Mackie HM Series, 4-Way Headphone Amplifier Mixer Accessory 1-ch x 4 Headphones (HM-4)

Product Information

Every audio engineer I know loves the studio, and there's no denying that working in a 'proper' space, on studio monitors, is the most natural and comfortable way of doing our job. At the same time, though, we also need to be able to work effectively on the road — and to keep working during the Coronavirus pandemic, which has closed the doors of commercial studios worldwide. There are those who proclaim that mixing on headphones can't be done, but I know that to be false. So I reached out to some leading mixing and mastering engineers, to get their perspectives on the pros and cons of mixing on headphones, and their advice on how to make headphones a reliable means of monitoring when needed. Moving On Most headphone splitters are relatively affordable, but that doesn’t justify constantly having to replace them because they are of poor quality. It has a generous 9.8-foot DJ cord and comes with a standard-sized 6.3mm plug and a 3.5mm plug adapter giving it a wide range of applications. Despite this headphone amp’s small and unassuming appearance, the DragonFly Cobalt has serious power inside it. This is the smallest amp covered so far but also one of the most complex. The DragonFly Cobalt has a glossy blue automotive finish that looks striking and elegant.

Allen & Heath may transfer, assign, charge, sub-contract or otherwise dispose of this EULA, or any of its rights or obligations arising under it, at any time.Put all other instruments into the mix at a level slightly below the bass and drums. Only increase a level if a singer or musician asks for it, if you’re providing their mix through aux sends. If musicians have their own personal headphone mix, this provides them with a good place to tweak their own mix.

If you pushed the volume knob up to 11 by accident you might hurt your headphones just like you would any speaker that size. Most headphone amps aren’t going to let you get that loud. Just don’t plug your headphones into the amp for a football stadium. Besides, those portable and desktop headphone amps can’t provide the features a pro music studio needs in terms of routing and distributing signals, let alone allowing for monitoring sub-mixes. Today we look at the real-deal useful and best studio headphone amplifiers. They serve up clear sound with their 50mm speaker units driven by neodymium magnets which are tuned to a wide response. This allows them to give crisp vocal definition and powerfully distinguish dynamics in a mix, reproducing them with a high degree of fidelity to the electrical input.While size and volume isn’t the whole story, it does serve to illustrate the point. Headphone amplifiers are designed to supply enough voltage to power headphones that need it. There are more headphones, even in the professional studio world, that don’t need it than do. VOX claims that the battery life for the amp is 17 hours, so you can expect to be running through quite a few AA batteries, but fewer batteries compared to many other battery-powered headphone amps. The feature list of the VOX amPlug 2 is perfect for a portable solution to practicing guitar with your headphones. Studio-ready models will typically have a flattened response which, very simply put, means what goes in comes out. They stay far truer to input and this gives them the high-fidelity required to really work with them. The price of this focus is that working intensely leads to mental fatigue. This comes on top of ear fatigue, which is cited by nearly everyone I spoke with as a negative of headphone mixing. When working on headphones it is vital that you take regular breaks to help mitigate this and stay as aurally objective as possible. Fatigue is also tied to the level of physical comfort when wearing headphones; how well a set of headphones fits is incredibly important, because you should enjoy using them. This is obviously subjective, and isn't always related to the price of the headphones. Ryan McCambridge.Ryan McCambridge: "How well a set of headphones fits is incredibly important, because you should enjoy using them. This... isn't always related to the price. Whatever Works

Obviously, there are benefits to having a set of headphones in as much as they provide a private solution ideal if you are in a busier environment or need to keep the volume down. If Allen & Heath fails, at any time during the term of this EULA to insist upon strict performance of any of your obligations under this EULA, or if it fails to exercise any of the rights or remedies to which it is entitled under this EULA, this shall not constitute a waiver of such rights or remedies and shall not relieve You from compliance with such obligations. A waiver by Allen & Heath of any default shall not constitute a waiver of any subsequent default. No waiver by Allen & Heath of any of these terms and conditions shall be effective unless it is expressly stated to be a waiver and is communicated to you in writing. to supervise and control use of the Software and (where you are a Business Customer) ensure that your employees, representatives and customers use the Software in accordance with the terms of this Licence; and We said woofer size and volume weren’t the only reasons we need the best studio headphone amplifier. Insufficient power may impede your headphones ability, for example, to produce enough volume in the bass frequencies. The Magni+ is one of Schiit’s latest releases and builds on the success of its predecessors. While both the Magni 3 and Magni 3+ were successful in their own right, Schiit has taken the lessons learned from the shortfalls of these two devices and improved on them with the Magni+.These days, there's an abundance of great monitor speakers that are relatively neutral and flat. But in any studio, they're only as good as the control-room acoustics. Anything that comes between the sound itself and your ears will change your perception of the mix. This means that you are making decisions based on the biases of your monitoring and acoustics, which are manifest in alterations to frequencies, phase and imaging. Solutions such as Sonarworks Reference, IK Multimedia's ARC, Dirac and the offerings from Trinnov are amazing tools and are incredibly helpful for tuning a listening space but, ultimately, this variable in your perception is at the mercy of physics, which doesn't often work in your favour. They move a lot of units which allows them to extend price breaks deeper than other companies are willing to. This is what you want if you’re in a “Give me something now with at least four channels that’s decent, won’t break, and doesn’t cost too much” situation. What people tend to not realize is that every single speaker and headphone requires an amp. It’s just that we’ve dropped the specification for resistance low enough that small amps can now drive your typical set of earphones.

Another thing to note is whether you plan to use your headphones’ microphone or a headset with the splitter. Most headphone splitters only support audio output, meaning you can’t use your microphone. In that case, you need a mic and headphone splitter, like the Poyiccot 4-in-1 Splitter, instead of a regular headphone splitter. Connector materials A longer splitter lets you move freely, but it can get tangled and take up more space in your bag. On the other hand, a shorter splitter is easier to store and less likely to tangle. But it also limits your movements while using it. Transfer to a third party: You may make a one-time permanent transfer of this EULA and the Software to another end user. If you do so (i) You may not retain any copy of the Software, (ii) the transfer must include all of the Software (including all component parts, the media and printed materials, any updates and, if applicable, a Certificate of Authenticity) and be subject to this EULA. The transfer may not be an indirect transfer, such as a consignment. Prior to the transfer, the end user receiving the Software must agree to be bound by this EULA and any amendment or addendum to this EULA. Pressure from the bass frequencies can cause low-end frequencies to build up close to your ear, resulting in an exaggerated bass response.This licence shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Subject to Allen & Heath being entitled to enforce the terms of this EULA in any court or jurisdiction that it sees fit, any dispute arising from or related to this EULA shall be subject to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. Where You use the Software outside of England and Wales, the local law may impose greater restrictions on You that You must comply with.