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Monitors or Headphones more important?

P

Phry

May 3, 2010
46
0
#1
So I'm starting to get into recording and stuff like that. It's not like I'm producing amazing music that I'm gonna put on a CD, I'm just pretty much doing stuff for fun and slapping it on Youtube. Would it really be worth it to get a nice pair of Studio Monitors or would it just be better to get a good pair of headphones?

I'm debating this just cuz headphones cost less and if I want Studio monitors with balanced outputs I would also have to spend more on an audio interface.

Thanks!
 
#2
Headphones are very helpful while playing the instruments as I have found. I use cheap little Sony earbuds, honestly. The quality for that part doesn't have to be great as long as you can track. For studio mixing? Couldn't tell you - I've only done it a few times and it wasn't too bad.

I use Bose Companion 2s for my computer's speakers. I doubt they have a flat response, but they sound good in general and I'm not going for a perfect album-quality release. I record to get my stuff in a more permanent state and to get it out there.
 
#3
Personally I'd go with some nice quality headphones over the monitors if I had to choose one. Monitors will sound great in a properly acoustically treated room however headphones will always put you in the "sweet spot" sonically speaking.Plus Headphones help me hear things I normally would miss with monitors. I've always had great results using my beyerdynamics dt770's but that's Just my 2 cents.
 
#4
IMHO if you serious about recording then the greater priority is to have a good (nearfield studio monitor) speakers.
Many are relatively not expensive with relatively good quality.

Then after that you may think about a good headphone. Preferably the flat sounding pairs (for if sometimes you'd like to judge a mix balance or sounds on them), but it's not too critical.
The headphone have other specific task than that (e.g. to hear the cue/guide track when record a vocal/acoustic instrument).

The main judgement of the sounds, balance and mix would be done on the monitor speakers anyway.
 
#5
I personally would go for the monitors. You say you aren't planning on recording anything for a cd, but you might want to one day, and some nice nearfields will come in handy. I think headphone mixing is ok, but I don't think it's an accurate representation of what your audience is going to hear, unless they use headphones too (granted, this is VERY subjective imo--I have seen this argued by many recording people--some think it's perfectly fine, others think it's a cardinal sin)

Also, i say go for the monitors because you said that the only reason you want headphones is because they are cheaper...IME it's hardly ever worthwhile to get what you can afford now vs. what you really want
 
#6
Monitors are perhaps your most important piece of studio gear, IMO. Mixing over headphone will yield less than stellar results, as will mixing over cheap inacurate monitors. Buy the best monitors you can afford, even then save up to get better ones!

Two sets of monitors are nice so you can hear your mixes translate on a second set of speakers
 
#10
monitors are best, if correctly set-up to suit your mixing environment, and you have acoustic treatment, Headphones are essential, ideally a set of isolation headphones, and a set of good quality closed back monitoring headphones, and perhaps even some hi-fi headphones, if its one or the other, then go with the headphones! but in an ideal world you'd get all of the above.

headphones have the added advantage of being portable, so you can stick them in the laptop bag, with a usb controller, and have a portable studio!
 
#11
I definitely go would with monitors. I use Samson Media ONE monitors which are some of the cheapest on the market and they make the music sound so good. It's easy for me to mix the track with the monitors cause you can hear everything crystal clear. I won't upgrade unless for some reason, I want to try to make my home studio "pro".
 
#12
...but don't even think about trying to do any final mixing or mastering via headphones. You will be sad as you hear your results in various playback circumstances go wildly off the charts, eq-wise.

Along with some good near-field monitors, you should also have some lo-fi speakers to use for reference. When it comes to mixing down and if you don't have some nice near-fields, I'd opt for the cheapo bookshelf stereo speakers for a more 'honest' representation of how your mix is going to play out in a variety of playback circumstances - over headphones.
 
#13
tZer said:
...but don't even think about trying to do any final mixing or mastering via headphones. You will be sad as you hear your results in various playback circumstances go wildly off the charts, eq-wise.
.
Click to expand...

Not just eq wise IMHO, but more importantly, spatially wise, and other comsideratioms too..

tZer said:
...

Along with some good near-field monitors, you should also have some lo-fi speakers to use for reference. When it comes to mixing down and if you don't have some nice near-fields.
Click to expand...

Yes, the idea is to find the lowest common denominator to compare to..
I sometimes use my tv sets to compare the mix esp if it's for any TV use (commercials, illustrations etc) :D

In some recording studios there's even a little mono speaker for comparing.
I also know a very good recording/mixing engineer that always bring his own trusty small hifi stereo set everywhere he works (mixing) to use for that purpose :D

Actually it's kind of funny, because just after we mix our best with the best monitors we could afford, then we have to compare it to most common possible, which often a cheap - set of speakers..
And as a bass player I can tell you that much of our 'bass' is lost there...

Just my 2 cents
 
#14
I know everyone thinks mixing in headphones is bad or looked down upon however many professional engineers have had great results doing just this. Sure I know the vast majority use monitors however getting the results you desire using headphones is not at all impossible. With the correct use headphones will yield great results. Im not saying this just to dispute others experiences or at all say headphones should be the "go to" for recording or mixing because headphones aren't a replacement for monitors but just its a possibility to get great result doing majority of your mix in cans and occasional monitor checks. Using both phones and monitors is still the best however in your case go with what you can afford and gets you results. you can start in the headphones and use your car speakers as monitors to check to make sure you mix works and in time as you save money get monitors. If your not running a pro studio setup then having headphones is a great start, affordable &doesn't disturb neighbors. I say use your own judgement.

heres a sound on sound article on what i speak of demonstrating headphones as a viable choice: Link Removed
 
#15
magneezius said:
I know everyone thinks mixing in headphones is bad or looked down upon however many professional engineers have had great results doing just this...
Click to expand...

Sure - but based on the fact the question is being asked implies that the questioner probably is not a pro engineer.

And mixing in cans then testing in the car is a lot of extra leg work when you could be mixing using a playback situation that provides the 'car stereo environment' without the necessity to mix down, save to transportable media, go to the car, listen, make notes, come back, fix, re-render, re-save, re-walk out the to car...

You get the idea.
 
#16
tZer said:
Sure - but based on the fact the question is being asked implies that the questioner probably is not a pro engineer.

And mixing in cans then testing in the car is a lot of extra leg work when you could be mixing using a playback situation that provides the 'car stereo environment' without the necessity to mix down, save to transportable media, go to the car, listen, make notes, come back, fix, re-render, re-save, re-walk out the to car...

You get the idea.
Click to expand...

Yes i fully understand your standpoint and everyone elses on the manner. Once again using both monitors and headphones is the way to go but i was just offering a simple solution to a problem. I did this myself when starting off, after doing my headphone mix I used a 1/8"inch out of my laptop to the aux input on my car to do my monitor checks for spatial placement and bass content and that was before mixdown. Not trying to be a proponent of this method, but we all gotta start somewhere.

I guess the main question is what's the OP's budget and does he even have the room or privacy to use monitors?
 
#17
Let me say this:

When we want to do make-up to our face as beautiful/handsome as possible, normally and logically we'd use the clearest mirror we can have. Other mirror will do, but will not tell clearer image of our face and make-up. Therefore we may not yield the best result

Maybe that's the analogy for monitpring while recording, mixing mastering etc..

Just my 2 cents
 
#18
I prefer studio monitors. You can get a cheap pair of Edirol or Roland desktops for under $100 easily, less if you check out the closeouts in some of the mega Music stores (Zzounds, Musician's Friend, Sam Ash) online.
I'm just a little protective of my hearing and the phones have been a slippery slope in the past for me personally.
 
#19
If you can afford good quality monitors and have the knowledge/tools to EQ your room properly, the monitors are the way to go.

Otherwise, you can get a very nice pair of studio monitor headphones from Sony or Sennheiser for much, much cheaper than the monitors.
 

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