Are "semi open" the kind of headphones I want for home recording?
June 25, 2019 8:56 AM Subscribe
Are "semi open" the kind of headphones I want for home recording?
I've been recording for a few years with AKG ATH-M50s but they have almost fallen apart. I'm getting more serious about recording, but am overwhelmed by reading about headphones.
Long story short - I live in a one bedroom apartment and my studio is (long story) in my somewhat large kitchen. But, there are often birds chirping outside the window, church bells, and refrigerator hums. Which leads me to believe I need a closed back set of headphones? But it also sounds like that's not the most accurate way to gauge how others will eventually hear my music. So is a little bit of leakage the answer — get a nice set of semi-open headphones and turn them up loud?
Also these would be the same headphones for both tracking and playback. I don't think I'm serious enough to have 2 separate sets.
Any recommendations of types and models would be great. Thanks Mefi.
I've been recording for a few years with AKG ATH-M50s but they have almost fallen apart. I'm getting more serious about recording, but am overwhelmed by reading about headphones.
Long story short - I live in a one bedroom apartment and my studio is (long story) in my somewhat large kitchen. But, there are often birds chirping outside the window, church bells, and refrigerator hums. Which leads me to believe I need a closed back set of headphones? But it also sounds like that's not the most accurate way to gauge how others will eventually hear my music. So is a little bit of leakage the answer — get a nice set of semi-open headphones and turn them up loud?
Also these would be the same headphones for both tracking and playback. I don't think I'm serious enough to have 2 separate sets.
Any recommendations of types and models would be great. Thanks Mefi.
But it also sounds like that's not the most accurate way to gauge how others will eventually hear my music.
No single source will ever provide you with an accurate gauge for how other people will hear your music, which is why all professional studios have multiple sets of different kinds of speakers and headphones and burn CD's and low bit-rate mp3s so they can take them out to somebody's 20- year - old car with the crappy factory system and check out the mixes.
Which is what a lot of semi-pro and amateur musicians & engineers do, too.
You want closed-back headphones if you have any kind of background noise in your recording or mixing environment, which you do.
posted by soundguy99 at 9:13 AM on June 25, 2019 [6 favorites]
No single source will ever provide you with an accurate gauge for how other people will hear your music, which is why all professional studios have multiple sets of different kinds of speakers and headphones and burn CD's and low bit-rate mp3s so they can take them out to somebody's 20- year - old car with the crappy factory system and check out the mixes.
Which is what a lot of semi-pro and amateur musicians & engineers do, too.
You want closed-back headphones if you have any kind of background noise in your recording or mixing environment, which you do.
posted by soundguy99 at 9:13 AM on June 25, 2019 [6 favorites]
Consider noise canceling headphones too - that way when you hear the birds, etc., you’ll know it’s coming through the mic and not through the headphones themselves.
posted by conscious matter at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2019
posted by conscious matter at 9:17 AM on June 25, 2019
Closed back headphones will help keep bleed down when recording. Any mixing should be done on speakers IMO, headphones give an inaccurate picture of the mix. They are a good tool for "microscope listening" and figuring out panning, but lean on your speakers for mixing.
I have used and recommended Audio Technica M-50s for years.
posted by TheCoug at 10:09 AM on June 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
I have used and recommended Audio Technica M-50s for years.
posted by TheCoug at 10:09 AM on June 25, 2019 [1 favorite]
Studios use closed-back headphones so the headphone signal doesn't leak into the vocal mic so much when you are recording.
posted by w0mbat at 10:10 AM on June 25, 2019
posted by w0mbat at 10:10 AM on June 25, 2019
Noise-canceling headphones aren't going to get rid of non-constant sounds like birds.
If you're recording with microphones, you'll definitely want closed-back headphones to minimize the bleed. If you're just using them for monitoring, it doesn't really monitor, although if there are other people around, they will hear the sound from the open-back ones more than the closed-back..
posted by jonathanhughes at 10:12 AM on June 25, 2019 [3 favorites]
If you're recording with microphones, you'll definitely want closed-back headphones to minimize the bleed. If you're just using them for monitoring, it doesn't really monitor, although if there are other people around, they will hear the sound from the open-back ones more than the closed-back..
posted by jonathanhughes at 10:12 AM on June 25, 2019 [3 favorites]
Closed over the ear headphones are the generic standard for music recording applications for the reasons others have already stated. I have never in my life as a musician seen noise canceling cans used in a professional studio production environment.
posted by spitbull at 10:40 AM on June 25, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 10:40 AM on June 25, 2019 [5 favorites]
I used to use these physically isolated headphones for recording drums. Worked pretty much as promised, though they are kinda bulky.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 12:02 PM on June 25, 2019
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 12:02 PM on June 25, 2019
You need to describe your recording process in more detail. If you have an open mic, that would pick up the playback bleeding out from open backed headphones.
posted by humboldt32 at 12:14 PM on June 25, 2019
posted by humboldt32 at 12:14 PM on June 25, 2019
I really suggest headphones with a flat response. The sony MDR-v6 are a STEAL for what you can find them at these days. great for studio work.
posted by evilmonk at 12:57 PM on June 25, 2019
posted by evilmonk at 12:57 PM on June 25, 2019
The sony MDR-v6 are a STEAL for what you can find them at these days.
If it seems too good to be true...
posted by Lanark at 2:42 PM on June 25, 2019
If it seems too good to be true...
posted by Lanark at 2:42 PM on June 25, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by critzer at 8:58 AM on June 25, 2019