• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Monitors or Headphones more important?

#25
Wow, sorry to get people so riled up about this, haha. I did read through everything and thanks a lot for all the input.

I guess I could have been more clear on my needs. I'm recording and stuff just for fun, the more serious recordings we do on my friend's computer where he does have better equipment than me. I'm just using this equipment for writing and for doing fun stuff on Youtube.

That said, I think I'm gonna go with just a good pair of headphones and a decent set of regular monitors. I want headphones for gaming and also for practice and stuff since I sold my guitar amp a year ago and my bass is a little too intense for my super old neighbors who will probably kill me if I played after 6pm, haha.

So any recommendations on Speakers and headphones? Just about $100 budget on both, like I said... I'm not expecting the best, just something to get by and get the job done.

Thanks!
 
#27
Phry said:
Wow, sorry to get people so riled up about this, haha. I did read through everything and thanks a lot for all the input.

I guess I could have been more clear on my needs. I'm recording and stuff just for fun, the more serious recordings we do on my friend's computer where he does have better equipment than me. I'm just using this equipment for writing and for doing fun stuff on Youtube.

That said, I think I'm gonna go with just a good pair of headphones and a decent set of regular monitors. I want headphones for gaming and also for practice and stuff since I sold my guitar amp a year ago and my bass is a little too intense for my super old neighbors who will probably kill me if I played after 6pm, haha.

So any recommendations on Speakers and headphones? Just about $100 budget on both, like I said... I'm not expecting the best, just something to get by and get the job done.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

You surely need to spend more money on them. Even you're looking at very marginal quality, $100 is too less for the monitoring equipments you're looking for unless you get used ones.
 
#28
OPINION - Keep it in Perspective
From what you're describing, a quality set of studio headphones may be your best bet. Recording is a VERY expensive process... mixdown room and speakers can run into the thousands.

Use the headphones to get good clean tracks.. IF you have something you really want done pro, then hire some pro studio time (the tougher tracks - acoustic guitars, vocals etc) and send it out to be mastered.
 
#29
Yea I think all the two or three last comments are good.

I use Sony MDR 7506 headphones which very good for that purpose and I think you can get it or it's equivalent with your $100. But not enough, you have to add $$ for monitors. It should be the first priority IMHO
 
#30
Phry said:
So any recommendations on Speakers and headphones? Just about $100 budget on both, like I said... I'm not expecting the best, just something to get by and get the job done.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

On the speakers, I have some Edirol MA-5As I got from Zzounds for my second system. I think I have maybe $30-40 in them. For consumer grade phones Sonys work pretty well but there are some good Sennheisers in the $65 range that will get the job done. As MnAirHead said, I'd go to a bigger room and a good engineer to get something Real done as far as mixing and mastering and such (Nashville has a ton of struggling studios with far better mic cabinets than my home studio that I can book for next to nothing for cutting drums, etc.) but for messing around and learning recording this will work fine.
 
#31
Roy Vogt said:
...For consumer grade phones Sonys work pretty well but ...
Click to expand...

Some Sony are consumer grade,.. But There's Sony products that are NOT Consumer Grade... For example you'll be surprise how good a Sony Condenser Mic is (Sony C800; it's very expensive high end recording gear).

Sony MDR7506 definitely NOT consumer grade headphones. It's Professional Grade and one of studio standard. Many Recording Studio and Engineers/Artists use it.
 
#32
bluesdogblues said:
Sony MDR7506 definitely NOT consumer grade headphones. It's Professional Grade and one of studio standard. Many Recording Studio and Engineers/Artists use it.
Click to expand...

That's definitely a Professional Grade headphone set. I was thinking in line with the OP's budget of $100 and factoring in the $85 Street Price on those phones. They are great phones-we were on "in ears" with Engelbert and I used those almost all the time I was there because there was no "bass thumper" available for me and I needed more low end. The Sonys I was thinking of are more in the 50-60 dollar range and they do have inexpensive Pro Phones like the MDR 7502 (not enough Low End for me) and some nice Consumer Grade sets available at that price point.
I would really be cautious about advising any one to only use phones in a mix situation. If you log some long hours on them you can damage your hearing and not know it. Those little Edirols I recommended are a step up from Computer Speakers (sort of like Auratones), but can work in a Home Studio situation if they have to. My strategy would be to opt for a little less of both (my phones for my home studio are nothing to write home about < Labtec and Koss to be precise> and my monitors are an Eden near field monitor set and a 5.1 system so I'm right there with the OP). It works for bass overdubs and cutting 1-2 musicians but I never do full band sessions at my place when there are so many good options 10 miles from where I live.
 
#34
Haha, thanks for the advice and I hope this doesn't make me sound like a douchebag. But I know that I won't get anything close to studio quality on this budget. I have recorded in a studio before and I could only dream of having anything close to that. I just want something that's usable for fun. This is just a project at home that I want to play around with.

Still though, thanks for the recommendations. If I have more money some day I'll definitely invest more, but for now I don't want to spend way too much.

Out of these choices, what would you recommend?
Grado SR 80i
Sennheiser 280 Pro
Sony MDR 7506

Thanks.
 
#35
Phry said:
o spend way too much.

Out of these choices, what would you recommend?
Grado SR 80i
Sennheiser 280 Pro
Sony MDR 7506

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Of those choices, I'd probably go with the Sonys. If you can stretch your budget out a bit, the Beyer 770's are nice. No headphones can touch a nice pair of monitors though - I'd save up and make that your next purchase.
 
#36
I'm sure some of these guys have more experience with this stuff than I do, but when I asked some audio professionals this same question, they recommended I stick to headphones until I can afford some really nice monitors (like in the $300 range).

Also, again, if you don't know how to EQ them to your room, you won't get an accurate representation of your mix because the sounds bouncing off of the walls will interfere.

But, that's coming from other people. I myself have no experience with using monitors. I've only ever used headphones or regular speakers and the headphones were better.
 
#37
The general idea of good monitors is that they shouldn't color the sound too much one way or the other. The standard for years in Nashville was Yamaha NS-10s and for a lot of people they're even considered harsh-sounding to the point of fatigue because everything is so out there. I was just in Chicago and noticed that all the Hip Hop guys favor KRKs and subs. It probably varies due to Musical Style and Region. I do always check mixes in a terrible car stereo and Ipod phones since that's the most likely place they'll be heard.
Some producers have favored phones from time to time. One reason why Chris Squire had such a prominent place in the mix with the Eddie Offord produced Yes albums is that Eddie was going through a phase of mixing by phones and jacked the bottom end in the mix to compensate.
After 40+ years of playing Rock, Studio Work, and Loud Drummers and Guitarists (Dickey Betts played insanely loud) I did sustain some hearing damage in the 4K register (not uncommon for a lot of players my age). I try to take the phones off whenever possible, and if I can talk the engineer into letting me track in the control room and just using the monitors on a session it's a good day.
Remember, when you lose your hearing you can't get it back. You can't be too careful with headphone or monitor volumes.
 
#39
I'm a professional audio engineer so I can tell you this with absolute authority. You CANNOT mix through headphones. Theydo not accurately portray what the music sounds like in a room. You need to have air moving more than an inch to really hear what's happening.

Get decent monitors and a decent EQ for them. Preferably an EQ that will EQ itself to the room using pink noise and an RTA mic.
 
#40
MonkeyBass said:
I'm a professional audio engineer so I can tell you this with absolute authority. You CANNOT mix through headphones. Theydo not accurately portray what the music sounds like in a room. You need to have air moving more than an inch to really hear what's happening.

Get decent monitors and a decent EQ for them. Preferably an EQ that will EQ itself to the room using pink noise and an RTA mic.
Click to expand...

Cannot mix through headphones? Bull. I've mixed through headphones just fine.

Obviously monitors are better, but only if you have ones that give you any sort of accurate representation of your sound, and those tend to be a lot pricier than monitor headphones.

I started a similar thread on cakewalk.com's forums: Computer speakers
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back