[jamesino]

Any idea what headphones professional big-name artists use to produce/listen to their music after they record it? I'm not talking about when they are actually in the process of recording their music in their soundbooth, for that they probably wear closed-cans right?
 
But afterwards then they are applying processing inside the studio, what headphones do they use when they are wearing headphones?
 
Specifically, is there a difference when we are talking about a vocal artist like Adele vs an EDM artist like Avicii or Tiesto? 
 
In this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dIcuU58Oy8&feature=player_embedded#!
 
There appears to be a pair of HD 650's lying in the back of Avicii's desk.
 
Thanks!

 

[GREQ]

Mr. Beats himself, A.K.A Dr. Dre uses Audio Technica.

 
sorry, I don't have anything serious to add.

 

[RushNerd]

I'd love to know what Mike Patton and Steven Wilson use.

 

[CashNotCredit]

Most recording artists aren't too heavily involved in mixing/mastering. Those that do typically use studio monitors, which are speakers specifically designed to be as neutral as possible.

Producers and engineers seem to be much less picky about headphones than audiophiles. A search on Gearslutz (a popular music production forum) finds that many producers and engineers use Beyerdynamic DT770s (why someone would use those bass monsters for anything as demanding as engineering is beyond me), Sennheiser HD650s/600s, Audio Technica ATH-M50s, AKG K240s, Sony 7506s, and Sennheiser HD280s.

 

[machoboy]

A lot of studios use not only bassy headphones but use monitors + subwoofers.
 
Most studios (are trying to) record for profit, and since most consumers are listening through "xtra bass" headphones, "xtra bass" desktop stereos, woofered car systems, etc., they don't seem to have much objection to mixing with exaggerated bass. Very few end-listeners are listening to reference grade component tweeters or anything and they know that.
 
I'm not a pro, but in the end, I pay more attention to how my mixes sound on a $100 jvc boombox than how they sound on monitors. I use my monitors to actually get everything where it needs to be (panning, etc.) but finalize them to sound good on junk.

 

[Beagle]

Quote:

A lot of studios use not only bassy headphones but use monitors + subwoofers.
 
Most studios (are trying to) record for profit, and since most consumers are listening through "xtra bass" headphones, "xtra bass" desktop stereos, woofered car systems, etc., they don't seem to have much objection to mixing with exaggerated bass.

 
I never understood this. If studios are using monitors and headphones that exaggerate bass, would their end result not end up bass-shy? Seems to me that you would end up with a bassy recording if you used bass-shy monitors, you would dial-in what is "missing" and it would end up being too much on neutral or bass-heavy user gear.

 

[RushNerd]

 
There aren't a lot of pics of Wilson, but I did find this, looks like AKGs, I would expect that from him. This is from his studio in his parents house. God that guitar <3

 

[mc906]

Quote:

Mr. Beats himself, A.K.A Dr. Dre uses Audio Technica.

 
sorry, I don't have anything serious to add.

i saw a pic of nikki minaj wearing the m50s too lol

 

[mc906]

Quote:

 
I never understood this. If studios are using monitors and headphones that exaggerate bass, would their end result not end up bass-shy? Seems to me that you would end up with a bassy recording if you used bass-shy monitors, you would dial-in what is "missing" and it would end up being too much on neutral or bass-heavy user gear.

because if you have a bassy recording it would probably break the drivers in all those beats headphones lol

 

[machoboy]

Quote:

 
I never understood this. If studios are using monitors and headphones that exaggerate bass, would their end result not end up bass-shy? Seems to me that you would end up with a bassy recording if you used bass-shy monitors, you would dial-in what is "missing" and it would end up being too much on neutral or bass-heavy user gear.

 
The thing is because most consumer audio (desktop stereos, cheap headphones etc) are ridiculously exaggerated in the midbass with no treble or a very narrow spike of treble, it s probably better for a mix to be slightly bass shy than too bassy. That's just my subjective opinion on what sounds good.
 
Some day I will have a perfectly treated room with monitors + a dedicated sub so I can switch between the "neutral" mix and the "bassy" mix and find something that works both ways. Some of the smaller semi-pro studios I've visited here in LA seemed to do it like that.
 
For now though with my lone monitors and non-perfectly treated room, things don't seem to translate that well straight to consumer audio. Bass that sounds perfect on small monitors can end up really boomy and muddy on consumer audio gear. I always test tracks on less neutral sources before I finalize them.
 
You really do see a lot of pros using stuff that people consider "fun" on this forum - DT 770s and M50s especially like cashnotcredit mentioned.

 

[CashNotCredit]

See, in typical consumer audio, at least to me, a lot of stuff seems to be all mids/treble with no bass (see: cheap earbuds and CD player speakers). Then on the other end of the spectrum, you have hooligans and their "systems" and things like Beats by Dre. Bottom line is, your stuff isn't going to sound good on both.

As a hobbyist producer, I just try to make things that fit in with my tastes. I make EDM, and I tend to like big, in your face kick drums. So, I produce my tracks so that they'll have the sonic characteristics I'm looking for on a neutral set of equipment.

I completely understand trying to "compensate" for the deficiencies in consumer audio hardware. Hopefully, record labels will start making "audiophile" releases of albums (with little dynamic range compression and limiting and even mixing) and "consumer" versions of albums.

One thing that hasn't been mentioned  is that it is EXTREMELY possible to make a neutral mix on just about anything, as long as you know your equipment and its characteristics. If I take into account that my XB500s are going to push bass levels through the roof, I can work around that and still make a decent sounding track with them (not like I ever would). It's a good bit more difficult than listening to an accurate set of headphones/speakers, but it's still possible.

 

[machoboy]

What consumer stuff seems to have tons of mid-bass (and neither much sub-bass nor mid range) then a token spike in the lower treble, which really is the opposite of good studio monitors.
 
I think the advantage of mixing on "bass cans" would simply be that you can more easily tell where the sub bass ends and the midbass begins. That's something very difficult to do on some of the more anemic studio headphones where the bass is "flat" (more like gradually rising) from 0 to 500.
 
Studio monitors are where everyone should start just for detail and not making any terribly obvious mistakes, but towards the end of the process when you choose for a reference consumer system to "aim" for, you have many choices.
 
It does ultimately come down to your taste to a degree and that's why some producers/engineers have almost as much of a recognizable sound as the musicians themselves. I'm a huge fan of Alan Parsons and his approach to engineering. In his home studio, he uses $10,000+ B&W hi-fi speakers in surround sound and even IEMs. So like you say perhaps the most important thing is just an intimate knowledge and genuine enjoyment of whatever you're using.

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

The most important thing is...an intimate knowledge and genuine enjoyment of whatever you're using.

Do you mind if I make that my sig?

 

[Fuzziekiwi]

I actually looked up videos of artists in the studio, most of these are used while they are just recording their voice (The exact beyerdyanmic model might not be right): 
 
Adele - Sony Studio Monitor MDR-V600 Stereo Headphone
 
3OH!3 - AKG Acoustics K240
 
Avril Lavigne - Beyerdynamic DT 770-PRO Headphones
 
Beyonce - Sony Mdr-7506
 
Coldplay - Audio-Technica ATH-M50
 
Evanescence - KRK KNS8400 Studio Headphones, AKG K 701 WHITE HEADPHONES
 
La Roux - Sennheiser HD 25, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro, Sony MDR-7506
 
Lady GaGa - Sony MDR-7506
 
Lights - AKG K271MKII Closed Back Circumaural Headphones

 

[CashNotCredit]

Quote:

 
3OH!3 - AKG Acoustics K240

They used the semi-open 240 for tracking? Fire the engineer.