I make electronic music, so basses and kick with their dynamic are very important in the final mix.
Which headphones do you recommend to mix basses and listen to their dynamic range/punchness in the mix?
I already have headphones really clear on high freq, but mixing basses is difficult

Any advice? Thanks audiosex

 

Personally I don't think headphones are the best choice for mixing and mastering when you need to hear all the low frequencies. It may be my ears only, but no headphone displays low frequencies as good as high quality studio monitors.
That said, the best headphones I've ever had on my head are AKG K812 and they are really good even in low frequencies.

But I'm not an expert and did not test all available headphones. There may be equal or better headphones on the market. They are just my personal favourites.

 

Really good headphones are not that much gerne-specific, but maybe you're looking for something like the V-Moda M-100 (or the successor with "Master" suffix). They emphasize the bass while still keeping it under control. Roland also put them in their Aira line.
I believe they can be useful for a second opinion (but not too much as the main reference).

 

The best answer is always "the headphones that you know and trust".
But as said, I would prefer to mix kick and bass (and everything else) in speakers/monitors first and foremost. Especially kick and bass is part "felt" as well as "heard".

 

As said before, good monitors are to be preferred.

For HPs I'd suggest AKG K702, kind of a reference. ~ 130€, pretty flat response, 60Ohms (means loud), punchy.

I would not go for HPs which emphasise the low freqs.

 

@Baxter : agreed, but at one point you have to buy the headphones you will later know and trust, so...

As many have said, main mixing decisions are best to be made on speaker, but it's actually quite comon to check the low-end of your mix on headphones: good headphones tend to go lower than average speaker frequency-wise, and there's no room reflection. So it can give you useful information on what you're actually doing on low frequencies, before going back to the speakers to take care of business.

@Highdom : I'm not a big fan of the AKG for hiphop and electronic music but i find the 702 good for checking acoustic mix and natural vocals.
As an allrounder headphone, i ended up keeping the HD-600 (far better than the 650 for studio use IMHO), not the most "enjoyable" one , but unforgiving for mistakes and very revealling in the low-end.
Hope it helps, happy hunting!

 

Low end on headphones can be very deceiving, because we are also talking sub frequencies. The most important thing is to get the balance of the mix right, from the sub to the highs.
I say start your mix on speakers and then slowly switch to headphones, doing vice versa can make your mix sounding weird.
One trick is you could mix with headphones +sub or buy a subpac, some praise it, havent tried it myself.
https://www.juno.co.uk/products/subpac-m2x-bluetooth-wearable-tactile-bass-system/690725-01/

 

Mix on headphones if you think that's how your music is gonna be listened to. I don't know of a general rule. I must say I have had very good results emulating speaker playback while on cans (David Clark) using that new Abbey Road "Studio 3" insert. You don't know until you try but again, mix how you think your audience will play back. And generally when mixing on headphones expect bass to come out as overly pushed when testing the result on loudspeakers.

 

okay so my opinion and personal experience on mixing with headphones.

I don’t recommend ever mixing on headphones, but I do it cuz I mix late at night in my house...

BUT, even though I do it I know it is a bad idea because I have monitors to check my mixes, and in all honesty you can mix pretty much any sound using headphones EXCEPT the stereo field.

Stereo widening and the field in general is tricky to judge on headphones and especially if you put reverb on lets say, drums, it’s hard to tell if that reverb is pushing the drums far too back in the mix etc...

You can mix using headphones and get a decent mix but some things are hard to tell...

 

he is using it or similar
https://www.youtube.com/user/bizzyb2007
--
all true...but there are dudes doing great mixing just on headphones..
--

yes right.....makes no sense at all to emphasise ...
--
https://www.amazon.de/AKG-K812PRO-Superior-Reference-Headphones/dp/B00IAKEORC
https://www.amazon.de/Sennheiser-HD-600-Stereo-Kopfhörer-schwarz/dp/B00004SY4
https://www.amazon.de/AKG-K702-Dynamische-Referenz-Kopfhörer/dp/B001RCD2DW

the good bout amazon are the reviews...

 

Last edited: Sep 20, 2019

roland rh5

 

Hi,
For me, mixing kick and bass is a question of balance, like all the part of your track. You should try to set different level for listening when you mix. A high volume, a medium and a very quiet one. Don’t vary from these 3 because it will throw your level and frequency perception off. Use the loud setting for bass and drum balance. You usually don’t have to use this for very long during the mix. Use the medium setting for most of your mix. This is the level where the majority of your work will be done. Use the quiet setting for the final level adjustment. Quiet means just above a whisper. It will help you make better final balance decisions. Headphones are cool for EQing sounds. I own an AKG K 702 who is very transparent. But, for me it's not a good idea to mix only with headphone. Balance & EQ is the key. After, you have to experiment, make mistakes, and re try. Again & again. There is no “magic formula”. You can try to cut your bass track by 1 or 2 db around 60Hz (for ex. It depends on your kick) and boost the kick in the same range of frequencies.
AKG K702 is very transparent. And it costs around 140 euros.
It's just my 2 cents.
Bless up.

 

Think about this, this goes for speakers, too: the ones that exaggerate bass will make you mix with less bass, and the ones that lack bass will make you mix with more bass. That's why it's important to have good ears, nicely balanced - flat speakers or headphones, treated room, and use good quality referent material for comparison. The feeling for how much bass there actually has to be, for a certain genre, is very important, too.

 

Yessir!

... and the bad about Amazon is the reviews as well.

I don't think one should trust too much in Amazon reviews.
What I think about the reviews (besides those bought by vendors): Most of the time people seem to need a positive feedback on their expensive purchase and the easiest way is giving it themselves by a review. "What a smart guy I am that I bought this thingie it was the totally right decision!!!"
bla bla bla. And the tendency is to review more positive with higher prices.
A psychological effect IMHO. It's to erase the buyer's remorse

The only reviews I read are the negative when I'm almost done with my decision.
For the AKGs e.g. there were 386 reviews, partly without naming the type (style in amazon lingua). What would that help me.

 

Funny thing is each human ear canal and the ear itself is different.
So ive been studying interesting cases where producers shaped their ears to get em equalized properly.
The right is before and the left is after the procedure. He can mix trap on earbuds now.

 

its the quantity whats the tool here he he..

lol...yea plenty of other shit too...totally meaningless stuff

 

Last edited: Sep 20, 2019

Don't take me too serious mate, I'm an Amazon hater

True, even my both are very different in width so that I would need inears of different size for left/right ear.

 

Last edited: Sep 20, 2019

For bass, i prefer the Beyerdynamic DT 440, lighter on the ears, they go lower, with less distortion on the bass, and a wider soundstage than the 702.
I also find out that when the 702 get older, they seem to crackle more when i move my head, as the joints became loose.
Mind you, the 440 sound better with amplification.
Anyways, if you going to spend time listening, look for lightweight, overears and open design, anything else won't do.

 

on topic,
what headphones you using now?
whats your budget for a new pair?

the ussualy suspects:
Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm
AKG 702
Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Black

offtopic;
These seem "nice"
https://www.headphones.com/collecti...la-sr-electrostatic-headphones-and-amp-system

 

related:
https://www.sonarworks.com/reference/how-it-works-headphones