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Topic: Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings (Read 6047 times) previous topic - next topic
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Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

When I am listening to my vinyl transfer to my laptop through my speakers it sounds really crap, not the great detail like have been use to, I do have new speakers which I am not crazy about. Should I use my good quality headphones for monitoring instead

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #1 –
Well, if it sounds crap, it looks like you haven't applied RIAA equilisation n the path. Did you connect turntable directly to your laptop?
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Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #2 –
Quote from: hlloyge on
Well, if it sounds crap, it looks like you haven't applied RIAA equilisation n the path. Did you connect turntable directly to your laptop?



Hi, No I went through a phono stage then via my amplifier.

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #3 –
Is your turntable sitting on your loudspeaker?  Some people do use headphones to prevent acoustic feedback.
Kevin Graf :: aka Speedskater

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #4 –
I wouldn,t say I am getting feedback. But the sound isnt as bright as I would like it..

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #5 –
What are you trying to accomplish? Monitoring is not “listening to,” it is listening for some particular purpose. I can work on a recording for hours without having any idea what the music is about because I am listening for, monitoring, the problems I want to correct. Headphones are good for many parts of that, but not even the best can reveal everything.

On the other hand, listening through speakers and listening through headphones can both be pleasant, but they are very different experiences. I prefer headphones for some kinds of music, but speakers for most.

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #6 –
Quote from: incass on
When I am listening to my vinyl transfer to my laptop through my speakers it sounds really crap, not the great detail like have been use to, I do have new speakers which I am not crazy about. Should I use my good quality headphones for monitoring instead

If you are making digital transfers of your vinyl, and your "monitoring" is the process of keeping an ear on progress, then I very strongly recommend that you use headphones. If you monitor with speakers, the sound *will* impinge on the turntable and slightly degrade the quality of the recording. Even the finest turntables are vulnerable - they are mechanical devices subject to airborne vibrations. I'm not talking about out-and-out feedback here - just a subtle degradation of fine detail.

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #7 –
Quote
...not the great detail like have been use to...  But the sound isn't as bright as I would like it...
  How old are your records?  Most older records sound "dull" compared to CDs.   A cheap phono cartridge could also have a weak high-end.

I'd say by the late 70's and 1980s (about the end of the vinyl era) records were getting pretty good.  Some older records had good sound.  But the older the record, the more likely you are to have poor quality. 

And, it's analog! There's a good reason why the world "went digital!"

I frequently boost the high end with vinyl transfers.  What software are you using for recording?  If you are using an audio editor, it should have an equalizer.

Quote
I do have new speakers which I am not crazy about. Should I use my good quality headphones for monitoring instead.
  If your headphones sound better than your speakers, use the headphones.   

Then choose a good-sounding CD as a reference.  (Don't choose the "brightest" CD you have.) 

Listen to your reference CD to "calibrate your ears".  Then adjust the EQ on your vinyl transfer for a similar-sounding frequency balance.  Don't expect a perfect match, and try not to over-do it.  It's generally best to use slightly less EQ than you think you need, rather than slightly more.

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #8 –
I've transfered more than 600 albums. I use headphones to listen to very beginning of the process, to make sure the stylus has come down properly before the recording starts, in order to be sure I don't miss recording the very beginning. Then I go away.

I look in every now and then to see if the tonearm has traversed the full length of the LP side, thus that the record-to-computer process is done for that side. Why would anyone want to monitor the entire recording duration? My procedure has always worked just fine.

Should I use Headphones or Speakers to monitor my recordings

Reply #9 –
I always verifying recordings using headphones. Of course if modifying the EQ which has been suggested it's a good ideal to listen to the recording in both headphones and speakers to make sure it sounds alright in both.