We often hear how it’s never been easier to hear our mixes through decent, affordable monitors. But what about mixing with affordable headphones? We take a closer look.
When it comes to mixing, arguably everything we do means nothing unless we can hear what we’re doing accurately. The importance of loudspeaker monitoring quality, placement, and calibration is well known, but even with this in place many engineers will not print any mix without checking it on headphones as well.
Can You Create Mixes On Headphones?
For those without decent loudspeaker monitoring in the first place, headphone monitoring is perhaps the most accurate window on their work, simply because if nothing else they are consistent when the alternative is a bumpy or unfamiliar room. Not only do headphones negate the need for an optimised acoustic environment, but also they allow the mixer to work anywhere and know that they’re hearing the same thing every time. While this is a good thing, it’s important to bear in mind that the two are not the same thing. You can read more about this in our article on the differences between monitoring on headphones vs loudspeakers.
If the differences between the two are known, it goes that these can be at least partially compensated for using processing of some kind to arrive at a more speaker-like experience. A more recent development being offered by several names goes down the software route through a known pair of headphones, with several solutions around such as Waves Virtual Mix Room, SoundID Reference, or Audeze Embody Reveal+ Studio Modelled Monitoring System
Fluid Audio Focus Headphone Mixing & Playback System
The Focus Headphone Mixing & Playback System is Fluid Audio’s solution that marries their Focus semi-open backed headphones with dSONIQ Realphones software (Fluid Audio edition). The headphones weigh in with the following specs:
50mm neodymium magnet speaker drivers
Gold plated output connectors
Impedance : 32 ohm
Includes 3 metre cable with 3.5mm plug and 6.35mm adaptor included
Frequency range:20Hz-20kHz
Nominal sound pressure:> 90dB
Rated impedance:32Ω
Max Power: 300 mW
dSONIQ Realphones software (Fluid Audio edition) is a plugin or standalone application that sits in-between your audio playback and the Focus headphones to give a more speaker-like response. It gives you 5 loudspeaker monitoring setups, each with 3 switchable output destinations available, comprising different combos of stereo and mono devices (including a dedicated compensated Focus patch for non-speaker checks).
Does It Work?
Listening is a very personal experience, but in short, for around $69 / €69 the Fluid Audio Focus Headphone Mixing & Playback System will allow you to make mixing decisions that are better than those you could make on expensive monitors in the wrong place or room.
The headphones themselves are comfortable enough to wear (the specs state “Nominal headband pressure: 3.5Nm”- assuming I have a ‘nominal’ sized head, they’re just right...). Semi-open backed headphones are either the best or worst of both worlds depending on who you ask, but the Focus cans don’t have any of the ridiculous bass or treble extension that plagues some budget headphones, and this along with their comfort makes them a decent first time buy.
The cut-down Fluid Audio Edition of dSONIQ Realphones comes with one headphone profile for the Focus headphones, and has some usable monitoring setups, which above anything else, let you compare. Especially useful is the Stereo Field setup that includes a central single Auratone-style box or single full range soffit mount monitor for mono fold downs into a centre channel.
Models of Fluid Audio’s own dual-concentric FX50, FX80, and FPX7 monitors are also there alongside the ubiquitous full range soffit mount monitors and NS10 pairs.
In short, you can reference known tracks through all of these to get acquainted with them, then go ahead and mix your own music with a degree of accuracy. Some of the setups are a bit on the ambient side, but then again some people will want to hear what they’ve paid for!
Final Thoughts
Trying to mix without any basis for comparison is hard. Fluid Audio Focus Headphone Mixing & Playback System takes that problem away, and sounds better than its cost might suggest. Can you make good mix decisions through this system? Over to you.
Head over to Fluid Audio to check out the Fluid Audio Focus Headphone Mixing & Playback System for yourself.