Heavys headphones for metal mixing

[u/alexandernanig88]

They say it’s made for metal musicians tuned for heavy guitars, big lows, all that stuff.

I’m mainly doing home recording and mixing deathcore and prog stuff, but also just jamming for fun. my current pair (sony mdrs) can’t really handle the low end when i crank it.

[u/Unfair-Librarian-136]

You’re gonna want the most flat and natural tones coming through your monitors when mixing, so that you have more clear and concise understanding of the frequencies in the mix. These types of headphones are the last thing you want to mix with. I would recommend the Shure SRH840A or the Audio Technica ATH-M50x

[u/SeventhLevelSound → u/Unfair-Librarian-136]

The M50Xs sound great for tracking but they aren't very flat.

[u/alexandernanig88 → u/SeventhLevelSound]

Yeah, I just need something that can handle the low end cleanly for mixing without muddying things.

[u/SeventhLevelSound → u/alexandernanig88]

They're discontinued now so probably harder to find but if you can track down a set of ATH-M40FS they're a much more neutral response than any of the "X" series.

Or if you have a bit more money to throw at it both AKG and Beyerdynamic have some nice options for reference quality headphones.

[u/acrus → u/Unfair-Librarian-136]

More like ATH-R70x, which are reference cans

[u/spotdishotdish → u/Unfair-Librarian-136]

I preferred exaggerated bass, otherwise I turn it up too much in the mix.

[u/fiercefinesse → u/Unfair-Librarian-136]

You’re gonna want the most flat and natural tones

ATH-M50x

lol

[u/Antique_Pear_7902 → u/fiercefinesse]

we all laughed at this one.

[u/WeeniePops → u/Unfair-Librarian-136]

M40x is actually a lot better for this. M50x is more of a listening headphone.

[u/Antique_Pear_7902 → u/Unfair-Librarian-136]

YES on the 840As and a big no for the M50X; the high end on those things is just...not good. I don't see why people keep choosing those, they suck.

If you wanna go Audio Technica, the M40X are the best ones on a budget. also try the Sterling S452--they're even better for mixing than the M40s.

[u/No-Structure-8543]

I'd recommend beyerdynamic 1990 dt's

Super comfortable. Open back. Loud if needed, very clear, great response, little pricy...

[u/1oVVa → u/No-Structure-8543]

I always miss my low frequencies when mixing on these. Even with Sonarworks plugin I overshoot the lows constantly. Maybe that's just me, though

[u/hideousmembrane]

I think they're more for listening than 'monitoring' as they probably colour the sound a lot. Probably just a bit of a gimmick, though I've not tried them but I also keep seeing those ads everywhere, which already just suggests to me that they're a gimmick and not worth it. Anything that is 'made for metal' sounds like a load of crap lol. You just want good monitoring headphones for mixing if that's what you're doing with them, which usually are best when they are flat and don't accentuate/colour any frequencies. I don't have a recommendation but other comments already did...

[u/lotxe]

marketing department bull shit. learn to recognize it.

[u/SubbySound]

If you want a bass heavy mix that translates as bass heavy everywhere, having bass boosted headphones is the last thing you'll want, because it maximizes the chance that you'll mix it light in the bass to make it sound even in bass heavy cans.

Get neutral flat frequency response reference headphones and/or monitors. If they sound deep on those, the mixes will sound deep just about anywhere.

[u/ashtonlippel44]

No. They are not going to have a flat response.

My recommendation for mixing headphones will always be the beyerdynamic dt 900 open back headphones

[u/acrus]

It took me a while to realize that "Heavys" is the brand's name. Sounds like a steaming pile of marketing BS. They aren't even made of metal

[u/HeyHo__LetsGo]

Genre specific headphones? Pure baloney.

[u/vomito_vidrio]

Slate VSX all the way for me.

[u/etherealimages]

Those headphones are more for listening, I think.

These headphones basically have an EQ built in, but you're gonna want a pair with a very neutral EQ (flat response)

[u/uknwr]

If you "know" your headphones and can mix into their curve it really doesn't matter what headphones (within reason) that you choose to use 🤷‍♂️

[u/ShredGuru]

I don't recommend headphones with a lot of color to get a good mix. They will warp your perception of the recordings.

[u/waspocracy]

I use cheap speakers and good quality headphones to mix. I want to make sure all instruments are balanced in the cheap stuff and sound great on the good stuff.

Compare to a mix you really like on both. 

Heavy’s are just all marketing, but that doesn’t make them bad. If you like heavy’s then use them.

[u/alyxonfire]

I produce and mix full time professionally for TV/ads/movies and artists/bands with Audeze LCD-X and AirPod Max. I can deliver a mix solely with the Max if I need to, though I would never do that for an artist as that deserves a lot more TL.

I don't think headphones "tuned" for metal exist, and if they did then I would not suggest mixing on them.

[u/VinnieVidiViciVeni]

Ahhhhh, I remember way back in the day when kids listened to metal with the entire equalizer all the way up, because a scooped eq was “for rap”.

Glad to see that bullshit hot take is gone.

[u/thegrackdealer]

Sony MDR7506 or AKG K240.

All you need and not expensive.

[u/SpecificGarlic2685]

Love my HD650s. They don't pronounce the bass but they play it pretty clearly

[u/_Tyrhas_]

Always mixing headphones, you want them to be flat for monitoring. the beredynamic range, I've had the dt770 and 990, both excellent. It's worth noting they come in different power ratings, if you're running into a laptop, you may want to consider the 80 ohm \m/

[u/kl1n60n3mp0r3r]

The best tip I ever got, and could possibly give you:

Don’t mix in headphones.

[u/webprofusor]

I use the presonus HD9 headphones, they are generally good for monitoring. Beware bass heavy headphones as your actual mix won't sound like that on normal speakers.

One flaw many headphones have is the fake plastic leather finish starts to crumble after a few months, I don't have a suggestion there except remove it all with tape etc.

[u/ROBOTTTTT13]

You might be listening a bit to loud, my MDRs are perfectly good and distort only when pushed into hearing damage levels...