How to Mix with Studio

How do I mix music with headphones? What are the best headphones for mixing and music production? And why should I be tracking with headphones in the first place? These are very common questions for first-time home studio users, and KRK and Performer Magazine have teamed up to help guide you towards the best studio monitor headphones for your recording needs.

Welcome to the content creators and mobile production issue, where we hope to provide real-world advice for setting up your first home recording studio or on-the-go rig, co-presented by Performer Magazine and our title sponsors KRK Systems. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at studio monitor headphones, specifically why you should be using a secondary monitoring source during your recording sessions, which types of studio headphones make the most sense for your applications, and how to listen to a headphone mix to make music production decisions. KRK has been kind enough to send us a number of pairs from their KNS series of studio monitor headphones over the years, including the KNS 6402 ($99), and the KNS 8402 ($149) cans.

We feel the KRK KNS lineup offers great quality at each of their respective price points, and you can read our expert reviews of each model in previous issues.

Multiple Monitor Sources

To start, why should you bother with a set of headphones at all? One of the first purchases we see many first-time home studio users make is a pair of studio monitor speakers. And that makes sense; you want to be able to listen to your sessions as you’re tracking and mixing, and studio monitor speakers are voiced to deliver a true audio response without the coloration of, say, hi-fi speakers.

But there are a few reasons that studio monitor headphones are important. For starters, it’s always a good idea to reference your work using multiple monitor sources. What you’re hearing out of your speakers might sound great now, but it’s important to hear what you’re recording through other sources to get a sense of how the music will sound on various playback systems. And of course, one of the most popular methods for music consumption is through consumer-grade earbuds and headphones. So, auditioning your tracks through a set of headphones makes sense, not just to hear what the end-user will experience (even though studio monitor headphones are voiced a bit differently than consumer-grade models in most instances), but also because the music will exhibit a different spatial depth when listening on a closed auditory system, like headphones, than an open system

(such as speakers moving air in a room). In short, the soundstage will be more pronounced with the sound directed at both ears in true stereo, without the room environment and sound treatment affecting what you hear.

Second, we recommend studio headphone monitoring during both tracking and mixing to hear the subtler nuances of the tracks you’re working on. Especially true when layering lots of complex overdubs, it can be more difficult, at times, to truly hear each of your tracks in true separation even through the best of studio monitor speakers, if things are becoming a bit congested in the mix. At times like this, it’s especially prudent to reference your work through headphones to isolate any issues that may be causing muddiness or spatial confusion, which we feel can often be done more accurately through a pair of properly-voiced studio monitor headphones.

OPEN-BACK VS. CLOSED-BACK STUDIO MONITOR HEADPHONES

We’ll keep this short, while open-back designs might be great for pure audiophile listening, we don’t recommend them for home studio use, other than to audition final masters from a listener’s perspective. For tracking and mixing, however, we exclusively recommend closed-back headphones that were specifically designed and voiced for studio recording. The

KRK KNS models we’ve tested are an ideal choice for recording. They are suited especially well for mixing, specifically in the way they are voiced, and are very nicely tailored for on-the-go production in terms of comfort and portability. The KNS lineup would be ideal for tracking and more intense critical listening. And the 6402’s offer the most affordable entry point to studio monitor headphones without sacrificing quality.

Open-backed designs can introduce unwanted bleed from the room, while in turn also bleeding out audio into the room. Neither is ideal - you don’t want any audio seeping into your brain that isn’t coming from your DAW and you don’t want loud audio from your session throwing off anyone else trying to work in the space. So open-backed designs, at least as far as we’re concerned, are a non-starter for the studio.

Of the KNS models we’ve tried before, we had this to note in our initial evaluation: “In our tests, we were pleasantly surprised at the flat response and colorless reproduction the KNS headphones had to offer. Too often at this price point, some sort of coloration seeps in and can affect the way you hear your mixes, and ultimately alter the way your tracks sound (and not always in a positive way). Most of the time, we’ve found that adds up to an increased (and often unnecessary) bass boost. Thankfully, this wasn’t the case and these new KRK studio headphones offered a “what you hear is what you get” type of vibe, exactly what you want in the studio. Bass was present and clear, without an over-emphasis on low-end frequencies. No mud, no fuss.”

Studio Monitor Headphone Specs

There are some things to consider when it comes to specs. As we’ve mentioned, our recommendation is to stick to models specifically designed for studio usage, and not necessarily consumergrade headphones. Many of those models offer coloration to the sound being reproduced, which in a recording or mixing situation, is not ideal. Especially prevalent are overzealous bass-boost “features” that will disrupt the natural bass curve of the music coming from your DAW. Instead, focus on studio monitor headphones that not only feature comfortable earcups and headbands, but also flat frequency responses of at least 20Hz - 20kHz (many higher-end models will offer reproduction at both higher and lower frequencies, and though we won’t get into the science of hearing in this article, even frequencies that are technically outside of the audible range for humans can make a difference in what you’re hearing) and good-sized drivers.

In speakers, drivers will usually be measured in inches (in the United States), but for headphones look for specs of at least 40mm and higher. The larger the voice coil, the more air can be moved, not just resulting in louder volume (your headphone amp will play a solid role in volume, as well), but also the range of frequencies that can be accurately (and that’s the key word) reproduced. In plain English, the more accurate the sound, the better attuned to the music you can be when focusing on your session work. Trying to mix or record in an environment where you’re not hearing back a true representation of what you’re laying down in your DAW can have disastrous effects on all aspects of your project, most notably in over- and under-compensation in both high and low ends of the spectrum. The last thing you want is to boost all the highs only to find out they were fine all along, you were just using lousy headphones and now your tracks are entirely too bright and trebly.

Things To Listen For During Tracking And Mixing

Again, listening to multiple sources will give you a better overall perspective and understanding of what’s going on in your music. When it comes to headphone monitoring, there are some specific items to note. To start, headphones allow you to really isolate the stereo imaging you’ve created in your tracks. Having both the left and right channels directed at each individual ear in isolation can make for perhaps an unnatural, yet revealing study of how you’re placing instruments in 3D space. Issues with panning and stereo placement can become instantly evident (even sometimes exaggerated) when listening back through proper headphones, and corrected efficiently before mastering.

Second, you’ll be able to more faithfully tune into quieter passages and layers that have been more buried in the mix. Is that synth part audible enough in the bridge? Does that acoustic guitar need to be panned in the verse so it’s not competing with the piano that’s dead-center? Or should we double a vocal line here where it’s sounding a bit thin? Choices like this can often be made more intelligently after referencing the track through speakers first, then headphones to isolate things in a more distraction-free manner.

Headphone Amps

Until now, we’ve been dealing with headphones in isolation. But they need to be plugged into something to work, right? And you might find yourself in a situation where more than one person needs to hear what’s going on at once. That’s where headphone amps come into the picture. Now, your audio interface will likely offer monitoring options either on the front panel (if they’re smart) or on the rear. But if your interface only has one headphone port, you may want to look into a dedicated studio headphone amp designed specifically for recording needs. These devices will often offer very clean power and multiple outputs and independent volume controls – meaning you can have several people listening in at once, each with their own settings.

Closing Thoughts

We hope this installment has helped guide you on your way to choosing the best studio headphones for your needs. Keep in mind that this series is aimed at the beginner home studio user in an effort to dispel common myths about home recording, and to make the entire process much less intimidating than it might seem at first.

Head to www.krkmusic.com to learn more and to find the products that will fit YOUR home studio needs.

If The Office taught us anything, it’s that we as a society love awards. I mean, who wouldn’t want a shiny new Dundee for their mantlepiece? So this summer, we’re presenting our inaugural “Conty Awards,” [‘conty’ being a take on “content,” not a nod to the recently departed manager of Tottenham Hostpur] which is our version of the Dundees, to some of the coolest products in the following categories we came up with while trying to make the next great song on our morning subway commute to the office.

So, without further ado, may I present our first-ever Conty recipients…

Our Favorite New (and Old) USB Microphone:

Audio-Technica AT2020USB-XP

The AT2020 lineup of USB mics has been our go-to for years when it comes to easy, great sounding plug-n-play recording mics for onthe-go usage. Be sure to check out the brandnew AT2020USB-XP which gives streamers, podcasters, and other creators the award- winning AT2020 sound with plug-and-play USB-C operation and a whole lot of extras. Three selectable noise-reduction levels and an automatic gain control allow you to adjust the clear, natural sound reproduced by the mic’s high-resolution A/D converter (up to 24-bit/192 kHz). Plus, sound can be monitored directly from the mic with no latency, mixed with computer audio, and silenced with a touch of the capacitive mute button.

The original 2020+ earned our praise, as well, and still remains a killer tool at the price point. Feature-wise, it’s not overwhelming, a 1/8” connection for headphones, and two volume wheels, one for headphone volume, and the second is a mix control that allows the blend of mic vs. playback signal. Connecting is simple: plug and play. It works with Mac and Windows software easily, and with pretty much every recording application that recognizes USB devices.

It’s a condenser mic, and its frequency response is pretty flat, leaving plenty of room for external EQ (if desired). For acoustic and electric instruments it works really well, with plenty of range and dynamics. On vocals, it doesn’t color the sound, and the ability for a singer to control their own mix and headphone levels at the mic is great, especially for those singers that want to run their own sessions without an engineer.

Overall, it’s a quality-built mic, with a quality sound, and is perfect for many uses: instruments, vocals, streaming, TikToks, voiceovers or anything else you can imagine.

Best Mobile Monitors:

KRK GoAux 4” Monitors Powered Portable Studio Monitors

Coming in as a pair, the master speaker sports 1/4-inch TRS balanced, RCA, and 1/8-inch aux inputs on the rear. These are Bluetooth-enabled for wireless connectivity and also feature a USB-B input. With additional EQ selection, there are options for Low and High frequency (flat, +2dB, and -3dB), allowing adjustability to suit the listening environment. Inside the ABS enclosure resides a four-inch Woven Glass Aramid Woofer, detailed in KRK’s trademark yellow, and a one-inch soft textile dome tweeter bringing a max peak SPL of 108dB, with a total of 100 Watts of Class D power. On the front, you’ll find a handy 1/8-inch headphone connection and an ARC (Automatic Room Correction feature) microphone input. A pair of angled stands for optimum positioning are included, as well as a padded nylon bag.

These aren’t just “throw them on the desk and go” speakers—an included ARC mic is meant to help configure the monitors to your space, with a series of sounds pumped through the speakers, and the ARC mic picks up these tones and calibrates the speakers. Perfect for home studio use AND adjusting to life on the go as a mobile producer who works in various spaces at any given time.

Considering these are meant to be portable, with the carrying case and ARC calibration feature, it’s a pretty comprehensive kit. Setting these up and tearing them down in a hotel room on a daily basis might be a bit of a pain for a band on the go, but the overall fidelity is excellent. A great way to utilize these would be tracking and mixing in your own space, then using these in different spaces, such as living rooms or bedrooms, to listen back to mixes for reference. Content creators might want to look into a set of these when on assignment. Even better is taking them to a dedicated studio and using them to reference against various studio monitors― making them a great tool for A/B and reference mixing.

In comparison to a set of studio desktop monitors that aren’t meant to be so mobile or a set of consumer-grade desktop speakers, these certainly side closer to the studio versions by a long shot. Even if these did not leave a desktop, they’re certainly a great pair of small-format studio monitors that can deliver.

Fave “On-The-Go” Headphones:

KRK KNS-8402 Headphones

With an over the ear design, the sound isolation is great, blocking out 30dB of outside noise, making these excellent in a live tracking situation. Using the inline slider cable allows the user to control the volume into the headphones. Ever have a session where a player keeps asking for constant (and inconsistent) volume adjustments in their cans? This will put them in the driver’s seat in controlling their own overall volume without a separate monitor mix. Speaking of volume, with a max 124 dB (which is about the same volume level as a jackhammer) there should be no issues with drivers getting damaged or fatigued in even extreme situations.

Comfort-wise, these are excellent in a physical sense, with the fantastic padding, and lightweight feel. Going into long sessions the audio fatigue was non-existent, especially with the in-line volume control, allowing the player to adjust the levels to their own taste. With a frequency response of 5hz-23kHz they can cover pretty much anything from sensitive acoustic to mega umlaut metal. The audio quality was excellent, the Neodymium drivers not only tend to make things lighter but seem to roll off harshness in the higher ranges, while still maintaining a nice and full low-end response that maintains definition.

So, for tracking, these are really nice, but one thing that always helps in a mixing setting is being able to switch between headphones and room monitors, hunting for the audio issues one of the items is either missing or coloring in some manner. We did a few bits of back and forth between our monitors and these and found a nice balance where these seemed to have a lot of characteristics of monitors.

There’s a school of thought that mixing only on a set of headphones isn’t a good practice. However, with a set of these, since you’re getting very similar responses to monitor speakers, that school could easily be dismissed.

Overall, these are quite nice, and for tracking and personal use (our tester loved using these with his modeling pedalboard) a set of these is a no brainer. Mixing with a set of these was a pleasure and worked nicely with monitors. There seems to be a lot of mileage to be had from putting these in your home studio, regardless of the road taken or the destination.

Best Small-Format MIDI Controller:

Donner DMK-25 PRO MIDI Controller

The Donner DMK-25 PRO MIDI Controller comes in an attractive blacked-out finish, and a two-octave keyboard that’ll get any budding producer started, whether it’s adding bass lines, melodies, drum samples or chord changes to their tracks.

It’s all USB powered, so you can plug it into your computer without the need for big ol’ power bricks. From there, control the soft synths and drums in your DAW using the comfortable keyed, or the built-in pad controls. There are also faders and assignable sliders to help control some of your most frequently used parameters, which makes tactile control over your sound a breeze.

The OLED screen is super nice and bright, and easy to read which means navigating menus isn’t a chore. Once you’ve got your sounds loaded, both the keybed itself and the drum pads are velocity sensitive, so they’ll respond to light and heavy touches accordingly over MIDI. Meaning you can add more dynamics to your music in the way you would on a traditional keyboard or drum set.

Finally, you’ve got the ability to use the arpeggiator, chord functions, and map the keyboard to scales as opposed to the standard chromatic keyboard, making soloing and melodic playing easy for everyone.

The new MIDI controller from Donner is ultra-affordable, compact and a joy to play. We recommend it for a backpack rig, or the starter piece for your first home studio.

Best Small-Format Podcast Audio Interface:

Focusrite Vocaster Two USB-C Podcasting Audio Interface

Podcasting started out pretty simply: a computer and a microphone. Then the ability to have someone call in, like a radio show, and the hardware and software needed for more (and better) microphones meant more gear that in many cases were overkill for most applications. Focusrite’s Vocaster Two brings a lot of streamlined functionality, and adjustable audio options in a small format.

With two XLR inputs that offer phantom power, they’re designated “guest” and “host”, along with a headphone jack for each. A 1/8” connection allows for external inputs from a phone. Taking things one step further, an additional output for a camera’s audio input now brings video options to the content creator easily. As it functions as an audio interface, there are two 1/4” speaker outputs for mixing and playback. The control surface is easy to navigate with soft touch buttons that light up when engaged, and each mic’s controls are independently adjustable. A visual gain display allows the user to see audio signal strength easily for level monitoring.

Additional functionality comes with

Focusrite’s Vocaster Hub software as a free download. This can also run the physical functionality of the Vocaster, as well as act as a mixing console, with an auto gain function that sets the levels automatically, as well as loopback functionality, meaning audio can be imported back in while the recording is happening, perfect for pre-recorded intros and outros, and hopefully when the podcast is successful, pre-recorded advertisements. With selectable EQ profiles for the microphones, it can help enhance the sound based off of the microphone being used as well as the person speaking. Ever have a dark sounding mic, with a vocalist that has a deep voice, and have to really crank the gain to get the level up? Yeah, this can help solve this while maintaining a reasonable level.

We even used the Vocaster with GarageBand and Studio One 5 with no issues at all. It can function as an interface to pretty much every DAW recording software, but the package includes trial versions of Hindenburg Lite, aCast, SquadCast Pro + Video and Ampify Studio.

This really is a plug-and-play piece of gear, with no problem getting up and running in a snap. The added audio out to a camera can make this a super easy vlogger setup that can solve so many cabling and routing issues of getting audio into a digital video device for YouTube, live streaming and content creation.

Most Feature-Rich Drum Pad Controller for Your Backpack:

PreSonus Atom Controller

Yes, it’s another pad-style controller, but it does what it does, and it does it well. Integration with Studio One is tight as a drum, no drivers or other nonsense to get in the way (at least on our studio’s Mac). We fired up a new session, opened up some of our fave drum samples, and everything mapped and functioned instantly with no fussiness. Playing finger-style was a breeze, and we were able to instantly lay down grooves and trigger samples without even glancing at the manual. That said, there are a lot of function buttons on the front panel, and it may be a bit daunting to a new user who’s never played with a controller like this before.

The Atom Controller is lightweight (we’d be surprised if it weren’t, considering it’s just passing data back and forth), so it it’ll slide nicely into a DJ backpack for gigs or studio work. The knobs and buttons all feel nice and firm, the pads themselves offer a good amount of touch sensitivity while still being firm enough to allow for the proper pressure-sensitive playing many of us have become accustomed to over the years.

All in all, not too much more to say. The price is right, too, at just $149. For electronic artists who’re already in the PreSonus ecosphere, it’s a no brainer. We did test it out with a few other DAWs, and since everything is assignable and velocity-sensitive, we were laying down softsynth performances with relative ease after a quick initial setup. This would be great for live setups, as well, since you can trigger loops and parts easily on your laptop while performing live in real-time with other hardware synths or drum machines.