How to use headphones for mastering (and mixing)!

[@MasteringExplained]

Many of you have asked what headphones we use. These are the headphones that we use everyday and recommend: www.masteringexplained.com/recommendations/

[@chrwrd2960]

Do you know realphones from qsonic?

[@Windiguana]

This video is a hidden jem. I had no choice but to use headphones to mix and master, and before I leaned everything I did here I was having major issues getting my mixes to translate. Reverb that sounded huge when mixing sounded tiny when listening to my mix in a car or in the living room. Mixes would be all over the place. Even though I was used to my trusty hd280pro's I still kept making mixing decisions that weren't quite right. I'm now using a pair of open back dt990's, have correction and the goodhertz canopener plugin on my mix bus and it's a night and day difference. My mixes even translate to my phone it's actually kind of unreal. Even though I'm now in a situation where I can have a pair of monitors I still prefer using my new headphones with the crossfeed plugin over them. I've even tried an a/b comparison mastering a track using my studio monitors vs the good headphones setup and the headphone mix won out. It just translated better. Probably due to having very minimal room treatment and a small room.

[@MasteringExplained]

Yeah, a good headphone setup can outperform even quite good rooms when it comes to translation. Thanks for sharing! /Thomas

[@Windiguana]

Correction I meant monitoring fx in reaper, not mix buss. Make sure you disable any correction before rendering if you're using correction on your mix or master buss.

[@troye5555]

Mastering for 17 years. Went from PMC IB1 with Hypex amps and Prism conversion to HD600 and sonarworks and Canopener with Lavry Black.

[@miteshgohil1411]

Can it be use for mixing as well?

[@diamonddistrictstudios]

A big shoutout to you Troye! Best Mastering Engineer out of South Africa and the world over. 🔥

[@coldskoolbeatz]

@@miteshgohil1411 Of course it can.

[@TheVeganVicar]

PMC and Prism are top-notch products. The Sennheiser are NOT. I suggest a pair of Audeze or HiFiMan.

[@jay0keys]

Thomas, I would highly appreciate if you could do a video referring to the CanOpener settings. There‘s not much material out there in conjunction with mastering. Thanks for your work!

[@jay0keys]

I also can confirm that this kind of setup works very well. In fact this is the way I‘ve been working for the last 25 years. Double checking on different sources like in the car, HiFi setup, and on my PSI monitors. Never had a problem or a bad feedback from a client. Thanks for making this clear and thanks for your information on this! All the best!

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks for sharing! Great to hear that this method works for you as well! /Thomas

[@doradoradoramen]

This is the best, most succinct explanation of this subject I've ever heard (and I've been around this subject a while)

[@eranddroory9987]

I'm on HD 600 using Acustica Sienna. Loving it. You should test Sienna.. 😃

[@Javier_Salas]

tHIS CHANNEL IS PURE GOLD!!!

[@joshsmith7812]

Just discovered this channel and it's gold - from a fellow mastering engineer trying to move to hesdphones :)

[@MasteringExplained]

Great to hear! Welcome to the good place! :) /Thomas

[@daniarjumanazar]

Watched this at my studio. Then came home and watched it again to better grasp the information dense content. I appreciate the insight you gave me with your generous share. Instant sub. 👍

[@VTPStudios]

I use the individual profile directly from sonarworks with can opener on sennheiser hd650 and they sound fab

[@santiagovanegas3812]

Excellent video. I especially love how you explain some very basic psychoacoustic concepts (that we often overlook and/or take for granted) in a simple way. Like many, am not doing audio production in an optimized room with accurate speakers. But now with this video (and a few others), I'm definitely going to set myself up with a proper headphone system as you've described. Thanks!... subscribing now :)

[@illiakaplunenko5879]

Thanks for information. Can you tell is it better to put Sonarworks Reference after or before CanOpener in Fx chain?

[@austin7125]

Have you ever used NDH 30s? Just got a pair but waiting on an audio interface that can handle higher ohm phones (ndh30 are 120 ohm I believe). Also have you tried Slate Digital's vsx for room referencing? I've heard good things. It's on my wish list

[@henryssurfshowcase]

Good one! i'll check out those HD600's. And I never thought about the headphones jack not being as good as an interface?..

[@milkyway8353]

So far i was doing both, headphones and speakers in combo. But i will try this setup and see how it works, many thanks, great video

[@jamiechuramusic]

Outstanding video!!! Thank you for making and sharing this! I'm currently on a pair of HD600s with Sonarworks and Can Opener, as well. Love this setup so much; it sounds incredible!!

[@MasteringExplained]

Yes, that is a great sounding combination, agreed! Glad you liked the video! /Thomas

[@drcouts2607]

Very enlightening! I really need to try a crossfeed plugin. I correction always use.

[@coldskoolbeatz]

Mixing/Mastering - Apogee Symphony Desktop/Prism Lyra 1, Neve RNHP, HD600s, Sonarworks, and DearVRMix. May pick up Audeze LCD-X or HD 800s.

[@SergeiChaparin]

The video is very helpful! We just moved. Still a temporary place. There is no functional space to set up speaker monitors and treatment. I have a nice pair of Bayer high-impedance open back headphones and Sonarworks. Using a Behringer interface. Need to look into a headphone amplifier and a DA converter. Really appreciate the workable solution.

[@EqDior]

Such an informative video. I've always preferred headphones for mixing. With these tools that make it more ideal!

[@davidopalmusic]

Since setting up the studio at home I have also used headphones for my mixes and masterings, I have some Audeze LCD-xs and they are wonderful, the only thing that worries me about this is the ear injuries from working so continuously with headphones, although I work with volumes very low.

[@MasteringExplained]

Yes, take care of your ears! Keep sane levels and take breaks. Same as for listening in speakers. /Thomas

[@BurningBushPedagogy]

Thanks a lot you even explained better than legendary Andrew Scheps, thanks a lot, cant thank you enough, what if I am working out of the box like on an a Dawless computer setup, akai MPC standalone, how you gonna get with crossfeed left to right and vice versa. Thanks

[@EdwinDekker71]

Excellent video. I've been using Isone and am now going to try Canopener. I think the room designer in Isone makes the audio too vague. I like my AKG k712 pro (open) but due to circumstances am now switching to Beyerdynamic dt 700 pro x which sound pretty good for closed back headphones. Very detailed and punchy. Thanks and God bless.

[@vondano]

Thank you for this! Will try the canopener for sure!

[@ThomasNorthener]

Thank you for sharing your insights on this. I've just started to use headphone primarily instead of monitors and only using the monitors, while producing and my ears need a break.😊

[@chike1866]

I use head phones to do some final fine tuning on the low end and high end balance.

[@MasteringExplained]

Sounds good! Thanks for sharing! /Thomas

[@DaveChips]

I also check for distortion during cliping/limiting/compressing... If I cant hear it with spund directly shooting in my ear I doubt its gonna be audible on speakers as well 😁🔊 But tbh... I use a mix of both... Speakers and headphones

[@aaronzacharyreed6163]

Thanks so much for this dose of clarity in the midst of so much noise. Really. If I could ask one question: what DAC/amp do you use with the HD600? For reference: I compose with virtual instruments, mostly jazz and orchestral samples, almost always acoustic instruments. I compose in a quiet bedroom with no acoustical treatment, so I'm the perfect use case for headphone mixing. I just want a flat, neutral representation of the music so I can make the right choices when composing and mixing -- I really don't care about "audiophile" this-or-that. Seriously, thank you again. You've done a great service for beginners like me.

[@MasteringExplained]

Glad you like the video! Most headphone amps in audio interfaces made for music production will be good enough to get going in my experience. We use mainly three different DAC/amps: A Crane Song Avocet, A Mytek Stereo96 DAC and a portable Oppo HA-2 USB DAC. All of these sound very good to both me and Sofia. Be sure to read our article about calibrating the HD600 as well. That's the trick to make them really shine: www.masteringexplained.com/calibrating-the-sennheiser-hd-600-for-a-flat-frequency-response/ /Thomas

[@JNo-sk5mz]

This really is the truth, headphones, are just like any other speaker, if you know them and know how something is supposed to sound in them, you can mix. My headphone mixes translate very well into my car and other systems

[@paulmahoux]

Very helpful video ! And very pleasant voice and flow ! Definitely confirming what i ended up doing, due to impossibility of room treatment. TB Isone and Morphit, Beyerdynamic DT990 250ed, no crossfeed yet. Eye opener regarding stereo image drawbacks with headphones. You did not mention much the dynamics aspect of headphones. I realized that closed headphones are misleadingly minimizing the attacks. It's night and day compared with circumaural open heaphones. Personally, i love my Beyerdynamic DT990. Thanks a lot for this precious video. All the best !

[@MasteringExplained]

Good point! I've also noted differences in dynamics. I had the same issues with in-ears, the transients didn't sound correct and it was difficult to make decisions about compression and dynamics in general. No problems with the HD600:s in this regard. /Thomas

[@electreelife]

Very useful video, the whole cross feed bit was new and the missing part in the puzzle for me, thx!

[@ministerdjspliff]

Tack så mycket för denna video. Mycket informativ och inspirerande!

[@QuaverloveStudio]

Thank you for your in-depth explanation on how to get the best out of your headphone. Ive never heard of CanOpener, so Ill check it out... but I do use the Sonar Works reference software (SoundID) and it really does make a difference in my ATH-M30X.

[@YOURGEN-q3z]

I work with a Shure headphones and with monitors and subwoofer and all is correct. I forgot auratone behringer in mono to be safe. Thanks for your videos.

[@g.m.6417]

I also have just about permanently switched over to headphones.I use a Phonitor headphone Dac with cross feed. The Phonitor has very good converters. I m also using Senheiser HD 600’s. I have found them to be quite flat. I did try Sonar works but I noticed it flattened the bass lower that it was on the graph before I added the calibration. Other words, when using the Sonar works calibration, there was actually less bass! You were mentioning you like more bass. Are you saying when you use the Sonar works calibration, it actually added some low end? I have a decent treated room & a pair of Pmc floor standing full range speakers for mastering. I have never seen your video & I thought it was interesting that we both have pretty much done the same idea with the same headphones. I did try Audeze LCD-X & they were bumped down in the low end & mids & hi end. I also tried a pair of Focal MG clear & they were pretty nice but just some what louder that the HD 600’s. My findings were that I could get the same results on my HD 600’s! I did this test with all three pairs of headphones going threw my Apogee DA. In my personal opinion I think both the Audeze & the Focal are a bit hyped by some people out there. I believe that using a good headphone Dac & converters with cross feed is the key! I stress this all the time when I talk with people asking if it’s possible to mix & master on headphones. I recommend getting the headphone Dac & crossfeed & a good DA! It all can be done you just need to get your brain to relearn the the process. I also favor a little more low end & hi end in my speakers when mastering in my room also. I prefer it that way because it causes me to make better judgment for translation for the low & hi frequencies on other play back devices. If I ever designed a pair of mastering speakers, they would have a bit more low & top end causing the engineer to cut the top & bottom to where it would translate in the real world hopefully.😊 My main question was did the Sonnar works actually add low end to your HD 600’s? It did not for my HD 600’s.

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks for sharing! Yes, a good amp really makes the HD600 shine. The average profile of HD600 in Sonarworks adds around 8 dB at 35 Hz, and dips the upper bass/low mids a bit, so there sure is more bass. /Thomas

[@charliemcgrain]

Thanks for this great video, really appreciated your perspective. To the negative comments I would just remind those people, you can mix on a set of soup tins as long as you know how they translate. Understanding how your speakers translate is key to everything. I used to use Yamaha NS10's. By the time I could hear the bass in those NS 10's in my studio, that amount of bass would blow my car down the street when I played the mix in the car. I tend to agree with everything you said. Perhaps one point though: I do plug right into the computer headphone output, why, because that is what every listener is going to do. Many thanks again, great work.

[@Matt_Morgan]

That’s what I don’t understand… Why are we using interfaces with amps if our listeners aren’t??

[@eliasringquist]

Superintressant! Och lite glädjande nyheter på samma gång. Jag har under de senaste 7-8 åren ”trotsat” myten om att man måste mixa i högtalare och utgått i 9/10 fall från hörlurar. Min övertygelse är att mkt av det musik och ljudbehandling handlar om är hur dina öron kalibrerats över tid och också hur tränade öronen blir av kontinuerligt beslutsfattande. En ytterligare fördel med hörlurar (från mitt perspektiv) är förmågan att höra små små knäpp och liknande, som ibland faller bort i högtalarlyssning. Dock minns jag hur du under mastringen av mammas ”Love and Poetry” hörde ett knäpp utifrån kafferummet. Då blev jag imponerad och förstod att du hade koll :) slutligen har mitt arbetssätt blivit en vanesak, som så mkt annat, men när jag t.o.m fått komplimanger för mina mixar och även basbehandling av ledande mastringstekniker så måste det finnas i af ”ngt rätt” i det jag gör. Tack Thomas och kul detta! /E

[@MasteringExplained]

Tack Elias! Ja ibland är det skönt att få bekräftat att andra också jobbar på samma sätt. :) /Thomas

[@graywyot]

Thank you for your great video (as always)! I myself am also using headphones for mixing and mastering. And the headphones that I trust are also the Sennheiser HD600. The problem with Stereo Image when using headphones is also my concern for a long time. Thanks for suggesting some Cross Feed plugins, I will try them out. Cheers!

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks for sharing! I hope you find cross feed as useful as we do. Please feel free to share your findings! :) /Thomas

[@jbussenius]

Det här var en väldigt bra tutorial, länge sen jag försökte göra slutmix och master själv, men hade tänkt att försöka mixa ljud och musik till en egen kortfilm som jag håller på med. Hörlurar känns som vägen framåt!

[@MasteringExplained]

Kul att du gillar, Jimmy! Lycka till med mixandet! /Thomas

[@samson4272]

Is there a specific preset or settings on Can Opener that you recommend? Thanks for this helpful video

[@charliekey2979]

Yes, I don't have the luxury of a real studio set up and liked or not headphones are my only alternative to get a decent mix and mastering. I really appreciate the information shared. I'm currently using Waves CNx Studio Plugin for that purpose and so far it's working well. I will give a try to the one you mention from Good Hertz and I believe that I really need the Reference software you mention to get a more trusty feedback on my headphones. Thaks a lot!

[@MasteringExplained]

Great, thanks! /Thomas

[@Radiosabines]

Thank you very much for this instructional video, your explanations are very understandable and logical, We know how difficult it is to normalize a home studio, even with the best speakers in the world, here comes into play the right headphones and plugins

[@Darkred11]

Hi, thanks for the tutorial! I'm trying to decide between HD600 and HD650 but I can't: I listened to both of them and they both need an EQ correction (the 600 has a peak in the treble, and the 650 has a dip in the treble, plus both of them need more bass). The HD600 was flatter, but a little bit grainy and my ear hurt a little from the high mid/treble boost. On the other hand, the HD650 was a little bit darker/muffled, and the lead voice got pushed back behind the band/instruments (I actually heard it on the HD600 as well, but it was more noticeable on the HD650). It would really help me to understand - what made you choose the HD600 over the HD650? Thanks!

[@Barncore]

This video came up at just the right time as i'm currently in the rabbit hole of finding the right headphone for this purpose. I'm looking at planar magnetic technology as it has become quite affordable these days. Emrah Celik recommends the Hifiman Ananda Nano in particular. Have you tested any Hifiman stuff?

[@lindaevansova]

Great video. Have you tried headphone amp with built in crossfeed like SPL Phonitor or something similar? Thanks

[@g.o.9513]

Curious about the m900 by Grace Design headphones amp, it has cross-feed settings built-in.

[@fredrikh9299]

Thanks for killing the myth of studio monitors! The concept of mastering on speakers is intuitively flawed. People mostly listen in headphones and rooms add LOTS of artifacts. The only "serious" room situation is the dance floor. I'm mastering on 50 euro COSS UR40. All the advantages mentioned. Transferability "translation" will never be accounted for other than listening in different setups anyway. Mastering is a "forced art" to me as a hobby musician. It's a killer of musical inspiration. Yet so important nowadays. Tack Thomas!

[@cptbuckrogers01rogers96]

hey thanks great vid! Is there a good tutorial anywhere for the correct way to use can opener? that would be super helpful

[@MasteringExplained]

Not that I know of, but great idea! :) /Thomas

[@Radi-Musique]

Always quality content! Thanks!

[@jefffogle1288]

Helpful information. Thumbs up for the HD600's too!

[@spiritmusic4322]

Greetings, thank you for this video, you have convinced me to purchase the HD600s. Question please: I am running Cubase Pro 11 with a Focusrite 8i6 , what connectivity do you use to the DAW for the Mytek ? TIA for any input

[@MasteringExplained]

I haven't used the Focusrite 8i6, but from what I can see in the specs it should be fine for driving the HD600 at reasonable levels. Most headphone amps in audio interfaces made for music production will be good enough to get going in my experience. We use mainly three different DAC/amps: A Crane Song Avocet, A Mytek Stereo96 DAC and a portable Oppo HA-2 USB DAC. All of these sound very good to both me and Sofia. Be sure to read our article about calibrating the HD600 as well. That's the trick to make them really shine: www.masteringexplained.com/calibrating-the-sennheiser-hd-600-for-a-flat-frequency-response/ /Thomas

[@spiritmusic4322]

@@MasteringExplained Thank you so much Thomas for taking the time to reply. I currently use both Sonarworks and Can Opener, I am also using the Waves (I changed from Good Hertz) CLA Nx, I find it really gives me the sense of being in the room and also the ability to change the monitoring emulations. I have been using the Sennheiser HD599s which I have got used to (ear training) and find them really comfortable for long durations.Much appreciated.

[@jzg7890]

You should check out the Audeze mm-500's! best investment ever for portable mixing and mastering engineers

[@croay]

I'm loving this channel so much, it really differs from other content I found on this platform, it's straight to the point and full of useful information I haven't seen mentioned or explained this well anywhere else. May I ask you something? Do you put Can Opener before or after ID Reference? Cheers!

[@MasteringExplained]

I have the cross feed before EQ correction, which is what's usually recommended. But unless you have different correction for left/right the order doesn't really matter. Glad you like the channel! /Thomas

[@plasticcreations7836]

As a beginner i've been using in-ear headphones for a few months for mixing and mastering but recently got some studio headphones. The mix sounds completely different (not in a good way) so I will try some of the software you mentioned in the video. I also noticed that the Behringer monitor2usb interface has crossfeed built in without needing to use a plugin so I might get that.

[@MasteringExplained]

Great! Let us know how it goes! I also worked with in-ears for a while, but didn't feel comfortable with the closed-in feeling. I also had some issues with the sealing and low-end response being a bit inconsistent. The large and open Sennheisers that I'm using now solved all these problems. /Thomas

[@plasticcreations7836]

​@@MasteringExplained Update: When I went back to the new headphones (bayerdynamic DT990 Pro) I found that they were sounding better than I remembered (ive only had them a few days). So I installed the trial version of SoundID and I can hear a difference but not a massive difference (it doesnt sound 'better' to me except if I solo an instrument and I can hear the reverb tail better). As a beginner I don't really know yet what difference I'm supposed to hear but ive been reading up on it and finding out what a flat frequency response is and why you would want it. I've also ordered the Behringer monitor2sub for the crossfeed so I won't need CanOpener. I'll see how it goes.

[@dogexplosionband]

Thank you for this video! There's a lot of useful information, well presented and explained. I'm looking forward to getting set up properly and hearing exactly what is going on in my monitoring using headphones.

[@acidtriponmovin]

Very good! - Two doubts: 1. Do I need Amplifiers if I use AudioFuse Interface (using HD 600)? - 2. Audeze headphone is a correct investment to upgrade from HD 600? Thanks for the Cross Feed suggestion.

[@MasteringExplained]

I haven't tried the AudioFuse but it looks solid and will probably work just fine. The Audeze LCD-X for example sound more detailed than HD600 to my ears, but have a totally different sound. I prefer the HD600 personally, even if the LCD-X are "better" headphones. /Thomas

[@StarWarsinMinuten]

By 17:19 is that your canopener settings ? Why 45° and not 60° thx for answere :)

[@mastfamastfa1256]

I watched the all vedio. Very helpful. Thanks. But one question: Is there a specific settings for GoodHz Plugin to work correctly?

[@MasteringExplained]

The settings are individual, use whatever sounds the best to you. Start with the default settings and tweak the Amount and Angle parameters to get the perceived width and distance that you prefer. /Thomas

[@germanfunkberlin5505]

I use the HD 600 all the time in conjunction with the SPL Phonitor 2

[@Darksagan]

Great video. Do you think you can share your exact settings for Crossfeed. I am using Beyerdynamic 1990s and Acustica Audios Sienna reference and rooms.

[@enapsempire4151]

There’s a preset called “Mix Engineer” in canopener. 👍🏾

[@petrmoczek]

Excellent advice, thank you. I am using HD600, recently with correction too. I will add the crossfeed, as you suggest. Are you using the stock cable? I use the cable for HD650, it is slightly crisper in the highs.

[@MasteringExplained]

I changed to the 650 cable after the stock cable broke. I didn't notice any difference in sound but it sure is a lot sturdier. /Thomas

[@Swan220]

I'm really happy that I found your channel, very informative! Thank you :)

[@MartijnFrazer]

Hey thanks a ton for this video! I'm been mainly mixing (and mastering I guess) my own music on headphones for years now and I always struggled with the stereo image and stuff, but this really helps! I've got CanOpener now and I feel it sounds very natural, which I hadn't expected :o

[@MasteringExplained]

Great to hear! 🎶

[@criskos2224]

Awesome video! I'm a headphone producer/mixer myself and your explanation makes total sense to me. Are the CanOpener settings that you showed your normal settings? Amount is on 125% and Angle on 45 degrees?

[@MasteringExplained]

Yes, those are the settings both me and Sofia use when mastering. Glad you like the video! /Thomas

[@SantiS_]

great video, do you recommend getting headphones with 250 or 600 ohm?

[@MasteringExplained]

If the headphones sound equally good I'd go for the ones with lower impedance, otherwise I'd go for the best sounding ones. /Thomas

[@noopy4085]

Thank you for this video I came across it from watching your YT Short on the same topic. This is very interesting and insightful, cheers!

[@noopy4085]

I’m looking for my Mastering headphones now. Do you still recommend the HD600 even over more expensive Audeze headphones?

[@noopy4085]

No feedback on headphones? 🤷‍♂️

[@MasteringExplained]

I haven't used any of the Audeze models for mastering so I don't have any opinions on them. I can recommend the HD600 because that's what we use and I know that they work well, but there are surely other headphones out there that would work as well or better. /Thomas

[@mattzere78]

Great video and insights. How do you work with the frequencies below the range that the HD600 suffers with? It seems to not be a good headphone for sub frequencies and yet, a lot of EDM works in the low end? I have seen some suggestions of using a spectral analyzer and headphones that can work in these lower frequencies - if you have to master EDM and work in the sub frequencies do you wear another pair of headphones or do you have techniques to deal with this? Headphones were always suggested for this traditionally to me due to the expense of treating a room in these lower frequencies - could you explain what you would do here? Thanks for your insights!

[@MasteringExplained]

The HD600:s go deep, they play cleanly down to 30 Hz at least. But they need some EQ/correction and a good headphone amplifier to deliver the full low-end with clarity and without distortion. I use Sonarworks for correction, and also add some extra low-end with a separate EQ. /Thomas

[@mattzere78]

@@MasteringExplained Thanks for replying. Could you tell me what headphone amplifier you chose? Ideally I'd like to be small with it and portable - so as to reap the benefits of the headphones!

[@MasteringExplained]

I mainly use a Mytek Stereo96 DAC as both DA and headphone amp, sounds really good to my ears. We also have an Oppo HA-2 that I really like the sound of, and that one is very portable as well. /Thomas

[@kurtm6345]

Very well explained, thank you! I usually have better results with headphones.

[@Peter-gu9ph]

Great video - would love your thoughts on my system - I use Neumann NDH 20 Studio Headphones with dSoniq Realphones Pro (as this software includes a profile for the headphones as well as 3D spacial simulation using crossfeed, very similar to Waves Nx Virtual Mix Room). I plug the headphones into my PreSonus Studio 24c as thats's a portable digital interface that is powered via USB-C Interface).

[@MasteringExplained]

We haven't tried any of those things, but they sure seem like they will do the job. The most important thing is that you get the results that you want. Feel free to report your findings, that will surely be helpful for others looking at these solutions! :) /Thomas

[@sub-jec-tiv]

If you want a pair of Sennheiser 600s for less money, grab the Drop 6XX. They’re produced by Drop and manufactured by Sennheiser and they are basically the exact same headphone for a fraction of the cost!

[@theiammike123]

I'm glad I found this video and channel. Subscribed. 😁👍

[@barnyardrecordings]

Do you have any experience of hardware crossfeed circuits like in the SPL headphone amps? It would make jumping between speakers and headphones much faster. Great info on this channel, glad I discovered it!

[@MasteringExplained]

No, I haven't used that. Great to have you here! /Thomas

[@CHUCHOMERCHAN]

thank you so much...very helpfull

[@StaffanOsterlind]

Yes! Bra video! Jag gör 90 % av mina mix och mastringsjobb medelst lurar också. Lätt moddade AKG 702 och jag använder NX mest. Har även Sonarworks och dSonic men NX känns bäst för mig. Jag testade Slate VSX i flera veckor men de kändes lite overkill och "otydliga". Jag ska referera till din video nästa gång en klient rynkar på näsan när jag svarar ärligt på frågan om min studioutrustning, ha ha.

[@MasteringExplained]

Tack för att du delar med dig! Teknologin är ikapp och min förutsägelse är att hörlurslyssning kommer att bli alltmer mainstream. :) /Thomas

[@StaffanOsterlind]

@@MasteringExplained Ja, samt att de flesta idag lyssnar på musik i hörlurar. Audio Technica har släppt ett likadant program som Slate med simulerade studios och olika monitorer så det verkar som om det blir den nya standarden, som du säger.

[@goodboid]

I use both headphones (Focal Clears + HifiMan Anandas) and studio monitors (Hedd Type 20) in a minimally treated room. The monitors are an infinitely better way to mix, for my kind of music, which is mostly techno and prog house. The biggest reason for that is one listens with one's body as much as one's ear. I can feel the low end slam in the cavity of my chest, which is something I just don't get over headphones. I've tried other high end headphones like Heddphones, Arya, HE100SE etc. it's just not the same.

[@MasteringExplained]

Yes, if your workflow depends on the air in the room physically moving, then headphones won't cut it. I really like the accuracy and translation that I get from headphones, so that outweighs the downsides for me. /Thomas

[@sourcefor]

Have you ever tried the SLATE VSX?

[@MasteringExplained]

Haven't tried that, but it looks interesting! Can potentially be useful for easily checking the masters in different setups. Personally, I prefer the simplicity of Canopener, that just fixes the main issue with headphones - stereo presentation - without introducing any additional coloration or room emulation. But it's a matter of taste. :) /Thomas

[@sigmundklaus]

just a word of caution with Sonarworks. I've got three calibrated headphones. Now the individual calibration is so different from the average that were I to use an average profile with those headphones it would mess up the sound quite a lot...to a varying degree... LCD 2 classic for instance the high end is a lot different. Sennheiser HD800 totally different than the average. Sennheiser HD25 is quite close to the average, though. BTW the HD800 sounded extreemly weird with the calibration ...I ended up using my own EQ, based on the measurement. With the LCD2 it was quite OK, with the HD25 it is extreemly good.

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks for sharing your experiences! Interesting! Both mine and Sofia's HD600:s sound very similar to each other and work really well with the average profile in Sonarworks. But I've also noticed a bit of hit and miss when correcting other types of headphones. /Thomas

[@danielkisel5661]

I've got calibrated DT770 pro and can confirm that individual profile is very different from average one in my headphones too, but in the end I like to use no headphone correction from sonarworks if I can, or only like 40% or less of that effect and I know about only one headphones that are flat enough to accomplish that with no or only some minor tweaks from parametric eq and those headphones are the new relatively cheap "audiophile" Sennheisers HD 560S. I use Beyerdynamic DT880 Pro too, those tend to react bit better to average profile, and are amongst the most comfortable, I used them for long time, I'm used to their top end sparkle, I find it to be an advantage, Sonarworks makes the headphones bit too dull to me, with headphones there isn't standardized "flat" response so it's bit tricky and Sonarworks while doing good job isn't really perfect to me, I like it as starting point and tweak that profile a little bit. The new SoundID seems to be better for that than the older reference 4.

[@producermind9030]

That’s what I think about my LCD2. They very different from average. So I stopped using SW.

[@michaelschnell5633]

Thanks a lot for that video ! What do you think about the ADAM Headphones ? I have a pair of very small ADAM speakers, and the high end IMHO sounds great (pleasant but nonetheless natural) for the rather low price. Hence Headphones on that technology might be a good idea. -Michael

[@MasteringExplained]

I haven’t heard the Adam headphones, but please feel free to report your findings if you try them! :) /Thomas

[@michaelschnell5633]

@@MasteringExplained I forgot to mention that that technology seems to be called " accelerated ribbon ".

[@michaelschnell5633]

@@MasteringExplained A very exited review for the Adams -> kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJrWo62Me6eNibM -Michael

[@vladsapojnic7884]

What are your bass and treble settings? I use Can Opener with the exact settings you showed on the screen and Sonarworks last in the chain but wondering what are the extra corrections / tweaks you said you use since you tweaked it to sound like your professional studio

[@MasteringExplained]

Some more subs and some more high-end, but these are personal preferences. I'd recommend that you start without any extra EQ. If you then find that your masters for example consistently end up brighter than you expect when listening elsewhere, then you can try to add a bit of high-end in the monitoring to counteract that. The goal is to set up the monitoring so that whenever it sounds good and balanced to you, then it will also translate well to other systems. /Thomas

[@NVRLOSTT]

hey so i have Beyerdynamic DT 770’s 80ohms since i don’t have a treated room. Do you think those are good for mixing and mastering? I also have “Morph” it’s a plug-in that flattens the headphones EQ to be as neutral as possible because the DT’s are bass boosted and the highs are pretty sharp but they sound good.

[@NoQualmsTheArtist]

I find Morphit is the best correction software for headphones, it doesn't sound phasy like others.

[@mugwood]

Super helpful video, thanks! One question though - when working on monitors it’s really important to work to calibrated sound levels.... how do you calibrate your listening level for cans?

[@plasticcreations7836]

I'm no expert but I think the Sonarworks Reference software mentioned in the video is calibrated to certain headphones. So as long as you have headphones on the supported list then it will auto calibrate for you.

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks for your comments! Good points! Regarding calibrated levels -- when mixing for film or broadcast it's usually very important to work in a calibrated setup. But for music mastering, it's not that important in practice. There are suggestions that 83 dB SPL is a good level to work at due to the ears then having the most linear frequency response at that level, but for me that's too loud to be comfortable. IMO it's more important to monitor at a fairly consistent loudness level that you are used to. So whenever I'm listening to something and need to assess the tonal balance etc, I simply adjust the monitoring level until I reach my preferred loudness level, and work from there. That level tend to measure around 77 dB SPL, but the numbers don't really matter. This method works fine in both speakers and headphones. Sonarworks reference will calibrate the frequency response of your headphones to be neutral / flat (to their definition of "flat" at least), but you will set the sound level by using the volume control on your interface or headphone amp. Finding your preferred loudness level will be much easier in a neutral monitoring setup though. /Thomas

[@kablah19]

Can you please share what settings for cross feed amount and angle you use in Can Opener? The fact that there’s not 1 objectively best setting that it just comes set with frustrates me.

[@MasteringExplained]

I can understand that ☺️ You have a screenshot of our actual settings in this article www.masteringexplained.com/mastering-with-headphones/ /Sofia

[@kablah19]

@@MasteringExplained thank you very much! The only thing I’m curious about is whether y’all have the loudness compensation setting turned on for the -0.5 dB on the output?

[@MasteringExplained]

No loudness compensation is enabled, the -0.5 is just to make the level more consistent between off/on. /Thomas

[@henrygentles1894]

In Wavelab, does the plugin order matter in the Playback section? Do I put Sonarworks before the NX plugin or after in the Playback? And NX has a HD600 Profile, should I use Sonarworks or the NX profile? I read you tried NX so what do you suggest? Thx!

[@MasteringExplained]

As a rule of thumb, Sonarworks should be the last plugin in the chain. But unless you have a custom profile for your your headphones (with different correction for left/right) then the order won't make any difference. /Thomas

[@LUXXLY]

My set up is Mac running Canopener last in daw & Sonarworks Reference System Wide (Linear Phase setting) into Focusrite Scarlett 2i4 into SPL Phonitor Mini into HD 650's. Is this an acceptable set up? (I don't use the Phonitor mini's crossed function because the fixed amounts sound pretty bad)

[@MasteringExplained]

I haven't used those things, but I would expect to get good results from that setup! 👍 How do you like it? /Thomas

[@LUXXLY]

@@MasteringExplained Yeah I'm starting to get used to it, the past few days I've swapped can opener out for the Phonitors highest settings so that I can wear the HD 650's while listening to anything on the computer even outside of the daw, it will take a bit of time but I'm sure I'll get there :)

[@jonathanalbalak5015]

Thank you very much, this was very helpful!

[@sparella]

Tone Boosters Isone 3 is now part of their collection of free legacy plugins.

[@wynandwitbooipappawyproduc2942]

Greetings. Which headphones are best for mastering, open or closed back..

[@MasteringExplained]

We prefer open back headphones. These are the ones that we use: www.masteringexplained.com/recommendations/ /Thomas

[@MarcoS-pw9px]

Cross Feed before sonarworks? Or after? :)

[@drummerboyabhra3671]

sir which headphone can i use for mixing. i have tight budget. plz suggest me

[@Pax30001]

Thank you for sharing!

[@chilljlt]

thank you for doing this!

[@bosiiiiiiiiii]

your mastering course link is broken, thank u for teaching ~

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks! ☀️

[@maxlarsen]

What headphones do you reccomend for Mixing and mastering? I bought Shure SRH1840 dunno if i should have bought Beyerdynamic 1990 instead, i am serious professional aswell.

[@DaveChips]

I haven't tried SRH... But I'm super happy working on Beyerdynamic 1990... In the unfinished track, it can be a bit harsh on top end, specially crashes and rides... But stage and separation is wonderful and mixes translate quite well across all devices. I used to work with Senheisers, but now I'm sticking 70% of precise work in them and check on monitors and other devices.

[@MasteringExplained]

We use Sennheiser HD600, and those are the ones I have been using the most and can recommend. I can't really comment on those that you mention, but they are high quality headphones no doubt. At that level you can't really go wrong as long as you enjoy working with them and the results translate well. /Thomas

[@LauraKemps]

Thank you this was so informative!!

[@hansholzbein1]

Amazing info, you're the best. Much love guys, thank you 🙏🙏

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks! 👍

[@gibson2623]

The stereo field on headphones, as we perceive it, is never real. Our left hear cannot hear the right side. There are more issues also....On the other hand, having a properly treated room at home is virtually impossible. In the end, maybe headphones are the better solution, but one must know well the headphones. Thanks, nice video mate.

[@snubdawg1386]

thanks for all the infos ...i have a question, i read that the hd600 are more flat compared to hd650 but it seems the hd650 are hyped in the areas that you miss in the hd600 ...have you ever tried the hd650 compared to the hd600 and still recommend the hd600?

[@MasteringExplained]

The HD650 sound softer with more low mids, but the difference is not that big. I'd be happy to use either of them with correction from Sonarworks. /Thomas

[@ChestermereToday]

Any tips on mixing kick and bass on HP ITB? I have the tendency to get my kick way to heavy and snappy. While sounding goood in HP on speakers seems to be too overwhelming and the rest of the elements cant present themself properly...Thanks

[@producermind9030]

I use filters on the whole mix. Metric AB has low mid and high filters. Use low pass to just hear the kick and sub/bass. That way u can get a nice balance.

[@michaeltablet8577]

Hello from Texas USA. Just found and subscribed to your channel. Thank you so very much!

[@MasteringExplained]

Thanks! Welcome! :)

[@g.m.6417]

Thomas, which do you think is more Supirior, crossfeed software or crossfeed hardware?

[@MasteringExplained]

I think that the delay part of the cross-feed is important for externalizing the sound, so that would exclude a fully analog cross-feed for me. But I have not tried any of the hardware solutions yet, so I don't have any opinions on those. /Thomas

[@nesjeu882]

Hey Thomas, are you still checking your final masters on a (non optimal) speaker setup? Or are you basically solely relying on your “mains”, the 600s? If so you really must have learned how they translate…

[@MasteringExplained]

We had a transition period where we used both. I was surprised to find that I increasingly did not need the speakers at all and in the end we completely let them go. I quite like the traditional studio setup as well so I’m not against that in any way. This is just one more way to do mastering. /Thomas

[@nesjeu882]

@@MasteringExplained thanks, man! :)