Favorite headphones for live vocal monitoring...

[colejustesen]

I was looking at some Beyer Dynamic cans to use for live vocal monitoring. Before I buy them, I figured I would ask for some opinions. Looking for accurate sound and protection against sound leaking out of them while recording.

What models do you think I should look into?

Cole

[Loop Bizkit]

I was looking at some Beyer Dynamic cans to use for live vocal monitoring. Before I buy them, I figured I would ask for some opinions. Looking for accurate sound and protection against sound leaking out of them while recording.

What models do you think I should look into?

Cole

How loud do you monitor your vocals?

I feel like I always sing better on takes where I can hear myself naturally. If I used closedback cans, I'm hearing myself through the daw and it's not as easy for me to associate. Closed cans are way better for bleed control, though. If I'm using them, I need to take one ear off.

I'm generally more at ease with open back headphones, and a lower monitoring level...but reasonable people can certainly disagree with this.

I have a closedback set and an openback set at home that get used interchanegeably for vocal takes, between me and other people. The closedbacks are the Shure SRH840 and the openbacks are my old AKG K240S's. Like em both.

[colejustesen]

That is a great question Loop! I am totally new to recording vocals, so I don't really know that I can answer it truthfully. I definitely don't want it too loud, but enough to feel the music if that makes sense. What do you think would be the best way to go in that situation?

Cole

[Loop Bizkit]

That is a great question Loop! I am totally new to recording vocals, so I don't really know that I can answer it truthfully. I definitely don't want it too loud, but enough to feel the music if that makes sense. What do you think would be the best way to go in that situation?

Cole

It's really gonna depend on you. Maybe start with a good pair of closed back headphones, because you can always pull an ear off if you need to.

[colejustesen]

Sweet, thanks Loop! I will look into the Shure set you mentioned.

Cole

[sloppy fingers]

you might also want to check out AKG, I have the 702 65th anniversary which is open back but would pretty awesome for vocal monitoring I would think, as long as it is fed enough power, another one to look into would be the Meze 99 Classic, which is closed, but pretty fantastic sounding, a little more money but easy to drive

[newholland]

i love my beyer 770's for pretty much everything, but i don't sing very often. so that's not really answering the question

i recently spent three days recording and was actually pleasantly surprised at how great using a pair of shure se215s was instead of big ass cans. monster isolation, way comfortable for 12-16 hour days, and way easy to keep volume lower so no ear ringing heinousness. guess it'd depend too on how well you can control the mix where you're singing and if you need to hear outa one ear! but nowadays a lotta guys like monitoring with in-ears live-- so that's a pretty easy transition for some folks. i can totally see why people like 'em! good bass for boogie factor and pretty even keel by and large- so i wouldn't hesitate to recommend 'em for that! there's way nicer ones.. but for 99 bux.. it's a pretty alright set of monitors. and you really never ever haveta worry about getting them in the mics.

[Ostinato Rubato]

I also track vocals better when I have one of my closed back cans off my ear a little bit.

[Holy-diver]

AT m50x, right ear half off

[colejustesen]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions! I picked up a set of Yamaha HPH-MT8 over-ear closed-back headphones a while back. They sound great, but I find that I need to pull one ear out to hear myself, so to speak. I am pretty sure that I am going to snag the AKG set that loop mentioned. From what I have read the new MkII are pretty much identical, except they are more comfortable to wear. So I am trying to decide on whether I want to go with original K240 (well the one that is currently being produced) and the MkII version.

Cole

[colejustesen]

you might also want to check out AKG, I have the 702 65th anniversary which is open back but would pretty awesome for vocal monitoring I would think, as long as it is fed enough power, another one to look into would be the Meze 99 Classic, which is closed, but pretty fantastic sounding, a little more money but easy to drive

Those 702 models do seem like they would be nice... Too many options

Cole

[madryan]

I'm looking for something I can take to work that'll give me great sound on the one day a week we're closed to the public and I can actually just buckle down and get work done in the afternoon but doesn't totally isolate me from the rest of the office. I've probably got more than a touch of PTSD and can't handle being that un-plugged from my surroundings, even at home or in a secure Federal building.

I'd be plugging them into my phone mostly, or possibly getting a small headphone amp to stream through.