[Harp-L] Accurate sound with headphones? Digitech effects.

[Mike <mikefugazzi@xxxxxxxxx>]

Headphones will not accurately reflect what your audience will hear.  They will also color the sound even compared to amping up at home.  You are essentially trying to mix with headphones.  This is VERY hard to do in the studio, and even harder to do for live use.

The only way to really mix for live use it so sound check at volume.  However, if you get good audio mixing at home, it should translate pretty well live with just minor tweaking, even at the mixing board (meaning you don't have to tweak the RP patches live).

The best way to mix for live use would be to spend thousands on room treatment and nearfield monitors.  Not, probably, worth the effort, lol.

Option 2 is to get the best headphones you can, preferably open ear like the Sennheiser 650.  These will essentially color the tone of the patches less than closed headphones.  Then using something like the Focusrite VRM to test your mixes through different virtual speakers to see how they translate.  Chances are, a good "studio" type mix from this will translate well live.

Option 3 is to just use open ear headphones.

Option 4 is to use good quality closed headphones (I have Sennheiser 380 pros) with a VRM.

Option 5 is just the headphones.

Basically, I suggest you get the best open ear or studio phones you can get - and not just what you can find at Target (they are probably all closed, anyways).  You want neutral phones for mixing NOT music listening.  Things like Beats from Dre will color the patches compared to live.  You also DON'T want noise cancelling.

Caveats - you could have feedback problems if you don't test the rig amped up at some point before going on stage.  With headphones, you'll have next to no feedback regardless of settings.  Open ear head phones don't isolate the sound from those around you.  Meaning, others can hear some bleed if they are in the room.  Closed will keep you quiet.  Whatever you do, don't use ear buds, unless you are using an in ear monitor system.