"Do I have to invest in a pair of headphones, can't I record without them?"
A good set of headphones can really make a difference when listening to
your fav tracks, shooting up aliens whilst gaming online, and of course,
recording your podcast!
But I know what you're thinking...
"Why do I have to invest in a pair of headphones, can't I record
without them?"
Yes, you can BUT wearing headphones can help you improve your audio
quality and here's how....
- If you are recording a SOLO episode, wearing headphones allows you
to monitor your sound to make sure there are no interferences, crackling,
or other weird sounds being picked up by your microphone
- If you are recording a GUEST episode, a good set of phones can help
you to hear your guest is coming in loud and clear so you know they are
being recorded correctly (plus you can direct them correctly so they
aren't too close, or too far from the mic). Headphones also ensure that
their voice is not recorded back through your own microphone causing
any feedback issues which can sound very nasty to the ear.
So what headphones do I recommend?
My personal favorites are the: Beyerdynamic dt770 pro ( they have nice soft earpads that I can wear all day, I have two pairs, one for my voice-over booth and one for my podcast workstation and still working perfectly after 5 years of wear)
Another good industry standard are the: Audio Technica ath-m50x (which I have used before in other studios, great sound - but I prefer the softness of the Beyerdynamic - like kittens on your ears)
Smaller in-ear headphones (if you don't like the bulkiness of the others are: Shure SE215 Pro (good price on these two if you can find them online)
Good robust budget phones are the: Sennheiser HD 206 Best budget phones on the market.
Things to look out for when buying headphones for monitoring.
- get closed-back headphones so the sound doesn't bleed out into your microphone &
- don't buy noise cancellation headphones as they are for listening to music and not for monitoring the actual raw sound (ie. if there is noise/interference being picked up by your mic you may not hear it properly)