Professional Analog Mastering.
Professional Analog Mastering.
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By and large, headphones don’t have a flat response. A good source I like to use is RTings.com - not a sponsor, they just do a good job measuring and creating graphics for these types of things.
For example, I like the Beyerdynamic DT770 headphones. Yet, if I look at the measured response from RTings, it’s far from perfect.
The bass is boosted slightly, the low mids dipped, 3.5kHz has a deep cut, and the highs are accentuated greatly.
So, if your goal is completely flat monitoring, these wouldn’t be a good option. However, I can immediately see some advantages in using them.
First and foremost, if I’m editing and want to hear some of an instrument’s detail - maybe I’m looking for bad cuts that are causing a pop, unwanted background noise, or anything that would typically occupy the high range and end up getting masked, then I’ll be able to hear them.
On typical monitors, it would be a lot more difficult - probably causing me to miss it, and then some consumer speakers with a unique response would make it evident to a listener.
Additionally, the bass is relatively flat - although it’s not perfect, it’s a lot better than listening over monitors in an untreated room.
The same could be said for the mids - the mids, are impressively flat and provide a great representation of the range.
Since a lot of the energy of a mix, and by that I mean the majority of high amplitude frequencies, occupy this range, I can be certain that a large portion of the mix is accurately translated over these headphones.
However, I definitely need to be careful with the highs - if they sound harsh, it’s entirely possible that the headphones are causing this issue.
Another popular model, Audio Technica’s M50x, has a similar issue.
The mids are relatively flat, the lows less so, and the main deviation occurs in the highs.
In fact, this is a pattern you’ll see in most studio headphones, likely caused by limitations of what can be included in such a small space.
It is important to note that the higher the headphones' resistance, the better the bass response.
The lows are increased by the extra amplification needed to power the headphones - so if you’re deciding between 8ohm, 32ohm, 250ohm, or anywhere in between, the higher ohm pair will give you a flatter response, especially in the lows.
So, all in all, the frequency response of your studio headphones will likely need to be learned over time. They’re not entirely accurate, but at the very least, they’re consistent and their frequency response can be referenced to help you make more informed decisions.
Watch the video to learn more >
Monitors, especially higher-end ones, are just about completely flat.
Although there is variation from frequency to frequency on a small scale, overall the response retains a much more consistent level.
However, unlike headphones, we have to take the room into account.
If a reflection is strong enough, it can cause comb-filtering when it interacts with the direct signal.
Just as often, the room can cause standing waves or collections of frequencies that amplify specific ranges.
So, although monitors are designed to have a flat frequency response, these measurements, adjustments, calibrations, etc are made in the context of an anechoic chamber.
Which is a room in which there are no reflections.
Since your room will have reflections, standing waves, and so on, it’s important to keep in mind that your listening experience will not be neutral. Sound absorbers and diffusers, as well as cleverly designed room parameters, will help, but it’ll never result in the completely flat response achieved by the manufacturer - that is unless you’re mixing in an anechoic chamber.
Even small variations in your head placement, either up or down, left or right will greatly alter the sound.
All this to say, what you sacrifice in balance when it comes to headphones, is made up for in simplicity.
You know what you’re getting, it just isn’t flat.So, the pros are headphones are consistent, accurate in mids, and mainly accurate in the lows. And, you don’t need to spend time or money designing a room without reflections.
The cons - they aren’t flat.
But there’s one element of headphones I want to cover, that is often considered a flaw.
Watch the video to learn more >
A limited sound stage means that the sound doesn’t have a large array of directions from which it’s coming.
If you have monitors in front of you, some of the right channel is hitting the left ear, meanwhile, some of the left channel is hitting the right ear. Simultaneously, reflections are hitting both ears, giving a sense of space, depth, width, similar to that of a real-life performance.
Headphones on the other hand don’t really have this. The right channel is isolated to the right ear, the left to the left ear unless you’re wearing them backward, and the result is a sound that “feels” as if it’s internal.
The DT770 headphones I discussed earlier have a small soundstage - not terrible since the speakers are placed slightly off of the ear resulting in interaction with the ear’s pinna, but not considered good by any means.
As a result, mixing on headphones may mean attempting to add the sound stage in through additional effects like reverb, binaural placement, delay, and any other technique that can create an artificial environment.
When played back on stereo speakers, a mix done this way may have too much reverb or too many effects to create the sense of space typically created by loudspeakers.
But, I’m going to argue that this isn’t a bad thing, at least not for mixing and mastering engineers.
The majority of records are listened to using earbuds; meaning listeners have a very small soundstage.
In fact, the “internal” perception of earbuds is significantly worse than with studio headphones. The sound bypasses the pinna entirely and delivers sound directly to the ear canal.
So, if you were to mix over monitors, and rely on the soundstage they provide, you may not consider how lacking the artificial soundstage will be when played on earbuds.
Since headphones have some soundstage, not as impressive as loudspeakers, and not as narrow as earbuds, I believe they’re a great middle ground.
If you create a soundstage that sounds good on studio headphones, it’ll translate as a little dry on earbuds and a little too ambient on speakers; but at the very least the effect isn’t extreme.
With all that in mind, let’s answer the original question:
In short, yes - they offer a much more consistent monitoring experience for the majority of mix engineers. If you can afford to condition a room, then studio monitors will make a great primary or secondary addition to your monitoring setup; however, if you have a couple hundred dollars to spend on monitoring, a good pair of high-resistance headphones is your best bet.
Just keep in mind that they’re not entirely flat. Take time to listen to records on them and learn their sound; if available, take a look at their measured frequency response.
If you find your mix isn’t translating well to other playback systems, you’ll need to reference it to see where you were compensating for the headphone’s limitations. It might take some time, but it can definitely be done.