTLY you'll need to get to know those headphones.. what are the plus and what are the minus and how their sound translates on different sound systems.

 

I use 3 different ways to listen to my mixes. I use some Audio Technica ATH-M40x headphones. Excellent sound, tuned very flat. I use a pair of JBL LSR-305 monitors. Also sound very good. Finally, I'll pump it through my QSC PA system, just to hear it when cranked! I try to get my mixes to play well on all three, as you never know what system your mix will be played on.

 

mixing a track is just a way of saying im a fucking moron, and listened to the same thing 1000s times and pressed the save button adrrrrrr , your sound is what ever it is what ever you want , nothing matters , have you listened to music lately , what sounds good to one doesn't sound good to all even if its crispy clean or gritty grime , just do your thing and dont give a fuck , the less fucks you give the better .......
try mixing a track without even listening to the audio see what you get, or try setting all your values in what ever you use to match the golden mean you might make a new thing you know ....

 

There should be no 'or' in the sentence. You need both. Take it from a guy who owns some pretty expensive TOTL headphones (and high rated speakers too, for that matter).

Good idea to have some small monitors if the room is a mess. Headphones will help you to spot problems if the monitors and the room don't play good together.

OTOH using only headphones could lead to boring mixes. Too much detail makes me tame some things too much. Monitors are your reality check and will help you to get dynamic, snappy mixes.

 

If you know your headphones well and know the tools(plugins),you can basically achieve a pro mix on 100$ headphones.
if you dont know your equipment well,you can have a very hard time even with a 5k monitor speaker setup.

 

Couldn't agree more.

O.K. Get a pair of these: Dirt cheap, Very light and comfortable, surprising accurate, and translate well.
http://www.head-fi.org/products/sr850-professional-studio-reference-headphones
Then you'll have enough cash for some 5" monitors. Win Win!

 

SR850,amazing headphones.

 

Step 1) Create a mix on equipment you have been using and are familiar with.
Step 2) Burn it to CD
Step 3) Go to a store that sells good quality monitor speakers & Headphones.
Step 4) Ask them to try and simulate the room you are moving to (As close as possible)
Step 5) Try out as many sets of....

You know what? Cancel ALL of that. WAIT until you move into the room, then sort out what to buy.

 

I'm completely blown away by them. So. much easier to get the mix right than my Sony's, that were over 4 times the price. Mixes even sound good on my shitty 5 year old Azus Cheapest model they did at the time tablet, albeit without much bass, and a pair of £1.30 ear buds from Daiso (Japanese £1 shop), but then again, not even a 808 kick sample through the analog isolator of my Volca Sample can get bass out of them.

 

I tested Sr850 with AKG K702,side by side.
Sr850 won in clarity and overal performance.
Yes the mid/highs are a bit attenuated compared to AKGs,but that is good since i can hear more,yet in the end you dont exaggerate with them resulting in a better less fatiguing mix than on AKGs.
If it sounds great on Sr850,it will sound great on my monitor speakers and AKGs,if it sounds great on AKGs,it might not sound great on Sr850 and speakers.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 13, 2016

Monitors most important + Headphones to compare both.
Headphones can be cheap, good Monitors are expensive (1000$+++).
You need a 2nd pair of control Monitors laters for "how does it sound on a kitchen radio".

 

You've made me very curious about these cans. I'll pick a pair and give them a ride.

 

The most important thing is knowing your equipment, period. I have monitors, but I just don't spend enough time listening with them. I'm always in my headphones. You also need to know the sonics of what you make music with.

 

They need some time to open up,about 100-200 hours should be enough.They sound rather cheap in the beginning.
Dirt cheap for what they offer.Yeah no detachable cable and plastic case,but who cares,they are comfortable.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Sep 13, 2016

I've got a pair and they really are quite good for the price! Burn in helps with the frequency response but I've also tweaked the output EQ curve a little using Audio Hijack on the system output and boosting back 500-1000khz a little to balance them out a bit as they are quite scooped sounding. Check out the official frequency response graph to see what you can do to improve the sound. Even boosting a little in that area seemed to balance them out a lot.

I think the main point should be that If you learn to make a great mix on those (or any headphones) it'll probably translate really well onto better monitoring hardware/ speakers etc.

 

Last edited: Sep 13, 2016

Some people prefer more bass,some less,some more highs,some less.
These are balanced very well and once you get to know them well,you can achieve pro results.

 

I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, bro.

I don't know if I want to compensate for their flaws. I'd rather learn them if they work for me. Let me explain. I've had some headphones that I loved or hated despite reviews and user opinions. For example, I have a pair of AGK 601. I bought them second hand and still they cost and arm and a leg. I've never gotten used to them. I never use them. Period. A pair of cans I love is the Shure SRH840. The highs are very open and detailed for my ears. I trusted the extended bass response they offered compared to my small monitors. I just loved them. Everything was ok until I tried M-Audio Studiophile Q40. They revealed an overly boomy bass that my Shure cans had overlooked. From that day on, I don't just trust one set of cans: I use the three of them plus speakers. If the Samson cans have anything to reveal, I'd love to own them for what is more than reasonable price tag.

EDIT: I don't know how or why there's an image attached. I can't get rid of it. Sorry.

 

Last edited: Sep 13, 2016