Guitar Gear Forum

So I scored those Steven Slate VSX headphones for fathers day and took them for a quick spin yesterday. So far, its not just bs marketing lol. I've come to the realization that what Im hearing in my monitors does not translate as well as I'd like to my car or regular headphones or ear buds etc. Usually its either two things, way to much highs/bright or not enough highs but never consistent... mainly due to a shitty recording space which later turns to ear fatigue...

So anyway kinda of curious how well or shitty this mix sounds on your guys setups. Im all ears

From a mix perspective, I think your demo would sound great anywhere!

What else did you notice with the headphones?

Sounds rad to me!


What movie is that from?

sounds good to me, bass might be a little pokey in spots but its not obnoxious. do you LPF at all?? sometimes ill put one at maybe 6k or so then put a shelf boost at 8k or above, seems to brighten it up sometimes without going overboard

Rumpleforeskin wrote:From a mix perspective, I think your demo would sound great anywhere!

What else did you notice with the headphones?

Thanks Rumpleforeskin! Well one thing I was worried about is the size of them. I have big head and surprisingly mine are comfy and not smashing my head. I read there were several revisions of the headsets and the og versions would break or snap in the middle. So to make absolutely certain to not get new old stock, I ordered from the slate site directly and got free shipping to Hawaii. So that was nice.

The other thing is apparently the inside center of the headphone literally has to line up with the holes in your ear or it could fk up the virtual studio effect. There is even a slider in the software if you have large ear holes or small ear holes.. it changes the amount of highs being put out. Other than that it has a standard 3.5 to 3.5 removable/replaceable cable which is nice if you are like me and known to fuck up cables.

Honestly I was expecting less of the software and to not be impressed... So far the marketing lives up to the hype for me.

Devin wrote:Sounds rad to me!


What movie is that from?

Thanks! You must be a youngin man! lol

All I know is almost everyone I know that was a kid in the late 70's was absolutely freaked out by that fkn tiki doll lmao...

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073820/

RaceU4her wrote:sounds good to me, bass might be a little pokey in spots but its not obnoxious. do you LPF at all?? sometimes ill put one at maybe 6k or so then put a shelf boost at 8k or above, seems to brighten it up sometimes without going overboard

Yeah you nailed it man. Listening in my car last two days and the bass definitely has a Faith No More mix to it lol... and I have done LPF.. I know I should use LPF, but I don't normally. I think highs on guitar is like salt for me... I know its bad, I know I need to reduce it but I like it... I'll try what you said though cause you are right, its got too much highs and thats usually what gives me ear fatigue pretty quick. Thanks dude!

It sounds great to me man but your mixes always sound good. So it's hard to know how much it's attributed to the headphones. But either way it's a solid mix!!

FAKA! wrote:

RaceU4her wrote:sounds good to me, bass might be a little pokey in spots but its not obnoxious. do you LPF at all?? sometimes ill put one at maybe 6k or so then put a shelf boost at 8k or above, seems to brighten it up sometimes without going overboard

Yeah you nailed it man. Listening in my car last two days and the bass definitely has a Faith No More mix to it lol... and I have done LPF.. I know I should use LPF, but I don't normally. I think highs on guitar is like salt for me... I know its bad, I know I need to reduce it but I like it... I'll try what you said though cause you are right, its got too much highs and thats usually what gives me ear fatigue pretty quick. Thanks dude!

I understand, I have the same problems, I like clear and cutting tones but it’s easy to go overboard. I don’t hear anything overly bright in this mix though. I’ve been trying to A/B a lot more frequently too, too many times I’ll spend time on a mix not referencing anything else and then when I do I’m like yeah wayyy too bright and too much bass

And dude it sounds crazy but grab one of these things, if the levels sound even on this thing I find it translates everywhere, it’s usually the first thing I check my mixes on


https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Bluetooth-C ... 2292&psc=1

FAKA! wrote:

Devin wrote:Sounds rad to me!


What movie is that from?

Thanks! You must be a youngin man! lol

All I know is almost everyone I know that was a kid in the late 70's was absolutely freaked out by that fkn tiki doll lmao...

I'm 38....definitely don't feel young lol

I gotta watch that

GuitarBilly wrote:It sounds great to me man but your mixes always sound good. So it's hard to know how much it's attributed to the headphones. But either way it's a solid mix!!

Thanks Billy! I been listening to old stuff and the latest in my car, this one is more well rounded, in terms of sounding better in pos car lol

RaceU4her wrote: too many times I’ll spend time on a mix not referencing anything else and then when I do I’m like yeah wayyy too bright and too much bass

For me I rush my shit out the door so fast, its not til a few days later listening in my car til I realize.. yeah.. I probably shouldnt rush my shit out so fast

RaceU4her wrote:And dude it sounds crazy but grab one of these things, if the levels sound even on this thing I find it translates everywhere, it’s usually the first thing I check my mixes on


https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Bluetooth-C ... 2292&psc=1

Damn, thats a good price.. grabbing it, thanks.

Devin wrote:
I'm 38....definitely don't feel young lol

I gotta watch that

To be 38 again... both knees in full effect, no back issues, less groaning lol... treasure that shit man, I'm telling ya!

FAKA! wrote:

RaceU4her wrote: too many times I’ll spend time on a mix not referencing anything else and then when I do I’m like yeah wayyy too bright and too much bass

For me I rush my shit out the door so fast, its not til a few days later listening in my car til I realize.. yeah.. I probably shouldnt rush my shit out so fast

RaceU4her wrote:And dude it sounds crazy but grab one of these things, if the levels sound even on this thing I find it translates everywhere, it’s usually the first thing I check my mixes on


https://www.amazon.com/Sony-Bluetooth-C ... 2292&psc=1

Damn, thats a good price.. grabbing it, thanks.

i understand and do the same thing, that speaker is a handy little helper though you can carry around everywhere and compare, i always hear these big name guys that have a shitty boombox or some beat set of speakers that they rely on, that little jerk became it for me lol

A mix like that done on headphonies? Damn!

FAKA! wrote:

Devin wrote:Sounds rad to me!


What movie is that from?

Thanks! You must be a youngin man! lol

All I know is almost everyone I know that was a kid in the late 70's was absolutely freaked out by that fkn tiki doll lmao...

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073820/

For me, the 70s were all about tiki dolls, mannequins and muscle cars lol.

There has been some amazing progress in headphone technology.
With my new favorite headphones, ESS 252 your mix sounds truly SPECTACULAR!!! No exaggeration!!!
The ESS 252's have amazing lows, clear highs and everything in-between is just smooth AF.
They totally blow away my old Audio Technica ATH-M30 that I've been using for over 10 years.
I used your song to compare the AT's to the ESS's...
I couldn't hear as much of the low end (in your song) with the AT's that I heard in the ESS's.
https://essspeakers.store/collections/headphones

I do a lot of listening with my very old, Gateway bookshelf speakers that came with a computer that I bought about 25 years ago.
Of course, a lot of low end was missing but, your song sounded just as good as other pro songs (of the genre) on the Gateway's.

I'd really like to try those VSX's, but it's the old story.... limited monies!

VTM wrote:A mix like that done on headphonies? Damn!

Yeah man. Its a trip. Usually I would never dial in an amp on headphones but it worked out pretty good with these things.

VTM wrote:For me, the 70s were all about tiki dolls, mannequins and muscle cars lol.

Hahahaha... and women in robes in dark rooms... Reminds me when I was kid and I would walk by the magazine rack and see all those True Detective magazine covers... frkn 70s man lol

ajaxlepinski wrote:There has been some amazing progress in headphone technology.
With my new favorite headphones, ESS 252 your mix sounds truly SPECTACULAR!!! No exaggeration!!!
The ESS 252's have amazing lows, clear highs and everything in-between is just smooth AF.
They totally blow away my old Audio Technica ATH-M30 that I've been using for over 10 years.
I used your song to compare the AT's to the ESS's...
I couldn't hear as much of the low end (in your song) with the AT's that I heard in the ESS's.
https://essspeakers.store/collections/headphones

I do a lot of listening with my very old, Gateway bookshelf speakers that came with a computer that I bought about 25 years ago.
Of course, a lot of low end was missing but, your song sounded just as good as other pro songs (of the genre) on the Gateway's.

I'd really like to try those VSX's, but it's the old story.... limited monies!

Thanks ajax! Yeah I won't lie, the price is pretty nuts on VSX. For me my goal was to have consistent mixes and I just wasnt getting that with my current room/monitors... so still need to do more recording but so far so good

FAKA! wrote:

VTM wrote:A mix like that done on headphonies? Damn!

Yeah man. Its a trip. Usually I would never dial in an amp on headphones but it worked out pretty good with these things.

VTM wrote:For me, the 70s were all about tiki dolls, mannequins and muscle cars lol.

Hahahaha... and women in robes in dark rooms... Reminds me when I was kid and I would walk by the magazine rack and see all those True Detective magazine covers... frkn 70s man lol