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Monitoring - what are you using?


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You shouldn't mix on headphones.

No, you shouldn't, but they're a whole lot better for mixing than anything else you can get for $100. Sound on Sound, great purveyors of hojillion-dollar monitors that they are, still saw fit to write an article on techniques for it:

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan07/articles/mixingheadphones.htm

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I'm using Tannoy Reveal R6's (the passives) for monitoring. I really need to get some decent headphones for double checking though. Ah well, maybe when I have money again...someday.

edit: the amp I'm using with the speakers is an ART-SLA1.

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I use some crappy logitech speakers I picked up a while back.

Looking forward to getting some Sony MDR-7506's - at my current location I really can't use monitors at all.

Is mixing on the sony's feasible? I just know that you're not SUPPOSED to use headphones....but...well, can you? (halfway decently, of course)

EDIT: ah, crap, missed that excellent article Fray posted. Still, I'd like to know what you all think of the MDR-7506's...

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I mixed all my songs for Project Chaos on 7506's. Good headphones.

I use bose TriPort headphones. do any of you guys have any opinions on those? I always used crap headphones so when I got those they sounded amazing! very clean sounding with just the right amount of bass. but the main reason I got them was because they dont touch your ear. they rest around them so you can wear them all day without them bugging you. after a while I actually forget they're there!

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Anyone have any experience with the KRK Rokit 5's? I'm probably going to get a pair of them this weekend (i'm hoping GC has them set up so I can hear them). I'm too poor to get the 8's right now.

But on topic im using a pair of Denon USC-C35's (not monitors lol). They sound pretty darn good for just speakers, but i'm really replacing them cause my amplifier is dying, and i figure it'd be a good time to get some monitors...

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I use em, they're good. I don't expect to be using them a year from now, as I'm planning to upgrade to the Mackies, but I do recommend the Rokit 5's. (get the 6's if you can afford em, though)

I just got em today (GC gave me a sweet deal, came out to be 130 per speaker, and the extended warranty). Compared to my previous setup, these are ridiculous. The change in clarity and the sound is like WOW....

It's funny too, because I recently replaced a totally shit creative soundcard with a 2496, and on all the samples that I recorded on that card, you hear the hiss pop out, ESPECIALLY on these speakers.

I guess thats what i get for using consumer crap. Hooray for real gear!

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I use bose TriPort headphones. do any of you guys have any opinions on those? I always used crap headphones so when I got those they sounded amazing! very clean sounding with just the right amount of bass. but the main reason I got them was because they dont touch your ear. they rest around them so you can wear them all day without them bugging you. after a while I actually forget they're there!

They're incredibly comfy, but AFAIK they don't really present an accurate sound. Seems to be a common misconception -- the speakers and headphones you want to use for mixing and mastering don't necessarily sound "good", because they go to great pains to make any flaws in you mix obvious. Triports are going to take the edge out of certain frequencies and boost others to give you a more pleasant listening experience. But if you make your mixing decisions based on those, in theory your mix might not sound so great on a different system.

But I'd say they're a lot better than using cheap headphones, because they do have a much clearer sound.

Honestly though, don't sweat the monitoring thing TOO much, people! Good monitors help you make a mix that transports well, but that's all they really do. If you haven't nailed the techniques necessary to get a mix sounding right to you on whatever system you're using now, new monitors aren't going to help much! Only bother spending $$ on them if the mix sounds great on your system but sounds like crap when you listen to it somewhere else.

Or if you're a gear junkie with extra cash ^.^

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Above all, the key is to get used to your monitoring setup and learn its strengths and weaknesses. I know my DT880's like the back of my hand. Now, I like to think I can mix/master pretty well. I recently went a school lab to write, produce, and engineer a song in Logic, using different headphones on a different computer w/ a different interface. The end result sounded awesome on that setup. I bounced it down, emailed it to myself, listened on my home computer... it sounded like ass.

http://www.soundtempest.net/Fatty%20Butter.mp3

Thin, lacking in bass, quiet. Moral of the story; I'm bringing my own headphones next time.

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