Making Beats/Tracks in Headphones...

[voicegenius]

Anybody make their beats/tracks solely in headphones? I hear a lot of producers, like Danja, will go in a corner and knock out a track with headphones blasting...

If you do, do you feel you connect to the song more because it's more intimate in the phones or do you need the monitors to get the full just of the track you're trying to create?

Sometimes tracks don't translate as well when you hear them outside on monitors... For obvious reasons of course....


Just curious to know how many of you guys do this?


Holla...

[Magic Theatre]

Yeah, I like working in headphones, especially to for playing keys and stuff like that. I find it easier to focus without distraction, and really get into a track.

It's still not easy mixing with headphones though, so i've just recently started using this, to get a more realistic interpretation of what's going on.

112dB

[voicegenius]

It is extremely difficult to mix with ONLY headphones...

[azrael kennedy]

my beats are done on headphones and mixed on monitors.

[Igotsoul4u]

I don't recommend it. Headphones are really hard on your ears and when making beats people tend to OD with sound levels because they are just livin the moment. If you do it, try to take breaks. I do think headphones have a bit of instant gratification since the sound is so present, but I also don't see anyone do anything but blast their ears out really quickly.

[slvicick]

Blue Bear Sound - Whad'dya Mean I Can't Mix With Headphones????

[lord toranaga]

I make beat on my phones
I try to keep the levels down, but it is hard to accomplish.

after about an hour my head starts to hurt, so i try to take frequent breaks
work for about 30 minutes, and then break for about 10


I mix at pro studios.

[MikeyMike]

Originally Posted by Igotsoul4u

I don't recommend it. Headphones are really hard on your ears and when making beats people tend to OD with sound levels because they are just livin the moment. If you do it, try to take breaks. I do think headphones have a bit of instant gratification since the sound is so present, but I also don't see anyone do anything but blast their ears out really quickly.

+1thumbsup

[phillysoulman]

I use my ATH 50 headphones as a reference point because they translate extremely will with my JBL 6328P monitors.

[MikeSV]

I always start with headphones. I like the fact that I can get into the details of the track (panning, volume levels, automation, etc) and really hear it. Plus, it's just easier for me to focus in phones, I get tunnel vision, LOL! I agree that it is very easy to go overboard with the volume though, gotta be careful.

[MYAMS]

Originally Posted by voicegenius

It is extremely difficult to mix with ONLY headphones...

Copycat... weak...

You could have at least tried to one up me with some "recent snaps" but you still got no game on me

[voicegenius]

Originally Posted by MYAMS

Copycat... weak...

You could have at least tried to one up me with some "recent snaps" but you still got no game on me

I knew you would say somethin!

I'll give her back to ya...

[Track Layer]

I compose in headphones due to being on a laptop and no real workspace for a monitor set up but I take all my instrumentals into a real studio for mixing. I have yet to run into any critical issues doing this. I wouldnt even try to mix in headphones though.

[Graal]

I have made beats and mixes afterwards for quite a while on a pair of Panasonic Headphones (still have'em) and i got some good beats, but was ashamed of how badly they sounded outside the cans(plus I had ear fatigue after about an hour of working on them).
Of course I had some good sounding beats, because like in most aspects of life, YOU ADAPT.
Now I have about 5 pairs of Headphones (I had more, but sold some of them) among which a pair of AKG K701. The 701s are great, just love them, but I use them only as a cross-reference to my monitors in my acoustically treated room.
My next upgrade is going to be a better pair of monitors, cause you cannot beat that. Alot better than headphones, both for mixing and producing. Nothing like it.

Cheers!!

[rhodesp04]

i often do because i often start with my drum programming first. if i'm starting out on my drum machine i'll do that with just headphones on because i don't want to get up turn the speakers on turn my interface on turn my monitors on turn my aurora on turn my lunchbox on etc etc. i'll just load up a kit and make a nice drum pattern and if i like it i'll turn everything on to record it. it's all about the workflow

[BentleyBeatz]

They say dont mix with headphones...but i do my thing with them on and have no complaints...just gotta understand the sound of watever u workin on....Invalid Friend ID

[beat you down]

Originally Posted by voicegenius

Anybody make their beats/tracks solely in headphones? I hear a lot of producers, like Danja, will go in a corner and knock out a track with headphones blasting...

well, definitely a good way to develop tinnitus.

Pete Townshend - "I have severe hearing damage. It's manifested itself as tinnitus, ringing in the ears at frequencies that I play guitar. It hurts, it's painful, and it's frustrating." Townshend is completely deaf in one ear from an explosion when Keith Moon blew up his drum set live on stage in the early 1960's and loud amps. He has tinnitus, resulting partly from the band's live gigs but mainly the deafening volume in which he and Entwistle used to listen to playbacks over the studio "cans." There are reports saying that he is unable even to hear his phone ring. The Sun newspaper reported Townshend said his hearing got worse after the band's recent US tour. Quote from Pete: "The recent return to touring and to me playing electric guitar - albeit more quietly than in the 1970s - led to further deterioration of my hearing," the 57-year-old said. "My right ear, which encounters my own edgy guitar and the machine gun strokes of the drums, has suffered badly. Luckily for me, I still have my left ear, which seems to be less @#%$ up. When I've worked solo in the past five years I've not used drums. This has meant I could play more quietly I think. With The Who, there is of course no way to play the old songs without drums. I've no idea what I can do about this. I am unable to perform with in-ear monitors. In fact, they increase the often unbearable tinnitus I suffer after shows."...

Famous People with Tinnitus

Tinnitus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[dj! (112dB)]

Blatant advertising on my part of course, but if you're doing any serious work on headphones you really ought to try our Redline Monitor. Not only does it bring the soundstage of headphones and nearfields much closer together--to the point where many feel comfortable doing actual mixes on headphones--, it also reduces ear fatigue a lot. Which makes working on headphones that much more pleasant (not to mention reliable). We offer a fully functional 60-day demo, so you have plenty of time to try it and (hopefully) find out that I'm not exaggerating.

</advertisement>

-- dj!

[O_Fenômeno]

I use 3 pairs of headphones:
For creating I use noise-cancellin headphones mainly bcuz they put you into that zone automatically...it just becomes you and the music, everything else (strumming, keystrokes, papers shuffling, pens scribbling, etc.) is just blocked out, literally

For Details, I usually go to the ATH-700s cuz they r the most accurate

Then I put on some crappy $10 headphones just to make sure it vibes...if it sounds good on those, it usually translates to every other reference point

I usually wait until the song is complete to blast it on the monitors, jus cuz we always mix around the vocals...and the vocals are usually the last part we lay down

[B.A.S.E]

hmmh just mixed a track in the headphones and when I play it on my laptop speakers... I hear a high freq buzz that may be related with phasing... I am not aware of that when I listen through my headphone...

SoundClick artist: B.A.S.E - RnB - page with MP3 music downloads

Bottom line : mix through both headphones and monitors... and maybe only monitors is sufficient

(for your information I have beyerdynamics dt770 pro)

[voicegenius]

Originally Posted by beat you down

well, definitely a good way to develop tinnitus.

Famous People with Tinnitus

Tinnitus - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Damn...

U2 even wrote a song about it...

[Yenrah]

Yeah. I have found it easier to make my beats in headphones for various reasons, they just come out better. I never mix there though. I mix in pro tools on near field monitors

[Krazyjaymusic]

From my personal experience, I would suggest to maybe use the headphones for isolation. Whenever I'm making a track with my headphones on, it keeps me focused and on task. Once you finish, use your monitors to dive further in the spectrum, and then reference back to your headphones to see how things come out through there. For the record, I have the RP-21s by Equation Audio.

[Lipps]

no way i could pick the right drums with headphones! keys and what not is cool. i aint made a track with HP's in like 4 years.

[Synthy08]

How often do you replace your headphones?

[voicegenius]

Originally Posted by Synthy08

How often do you replace your headphones?

When the warranty is about to run out....

Thanks for reminding me thumbsup

[JH1]

Originally Posted by voicegenius

Anybody make their beats/tracks solely in headphones? I hear a lot of producers, like Danja, will go in a corner and knock out a track with headphones blasting...

If you do, do you feel you connect to the song more because it's more intimate in the phones or do you need the monitors to get the full just of the track you're trying to create?

Sometimes tracks don't translate as well when you hear them outside on monitors... For obvious reasons of course....


Just curious to know how many of you guys do this?


Holla...

i always use headphones to make beats, to me it always made more sense because i could buy expensive monitors but then my room wouldn't be setup right etc, so by staying inside the headphones my music sounds the same no matter where i am, on vacation, at home, in the car etc.

myspace.com/jhaudio

i mean if u sell a record to a major someone else is going to do all the mixing. i just mix my stuff as I go along anyway so when I export the beat its exactly how I wanted it to sound as far as 'this is the product'. Then they can have their mix engineer/scientist/brain surgeon guy come in and sprinkle algorithyms all over my kick drums so it sounds beautiful on all systems.

[rickrock305]

Originally Posted by voicegenius

I hear a lot of producers, like Danja, will go in a corner and knock out a track with headphones blasting...

the only reason they do this is out of necessity. in Danja's case, he uses isolation headphones so the artist or engineer can write or work on something on the monitors while he creates.

also some producers don't like anyone to hear when they're coming up with ideas.

[voicegenius]

Originally Posted by rickrock305

...also some producers don't like anyone to hear when they're coming up with ideas.

Yeah, because people start to want to dabble in the pot and try to tell you what you should do here and there...

[jamie10]

anyone recommend good headphones?
i want to use them to make music, with good bass response,
basically i want to ENJOY listening to music on them, rather than have FLAT sounding MIX type headphones.
Dont want to spend too much either.

Thanks.