On the topic of hints - here's a few things to try sometime. Some singers and drummers have a real
problem with headphones. If these artists are veteran stage performers they are probably more
comfortable with stage monitors. You can set up speakers instead of headphones if you are careful and
do it right. First you need a pretty dead room - across the spectrum not just the highs. Next set up the
speaker at the dead side of the mic - behind it if you are using a cardioid pattern or directly to the sides
if you are using a figure 8 pattern. The figure 8 pattern is interesting because there is more of a proximity
effect (more rich lows), less room sound, and you can use two speakers in stereo. You can drive the
speakers with the Langevin station if you have a cable with a stereo phone jack on one end and bare wires
on the other (don't short the tip and ring or sleeve). Set up a cue mix with only essential tracks that are
very unlikely to be redone or not mixed. Try to mix in as little of the mic as possible. That keeps the overall
volume reasonable. Keep in mind that some leakage will occur so have the singer be as close to the mic
as possible and record thru the whole song keeping levels consistent. Lastly compression is to be avoided.
Save the gates and compressors for the mix.
Some drummers just gotta "feel that bottom" to get the groove. If you set up a pair of normal
speakers and send a cue mix to them nobody will be happy. Most studio type speakers won't get loud
enough and the engineer has leakage and a corrupted room sound. Try a combination of headphones and
speakers. One trick is using the speakers for kick and maybe snare and then EQing if necessary. Typically
less highs and mids are needed for this because these are going to be given by the phones but watch what
you do to the room sound. Set the volume of the speakers by listening to the room and then the room
mics. You will have some leakage but if you set it up right the leakage will sound good. We have known
records made with a good sized sound reinforcement system reinforcing the drums in a live room. It sorta
works.
Experience also teaches us about the best choices for headphones. We can't drop names or suggest
that you use or not use certain phones but we can suggest guidelines.
Open phones have several problems as opposed to closed ones that seal around the ears . Open
phones tend to provide plenty of headphone leakage into mics. They tend to be used louder to cover the
sound that leaks through them. They tend to not get loud or be prone to burning out. The good news is
that they might be physically robust and preferred by a small number of musicians.
Low impedance phones generally get louder than hi impedance phones. By low we mean less than
100 ohms but not typically 8 ohms. Hi impedance is greater than 300 ohms and typically 600. However
many of these hi impedance phones sound pretty good. The trade off is then - do you need maximum
volume or maximum quality. Can you get it all in one for a good price?
Best to get pro headphones built to take abuse and be easily and cheaply repaired. Some big name
phones cost little to buy and plenty to repair. We prefer the ones that break the least, are easy to fix and
sound good. These are usually expensive at first but worth it compared to phones that last a week or two
before they are thrown out because they are not worth fixing.
Some studios prefer to have just one type of headphone as standard issue. We suggest that while
this is a good thing in terms of purchase and repair that it is wise to have a few different types for unusual
situations. The most common is a particular musician having a stong preference for a certain type of
headphone. We don't think this is grounds for a constructve disagreement during a session. Better to work
with them. Another good reason is differences in efficiency and maximum volume that different
headphones exhibit. This can be a handy trick when several people are plugged into one box. There is
usually one who wants more or less volume and won't accept compromise when it comes to the studio.
"In-Ear" phones, while not typical studio gear, might be the right thing for some musicians or
some situations. Balance cost (or charges) against gruelling overdub hours.
