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Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:59 pm
by LordBid
Ive come to this debate lately because I am looking for some new monitors. My roommate suggested headphones since I do not have a treated room nor do I know anything about it. what do you guys think, monitors or headphones?

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:10 pm
by ekidd91
I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Been thinking about getting a good set of cans for the time being cause while I could probably get monitors, my room is fucked up acoustically and i don't have the money or time to treat it at the moment.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:21 pm
by serox
It is nice to have really expensive monitors and it is easy to believe because you have them your mix will improve overnight but I dont think it is the case. Get use to ur set up and listen to ur mix on as many different set ups as possible and then compensate where necessary.

Being comfortable with ur set up will improve ur mix imo.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:27 pm
by Basic A
serox wrote:It is nice to have really expensive monitors and it is easy to believe because you have them your mix will improve overnight but I dont think it is the case. Get use to ur set up and listen to ur mix on as many different set ups as possible and then compensate where necessary.

Being comfortable with ur set up will improve ur mix imo.
This. Ive read where alot of the artists I look up too propduction wise use surprisingly shit speakers/acoustic treatment, its all about what your ears adapt too, the important part is adapting them...

Be sure you can hear ALL the sounds though, Im not telling anyone to produce on pc speakers, but, dont underestimate the power of any speaker capable of reproducing the bulk of the sound spectrum op, vintage hifis, ect. ect. can sound just as good once you get used to them, same deal with room acoustics.

Just remember to balance the amount of power your going to put out with what the room is going to react too. No club systems in your bedroom.

But, either way, even if its just a solid old hifi or something, IMO, you NEED real speakers... bass music is just as much about physical interactions as it is about actual auditory stimulus that Ive never seen how anyone could judge a sub on a set of headphones... IDK, just my opinion, Id love to be proven wrong... But, cheap speakers? sure. Headphones? eh....

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:03 pm
by LordBid
well i am pretty used to my setup after working with it for over a year, and I have a set of Behringer 203 monitors its just the bass inaccuracy drives me crazy. plus overall they arnt terrible monitors but I have heard sounds a that are a lot better from monitors just the next step up.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:05 pm
by serox
LordBid wrote:well i am pretty used to my setup after working with it for over a year, and I have a set of Behringer 203 monitors its just the bass inaccuracy drives me crazy. plus overall they arnt terrible monitors but I have heard sounds a that are a lot better from monitors just the next step up.
what is wrong with the bass response on them? do you mean bass or sub?

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 5:46 pm
by compactmuzik
i would also say; use monitors you feel comfortable with, just get to kno them + plus a pair of good cans = good idea!

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 6:07 pm
by macc
The 'you can get used to anything' idea is a nice one but flawed... Skewed frequency response is relatively easy to adapt to, but there are loads of things that aren't so straightforward. Comb filtering, THD, sloppy/slow bass drivers, etc etc...

I always preferred working on cans to speakers in a bad room, but each to their own. There's just nothing more annoying than thinking 'this sounds great!' and then it turns out it doesn't :q:

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 12:48 am
by Dreadfunk
A decent set a monitors are always going to be better than a dEcent set of cans for hearin your music properly. Acoustic treatment or no.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 3:51 am
by legend4ry
I really hate that people call headphones cans..


Thats all I have to contribute to this thread.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:06 am
by JBE
legend4ry wrote:I really hate that people call headphones cans..


Thats all I have to contribute to this thread.
Well there goes my contribution.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:11 am
by legend4ry
JBE wrote:
legend4ry wrote:I really hate that people call headphones cans..


Thats all I have to contribute to this thread.
Well there goes my contribution.
:lol:


Everytime someone says "pair of cans" I just think..















Image

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:25 am
by darkartois
I couldn't believe Sebastian Leger had a pair of £30 computer speakers in his studio full of 303's and Moogs etc. It's making me rethink splurging on some focal cms65's.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:14 pm
by macc
legend4ry wrote:I really hate that people call headphones cans..
Up yer bum.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:28 pm
by wub
darkartois wrote:I couldn't believe Sebastian Leger had a pair of £30 computer speakers in his studio full of 303's and Moogs etc. It's making me rethink splurging on some focal cms65's.

What article did you read re; Leger's studio?

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:33 pm
by darkartois
It was on either the futuremusic or CM DVD a few months back.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:39 pm
by wub
darkartois wrote:It was on either the futuremusic or CM DVD a few months back.

FM236, nice one :D

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:45 pm
by serox
I like listening on shit speakers to hear how my bass sounds tbh. To often I make somehting that sounds really nice on my speakers and headphones but on average speakers the track often sounds empty. The mid bass cannot be heard is common.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 1:57 pm
by howiegroove
I think its good to monitor on both. I had monitors before I had treatment, but just because your room isnt treated, doesn't mean that it isnt worthwhile to get monitors. Personally, I would get both.

Re: Better off with headphones in an untreated room?

Posted: Wed Mar 23, 2011 4:48 pm
by -[2]DAY_-
howiegroove wrote:I think its good to monitor on both. I had monitors before I had treatment, but just because your room isnt treated, doesn't mean that it isnt worthwhile to get monitors. Personally, I would get both.
this

I always write and arrange and mix through monitors to avoid tremendous ear fatigue cuz its so much loud playback. Then i always reference my mix in cans (ha fuckoff ledg), because my room is pretty much an acoustic nightmare. It helps catch some big errors i would have otherwise missed. my headphones arent the most accurate but they do the job of eliminating room issues for a quick reference :e: