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Mixing In Headphones Good/Bad ?
Ok, here is a question that has brought much debate between me and some other friends.
Mixing style is something that is unique to each DJ, but is there a right/wrong way in how you use that style?
The example, Mixing in your headphones.
Record A is playing, you beatcmatch record B and are ready to mix. You put your headphones on and listen to the master channel and work your entire mix with your headphones on, always switching around between channels to make sure the beats stay on.
Do other DJs use this method? Is there anything good/bad about it?
My friend who does says its because his home system speakers are really really bad - they have almost no bass and are very distorted so he can never get a clean mix by using one ear on the phones and the other on the monitors, so he does it all in the phones.
How do you guys handle the headphones etc. when you mix?
Curious to hear your thoughts -
I do it this way too. My speakers are very loud and clear, and have good bass, but i still feel i can get a tighter mix with the cans on. There is no reflection and absorbtion of the room, different times for the sound to reach each ear from each speaker etc. these differences are subtle, but enough to make me want the headphones on.
However, on my mixer (and i believe all mixers) you don't the effect of the line faders, or the crossfader when cueing channels. so when you are mixing the track in, either with line or crossfaders, then you can't hear how loud each track is in relation to the other.
I believe some mixers (DJM 500 for example) have a MASTER cue output, maybe this is affected by the faders? i can't remember it's been a long time since i used one. but on mine (Vestax PCV275), you can only turn each individual channel on.
so, to hear the relative volumes, you need to take at least one ear off to monitor. also, if you are slamming two tracks together, the bass might be overpowering your speakers. it might sound fine in your cans, but distorting to your audience, so it's best to take a listen to what they are hearing. afterall the show is for them!
I always mixed with only cued track in the headphones and listen actual track by speakers or monitor, i think it's more professional (but it's only a my opinion) and so if mixer haven't a rotary control between main output and headphones output i'm however able to mix.
before i decide to do the transition, i beat match the songs by listening to the soon to be played track in the headphones with one ear and use my other to listen to the track being played. once i have them matched, i put the headphones over both ears and play both songs in the headphones and make sure everything sounds peachy.
once i'm ready to do the mix, i use one ear to listen in the headphones and the other to listen to whats playing.
when i bring the volume of the new track up to about 50%, i take off the headphones completly and listen only to whats being played.
IMO opinion it's important to be able to do both.
At home, if you feel you mix best using headphones - do it!
However, you will typically find it more difficult to mix entirely in headphones at a club, either because of the volume or because of a poor mixer 
So... make sure you're happy working both ways.
And for those who don't like mixing in headphones: practice it! I had to mix entirely in headphones at a club once because the monitor speaker was broken. Difficult, but I still rocked the crowd (well, mostly )
I think you can't really say weater it's good or bad, I mean, as long as it sounds good, its ok. What I do is usually a bit of the 2. Headphone on 1 ear playing incoming track + outgoing track. But, the the incoming is harder than the outgoing one. That way, you get a balaced sound between incoming and outgoing. That's a good technique to mix right for me...
once again
there is no right and wrong way to mix
as long as your mix is pleasing to the ear, who cares how you do it
and as for the question
i use what works for that particular mix
if i need the cans on the whole way through or if i just get them matched and take them off to do the transition
a good dj is one that is able to adapt to any setup and any situation no matter what
just do what works for you
don't worry what other people think
and above all else, have fun
because if you're not having fun, what's the point in djing?
I agree, but there is some validity in knowing how other people do it.. your custom text is more and more appropriate each day shockwav 
it's true you should do what works for you, but it can help to get ideas from other people to find out what to try, and what to look out for.
i use cue nd program
i keep switcging my cue/program knob on my mixer. i do it all in the headphones. nd i live in an apartment, so the neigbours r fuked up.
Personally I've been using headphones exclusively when mixing, but that's mostly because cranking music on speakers would disturb others in the house where we live.
Just about to hit an amateur DJ night tonight, so I will experiment with speaker/headhpone cueing.
Good to hear so many opinions etc. on this, its giving me some new ideas to expirament with too. Like many have said, there is no right/wrong way but it is really good to find out new ideas, tips etc. that you may not have thought of!
i have no idea how to mix with one ear listening to monitor and one ear listening to headphone :/
how do you guys match it? its so much easier with headphones cuz the beats are all there. but you had one beat on your left and one on your right. no idea how you guys do it
Actually, I find it easier...
totally man, i can't understand how that is even possible. I can get the speed right, but i can't get em matched at all. I tried it last night, just for kicks. I had them going the same speed, and it sounded tight to me, just the cued track in the headphones on one ear.
but then i put on both ears, and put both tracks on cue, and the incoming track was like half a beat behind the live! they were the same speed, but way off alignment. my ear can't compensate for the difference in time from the speakers to my ear i guess, even though my speakers are only about 6 feet away.
hmm..
does the math:
sound travels 1,087 feet per second.
it takes 0.00552 seconds for sound to travel 6 feet to my ears.
a standard 140BPM track has about beat every 0.43 seconds
it seemed to me to be off half a beat, so 0.215 off, but it really should only have been 0.00552 off.
so, end result. my ears are fucked!
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Tiger777 Actually, I find it easier... |
I beatmatch the tracks and align them all in my headphones. I also do any initial eqing that may be required (ie kill trebel on incoming track B) I then throw off my headphones and preform the mix according to what's coming out of the speakers.. I also can hear more acurately what needs eqing and so forth.
my way
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Haunted i have no idea how to mix with one ear listening to monitor and one ear listening to headphone :/ how do you guys match it? its so much easier with headphones cuz the beats are all there. but you had one beat on your left and one on your right. no idea how you guys do it |
Re: my way
| quote: |
| Originally posted by shawnb the way i do it is: i set a loop on my a song or i pause it, then i get the b song set and when its time to mix u press play. get it? |
Re: Re: my way
| quote: |
| Originally posted by Blithe I think we have a genius. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by JohnSmith totally man, i can't understand how that is even possible. I can get the speed right, but i can't get em matched at all. I tried it last night, just for kicks. I had them going the same speed, and it sounded tight to me, just the cued track in the headphones on one ear. but then i put on both ears, and put both tracks on cue, and the incoming track was like half a beat behind the live! they were the same speed, but way off alignment. my ear can't compensate for the difference in time from the speakers to my ear i guess, even though my speakers are only about 6 feet away. hmm.. does the math: sound travels 1,087 feet per second. it takes 0.00552 seconds for sound to travel 6 feet to my ears. a standard 140BPM track has about beat every 0.43 seconds it seemed to me to be off half a beat, so 0.215 off, but it really should only have been 0.00552 off. so, end result. my ears are fucked! |
and I have exactly the same problem as well.
I started playing round with mp3 djing so when i got decks i was comfortable with headphone mixing already.
At home, on a DJM 300 the cueing options are deck 1, deck 2, master, deck 1 in left master in right, deck 2 in left master in right or deck 1 and 2 together.
I cue up deck b, then put deck a in the HP, let go deck b go and match them. I play both channels in both ears not one in each.
When i'm about to start the mix, I do the same thing and beofre i move the faders to send the mix to air I take off the phones and do it completely over the system.
Like many of you guys, if I use one phone off one phone on, even at home when speaker position is optimal the beats are still half a beat off. I guess simply becuase when one channel comes straight from the mixer, the other goes from the mixer to the amp to the speakers, so despite it being quick, it's still slower than the channel going straight to the headphones.
You could do it and then just adjust it when the mix comes in. Also you'd learn how much to slow the headphone channel down over time so the delay is compensated.
phew. glad i got that out
I use the phone to beat match the songs then check my cue point when i got it al running then i remove the phone's and set in de volume .. because i wanna hear it from the speaker because that's what the crowed is hearing when that is running i set phone back on listen to whats to come so i can better fade track A out of the picture ... kwel topic see alot of intersting things arround 
i thinks it become's a sort of STYE of your own
I usually have my headphones covering one ear, and in that ear I can hear the cue'd track and the live track but at a lower volume (since my mixer has cue pan). So eg cue @ 100% volume and live @ 30% volume.
And in the other ear I can just hear the master feed. I find this works well for me.
Re: Re: Re: my way
| quote: |
| Originally posted by CarlosM I guess he is Talking about CD Decks |
Re: my way
| quote: |
| Originally posted by shawnb the way i do it is: i set a loop on my a song or i pause it, then i get the b song set and when its time to mix u press play. get it? |
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