The Song Fight Bulletin Board

OK, I'm curious about something else now. Do you all used open backed headphones? Closed back headphones? Both? (Neither?!) If so what do you use them for? Tracking? Mixing? Mastering? Other?

I only have closed back headphones (ATH-M50), so, I use them for everything.

Some pros/cons pages:

https://ledgernote.com/columns/studio-r ... eadphones/
https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/pros-a ... ixing.html

I use open-backed headphones for almost everything, in part because I'd like to hear if someone is trying to get my attention.

We have a pair of open backed headphones that currently get used for everything. I do like being able to hear things that are happening around me.

Closed. I don't think I've ever tried open backed headphones, and now I'm curious.

I do almost everything with closed-back headphones, simply because they're better for recording (they leak way less sound) and this way I don't have to switch between different models.

Closed for tracking if I’m not lazy, open for mixing if I’m not lazy. I usually mix down on open but listen in everything I have and adjust. Usually that’s the closed and the laptop speakers, maybe earbuds if I have time to walk around.

Only closed back for me. But only because I'm too cheap to try any open backed. I don't mix on headphones enough to worry about it. Also, I love, love, love my MDR-7506's and probably should buy a second set. Or at least new cushion covers since they leave little black bits all over my ears now. Although it's getting a lot less as time goes by. I guess my laziness and procrastination will render the problem moot before too long.

I used to use Grado SR-60s for listening, but they have way too much spill for use in the studio. They also aren't as comfortable as my beloved ATH-M50x.

Similar to JB, I use closed back for tracking and open back for mixing, though I'll use either for either at times. I've also been using in-ear phones for tracking as sometimes I hear click bleed on my fades and this seems to help.

Both... but only recently got a pair of open back headphones (Sennheiser HD 599 SE), which I've actually been using when tracking my vocals for the past... oh... year I suppose? They do obviously leak more sound, but they also allow me to hear myself better while singing... so... Pros/Cons there is a trade off. Mainly got them because they were like 50% off or something and wanted something I could use for listening to music at home, while still being "present" if someone needed me, and then also for work so if someone walked up on me talking, I didn't have to tell them that I couldn't hear anything they'd said... however I still mainly use my ATH-M50s when tracking instruments at home and ATH-M40s which I have in my "mobile" recording rig bag...

ujnhunter wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:05 pm

They do obviously leak more sound, but they also allow me to hear myself better while singing... so...

I would often have the left ear on and the right off or mostly off with my closed back earphones while tracking vocals. It helped with pitch. I've stopped doing it because I got a little bit better, but honestly, I should probably still be doing it.

I use close back while on drums, open at the desk. But I only ever rarely use them for mixing. Maybe once a year to check something. But the open ones do allow you to wear them longer without causing fatigue, I do believe. The desk ones are some decent AKG ones, can't remember the model.

Pigfarmer Jr wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 13, 2020 7:14 pm

ujnhunter wrote: ↑

Mon Jul 13, 2020 5:05 pm

They do obviously leak more sound, but they also allow me to hear myself better while singing... so...

I would often have the left ear on and the right off or mostly off with my closed back earphones while tracking vocals. It helped with pitch. I've stopped doing it because I got a little bit better, but honestly, I should probably still be doing it.

Yeah, I would do that too... I just got lazy and it's more comfortable having the open backs, even with the bleed. The bleed actually could also contribute to the sound. Listen to some Peter Gabriel isolated vocal tracks... that dude doesn't even use headphones when he records vocals... bleed city... but it sounds damn good. There is something to be said for the old recording methods and non-sterility of the analog age as well. Even on instrument tracks in the old days, you'd get bleed in different mics... and I think that's part of the magic. So, I say if the open back headphones work for you... do it. There is no wrong way to go about things really.

I legit use gaming headphones. The HyperX Cloud II specifically. They sound better than my more-expensive mix-specific Sennheisers, and they're more comfortable for 8+ hour sessions. My last two entries were recorded and mixed with these.

Without getting into quoting specific points above: Comfort is #1. #2 is the sound you hear in your ears, and #3 is the sound your microphones will hear.

Timely Sweetwater round up:

https://www.sweetwater.com/insync/best- ... eadphones/

I'm thinking of getting some open backed headphones now to see what it's like. If anybody has any specific brand/model recommendations not already mentioned in this thread, please share.

Note that Sweetwater's CEO has made many contributions to the Trump/Pence campaigns, in case that's a thing you care about. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/indiv ... F31%2F2020

Aw dang. :/ Of course, my company's parent company is Liberty Media. Seems like the people I _see_ and interact with from Sweetwater may not be horrible monsters? Much like all my coworkers. Oy.

Half the people we all know are shitbags... that's the shake. Guess I'll feel bad about this candy I'm eating while saving $3 on a "Demo" mixer stand attachment. Reverb is raising selling costs too. Can't win them all. What a world.

Yeah, I'm not saying you shouldn't buy from Sweetwater, just that you should be able to make an informed decision and this is something some people might care about. Obviously it's impossible to lead an ethically-pure life. Pick your poison.

Thanks fluffy. I also wasn't saying you should. I kind of feel bad now, but the candy was good. Fuck the "people in charge". That's all.

Seems like it gets a lot harder to find ethical people too when you're starting from the "CEO" subset of people. :/

For what it’s worth, a quick search on the Sweetwater CEO and support of That Guy comes up with a response from him that says something along the lines of him often making donations to local politicians who he thinks are doing a good job regardless of political affiliation, and he says that some of the Republican candidates reallocated his donations to That Guy without his consent.