What are they listening to?

hb · #1 January 29th, 2008

Here's a silly question that I always wanted to know the answer to, but never had anyone to ask, so I'll ask here.
When you see singers in a recording booth with a band or orchestra in there with them, they always have head-phones on. What are they listening to? Themselves?.....The music?...and why?
It seems like they would want to hear the whole piece in order to stay in time. The same question applies to various people in the band that might have head-phones on.
thanks,
hb

Tako Kichi · #2 January 29th, 2008

Depends entirely on the situation at hand. In some cases a singer may only want to hear specific parts of the mix or may want their own vocal higher so that they can stay in tune. There may also be sections where the singer is working without accompaniment and may require a 'click track' in order to stay in time.

In a studio situation headphones provide a means for the engineer/producer to communicate with the 'talent' without the conversation being blasted out of the room speakers and hence into the 'live' mics and back onto the track being recorded.

In the case of live performances you sometimes see drummers wearing headsets and again they may be listening to a drum or click track in order to keep time on particularly difficult pieces or they could simply prefer a different mix than they are able to get out of the stage monitors (although in this day and age stage monitors are going the way of the dinosaur as most major acts now seem to prefer in ear monitors instead).

hb · #3 January 29th, 2008

thanks for the reply...........that's interesting.
Very much un-like the reason I wear them............so I can't hear my wife telling me to "put the guitar down!"

eddiez152 · #4 January 29th, 2008

hb,

I wear them to hear the music so I can do the vocal tracks. I also use them when I have a vocal track and want to make another in time.

hb · #5 January 30th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by eddiez152

hb,

I wear them to hear the music so I can do the vocal tracks. I also use them when I have a vocal track and want to make another in time.

I don't understand at all! Please explain. I don't understand how you need headphones to hear something that you could hear without wearing them. Thanks!
hb

Live Stone · #6 January 30th, 2008

Quote:

I don't understand at all! Please explain. I don't understand how you need headphones to hear something that you could hear without wearing them. Thanks!
hb

I wear earphones on Sundays when I play drums. I have my own mixing unit on a stand beside me. I only want to hear certain parts when I play because I have to be on time all the time. I am surrounded by a plexi- glass screen. Some musician don't keep good time and I shut them off.

When I have done studio work. I have always been in a soundproof booth with earphones to isolate the drums to their own tracks. Depending on personal preferance some or all the musicians will do a take together or separate. There is usally a lot of overdubbing to correct mistakes.

When you sing to record you want the best sound you can get to the voice track. The singer can adjust the mix anyway they prefer at this stage of recording. Then all the parts are adjusted, effects added, mistakes corrected, volumes of the parts adjusted before the final mixdown.

You can record live with everything in the mix, but everone better play the song perfect, because now they are not on separate tracks and every one would have to keep doing the song over and over until it was mixed right. While your singing every instrument playing is being picked up by your mike. No way to get a really good recording.

Stratrat · #7 January 30th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by hb

I don't understand at all! Please explain. I don't understand how you need headphones to hear something that you could hear without wearing them. Thanks!
hb

If you play the other tracks out loud over speakers as you're attempting to add vocals, they will "bleed" through your mic into the recording. You want to record only your vocals over the existing tracks, not re-record the existing tracks also.

If you're recording an instrument "direct-in" to the mixing board, the above is less of an issue - but if you have your amp mic'ed, you will again get bleed-through if you play the existing tracks out loud.

In either case, using headphones isolates what you're trying to record so extraneous sounds are picked up on the recording.

hb · #8 January 30th, 2008

Thanks for the answers! I always knew this was technical stuff, but I see it's much deeper than I ever imagined! When reading this, I am reminded of some thoughts about the Beach Boys. I always kinda liked most of their stuff on the radio, but I listened to them live two different times on TV and I could not believe that this was the same band that made all these records! I mean, they sounded terrible!!!!! This was years ago when they were still playing quite a bit. It must have been the "in-house" technology that enhanced their sound. Don't know?
thanks again,
hb

Stratrat · #9 January 30th, 2008

Studio recordings will almost always sound better than live performances. In the studio you have the luxury of an experienced technician editing, adding effects, cutting out/re-doing mistakes, equalizing, compressing, etc. for the absolute best sound. Playing live, it is what it is....if you're singing off-key, there's no pitch correction; if you make a mistake, you can't edit it; you're not playing in an isolation booth or acoustically-treated room - you're stuck with whatever acoustics you get in a club, hall, outdoor stage, whatever. It's two completely different worlds.

starsailor · #10 January 30th, 2008

I think Brian Wilson was way ahead of his time in terms of studio craftsmanship hb, Pet Sounds sort of broke the mould in regard to studio recording so I wouldn't be surprised if the Beach Boys couldn't reproduce that live, Brian was the technical genius of the band as well as the best Musician, I doubt if the Beach Boys would have got very far without him, actually when he had his personal problems they completely lost their way, this is a good article on the making of Pet sounds and the influence it had on people.
Studio production is heavily used for some of the bubblegum popstars
and Pete Waterman who with Stock, Aitken and Waterman launched Kylie Minogue, Jason Donavan and a hundred one hit wonders in the 80s actually would not allow his Artists to sing live on shows like Top of the Pops, the whole thing was done in the studio and in some cases it didn't even matter if the Artist could sing as they could correct that in the studio, the image was the important thing.

Brian Wilson :: Official Web Site

hb · #11 January 30th, 2008

That's interesting!
hb

Stratrat · #12 January 30th, 2008

Here's an interesting video that shows just how much "studio magic" can be done:

YouTube - How to Create a Sexy Pop Star

As you can imagine from watching the video, her live performances would fall far short of what she sounds like in the studio!

hb · #13 January 30th, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stratrat

Here's an interesting video that shows just how much "studio magic" can be done:

YouTube - How to Create a Sexy Pop Star

As you can imagine from watching the video, her live performances would fall far short of what she sounds like in the studio!

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHH MAN......................I KNEW I should have been a country-western singer all along and I missed it!

knight46 · #14 January 30th, 2008

The kicker is she is really a 55 year old construction worker

Andy S · #15 January 31st, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by knight46

The kicker is she is really a 55 year old construction worker

OK , that's it!!!!

From now on, No taking a drink of pepsi while I'm scrolling to the next reply!!!!! Almost passed a big gulp of it through my nose!!!!