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IN-headphone Mixing, Aye or Nay?

Hey guys, quick newb DJ question. What are the advantages of mixing in headphones opposed to mixing with only one headphone and using the monitors/speakers... I've been mixing the whole time in my headphones, my speakers aren't loud enough (i have neighbors that complain) and I really see no problem mixing in my headphones. You listen to ONLY the incoming song on your one headphone right? If you DJ at a club, what seems to be easier or more effective, IN-headphone mixing, or headphone/monitor combo? I always see the one-headphone thing going on at clubs... is it any different than at home? Thanks!

Hey Ibiza Dreams

Nothing wrong with being able to do both.

You will always get people telling you that the one phone to monitor is the best because they have seen so and so do it etc.

Both phones on:
I have played in clubs where it's just been the only way to do it because the monitors are shot to bits if there were any, and the sound system was pants.
Something I will always do is compare volumes of tracks in my phones just to make sure I'm getting it right.
Although I actually find it easier just to have both songs in both ears... takes some getting used to but it can be done.

Once I start mixing I will usually listen to it on the monitor anyways providing it's any good (The monitor).

The thing to remember about a lot of the DJs at the top is that they started doing it a long time ago and a lot of mixers in the past have not supported split cue and so on. Old habbits die hard.
To be frank about the whole thing.. there are a lot of DJs who insist on doing the one ear thing but probably shoudn't as they constantly screw the volumes up.

It is easier to hear what needs to be corrected in the phones in my opinion.

Any club these days worth their name will look after the DJs anyways with regards to mixer at the very least if not monitors too. Pre-club bars are a different matter alltogether. It's very rare now that I see a club that doesn't have a mixer capable of giving you both options. (Except for the now closed 'Underground club' in Brigthon wich gave you neither option and the DJ booth was built on the bass bins so all you had was a rumble to match to ).

Learn both in my opinion. Which ever one you use more often is down to you, just keep in mind you never know when you will have to use the other.
If you can play a better set using both phones than Tiesto using one I'm not going to bitch at you for it and neither is a whole dance floor going wild.
If you are just DJing for the sheer joy of it I wouldn't even give this a second thought.

Best of luck
Nem

Thanks for the great advice bro. I've been mixing IN the headphones, like you said, with both songs on both headphones, and it works well for me. Wasn't sure if mixing with monitors would be more effective. Guess, it's just a matter of preference, thanks bud.

it seems to me like the general consensus is that people use monitors more and more as they get better, just as i do as i get better. but nem is right to say that not all clubs have good monitors.

Re: Hey Ibiza Dreams

quote:

Originally posted by Nemesis44 Nothing wrong with being able to do both. ...

that's one top quality post, i completely agree.

I've been mixing with split cue from the beginning and I found out that when you mix with a monitor the sound you hear from your monitor is cleaner than the one in the headphones so you can hear the kick better. anyway I use all the methods at the same time.
I am starting with split cue to find the currect speed as fast as I can and then I start monitor-mixing to find the exact speed, when i start the mix outside the mixer I do it with cueing both channels at the same time...

I've always used single-ear monitoring ... but I can do both .. and I find that sometimes i match it with single-ear ... then double-check to see if their together with in-headphones.

i use the one ear / monitors method because my mixer doesnt have split cue, among other things. i have no problems in my room cuz i have my monitors close and kinda loud but in the little bar that i have begun to play at there arent really any proper monitors so i have some minor issues. however the main speakers are pretty close to the dj area so i guess things could be worse.

being able to do both would probably be the way to go.

Nay....

I've been bitten a couple of times when using in-headphone mixing where for some stupid reason the new track hasn't gone out to the speakers I'd be halfway through the mix before realising what was going on. OK it's a silly mistake to make, but easy to do if you aren't constantly listening to what everyone else is listening to.

I cue up and do a 'test mix' in the headphones now (put both songs into the headphones to see if they clash), then do the actual mix using monitors. If it only saves you once a year...

Personally I prefer to use split-cue headphone mixing, but keep in mind that I'm just a bedroom DJ at this point. I too have the problem where I can't have music cranked up loud at home, so it's headphones or nothing.

Yeah, at this point split-cue is the only option for me. I can't have my speakers up loud enough for them to be useful to me. Even if I did have loud monitors, I can't see them being as exact as using split-cue. When you beatmatch using both phones, you can hear the slightest difference in the beats. That slight difference where teh beats are still on, but the sound of the matched beats changes ever so slightly, and you can tell they will eventually come off. I don't know how you can hear that stuff using one ear and monitors....

quote:

Originally posted by zizack Yeah, at this point split-cue is the only option for me. I can't have my speakers up loud enough for them to be useful to me. Even if I did have loud monitors, I can't see them being as exact as using split-cue. When you beatmatch using both phones, you can hear the slightest difference in the beats. That slight difference where teh beats are still on, but the sound of the matched beats changes ever so slightly, and you can tell they will eventually come off. I don't know how you can hear that stuff using one ear and monitors....

here's the deal..... split/ cue is cool. if thats what you have in your bedroom and thats what you use and love then more power to you. however, some day you might actually graduate out of your self -made dj-booth in your bedroom and have to play on a club system that you have no control over. then you may have to use the one on, one off method if their mixer doesnt have split cue.

the one off/ one on method i think is the way to go. in my room i have my monitors close and kinda loud. sometimes in clubs they dont have nice monitors but I'm still used to listening to the mix out of one ear...... if its getting off i can hear it in that ear. and can fix it. alot of times when i get a mix going i just slide my 'phones around my neck and mix straight off the club system and make adjustments as need be.

do whatever ya gotta do but dont get stuck too much on one technique.

i used to always mix inside my headphones at first because i found it to be easier and more precise. once i started spinning out i found that you have to learn the one ear method mainly because the system will be A LOT louder than what you are normally used to. its impossible to mix inside the headphones in this case and you are also never sure what kind of mixer you are going to be spinning on anyway. so i would suggest that you start practicing the one ear method.

shit for over a month now ive only been mixing with my head phones. my sister sleeps during the day and my bro sleeps during the night. so hell i spin with headphones. i just use the cue channel 1 and 2 hehe it serves as my fader lol (left to right vice versa)

I usually use both my headphones, although I don't use the slpit cue. I've just learned to do it with both channels at full volume because some mixers don't have the slpit cue feature and some clubs don't even have moniters at all. If the moniters are good then I use both methods.

It seems a very personal thing...

Actually I find the one thing you can get bitten on as correctly mentioned in a few posts back is the volumes of the club systems. Sometimes the mixer doesn't have a strong enough signal to the headphones. This could cause a few problems on both methods so it's not a problem that's strictly limited to both ear DJs. You can get signal amplifiers for things like that though (I carry one just in case).

Also make sure you have good headphones with good isolation otherwise you really will be in trouble which ever method you go with.

And let's be honest now, the club side of DJing is so different anyways with regards to many things not just how you hear the sound. You have to be a lot more aware of the sound that comes out and EQ it accordingly. Accoustics etc. the list goes on.

My advice to a bedroom DJ is to learn how to DJ with the method that is the easiest for you and then make the transition when the time comes. With a better knowledge of your skills to start with the changeover will be less brutal.

Best of luck
Nem

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