How to Choose Recording Studio Headphones

Stereo headphones are a key element of any successful home recording studio. The audio reproduction of headphones must be nearly flawless. A singer or instrumentalist needs to hear himself clearly in order to give his best performance, and the recording engineer needs to have a pure signal to correctly mix the recording.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Consider the size of the home recording studio. Every effort should be made to create as large a space as possible. Larger spaces provide more flexibility. The headphones are especially essential if the home recording studio is located in the same room with the performers.

2. Buy a pair of stereo headphones from a respected manufacturer. High-end headphones are not necessary, but good mid-range headphones should be properly padded to provide maximum isolation from outside noise sources.

3. Use headphones to listen to the vocals and instruments without experiencing the bleed over of sounds from the speakers, microphone or instrument's pickups. Proper recording requires receiving the purest sound reproduction.

4. Build an isolation or vocal booth. Isolate the performance space by converting a small space such as a bathroom or closet. If the recording studio is in an especially small space, as much outside noise needs to be excluded as possible. Well padded headphones allow a performer to receive audio signals only through the headphones and not externally.

5. Use foam to dampen the audio reverberations. Foam absorbs the sound before it reaches the microphone and provides a more neutral acoustical space. Foam padding in studio headphones serve the same purpose, in that the padded headphones limit the amount of audio reverberations from such sources as speakers and instrument pickups.