What’s So Important About Good Audio?
Nothing is worse than putting a lot of editing work into a audio or video piece, then having problems show up. This happens with audio a lot if the piece is not edited with good gear.
A basic pair of flat response headphones can solve this and many other problems.
For example, I have watched videos in large venues and have heard loud annoying noises at the low frequencies. I could tell that the sound editor had used a laptop or a tablet to edit the piece. Small laptop speakers cannot reproduce very low sounds.
The editor never knew the noise was there so they never adjusted it out. Ouch!
To get good audio with high production values, you need good audio reproduction. That means you need good speakers or headphones.
What Makes a Headphone Good?
When you are editing audio, you need to hear what’s called a flat response, meaning the speaker delivers the sound as accurately as possible. The highs are not too high, the lows are not too low and the mids are right in the middle where they are supposed to be.
Besides accuracy, you need something rugged (so it can stand the abuse of the set or your daily carry bag) something compact (they fold) and something reliable (that won’t easily break).
Pro Quality Headphones for $80?
I’m excited to tell you about my favorite headphones, the Sony MDR7506. (Yes, it may be sad, but gear is big fun for media geeks like me).
I’ve owned a pair of these headphones for over 15 years, and I swear by them. When I first got them, I was so excited to listen to my music collection because I heard so many things that I’d never heard before.
I now own a 2nd pair for backup and for my daily carry bag. The old pair now lives in my studio permanently. At a price this low, and quality this high, why not buy more than one pair?
Read the details here.
Headphones Vs. Speakers
If you had to pick between speakers or headphones to monitor audio, without a doubt, I’d recommend that you get a great pair of headphones.
They are portable and overall more accurate. They might not sound as pleasant as hearing your audio edit in a live room, but you have to spend a lot more money to get a great pair of reference speakers.
For the money, there are very few industry standard, pro-level pieces of gear that you can buy for less than $80.
So go get a pair!
