When using headphones and even speakers, mix in MONO, then complete stereo imaging after. Also anyone can mix on ATH m50's, its about getting used to and adjusting your hearing to the headphones, same goes for monitors and the room you are in.
Thank you! What a relief to hear facts and calm, accurate advice. One little remark on something baffling I found during my search for "studio headphones": Engineering legend Andrew Scheps mixes on a pair of humble Sony MDR 7506 (ca. $80). His reasoning is that you have to learn what a specific pair of headphones does to the sound and fix problems accordingly, using the same source. In other words, it's your ears and brain that make the decisions. That said, I have a pair of 1990s on the way, and I intend to keep learning on those!
Another great aspect of the BD-DT880 is that you can use them for a whole day without getting a headache. I have not tried another pair of headphones that does that below 2000 USD that sounds as good as those.
I always use closed back head phones for any purpose. Often when I go from monitors to headphones it is because I don't want to disturb others or filter out environmental sounds anyway. Since music isn't my job this isn't a big issue for me. I maybe mix for a couple of hours at a time on headphones before checking the mix with monitors.
I've been learning to mix using both headphones and studio monitors. Especially for high end (monitors) and before sending mixes pit to master, I even listen on some regular ear buds, and car speakers just to get those alternate sounds
A friend of mine used to work at a recording and mastering studio. They had a crappy little mono speaker they found on the street that they called the "Shitbox" and they would always pass the mix through that before finalizing - just to make sure
Extremely well put advice. One thing to add that I always tell beginners is that if they can they should visit a shop and try on a bunch of headphones. Head and ear shapes vary so much, I could not in good conscience recommend in full a pair of headphones to anyone. If you're wearing these between 8 to 12 hours per session, they HAVE to be comfortable.
Got the HEDDphone and gotta say the investment was one of the best decision’s I ever made as a producer. Especially because my Studio Space isn’t the best. I have the Hedd type 7s also to check the Mixes but I’d trade them any day for the HEDDphone if I had to choose
I think if you have decent monitors you can live with only closed headphones. I usually check mixes with both monitors and headphones but favors monitors. And sound isolation is really something needed for example when you work alongside other people so you're not disturbed and vice-versa. with that said being a die hard fan of the dt 770 like many I'd be curious to test the 990 or 1990.
i started off using the ath-m50x but i recently bought the beyerdynamic dt1990 which are open back and super flat - more suited for mixing/mastering. so now i use both for two references. i still much prefer studio monitors for overall decision making and mixing/mastering.
Following your footsteps basically. Started with m50's but at this point really want to upgrade. Thinking about DT 900 and 1990's. Does the price diff worth it? What would you recommend? PS: I do have ok monitors but horrible acoustic environment so I cant relay only on my speakers
Sony 1000xm5 for fun, focal closed back for tracking and OLLO sx4 reference for mixing. Having focal sm9 for main and after checking audeze lcd x I preferred OLLO for several reasons.
Simple answer is... i tested 30 headphones from 200-3000$ and just buy Hifiman Ananda, DT 990 Pro 250Ohm, DT 1990 or DT 770 250Ohm. For mixing mastering and studio. Sometimes I use Beyerdynamic T1 v2 but DT 1990 is better for mixing. You can always buy Susvara or HE-1000 and waste your $$$.
Thanks for everything. Not sure if this is the place to ask, but would like to know what issues you had on friday in Chi with your rig, and how you overcame them/ adapted? The show never skipped a beat... Your level of professionalism is unreal, you are the man!
jezus fucking finally someone that understands the problem and gives good answers instead of telling the same shite every other review says "open back is not good in loud environments " like i could understand that but give me the differences in situations so i can understand it and correctly make the chooice for my situation . thank you mate i taught i went crazy XD
There is no such a thing like pleasing or unpleasing frequencies. Otherwise there would be a one tuning good for all songs, all sounds on earth and there is. Flat response or tilted flat response
I hate the reinforced midrange of the MM100. I must say that I can´t recommend this headphone. I prefer more neutral ones. Now I have LCD-X and finally very happy. it's definitely worth it.
This is a great breakdown of headphones. I have a pair of Beyerdynamics dt-990's, which sound great but I was having trouble driving them to be loud enough. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and I'm guessing it's because the impedence is really high that I'm not getting enough volume. So of course, I started mixing on the M50-X's, lol. So it seems much louder, but the sound is like too compressed or something in my ears so I then switch to monitors but my "studio" is not fully setup for that. I've got work to do. What interface do you use to drive the DT-880's to be lough enough? Also, do you use a subwoofer in addition to the monitors? Or is that necessary? Your videos are awesome man, I'm buying your mixing course today. Keep killing it!
Yeah it’s probably ohm load. You can see usually output impedance on your interface or headphone amp in the manual and it will tell you the max load. Beyerdynamic makes the same model headphones in multiple ohm versions too
But which versions of headphones would recommend for mixing with lower or higher resistance/impedance? Where is the difference in sound quality and frequency response?
Q? Can closed-back headphones be as accurate as open-back headphones if plug-in headphone calibration software is used for frequency response correction? (Sonarworks for example).
Speaking of Ableton, I'm trying to decide if I should go with it or FL Studio. I play no instruments, but I want to make songs (and ambient pieces) by using a MIDI keyboard to program sequences, use field-recorded samples, etc. I've heard that FL's piano roll is better, and it seems like I might mainly be using that. Any advice? Also, any info on the Ableton discount you mentioned?
@Collin McRae - I ended up getting Ableton, but I think you're right about learning some piano basics. Any good sources (CZcams teachers or websites) that you could recommend off the top of your head?
@@ModernPlague I've actually been learning myself on a 62 key controller, but u cna learn most of it and use it on small controllers as well. Taetro has a cool series called Music Theory for Beginners. He's a producer, and he approaches it with that mind set, so u might like that. But all of the top piano people have good info and beginner guides. The important thins are just learning about chords and scales, and the tricks to how they work and figuring them out.
I have the most DIY system, but it works. I'm still rocking my lime-green, AKG Q701's from 2011 or so, open-backed and hi-Z, so very detailed if driven properly. But I simultaneously mix on some 2-way JBL G200 bookshelf monitors I scored at a thrift store, through a Sony A/V receiver + Bose Acoustimass 10 sub (essentially a low-power transmission-line box tuned to >40Hz that won't disturb neighbors.) When I don't mind being loud, I built my synth/keyboard/mixer racks onto a slot-vented dual-10" box tuned to 35Hz, with two Skar IX10D2's @ 800w total RMS, matched with a JVC amp using a Corsair Gold-Cert PSU. It gets pretty loud in a house and is decent at emulating a Funktion in open space. (Protip: Mr. Bill also uses VoiceMeeter.) On my computer, I use ASIO4ALL + VoiceMeeter to pipe the audio to 1. my main out, 2. analog mixer w/USB, and 3. an external 24-bit sound interface to record my mixer so I can play, record and monitor in Ableton simultaneously without feedback. If you don't have a multi-interface sound card and are using external instruments then this is a nifty workaround but you also might have to tune latency and buffers to optimize it. My AKG's stock velour earpads decomposed into mush over years in storage, so I cut them open and stuffed a ratio/blend of 70:30 shredded high density memory-foam to poly-fill. This boosted lows without muddying highs, and took a lot of trial-and-error dialing in. But it was well worth the effort and a very enjoyable project! I prefer the sound and comfort to some faux-leather memory-foam Geekria earpads, which have quiet bass and whispery highs, although technically more "flat". That's when I rely on switching between headphones and speakers to hear if I'm self-selecting into an idealistic soundstage that isn't representative of reality. But with hi-Z headphones, other factors can come into play like the DAC or quality of the headphone pre-amp in your devices or mixers, if you don't have a dedicated headphone amp.
This is a good video, but you have to take something else in count! I have never heard anyone say anything about it. Not a single person on this planet can hear the same sounds that someone else does. That is due to ear structure, drum thickness, drum flexibility, and all the other parts of the inner and outer ear. Someone that cannot hear bass notes well, would make a better mix with the closed headphones. And other combinations as well. And that is not only from person to person, but from ear to ear on the same person. I undertook a medical annual physical ear test, where I was introduced to frequencies. I was surprised of the outcome. I challenge you to go if you haven't to see where your hearing stands. At some point I thought that perhaps my brain is working in STEREO. Because the brain is the final receiver.
You trolls are killing me! Stop putting "best" in your tags. You're not researching the best. You're giving opinions of what you like! Why don't any of you test Focal Utopia or Warwick Acoustics? Because, that would mean giving up secrets only a few use. Ya'll are lame as hell!
When using headphones and even speakers, mix in MONO, then complete stereo imaging after. Also anyone can mix on ATH m50's, its about getting used to and adjusting your hearing to the headphones, same goes for monitors and the room you are in.
stereo is an integral part of composition for me so I wouldn't do that. not that you shouldn't check.
Thank you! What a relief to hear facts and calm, accurate advice. One little remark on something baffling I found during my search for "studio headphones": Engineering legend Andrew Scheps mixes on a pair of humble Sony MDR 7506 (ca. $80). His reasoning is that you have to learn what a specific pair of headphones does to the sound and fix problems accordingly, using the same source. In other words, it's your ears and brain that make the decisions. That said, I have a pair of 1990s on the way, and I intend to keep learning on those!
My friend you are quite literally the best music production youtuber there is. Thank you for existing.
Another great aspect of the BD-DT880 is that you can use them for a whole day without getting a headache. I have not tried another pair of headphones that does that below 2000 USD that sounds as good as those.
That's true if you're not a treble sensitive person. For a person like me they're very fatiguing. I'm HD650 person, I like warm and smooth sound.
@@clickbaitpro I personally don't find any of the Senheisers particularly warm nor smooth.
I always use closed back head phones for any purpose. Often when I go from monitors to headphones it is because I don't want to disturb others or filter out environmental sounds anyway. Since music isn't my job this isn't a big issue for me. I maybe mix for a couple of hours at a time on headphones before checking the mix with monitors.
I've been learning to mix using both headphones and studio monitors. Especially for high end (monitors) and before sending mixes pit to master, I even listen on some regular ear buds, and car speakers just to get those alternate sounds
A friend of mine used to work at a recording and mastering studio. They had a crappy little mono speaker they found on the street that they called the "Shitbox" and they would always pass the mix through that before finalizing - just to make sure
there is a free vst that simulates your car speakers, its a good alternative if you dont wanna go to your car just for having that experience
Extremely well put advice. One thing to add that I always tell beginners is that if they can they should visit a shop and try on a bunch of headphones. Head and ear shapes vary so much, I could not in good conscience recommend in full a pair of headphones to anyone. If you're wearing these between 8 to 12 hours per session, they HAVE to be comfortable.
Got the HEDDphone and gotta say the investment was one of the best decision’s I ever made as a producer.
Especially because my Studio Space isn’t the best.
I have the Hedd type 7s also to check the Mixes but I’d trade them any day for the HEDDphone if I had to choose
I think if you have decent monitors you can live with only closed headphones. I usually check mixes with both monitors and headphones but favors monitors. And sound isolation is really something needed for example when you work alongside other people so you're not disturbed and vice-versa. with that said being a die hard fan of the dt 770 like many I'd be curious to test the 990 or 1990.
i started off using the ath-m50x but i recently bought the beyerdynamic dt1990 which are open back and super flat - more suited for mixing/mastering. so now i use both for two references. i still much prefer studio monitors for overall decision making and mixing/mastering.
Following your footsteps basically. Started with m50's but at this point really want to upgrade.
Thinking about DT 900 and 1990's.
Does the price diff worth it? What would you recommend?
PS: I do have ok monitors but horrible acoustic environment so I cant relay only on my speakers
Man you're a legend. Thanks for this video. It's a huge help. You always been a huge inspiration for me & i admire you so much.
Sony 1000xm5 for fun, focal closed back for tracking and OLLO sx4 reference for mixing. Having focal sm9 for main and after checking audeze lcd x I preferred OLLO for several reasons.
Can you comment on the Slate VSX?
Simple answer is... i tested 30 headphones from 200-3000$ and just buy Hifiman Ananda, DT 990 Pro 250Ohm, DT 1990 or DT 770 250Ohm. For mixing mastering and studio. Sometimes I use Beyerdynamic T1 v2 but DT 1990 is better for mixing. You can always buy Susvara or HE-1000 and waste your $$$.
Appreciate the straight up nature of this advice. Refreshingly direct!
My 7506 2018 version did well on the test, slightly louder on low frequency.
I recently picked up the DT 900 Pro Xs and they're pretty great. Highly recommended:)
Same here!
Got my eye on these as well!
Still don't know whether to go for the Beyerdynamic DT 900 Pro X, Sennheiser HD600, or Austrian Audio Hi-X65....
Got a pair of sennheiser hd 650. Will never ever use another pair of headphones to produce music on again. Amazing video!
Really interesting and informative. Especially the panning issue which is now so obvious
Great analysis. Yet no mentioning of B&W headphones on your cover picture?
Thank you for the advice, I didn't knew.
You just cost me $350, but loving the DT990s, had DT250s for tracking but now I have options!
the explanation i was looking for. thankyou
Thanks for everything. Not sure if this is the place to ask, but would like to know what issues you had on friday in Chi with your rig, and how you overcame them/ adapted? The show never skipped a beat... Your level of professionalism is unreal, you are the man!
Oh ha yeah it was the damn usb cable. I moved my rig back for the openers chachuba, and I must have pinched it.
@@SeedtoStage Shoutout Chewy!
Ultra valuable piece of information, thanks bro
jezus fucking finally someone that understands the problem and gives good answers instead of telling the same shite every other review says "open back is not good in loud environments " like i could understand that but give me the differences in situations so i can understand it and correctly make the chooice for my situation . thank you mate i taught i went crazy XD
love me a good unbiased video, you got yourself a follower! haha
There is no such a thing like pleasing or unpleasing frequencies. Otherwise there would be a one tuning good for all songs, all sounds on earth and there is. Flat response or tilted flat response
Pretty informative. Definitely worth a sub
im such an idiot...this might have saved my life in music and my ears. thanks man
Great video!! Thank you!!
I hate the reinforced midrange of the MM100. I must say that I can´t recommend this headphone. I prefer more neutral ones. Now I have LCD-X and finally very happy. it's definitely worth it.
Great video and very informative.
Assuming a very similar price point, which is better? HD 560 S or DT990
What about DT770PRO? They have a very flat response...
This is a great breakdown of headphones. I have a pair of Beyerdynamics dt-990's, which sound great but I was having trouble driving them to be loud enough. I'm using a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and I'm guessing it's because the impedence is really high that I'm not getting enough volume. So of course, I started mixing on the M50-X's, lol. So it seems much louder, but the sound is like too compressed or something in my ears so I then switch to monitors but my "studio" is not fully setup for that. I've got work to do.
What interface do you use to drive the DT-880's to be lough enough? Also, do you use a subwoofer in addition to the monitors? Or is that necessary?
Your videos are awesome man, I'm buying your mixing course today. Keep killing it!
Yeah it’s probably ohm load. You can see usually output impedance on your interface or headphone amp in the manual and it will tell you the max load. Beyerdynamic makes the same model headphones in multiple ohm versions too
@@SeedtoStage Thank you!
You should probably not mix to loud, you’ll won’t hear the transients clearly.
@@SeedtoStage should i get the 700 pro x or 1770, I have a apollo twin x and i need something for tracking and mixing
Cheers man you're awesome
5:52 Isn't the "Frequency Response" of the Audio-Technica flatter, thus better (as you informed us earlier in the video)?
Good learning experience
Not me sitting here with a new pair of M50x headphones I bought on recommendation... 😂 Live and learn I suppose.
But which versions of headphones would recommend for mixing with lower or higher resistance/impedance? Where is the difference in sound quality and frequency response?
good video, thanks for sharing.
Q? Can closed-back headphones be as accurate as open-back headphones if plug-in headphone calibration software is used for frequency response correction? (Sonarworks for example).
THANKS..!!!👍🏼❤️
What are the best headphones for recording vocals?
Speaking of Ableton, I'm trying to decide if I should go with it or FL Studio. I play no instruments, but I want to make songs (and ambient pieces) by using a MIDI keyboard to program sequences, use field-recorded samples, etc. I've heard that FL's piano roll is better, and it seems like I might mainly be using that. Any advice? Also, any info on the Ableton discount you mentioned?
I'd say that you might want to consider learning a bit of piano. It doesn't take long to get some basics down.
@Collin McRae - I ended up getting Ableton, but I think you're right about learning some piano basics. Any good sources (CZcams teachers or websites) that you could recommend off the top of your head?
@@ModernPlague I've actually been learning myself on a 62 key controller, but u cna learn most of it and use it on small controllers as well. Taetro has a cool series called Music Theory for Beginners. He's a producer, and he approaches it with that mind set, so u might like that. But all of the top piano people have good info and beginner guides. The important thins are just learning about chords and scales, and the tricks to how they work and figuring them out.
Excelente vídeo
stellia 4 precise judgement
sundara 4 fun and space
great combo
porta pro 4 the streat
and 660s 4 dayli easy youtube whatever
I have the most DIY system, but it works. I'm still rocking my lime-green, AKG Q701's from 2011 or so, open-backed and hi-Z, so very detailed if driven properly. But I simultaneously mix on some 2-way JBL G200 bookshelf monitors I scored at a thrift store, through a Sony A/V receiver + Bose Acoustimass 10 sub (essentially a low-power transmission-line box tuned to >40Hz that won't disturb neighbors.) When I don't mind being loud, I built my synth/keyboard/mixer racks onto a slot-vented dual-10" box tuned to 35Hz, with two Skar IX10D2's @ 800w total RMS, matched with a JVC amp using a Corsair Gold-Cert PSU. It gets pretty loud in a house and is decent at emulating a Funktion in open space.
(Protip: Mr. Bill also uses VoiceMeeter.) On my computer, I use ASIO4ALL + VoiceMeeter to pipe the audio to 1. my main out, 2. analog mixer w/USB, and 3. an external 24-bit sound interface to record my mixer so I can play, record and monitor in Ableton simultaneously without feedback. If you don't have a multi-interface sound card and are using external instruments then this is a nifty workaround but you also might have to tune latency and buffers to optimize it.
My AKG's stock velour earpads decomposed into mush over years in storage, so I cut them open and stuffed a ratio/blend of 70:30 shredded high density memory-foam to poly-fill. This boosted lows without muddying highs, and took a lot of trial-and-error dialing in. But it was well worth the effort and a very enjoyable project! I prefer the sound and comfort to some faux-leather memory-foam Geekria earpads, which have quiet bass and whispery highs, although technically more "flat". That's when I rely on switching between headphones and speakers to hear if I'm self-selecting into an idealistic soundstage that isn't representative of reality. But with hi-Z headphones, other factors can come into play like the DAC or quality of the headphone pre-amp in your devices or mixers, if you don't have a dedicated headphone amp.
Beyerdynamic 880 600 ohm
This is a good video, but you have to take something else in count! I have never heard anyone say anything about it. Not a single person on this planet can hear the same sounds that someone else does. That is due to ear structure, drum thickness, drum flexibility, and all the other parts of the inner and outer ear. Someone that cannot hear bass notes well, would make a better mix with the closed headphones. And other combinations as well. And that is not only from person to person, but from ear to ear on the same person. I undertook a medical annual physical ear test, where I was introduced to frequencies. I was surprised of the outcome. I challenge you to go if you haven't to see where your hearing stands. At some point I thought that perhaps my brain is working in STEREO. Because the brain is the final receiver.
its just how sounds works ya hear. haha
I want to like the video, but the like count is 808
You trolls are killing me! Stop putting "best" in your tags. You're not researching the best. You're giving opinions of what you like! Why don't any of you test Focal Utopia or Warwick Acoustics? Because, that would mean giving up secrets only a few use. Ya'll are lame as hell!
I like RTINGS too. www.querytools.net/Images/HeadphoneNeutrality.jpg
@LuckySeven50507 I like this guy: www.youtube.com/@askdrtk/videos