Hearing Flat With Headphones |
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Hearing Flat With Headphones |
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Mar 24 2014, 05:55 PM |
Hi Guys, ... What i found out, increased volume does effect pitch perception, especially with headphones. There are different explanations, like lower frequencies are perceived a bit flat in pitch and the singer tries to adjust to this or bass frequencies modulating the mid and high frequencies. Maybe both, don’t know what is exactly happening, but the effect seems similar to what i experience. For different reasons i mainly use headphones for practicing and recording and over the process i slowly turn up the volume bit by bit to get me rocking. Not extremely loud but yeah, it’s not on "meditation level" Just thought it might be interesting for some of you. Keep your volume low when working on your bends and pitch and maybe try to avoid headphones all the time! Everything can be learned, but it's sometimes good to get aware of what is happening Anyone have similar experiences or thoughts on this? The effect is called the Fletcher Munson equal loudness contour curves. You should try to set your monitors/playback at 78dB as this provides the most linear curve whilst also being at a level that won't screw your hearing in the long term. You shoud calibrate your monitors to this so you can return to 78dB and also be able to find a +/- 6dB position quickly. If you don't mix at a consistent level then your mixes may well not be consistent. -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Mar 24 2014, 07:15 PM |
In my experience, both with headphones and speakers (on stage or in front of studio monitors) it has to pretty loud before you have trouble properly hearing correct pitch. I mean uncomfortably loud.
-------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Mar 25 2014, 12:36 AM
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when recording at home, I have found if I pull one side off and equal the volume between the monitor and the string tone from the guitar, it help balance things easier
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Mar 25 2014, 01:45 PM |
I've never experienced this issue. I use to practice and record with and without headphones and never found important pitch issues once I mastered the technique, feel comfortable with the guitar (sometimes changing guitar with different string gauge can give pitch issues at first). However I can say that I feel more comfortable singing without headphones than with headphones, I can say that I sing better. I don't know if this is practice or if there is anything more behind it.
-------------------- My lessons
Do you need a Guitar Plan? Join Gab's Army Check my band:Cirse Check my soundcloud:Soundcloud Please subscribe to my:Youtube Channel |
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Mar 25 2014, 05:15 PM |
Though of the same. Never felt to have this issue annoying but this might be caused by my rather safe volume levels of both - monitors and headphones. Very rare but in deed sometimes I feel You mentioned issue while for example tunig guitar by ear to the song that is very very quiet and later when I make it louder it seems that guitar is not in the correct pitch. This can refer to Your thoughts... There have been a few times live that I've experienced levels loud enough to make it difficult to distinguish correct pitch. You'll hear 'flat'. Its not fun. This post has been edited by klasaine: Mar 25 2014, 05:16 PM -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Mar 28 2014, 08:43 PM |
To add; Fletcher Munson effect's the levels of pitch, not changing the pitch itself as its not actually relevant to your problem. ... Sorry missed this as I was away for a week at Windmill in London and a few other places. The equal loudness contour does have a relevance as for some individuals there is a relationship in how the headphones affect the inner ear canal and how changes in pressure due to level in turn affect perceived pitch. -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Mar 28 2014, 09:15 PM |
Neither of these (great!) takes have any bending, pitch problems that detract from the music at all.
One of the great things about be able to bend is that you 'can' be just slightly under or on top of the pitch to good musical effect. You sound in tune to me. Thank you guys for your thoughts !! So basically the common opinion is my issue is not caused by headphone/volume ether, right? Damn, so i guess my hearing and bending technique is not at this point yet were it supposed to be. I just experienced this again by working on the last two collabs. Technically these takes are not really difficult, but i needed to do quite some retakes as i thought to have spotted some pitch problems and i’m still not sure at some points. Maybe it’s just obsessive and i imagine things which are not there .. Would you mind listening to these takes again in terms of unstable pitch issues? Thanks guys !! -------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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Mar 28 2014, 09:20 PM |
This is interesting, but wouldn't the guitar also be affected together with the backing track? I mean his muscle memory or end recorded result still shouldn't be affected by this (unless he frequently changes the output lvl. of his headphones while working) To be honest i don't know as I don't think that we have sufficient primary data to start to hypothesise what may be happening. one quick thing though - lots of people don't mix at a constant, repeatable and calibrated level. Far too many playback devices have a rotary volume control that isn't stepped/detented and have no real markings to show position etc. This post has been edited by tonymiro: Mar 28 2014, 09:23 PM -------------------- Get your music professionally mastered by anl AES registered Mastering Engineer. Contact me for Audio Mastering Services and Advice and visit our website www.miromastering.com
Be friends on facebook with us here. We use professional, mastering grade hardware in our mastering studo. Our hardware includes: Cranesong Avocet II Monitor Controller, Dangerous Music Liasion Insert Hardware Router, ATC SCM Pro Monitors, Lavry Black DA11, Prism Orpheus ADC/DAC, Gyratec Gyraf XIV Parallel Passive Mastering EQ, Great River MAQ 2NV Mastering EQ, Kush Clariphonic Parallel EQ Shelf, Maselec MLA-2 Mastering Compressor, API 2500 Mastering Compressor, Eventide Eclipse Reverb/Echo. |
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Apr 4 2014, 08:58 AM |
IMO, unless you have to match another lead or melody instrument, a bent note on guitar (in rock or jazz or fusion or blues) can be a little under or over the pitch. And as long as it's in time and confidently executed no one will even notice ... and it probably sound 'cool' most of the time.
-------------------- - Ken Lasaine
https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/foolin-the-clouds https://soundcloud.com/klasaine2/surfin-at-the-country-hop Soundcloud assorted ... https://soundcloud.com/klasaine3 New record ... http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/kenlasaine Solo Guitar ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...5iIdO2tpgtj25Ke Stuff I'm on ... https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXZh...b-dhb-4B0KgRY-d |
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