Behringer X32 - Audio Media

[11] M-Audio offers the Studiophile that prefer a
Q40, lightweight, collapsible head- more com-
phones with a removable and replace- replace- pact headheadable cord. The
phone. It
large padded
weighs 2.5oz
ear cups totally
less than
surround the
the EX-29,
ears to ensure a
but features
comfortable fit.
the same
This, along
technology.
with sealed
The speaker
backings, deliv-
is tuned for
ers excellent
the unique
sonic isolation
cavity shape of the earmuff.
for accurate
monitoring.
www.extremeheadphones.com
The Q40 head-
[14] Audeze’s LCD3 dynamic headphones
feature
phones use a proprietary thin-
extra-large 40mm-diameter drivers film diaphragm that is housed
for extended low frequencies. Bass between a unique super-efficient
response is also enhanced by efficient push-pull magnetic structure.
components like neodymium magnets, The earcups
copper-clad aluminium voice coils and are made of
vented diaphragms made of low-mass precision-
treated mylar. The custom enclosure crafted,
has been specially tuned to further hand-select-
maximise low-frequency extension. ed Zebra
www.m-audio.com
Wood, while
the sloped
[12] Canford’s DMH205 is a heavy duty ear pads are
closed-ear studio headphone, with made of pre-
a very robust construction. The two miumlamb- metre cable has steel conductors (with skin leather,
tinned ends) for extra strength. It is fit- with specially
ted with a robust three-pole A-gauge moulded
Neutrik plug. It offers impedance of of 2 foam to offer
x 400 ohms,
the right amount of firmness. The left
and an SPL
and right transducers have matched
of 102dB at
sensitivity and frequency response
maximum
within +/- 0.5dB. The LCD3 features a
power. The
frequency response of 5Hz to 20kHz,
maximum
with a useable high-frequency exten-
rated power
sion of 50Khz. Impedance is 50Ω. The
handling is
maximum output is 133dB, 15 W.
100mW. The
DMH285 has
www.audeze.com
an identi-
[15] The Stax SR-009 is an open-back
cal physical
electrostatic ‘earspeaker’. The diaconstrucphragm
features a newly developed
tion to the
sound element, which according to
DMH205, but with new extended Stax is made from a new ‘high poly-
response ear loudspeaker for excep- mer ultra-thin
tional music reproduction. It is par- film’ mateticularly
suitable for main programme rial called Super
monitoring in broadcast and recording. Engineering
The frequency response is Plastics. Stax
10Hz-33.4kHz, with impedance of 2 x say that this is
300 ohms.
reinforced and
www.canford.co.uk
‘much thinner
than conven-
[13] The EX-29 from Direct Sound is, tionalengi- according to the manufacturers, the neered plastics’.
“perfect headphone for sound and The The SR-009
studio engineers and all musicians.” features features all-new
This claim is backed up by ultra- MLER elecfidelity
high input speakers featuring trodes that that are
TruSound Tonal Accuracy technology, made through through
integrated with 29dB of ‘eco-friendly’ a new process
(no batteries required) natural pas- that uses ultra-precision photo etch,
sive isolation. The dynamic, closed- and high-tech heat diffusion techback
headphones also offer Red is niques to join three layers of material
Right E-Z Channel Identification. to form the thin, flat electrode pan-
They have a padded adjustable els. This is one of the most expensive
Incrediflex headband and are foldable headphones on the market, at over
for storage.
US$5000.
The EX-25 is also available, for those www.stax.co.jp
[ In-Ear Monitoring ]
[10] Sennheiser’s IE4 are
earphones for wireless monitor
applications. The IE 4 ‘reproduces
an outstanding sound quality and
high dynamic’. It is equipped with
exchangeable ear sleeves, which
give an optimum fit to different
ear canals, resulting in high isolation against environmental
noise as well as a very good bass response. The SPL is 106dB,
and Sennheiser says it is extremely robust, even at high
sound pressure levels.
www.sennheiser.co.uk
[11] Fit-Ear offer the PS-5, with a
custom design which makes it
comfortable to wear for extended
periods. It has five drivers and two
crossover in each ear piece. The cord
exits out the top of the ear piece and
goes over the top of the ear, making it
easier to conceal the cord in performance applications. It
provides 29-33db of reduction of ambient sound, and has a
frequency range of 20Hz to 18kHz.
www.fit-ear.com
EXPERT
Witness
Ben Booker has been working in live sound for 17 years, and has mixed
monitors for many acts including Spiritualized, Paul Weller, Ocean Colour
Scene, PJ Harvey, Scissor Sisters, Elton John, and the Sex Pistols. Here he
gives us his take on in-ear monitoring.
In ears are great in many ways:
• Being able to control exactly what you hear (as long as you have a good
monitor engineer). It’s like being in your own world.
• The stage volume from wedges and side fills comes down in level, or
are removed from the stage, which means less noise for the FOH guy
to deal with; especially that low mid range 160-400Hz that comes from
the stage, which can often muddy an FOH mix.
• If you use in-ears at a sensible level you can protect yourself from ear
damage caused by long periods of loud sound. Great for when you’re
rehearsing for hours and days at a time.
• Engineers can talk directly to a band member into their in-ears without
the audience listening. They don’t really need to know the singer can’t
hear the cowbell again...
The only minor problem with in-ears are that often people can feel
isolated from the crowd. This can be fixed with crowd mics fed into the in
ear system to give back some connection with the crowd.
My main advice when using in-ears is to buy the best set of moulds you
can afford. It makes a big difference. Also having a great engineer helps.
When I mix bands I normally try to have everybody in the band, and me, on
the same in-ears – just so you can hear what each band member is hearing
as close as you can. If using radio IEMs I too listen to the mixes using another
identical radio system. This also acts as an instant back-up if their pack stops
working. I can simply PFL their mix and run on stage and give them my pack
until their pack can be fixed.
When mixing in-ears i use a lot of compression on most channels
to control any peaks. Not heavy compression, just a gentle 2:1 ratio.
I also normally take any limiters off the IEM pack and add my own ‘bus
compression’ normal 1.5:1 with a slow attack and release. This just glues
the mix together.
When mixing in-ears I always mix in stereo. It just sounds more natural.
I normally try and pan instruments to give some separation and space
within a mix.
I normally compress crowd mics with a heavy 5:1 ratio and slow attack
and release and often side chain the compression off the bass drum.
This means when the band finish the song the crowd noise turns up slowly
in their ears - like magic.
audiomedia.com | November 2012 47