(another topic on:) mixing with headphones

[PrototypeRaptor]

Alright, I know this is kinda controversial (and if compyfox was still around he'd probably destroy me for even asking) but I know there are you blasphemers around here that mix with headphones.

My questions about this arcane practice are:

-are there any brands I should look for? (sennheiser, etc)

-are there any "tricks" associated with mixing with headphones? (other than to not do it)

I've done some research - do things like localizers/visualizers/impulses work for mixing purposes? (stuff like SRS has - 3d audio through headphones? I'm kinda skeptical about the whole thing)

I would use monitors, but I am heading off to a new location that requires quiet (and is very small).

Well, OCmixers, any advice?

[Skrypnyk]

For what it's worth, mixing a remix using headphones is completely fine. You're submitting to ocr/internet, you're not making money, you're not doing crazy studio shit.

I have AKG K171. I've used/tried to use them for every song/remix I've done for the passed 2-3 years. My only beef with them was/is that my ears would hurt after long period of use. Besides that, everything I've made sound somewhat clean and audible.

[zircon]

I mix almost exclusively on headphones. My first pair was a set of eh2200s from Sennheiser that my parents got me for my... 16th or 17th birthday (can't remember which.) They cost about $50 and are now out of production, but I loved them. The only issue was that they hurt my ears after awhile. In late 2006 I upgraded to a pair of ~$200 Beyerdynamic DT880s (2003 model - the newest one is $300 though supposedly it is a bit more balanced) which I absolutely adore. They have a very clean, true sound. They do emphasize the highs a little bit but that is easy to get used to. They're also the pinnacle of comfort; I've never gotten tired wearing them, ever. One "problem" is that they are semi-open. In other words, they do a poor job of canceling outside noise. To some people, this would be a dealbreaker. However, IMO, closed headphones are less accurate and tend to way overemphasize bass.

There are not any tricks to headphone mixing that I am aware of. Considering you simply need to place them over your ears there is no need to worry about monitor placement, angle, height, relative distance, where your head is, and so on. My primary advice is simply to use them all the time and listen to tons and tons of reference material so you get an idea of what they "sound" like, and so you know what a proper mix is supposed to sound like on them. The only caveat is that you absolutely must get a decent pair of headphones to begin with. There are a lot of crappy consumer headphones that do a poor job of telling you what your mix sounds like. I find a lot of Senns and "DJ Headphones" simply have WAY too much bass. I've had to mix on such headphones for school projects and my mixes/masters always sounded awful.

[Moseph]

Here's what Sound on Sound has to say:

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

[SnappleMan]

From my experience, it's beneficial to mix using both. I could never consider a mix finished till I've heard it on the cans. Having said that, all major mixing decisions should be done on monitors.