# Headphones, do you mix with them or does it depend on what headset.



## novaburst (Oct 5, 2019)

Believe it or not it does appear headphones are being used quite a bit for mixing.

They do seem to be getting better for and i guess the money does the talking the higher the price the better the headset.

I was checking out some reviews on these Nuraphones and believe it or not you can get them on subscription or basically rent them hmmmm.

So does it depend on the type of headset you have to make you feel comfortable to use them in the mix or is it loud speaker monitor all the way for you, or have you tried headsets and was not satisfied with them.






Nura – Award-winning personalised sound


Nura designs wireless headphones that tune themselves to you. Experience music the way the artist intended with personalised sound.




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## Guffy (Oct 5, 2019)

You should get some HD800S. You'll be happy. I promise.


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## jneebz (Oct 5, 2019)

I think you can accommodate your ears to anything while mixing, and if your final mixes are making your clients happy, then go for it. 

Personally, I feel I get the best results mixing through my near fields and using headphones for detailed listening/tweaking.


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 5, 2019)

If mixing on headphones, get open backed ones (if you're tracking, then closed-backed). Better yet, add Goodhertz Canopener Studio -> Sonarworks Reference to your monitoring channel (don't print with them enabled if there's no separate monitoring channel in your DAW), dialed in to taste/whatever will make your mixes better.

Then there's the cans. I opted for 250 ohm DT880s with a semi-open back because reasons. And then there's the headphone amp. Some day I'll add a separate one from my Focusrite 6i6, but a dedicated headphone amp would be prudent (without tubes, since the goal is neutrality).

As a home studio person, I can't have monitors, so headphones are my only option.


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## novaburst (Oct 5, 2019)

I use headphones a lot, i have always wounded if i am missing a big deal by neglecting loud speaker monitors, or what advantage or disadvantage is there in monitor headphones or monitor speakers, as both can be quite expensive if your looking for high end.



vitocorleone123 said:


> but a dedicated headphone amp would be prudent



Is this the way for head phone users.


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## vitocorleone123 (Oct 5, 2019)

Lots of discussions on gearslutz about this - of course the purists are all about the room treatment and monitors. More power to them if they have the space, opportunity, and money to pursue that those options.

Long story short: headphones don't give the same imaging or frequency response as speakers - though you can get closer with the software I mentioned. 

People don't necessarily need a dedicated headphone amp. Depends on their funds, their needs, their interface, and, especially the cans they select. My 6i6gen2 maxes out with 250ohm cans, which is why I purchased those instead of the 500ohm versions (higher ohms means better noise floor). I had a cheap headphone amp + an old 8i6 before, and the headphone amp sounded better. But, with the newer interface, even though the amp had a bit more power, it wasn't as clean, so I removed it from the equation.


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## greggybud (Oct 6, 2019)

novaburst said:


> I use headphones a lot, i have always wounded if i am missing a big deal by neglecting loud speaker monitors, or what advantage or disadvantage is there in monitor headphones or monitor speakers, as both can be quite expensive if your looking for high end.
> 
> 
> 
> Is this the way for head phone users.


Most mastering engineers worth their salt, intimately know their sonic environment, and really have learned their monitors. And most, even today that I know, are monitoring around 75-85db. Most know their monitors so well it seems to me sometimes they don't spend enough time cross-checking for translation to other environments. 

Referring to mix engineers.. If you never or rarely cross check at the mix stage, I think even with expensive phones, there is a good chance of overlooking something. Honestly, I'm guessing because I haven never mixed _exclusively_ with headphones. But you need to have perspective. I would guess more people are mixing with headphones, because while becoming more expensive, they are becoming better. Increasing numbers can't afford a good room, so demand is increasing for a mix headphone to take place of a good room. However IMO you still need perspective and translation no matter how expensive your phones are.


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## novaburst (Oct 6, 2019)

greggybud said:


> Increasing numbers can't afford a good room,



I think this is a good reason why headphones are used in the mix, needless to say all the Sonibles and the Izotopes, Ozones, the Fabfilters, can really aid in the mix with numbers references, imaging, are giving some good assistance with users who are limited to headphones,


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