


the ear cups are very close to your ears, only a few millimeters away in fact. Modern studio reference headphones are actually very good and this isn’t as much of a problem as it used to be, but you can’t work around physics!įor example, with headphones the “speakers” i.e. Studio monitor speakers are likely to be more accurate than headphones, leading you to make better mixing and EQ decisions. When you then listen to your mix on something else, it can sound like your mix is a bit empty. This can lead to using EQ to cut at those frequencies, when you don’t really need to. Here are the reasons why headphones are not necessarily ideal for mixing… Headphones have an inaccurate frequency responseĮven with a good pair of studio reference headphones, they will have a particular frequency profile meaning that they will tend to artificially emphasize certain frequency bands. However, not all of us have a setup like that in our home studios, and using headphones for mixing instead would on the face of it seem like a viable option. This will give you the most accurate representation of your song, which is exactly what you want when mixing. It is generally considered that the absolute best way to mix your music is to use a good quality pair of studio monitor speakers in an acoustically treated room. Can you really record without studio monitor speakers? Why is it bad to mix on headphones?.Are studio monitors good for listening to music?.Are normal headphones any good for music production?.Can you record on open-back headphones?.You may find these recommended related articles interesting… If you are interested in checking out the best recording gear such as audio interfaces, studio monitor speakers, microphones, etc., you can find them at Amazon by clicking here.

This article discusses the drawbacks of mixing on headphones, and what you can do to reduce the effect of their limitations to produce quality mixes using them. Headphones exaggerate the stereo field, overly emphasize certain frequency bands, and tire your ears more quickly than studio monitor speakers.Īlthough mixing on headphones is often considered to be less than ideal, it can be done effectively if you adopt a certain way of working. Mixing on headphones is in general considered bad, as they do not give as accurate a representation of the sound as studio monitor speakers. When just about every studio, amateur or professional, contains a pair, why is it considered bad to mix on headphones? If you search online for information about mixing using headphones, you will find many opinions saying that it is not a good idea.
