I always had some trouble mixing bass in headphones. I find the Grado headphones give you a good "feeling" for the bass, and a mix done on these usually translates well to speakers.

Hi Steve,

There is also some software on the market when using headphones in relation to 'the' actual sound on monitors. It may be not the ultimate solution, but you could try out Redline Monitor or Tonebooster Isone.

I quote: "...a stereo virtual reproduction system and listening room can now be experienced simply using high-quality headphones. The frequency response and the directivity pattern of the loudspeakers can be adjusted. Furthermore, the reverb time and volume of the virtual listening room and the distance to the virtual loudspeakers can be fully customized.."

It is independent of brand and type of your headphones in a way, so why not give it a try?

best,
Erik

Hi Martin and Erik,

'

thank you both for your replies. The Googling of Grado headphones search gave me lots of links of course, and  these pages:

http://www.getprice.com.au/buy-best-grado%20headphones.htm?gclid=CIaLzbOjiqkCFQPabgodFU9Tkw

http://www.grado.com.au/index.html

I'm guessing that it may be these PS1000s headphones that you are speaking of.

I've also checked out the plug in's that you mentioned Erik, and they look very interesting. Theres a demo download of one of these, so I am going to try these  out. I'm just wondering Erik about the two plug ins that you have mentioned. In looking quickly at these, it appears that they both do the same thing. Do you own both of these plug ins? Thanks if you can let me know.

Well, thanks again  Martin and Erik, for helping me out here with your posts and very helpful information. 

I do appreciate your help and advice with this greatly.

best,

Steve [:D]

Focusrite also have something called VRM which simulates different speakers for use when mixing on headphones.  You can buy it as part of one of their audio interfaces (Saffire pro 24 DSP) or as a standalone box.  It is very good, and useful when you want to try your mixes on different speaker set ups.

Hi Basso,

thanks for that info. I will look at this software also.

thanks and best,

Steve [:)]

I'm using the Grado SR-125 myself. They sound great, but are not the best anatomically. The higher end series are much more comfortable.

@Steve Martin said:

Do you own both of these plug ins? Thanks if you can let me know.

Hi Steve,

Indeed I have one: the TB Isone. It is really very cheap and functions quite well.

I forgot to mention the Focusrite Saffire (see hereabove) with its VRM: great stuff! I use the Saffire PRO 24 DSP as audio interface.

best,

Erik

Hi Erik,

thanks so much for the extra info. Great stuff! I will check out the other one you mentioned also.

best,

Steve[:D]

@Steve Martin said:

Is there anyone here who mixes with headphones, and still gets a result they are happy with when they listen through monitors?

If that is so, can you please let me know the brand of headphone you are using for this?

In fact, I get quite positive feedback on how spacious and 3-D stereo my mixes are. 

Hi Civilization,

Thanks for your information here. I did check the headphones out on a google search, so I do appreciate your help with this.

thanks again, and best regards,

Steve [:D]

Hi Tralen,

thanks kindly for the link!

best,

Steve [:D]

@Steve Martin said:

Hi to the forum,

just read on another site how some people feel it is not a good thing to mix with headphones for various reasons.

I'm not in a position to mix with stereo monitors due to my close proximity where I live, to others. I have thought that mixing headphones - amd some different names/brands have been recommended to me.

Is there anyone here who mixes with headphones, and still gets a result they are happy with when they listen through monitors?

If that is so, can you please let me know the brand of headphone you are using for this?

thanks for any help with this,

best regards,

Steve.

Hi Steve,

this new gadget might be of interest to you: Focusrite VRM Box.

I've just read an online article about it (which I suppose won't be of use to you, being in German). This functions as a kind of monitor emulator for the headphones and should be able to at least partly compensate for headphones localization issues.

Hi Goran,

thanks so much for the information about this!

best,

Steve [:D]

I have used Sennheiser HD600 for about a year now and am pleased with the results. They are a bit pricey, but probably worth it. 

Regards, 

Stephen W. Beatty

Hi Stephen,

thanks for that info. I will check these out.

best,

Steve [:D]

Hi Steve, 

I guess I have been using the HD 600's since 2008 and they have been satisfactory. 

However, a couple of days ago I bought the Seinheiser HD800 after reading some favorable reviews. These headphones blow away anything I have ever used. They are  expensive but they deliver. The bass is accurate and the mixes sparkle beyond belief with these headphones. I think these really could replace studio monitors.

Regards,

Stephen W. Beatty 

Hi Stephen,

thanks for the information about the Seinheiser HD800's. It looks like the manufacturer's are creating good headphones as there are a lot of positive comments of how good some of these are.

I suppose, even though they are expensive, it's good to have a pair that the music sounds great in, as it will make the mixing experience that much more enjoyable.

Thanks again for sharing the information about this brand Stephen.

best,

Steve[:D]

Hi there,

In my honest opinion do not be fooled by the notion that you *can* mix with headphones: you can't. I have an excellent pair of Sennheiser headphones that I bought for $500 in 2002, and although they are excellent for certain work, when it comes to mixing you simply cannot do it without at least relatively decent monitors in a relatively well treated room. It's well noted that in many cases the acoustic treatment of the room is more important an expenditure than the monitors. $20,000 in an untreated room is not nearly as good as $2,500 monitors in a well treated room.

In my opinion you should not buy headphones for mixing and instead buy sound treatment products instead. 

These are two companies I think are good:

Real Traps and Ready Acoustics. I'm not a fan of auralex products, for bass treatment I find them expensive (and bass treatment is the most important part).

It's so important, that instead of buying headphones, you should cut the expenditure of your monitors in half and spend the other half of the money on treatment.

While I wouldn't go as far as Mpower88 to call headphones "unnecessary" (especially in times when more and more music gets listened to on earbuds), I agree that professional acoustic treatment of the control room is the best investment for everybody who is does any kind of audio production for a living.