Of course you can mix on headphones,
but does that mean you should? It’s an
increasingly relevant question because
many people listen to music on earbuds
or headphones, not the hi-fi
speakers that resemble what’s used
for traditional mixing. Furthermore, as
more people work in home/project
studios, mixing at high levels could
lead to a grumpy spouse or complaining
neighbor.
Another consideration is economics:
Headphones take room acoustics out
of the equation, which can be a factor
with home studios, and top-of-the-line
headphones cost less than top-of-theline
speakers.
However, not all headphones are
created equal. Those designed for
consumers sometimes “hype” the low
end, high end, or both. Finding headphones
that provide an accurate listening
experience requires effort.
To complicate matters further, some
headphone amps are more of an afterthought
(few are as sophisticated as
Sound Performance Lab’s Phonitor,
which seems to make just about any
headphone sound better). But even if
you get the right headphones and a
great amp, there’s still a major psychoacoustic
issue because music doesn’t
sound the same on headphones as it
does on speakers. The sound is in your
head, not in front of it, and there’s no
cross-feed between channels. (I had
planned to cover some of the DSP
software that claims to make working
with headphones more like listening to
speakers, but after working with them
for a while, decided they deserve their
own coverage—which we’ll do in a
future issue.)
In any event, now you don’t just mix
so something sounds good on different
speakers: Your mix has to sound
great on living room speakers, cheap
earbuds, and in the car. What’s an EQ
reader to do?
Well, start with this roundup. We
looked at nine headphones intended
for recording applications, and have
included a roundtable discussion of
mixing/mastering on headphones,
courtesy of the “in the trenches”
recordists who frequent my forum at
www.harmony-central.com.
Ultimately, can you mix on phones?
Whether you can or not, many feel
they now have to be a part of the mixing
process, even if it’s just a bit part.
ROUNDTABLE: MIXING ON HEADPHONES
EQ: If you use headphones for mixing,
what’s your methodology?
Roy Brooks: I tend to mix with
headphones late at night, but then
listen to it the next day on monitor
speakers to see if it needs changes.
I’m pleasantly surprised when the mix
I did with headphones sounds good
with monitors.
Jon Chappell: I do a variation of
this. I often mix with headphones (AKG
K 271 MkII) because I can hone in on
the individual instruments better and
listen for timing, breath noise/fret
squeaks, flams, etc., faster and more
efficiently than with speakers. I do
make individual EQ adjustments,
but sparingly.
When working with headphones, I
make it a habit to swap the left and
right sides, sum to mono, listen to left
only (through both earpieces), then
right only. This was a trick I often
employed when I was a professional
transcriber and music editor; it helps
you hear parts in a new light. This
(hopefully) eliminates any fatigue or
“stuck perceptions” that my ears
have picked up in the process.
Then I break for the night, and fire
up the mix on the nearfields the next
day. That’s when I’ll EQ or employ light
compression over the stereo bus, and
perform any operations that fall more
in the mastering domain.
Working with headphones so much
in the preliminary stages lets me learn
the arrangement and individual parts
well. Then when I hear the mix over
speakers, it’s a brand new experience,
sonically. So I still experience the music
fresh in one aspect, while knowing what I’m listening to in another.
Calfee Jones: My process is similar,
but lately, I’ve been thinking about how
people will listen to the music—for
many, it will be on earbuds and small
computer speakers. So after I do the
initial mix on headphones, I’ll “tune” it
on the nearfields, then listen on computer
monitors. If I have to optimize for
one or the other, I’ll usually optimize to
the computer speakers on the
assumption that’s the way most people
will hear the music.
Jeff Klopmeyer: It’s really important
to check a mix on earbuds. I’d even
guess these days, there’s more listening
being done on those than any
home-based speaker system.
Angelo Clematide: If I would spend
the time to listen to every production over
the wrong playback system, then I would
never come to an end! When it sounds
excellent on high resolution monitors,
then it sounds good on any playback
system, including headphones.
Jeff Klopmeyer: That should be
true. However, not everyone has access
to really excellent monitors, and sometimes
listening at SPL levels appropriate
for mixing isn’t possible. In any
case, I do prefer to give the phones a
try when listening to a mix before it’s
unleashed on the world.
ROUNDUP: NINE HEADPHONES FOR MIXING
Being Executive Editor of EQ has its perqs: I asked six companies
at AES if they felt it was possible to mix on
headphones . . . and if so, which headphone they would recommend
for a roundup. A couple weeks later, I was
surrounded by nine kick-ass headphones, and the process
of evaluating them began.
But first, a caution: Listening to headphones is even more
subjective than listening to speakers, because the
headphones interact with your ears physically. Someone
with a different ear and head shape might take issue with
my conclusions, and they’d be right—because any given
headphone might be a better physical, as well as aesthetic,
fit. So, while I have definite opinions about the sound of
these phones, unfortunately they’re “all about me.” What I
hope is that this roundup points you in the right direction,
so you can narrow your search to the ones that seem most
appealing to you. The good news is that even the inexpensive
phones are solid, useful transducers. Paying more does
refine the sound further, but that’s not a deal-breaker
for the lower-priced models.
I evaluated each headphone by listening to music that I’d
recorded—classical harpsichord and guitar, as well as full
rock band with drums, bass, guitar, and vocals. I chose these
because I was in the studio when recording, and know what
the instruments sound like by themselves as well as when
mixed and mastered. My goal was to find out if the headphones
preserved the original sound quality, or added qualities
of their own.
I used an Aphex headphone amp so I could plug in four
sets of phones simultaneously, and switched constantly
between them. During this process certain favorites developed,
and I’d A/B those with other potential favorites. But I
also compared the expensive phones against the inexpensive
phones as a “reality check,” and this was a good move
because it emphasized just how much of an overachiever
some of the less costly models could be.
So let’s get to the headphones. Except for the Monster
earbuds, they’re all circumaural (the ear pads go around
your ear), and most come with detachable cords, some kind
of carrying pouch, and a 1/8" to 1/4" adapter—check the
respective websites for specs and details. In no particular
order, here’s how they stack up (all prices are MSRP):
CONCLUSIONS
What’s interesting is that you
could mix on pretty much all
these headphones; the main difference
is how much you’re going to
enjoy the process, both physically
and sonically. They’re all reasonably
comfortable, especially compared
to some older cans I used
back in the day.
Let’s get the easy conclusions
out of the way: If you’re going to
use earbuds, do yourself a favor
and get the Monsters—I’ve never
heard any earbuds that come close.
If your budget is really tight, the
Shure SRH440 is vastly better than
you’d expect for the price. The
high end is a little harsher than the
more expensive models, but they’re
solid, accurate phones that need
make no apologies.
Moving up a notch cost-wise, I
was pleasantly surprised that the
Audio-Technica ATH-M50 does
such a valiant job of holding its
own against more pricey
headphones. However, in a side-byside
comparison, there’s no question
that the extra $340 for the
AKG K 702 buys a much silkier,
smoother high end and greater
comfort over hours of mixing.
Similarly, when comparing the ATHM50
to the 50% more expensive AKG
K 271, the ATH-M50 comes surprisingly
close. I hesitate to say the ATH-M50’s
high end is “harsher,” because it’s not
really harsh—it’s more like the K 271 is
“anti-harsh.”
The Ultrasone 750 is less expensive
than the K 702, and here’s a case
where I feel someone’s subjective
desire of how they want to hear
music on headphones comes into
play. Both give less of a “headphone”
sound, and both have very clean
responses with excellent detail. However,
they have different “personalities”
and how you would react to
them is a subjective call.
Which leaves us with the Sony
MDR-7509HD and Ultrasone Edition 8.
The Sony is about the same cost as
the Shure SRH840, and would be my
recommendation if you also expect to
do tracking with the phones—they’re
durable, and the midrange lift puts
the spotlight on the all-important
instrumental frequencies. However it
wouldn’t be my first choice for mixing
and to be fair, many of the other
headphones wouldn’t be my first
choice for tracking. I also think the
MDR-7509HD would be ideal for DJs
because of the power handling capacity,
and the midrange being able to
stand out compared to the huge
amount of bass leakage to which DJs
are typically subjected.
The Edition 8—well, they sound
really great, but there’s that issue of
them making something like excessive
sibilance sound acceptable. It seems
totally insane to urge caution because
a product can be too good, but
remember that the topic is mixing on
headphones, not which headphone is
best-suited for audiophiles. In any
event, listening to music on the Edition
8 is a wonderful, enveloping
experience where you almost bond
with the music. It’s fortunate the 750
comes so close for so much less.
If I had to pick a winner, I’d say
AKG’s K 702 hits the sweet spot—but
aside from the astounding Edition 8,
it’s the most expensive product in
this roundup. Still, I think anyone
would agree after hearing these
phones that the price is more than
fair, because the sound quality and
comfort is undeniable.
Having said that, though, don’t feel
bad if money’s tight for you right now.
The lower-cost headphones are perfectly
suitable for mixing—surprisingly
so, particularly in the case of the bargain
Shure SRH440 and “near-bargain”
Audio-Technica ATH-M50—and what it
really comes down to is “you get what
you pay for.” Fortunately, though, with
these phones you don’t have to pay all
that much for something that does the
job with competence and style.