Author Topic: Headphone Rig ! ! ! (Read 246 times)

bigredbass · « **on:** July 29, 2006, 12:14:13 AM »

I finally got it right.

Over the years I've had various and sundry 'headphone rigs' for practice. They always lacked something . . . not loud enough, headphones wouldn't hang, bass sounds thin, and on and on.

I've always seemed to need one. You just can't light off the amp at 2AM, and I just hear the details better over headphones. Or when you're learning tunes, you hear 'his' notes poke out past yours till you get it nailed. And its 'stealth' . . . you're the only one that's hearing it, NOT your neighbors.

So I recently got a used 1202VLZ Mackie and some AudioTechnica ATH-D40fs 'phones. I was drawn to the Mackie's deserved reputation, PLUS it's the first board I ever saw with warnings in the manual about hearing damage from the headphone circuit: It's THAT loud (supposedly half a watt). The ATs were suggested by my bud JD at Corner Music (www.cornermusic.com), in that they've got a big hump in the bass response, they're targeted at bass and drums, and at 66 ohms impedance should be damn loud with the Mackie. They are!

So, line out from the reciever and CD, bass in direct or out of the direct box built into the Metro via XLR, I'm in BIDNESS!! I can even hook up the compressor and the TC through the effects busses.

Had a large time playing along with the Opry tonight. Now all I need is that Tascam Bass Trainer into another channel, and I'll have the world by the tail.

J o e y

(Message edited by bigredbass on July 29, 2006)

adriaan · « **Reply #1 on:** July 31, 2006, 09:08:25 AM »

Not sure I would recommend headphones with a bump in the frequency response - I seem to have a set like that (granted, they're not AT) where notes around the 6th fret on the E and A strings stand out like a sore finger. This is with the phones plugged into the phones socket of an SWR Workingman's 12, with the Aural Exciter nearly off and no extreme boost or cut on the BMT controls. Through the combo's speaker, there's no such problem with the sound ...

bigredbass · « **Reply #2 on:** July 31, 2006, 06:19:54 PM »

I can hear the open low-Bs and Cs perfectly . . . I'm stunned. Although the VLZ preamps Mackie uses on the first 4 channels (with trims at the top of the channel) help, I'm sure. I'm sure there are other headphones I would maybe prefer for listening only, but for THIS they're perfect.

And I deliberately wanted a hump down low for this kind of thing, but it's a very smooth curve, really reminds me of proximity effect on cardiod mics. For me, flat sucks, the aural equivalent of hospital food.

J o e y

rraymond · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2006, 08:54:12 AM »

When I read this a couple of weeks ago my curiousity was immediately aroused as I use a Mackie 1202VLZ, also. My old Sennheiser headphones are great for listening, but for recording or practicing, they leave a lot to be desired. I got a set of ATH-D40fs' and I can hear the low end wonderfully now! Makes bass work through phones a pleasure! Thanks for the heads-up Joey!

Reid

bigredbass · « **Reply #4 on:** August 13, 2006, 10:41:08 AM »

DoubleR

You're welcome!

You know, you sift through websites researching something (as in WHICH headphones would work great for bass), and you never really know . . .

Someone had mentioned these on the EDEN web forum. So I went to the AT website and read up on them. Then, when I went to Corner Music, JD had a shelf full of them, as a lot of his session bass customers use them. Because . . . just like your experience, all those Senns, AKGs, etc. are great for a lot of things, but not especially bass friendly.

It's almost eerie to hear those low notes that clean in these cans, and they will get quite loud through the 1202. In fact, wouldn't this set up make the ultimate 'more me' box for bass recording?

J o e y

(Message edited by bigredbass on August 13, 2006)

bigredbass · « **Reply #5 on:** August 13, 2006, 04:29:58 PM »

Adriaan

Maybe Double R will second me, but it's a very smooth hump in the response plot, and smooth to my ears. Don't really hear any untoward spike-iness in them.

J o e y

rraymond · « **Reply #6 on:** August 13, 2006, 06:20:01 PM »

I just put my bass down and I absolutely agree, there's no spike, but a powerful presence that I never heard before in phones. It doesn't sound fake, or forced, it's very natural sounding. I'm definitely using them the next time my band wants to do some recording. MORE ME!

Thanks again, Joey!

Reid

keavin · « **Reply #7 on:** August 13, 2006, 08:24:53 PM »

they sometimes suck & sometimes there all ALEMBIC IN YOUR EARS!!!>>>http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j226/keavin1234/KeavinMCIITour06.jpg

rraymond · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2006, 06:42:17 AM »

Yeah, but that's what we're talkin about. These headphones don't suck! Of course, they're a lot bigger and bulkier than those in-ear jobs, so they wouldn't look very good on stage. Look at it this way, if you're getting an all-bass feed to your phones, at least you're getting to hear ol' #12! Good luck with future phones and feeds in Reno!

Reid

keavin · « **Reply #9 on:** August 14, 2006, 06:57:52 AM »

Actually you can mix your own mix in these monitors which is very cool i prefere lots of kick drum & snare with lots of alembic & everything else behind it,,,,,,but the only thing about them that i don't like is that the f***ers keep falling out of my ears every time i wanna get funky!.......other than that there great!

David Houck · « **Reply #10 on:** August 17, 2006, 02:10:15 PM »

Superglue.

Bradley Young · « **Reply #11 on:** August 17, 2006, 07:40:31 PM »

Silly Putty.

elwoodblue · « **Reply #12 on:** September 07, 2006, 12:42:54 AM »

on a manic tangent,
I used to have a pair of Bonephones : they hung around the neck and contacted the collar bone, I would use them skiing.
...I'm thinking it would be good to have something like that with an Alembic driving it.
like a ?Buttkicker for us bassists.

I love looking at that #12 : )