Getting Serious About Audio

So I am thinking about getting into the production of electronic music mainly house, and dubstep.

And after getting FL Studio 11, I think the first thing I should do is obviously watch some tutorials and buy a set of headphones I think I have pretty much chosen my headphones, the Beyerdynamic Custom One Pros, however there are a few things I would like to know about them and headphones in general

Link: http://www.headphone.com/headphones/beyerdynamic-custom-one-pro.php

Anyways, my first question is what are Ohmz and why do they matter, and for an audio creator is 16 Ohmz Ideal? (I will be using a high end PC and Soundcard to create my music) also, based on the chart in the link, can you audiophiles tell me if these headphones are going to be good for me? (I realize they are bass heavy but you can adjust that, I really love these headphones but I need some more clarity) After I have chosen my headphones I will find out more about Soundcards

Thanks for your help guys wish me luck!

Concerning the Ohms question, headphones have a very wide range of impedance levels. Some require a ton of current to perform properly, whilst others can get by fine on what an iPod gives you through the audio jack. The determining force at work is impedance, measured in Ohms. If you're dealing with HD600s @ 300 Ohms or DT880s @ 600 Ohms then they won't receive the current to perform properly without good amplification, and the effect will be low volumes and dead dynamics. Contrasting this, the Beyer Custom One Pros @ 16 Ohms will pair fine without an amplifier. You then have examples such as the AKG K 702 @ 62 Ohms which can be a pain to pair correctly.


Getting onto the mixing - before I mention the negatives, I'll readily say that mixing on headphones is possible and can be almost as good as monitors in a treated room. But there are a lot of aspects that must be trained, honed and mastered, and you'll likely need to invest heavily on getting what you need if you aren't prepared to work on principled compromises to how things sound through more modest setups. I should also say that I am working on the assumption of an eventual high level of quality, backed with ability. If that isn't the goal, then all this can be toned down a lot.


If you're mixing with headphones instead of speakers, then you may be held back considerably by any headphones that don't possess a markedly flat frequency response. This is because many headphones will colour the sound for a consumer's taste, not the person making the music. Worse still, your spatial sense of the aggregate sound will rarely apply to headphone mixes, almost certainly leaving the mixes heavily coloured through specific frequencies and it may well sound amateur or strange. The Beyer Custom One sound like they will probably get you caught in the trap of underwhelming lows, overwhelming peaks in the mids and slightly aggressive highs, if you simply mix to them by ear alone. It's also extremely important to understand that headphones magnify details in a track - so when you've loaded up your VST like Sylenth or Massive and finely tuned a lush, sparkly pad, you'll be pretty sad when you realise that next to nothing of the finely tuned detail is translated through speakers, and that other headphones aren't anywhere near as kind to that sound as you'd like.


If money isn't an issue or you are serious enough to invest heavily, I'd strongly recommend getting a monitor setup alongside multiple headphones. I almost exclusively use headphones for mixing, and my current rotation is based on the Focal Spirit Professional (flat, closed-back circumaural), AKG K702 (flat, open-back circumaural) and a pair of Sony MDR-7506 and Sennheiser earphones to check how consumer devices should likely sound. This is a really important step that a lot of people don't do. I will still deal with lower frequencies primarily on the monitor setup, and I wouldn't recommend trusting any headphones unless you've gotten a keen insight into how a particular pair translates to particular monitors. I've also just got the Phonitor 2 which I'd recommend to anyone with the budget for it. This saves a ton of headaches.


Granted, if you're just starting out then it is silly to assume you will need to invest so heavily, and it is even more silly to expect good results immediately. It takes a lot of exposure, a lot of practice and a lot of effort to bring all the elements together into good practice and form.

I understand, however what is good to get for somebody that is just starting, hey Skrillex, Krewella, Deadmau5, they all started somewhere, I am not willing to invest a ton of money until I become much more skilled at this I am a complete beginner now, so will the COPs be good for a noobie?

If you can, I really suggest you wait a few days until Logan launches some video's it will help you out a lot.

It's a good idea to go to an audio shop and try things out for yourself when you're dealing with things that you'll be using a lot, in case there are any ergonomic/comfort issues. You also get the benefit of having a trained member of staff go over anything that you have on your mind, and they can run you through your options with examples to hand. Otherwise I would throw the Sony MDR7509s (or 7506s) in as a closed-back preference. For the money you pay they are a solid option for mixing, and they won't leak anywhere near as much as an open-back option.

But really at this stage, an investment into any moderately priced headphones will be a job half-complete. The good thing is that it makes the choice a lot easier to make, as any pair of headphones will get you about 50 percent of the way there. I'm assuming that noise pollution is an issue for you, but I'd still choose a cheap pair of monitors sooner than headphones though. Maybe Fostex or Alesis.

Sorry if I come across a bit negative - the most important part is choosing a pair of headphones or monitors that makes you happy enough to make music. That's the most important thing of all really.

No problem mate, any kind of help is appreciated but I think using the COPs will make me happy to listen to music with the bass how I like it, and to create by setting the switch to neutral. And thanks much (Do you know of any Audio Shop by the way?)

I'm based in the UK near London, so luckily I have a lot to choose from. studioxchange.co.uk has just supplied me with the Phonitor 2 and the Focal headphones recently, and I had a nice chat with the technical director there. They also gave me a discount and a further discount coupon, so I'd readily recommend their business.

I'd say generally you are better off seeking out specialist smallish outfits, as they are usually run and staffed by people with a lot of enthusiasm about audio. Having said that, I have also used their competitors dolphinmusic.co.uk, gak.co.uk and some odds and sods from amazon.

Im in the US ):

Hey should I go with the Custom one pros or the audio technica pro 700 mk2s?

I haven't used the 700 MK2s, but I had heard they are a tad uncomfortable for some. Great construction though, and for mixing I'd go for them sooner than the Beyers. AT have a well deserved reputation now, and are always a solid consideration. Looking at the Beyers again I'm reminded of the variable bass setting on the Custom One Pros which could be very useful, although I'm generally pessimistic and cautious around 'unique' features. If it isn't a proven technology, part of me thinks it's better to stay away. But if you want more bass and don't want to affect the mix you'd be working on, it could be a good feature to consider, especially if you don't have EQ controls on an amp or such.

Just a clarification:

Higher impedance headphones will limit the current drain on the source, and are generally voltage limited. this means they require more voltage than lower impedance headphones in order to reach the same power level. It is a common misconception that higher impedance headphones require more power - in reality they require more voltage to reach the same power consumption of a lower impedance headphone.

I'm not very fond of mixing on headphones. From my own experience, headphones are best used for reference. Of course, you might have a different experience, some do like to mix on headphones.

If speakers are impossible, I'd recommend the AKG K701. They are an open headphone, which I would say is a must for mixing/producing on headphones. Since they are open, they will deliver a sound stage that is going to help you insert and place reverbs more accurately. They are very neutral, and the bass is just about right.

They are not very power hungry either, the output on your sound card will suffice plenty.

Head over to gearslutz if you want to learn more about production gear, they know everything about everything audio.

Another thing. For great detailed electronic music video tutorials, head over to http://www.sonicacademy.com/

Indeed so, headphone mixing needs serious investment to come anywhere near a decent monitor setup. But it is fair to say that the amount of people in the world who are mixing in untreated rooms, with a plethora of artifacts affecting the sound space, with the tweeters not in line with their ears and using sub-par equipment for their requirements make it a lot kinder for those mixing on headphones.

I'm still awaiting some serious quality hypersonic speakers... that really would change the scope of things.