Noise cancelling headphones

Sound Chaser

Sound Chaser

Active member
Has anybody tried working with noise canceling headphones?
I've never tried them in a working situation but, it would make sense to have as much isolation from your source to your recorded product.
I don't have any I could borrow or experiment with so any opinions would be appreciated before I go out and just buy them to find out if indeed they make a difference.
 
I just bought a pair of the Beats By Dre Headphones. And I will never mix or Record without them again. They sound amazing. I have not used them on set yet because I am not sure about the durabilty issue but I really can't see why noise cancelling head phones would be a bad thing.
 
filthrich said:
I really can't see why noise cancelling head phones would be a bad thing.
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They're a bad thing because a good pair of headphones allows you to hear exactly what you're recording, and those do not. Most active noise cancellation headphones use phase cancellation to block outside sounds from reaching the listenner. However, if you're using them to record dialogue then you'll usually be within earshot of the actors. Consequently, the headphones will be carefully blocking the actors voices from the signal you're hearing. What actually reaches your ears will be a mess of phase inversion and frequency attenuation.

If you really want headphones with better isolation than the standard closed-back models, skip gimicky consumer cans and get a pair of Remote Audio HN-7506 headphones. They sound almost identical to the tried-and-true Sony MDR-7506 headphones, but give you enough isolation to monitor at low levels while inside a helicopter.
 
I have the sony cans as well. And I have used them for many many years. And gimmick or no gimmick the monster cans sound much better in almost every way. But I only use them as a ref. when mixing and checking out the low end IN STUDIO and not on set. I would NEVER EVER stop using the MDR's but those Monster head phones just sound better to my ears. My NS10's are my go to monitors anyway.
 
There's definitely something to be said for using the industry standard phones (Sony MDR7506) for consistency and accurate sound reproduction.
 
phoric said:
There's definitely something to be said for using the industry standard phones (Sony MDR7506) for consistency and accurate sound reproduction.
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.....And you could drop them off a building. Industry standard does not always mean best. NS10's sound like crap and so do the Aurtone's but they are industry standards.
 
I use Sony MDR's for critical listening, but there is NO beating the Skullcandy noise canceling line for ipod listening.
 
If these type of phones operate on the principle of canceling outside sounds, how will that effect hearing sounds that are almost identical to your source.
It is one thing to block out a construction site that is diminishing your enjoyment of music, but what about canceling out a near identical signal as the one you are trying to record?
 
Sound Chaser said:
If these type of phones operate on the principle of canceling outside sounds, how will that effect hearing sounds that are almost identical to your source.
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My point exactly. Transparency and accuracy are two of the most important considerations when choosing recording headphones. Good `phones will sound flat across the entire frequency range, precisely reproducing what is actually on the track. There's simply no room in that equation for active noise cancellation. Active noise cancellation and other DSP effects add variables to the signal chain that we, as professionals, simply don't need.

Moreover, a pair of headphones (or speakers, for that matter) may well sound great for music appreciation, yet still be ill-suited to recording.

As for using noise cancelling `phones for critical monitoring in a studio, why's the studio so noisey that this is even an issue?
 
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There's a reason that probably 80-90% of the production mixers that work on large budget projects are using the 7506's - and it isn't marketing hype or because it's a Sony product.

I too use noise canceling headphones - on an airplane listening to my ipod. Or just sleeping. I won't fly without them now - far less of a headache when getting off the plane. (I use the Audio Technica model - sounds very nice to me). But never on set. 7506's are the way to go.

Phil
 
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