Tracking headphones- do they matter much?

[alexevans917]

Bump.

[Stamos6669]

I recorded a 4-piece band last month. They were using cheap headphones and the result still sounded great. In my humble opinion, it doesn't matter as long as they have decent isolation. The only thing you need to worry about really is bleed. If they aren't the best sounding headphones, that doesn't really matter much for tracking, as long as they don't bleed and they can hear themselves/the track.

[alexevans917]

Originally Posted by Stamos6669

I recorded a 4-piece band last month. They were using cheap headphones and the result still sounded great. In my humble opinion, it doesn't matter as long as they have decent isolation. The only thing you need to worry about really is bleed. If they aren't the best sounding headphones, that doesn't really matter much for tracking, as long as they don't bleed and they can hear themselves/the track.

Awesome- that's what I was figuring- as long as there's no bleed and good volume, then the headphones aren't a huge deal. Cool. Thanks!

[steveschizoid]

Actually, headphones do matter to the extent that the players notice their deficiencies. If a bass player can't get enough bass in the cans it's not going to be a happy situation.

I haven't had too many complaints about Extreme Isolation headphones, and they aren't horribly expensive.

[Stamos6669]

Yep and, if they find them uncomfortable, they need to suck it up.

Just be mindful of how much cable length you need.

[Phil_The_Rodent]

Ya, cable length and a clip of some sort.

Ya, I can track with pretty much anything, but I need a clip to loosen off the pull of the cable. I can wrap the cable around my neck or a belt loop, but it's irritating to do so.

[tribedescribe]

I find either the cheap headphones break far to easily or do not provide enough isolation.

I was also was in the same boat and did not want to spend $500 on 5 pairs of headphones. After some research and compromise I settled on the Audio Technica ath-m40fs and d40 (for drums/bass). They are only $55 each on amazon. They have a much nicer build quality(field serviceable) and sound than anything in their price range. You will have to spend $100 a pair to do better. The isolation and 11ft chord is also nice.

[simoncastic]

Yeah, it pretty much comes down to what the musicians feel about themselves while doing overdubs and playing. If they're hearing crap, they're more likely to play with less energy or just not be happy. If they're hearing nice, then they'll play nice and be much happier. I haven't heard the M40's or D40's mentioned above, but if they're anything like the M50's then they'd be the ones to look at. Go to a JB-HiFi or similar and check out their headphone wall and play them loud and see what you think.

[siniarch]

My friend invited me to a recording session at Bell Sound Studios in Hollywood. The engineer Ty was very knowledgeable. I asked him this question and he mentioned to look at these (which he was using) EX-29 Headphones | Extreme Isolation Headphones
He said, they are not the best sounding ones, though they sound pretty good, but they are very very good at isolation, and I believe around $120.
Take a look.

[adathead 53]

Since you're planning to record acoustic based stuff (not loud rock bands), I'd say in most cases the headphones will be absolutely crucial as they will affect the performances you get. They must fit comfortably, have enough isolation, and have a nice enough sound to them, otherwise the performers will be distracted and not at their best. Personally, I won't use anything but the ATH-M50's. Hopefully you can find something less pricey that will meet the above mentioned criteria. The choice of headphones will definitely make a difference, in my opinion.

[The dman]

I've read some posts on GS about tracking headphones and I got the impression that some people just get cheap headphones because they think it doesn't matter but I say it matters a lot. When someone is performing the mix and quality of sound they hear is critical to their performance and inspiration. I'm not saying you have to spend big bucks all I'm saying is don't minimize the importance of having some decent phones.

That said I love these and they're great bang for buck Eartools RP-21 | Equation Audio