Topic: Sealed with my head - advice requested

[bewildered]

Im looking for a pair of headphones, preferably under $300 that will not leak sound. I dont care about sound getting in, i just dont want it to get out. This is to be used for multitracking, so you can understand the importance of this.

Second inquiry: Is it better to use monitor speakers or monitor headphones when mastering? i ask this cause i dont know if i should bother getting monitor headphones, however i should make note that a reciever/amp sits between my speakers and my comp whereas headphones could be plugged directly into my soundcard. Please reccommend either audiophile-grade headphones or monitors based upon this that have zero leakage.

the tar baby thanks you.

[BC]

http://taperssection.com/index.php?topic=71212.0

[pfife]

Second inquiry: Is it better to use monitor speakers or monitor headphones when mastering?

Monitors

[jpschust]

certainly monitors

[bewildered]

by monitors you mean monitor headphones?

[F.O.Bean]

by monitors you mean monitor headphones?

no, speaker monitors

i would never use any headphone to monitor because imaging becomes a factor when using headphones. i want to hear my image go flying across the room

[bewildered]

but doesnt the reciever/amp color the source sound? Headphones would be the only way to get a pure signal straight from the soundcard.

[BC]

but doesnt the reciever/amp color the source sound?

Yes but quality gear will be more transparent in general

Headphones would be the only way to get a pure signal straight from the soundcard.

The soundcard is just a different piece of playback gear coloring the sound. I can see your point of minimizing components in the signal path, but I would think analog out of a soundcard running in a PC, which has all sorts of hum and RFI emanating from the box is not necessarily a very "pure" signal. In my work computer, when I have my UE super 5 pro plugged into the headphone out (granted it is the stock jack, not a soundcard), I can hear background noise get louder when the computer starts running a task. In general the background noise level from this PC through the headphone out is much higher than from my portable CD player. I actually never noticed this until I got my 5pro's. I am guessing your soundcard analog out will perform better than the stock 1/8" out from my crappy desktop work PC, but something to keep in mind...

[jpschust]

let's step back a second- can you better describe the multitracking you intend on doing?

[bewildered]

Im recording into my soundcard using cubase, then im going to get cubase to play back what i recorded while recording the next track, and build that way. Of course i wont be using speakers to do that, i will be using an in-ear headphone which i still have to aquire.

[jpschust]

Im recording into my soundcard using cubase, then im going to get cubase to play back what i recorded while recording the next track, and build that way. Of course i wont be using speakers to do that, i will be using an in-ear headphone which i still have to aquire.

so you are just recording yourself?

[bewildered]

yeah, by myself.

[jpschust]

what instruments?  sorry this all factors in with mastering.

[pfife]

I think you can use the headphones for tracking, but for mixing/mastering, no way.  I'd be tempted to tell you not to use them for tracking either.

[bewildered]

not use headphones for tracking? why dont i just hold the mic directly up to my speakers.

instruments...let see...i got this weird egyptian reeded instrument, a calimbe and a dijembe. I wasnt really planning on recording anything live except maybe on those instruments. I intend to morph sounds lifted with my microtrack and map them to a keyboard when i get what i want. Come to think of it, are headphones even necessary for anything but live non-midi instruments?