Headphone mix monitor for musicians

[FirstCoastFm]

Greetings,

I just got my model 12. I am new to tracking and mixing. I have 4 musicians who wish to hear themselves on headphones. They are asking for different levels on the instrument tracks. I can't tell if my model 12 has enough headphone outputs to meet their requests, and if I can even customize what each one of them wants to hear. As I said before, I'm new to this and am an old cat of 70 years old but wants to learn. I thank you in advance for your collective input.

 

[BazzBass]

I have no idea if the 12 can do multiple headphone mixes, depends on the AUX sends I think?

But there are good cheap 4 and 6 headphone amps that allow different inputs and 6 outputs.

I have a simple 1 input 4 output headphone amp, Behringer, very good, no unwanted noise. has 4 volume controls.

Up from that I have another Behringer unit that has 2 switchable inputs and 4 outputs with individual volume and balance controls.

Up from that I have another Behringer 6 input 6 output unit. I haven't used it yet.

 

[-mjk-]

If they all want individual mixes then they are out of luck. You are limited to how many buses that are available that can be used as headphone feeds.

 

[FirstCoastFm]

But there are good cheap 4 and 6 headphone amps that allow different inputs and 6 outputs.

Thank you very much. I do have an 8 channel behringer that I use for the podcast studio. Thanks again

 

[FirstCoastFm]

If they all want individual mixes then they are out of luck. You are limited to how many buses area available that can be used as headphone feeds.

Thanks for the reply. I have read about these buses and will have to dive deeper into using these type of mixers. Thanks again.

 

[JarkkoSisu]

Looks like the Model 12 has two aux sends, so if you’re not using them for anything else (like effects), you could use those for two different mixes and you could also use the main headphone jack for a third mix. Routing them all to the musicians might take some imagination, but it can be done. My headphone amp does allow for two different sources per output; there might be models out there with more.

When I record bands playing together, I just make one monitor mix everyone can work with and dial in something more custom when they’re doing their parts individually.

 

[FirstCoastFm]

Thank you JarkkoSisu for the input. I think that they can come to a compromise. Thanks again..

 

[Brody]

It really depends on what you want to accomplish, what your options are. The most common scenario is that the musician wants to hear the mix, with themselves a little bit louder.

If I were you, I would buy a headphone mixer (sometimes called a headphone distribution amp) like the ART HeadAMP 4. This lets you take a single stereo output and distribute it to four separate pairs of headphones. (Of course you'll have to buy four associated cable runs.)

Next, you can buy a splitter/combiner for each musician, something like the ART SPLITMix 4. Or maybe for those using a microphone, the ART SPLITComPro. The combiner would be used in order to combine the output from the stereo bus, with their own directly-monitored track.

These little boxes cost like $70 each so all-told it's an inexpensive way to provide everyone with their own "mix" (although granted they only get the choice of levels over the entire stereo mix vs. their direct dry track).

 

[FirstCoastFm]

thanks for the input Brody.. Question: do you mean that I should purchase the ART Splitmix4 for each musician? Or would one be for four musicians? Thanks again Brody.

 

[BazzBass]

Next, you can buy a splitter/combiner for each musician, something like the ART SPLITMix 4. Or maybe for those using a microphone, the ART SPLITComPro. The combiner would be used in order to combine the output from the stereo bus, with their own directly-monitored track.

These little boxes cost like $70 each so all-told it's an inexpensive way to provide everyone with their own "mix" (although granted they only get the choice of levels over the entire stereo mix vs. their direct dry track).

So let me get this straight, you feed the stereo monitor mix into the 'splitter' input for all 4 to hear, then each player can send their instrument, via a DI throughput? into the ART's individual input and then plug their headphones into the Art's output? or take the output into their own headphone amp?

wow I did not know these existed. Thank you very much mate.

Always something new to learn / buy hehe

 

[-mjk-]

These little boxes cost like $70 each so all-told it's an inexpensive way to provide everyone with their own "mix" (although granted they only get the choice of levels over the entire stereo mix vs. their direct dry track).

Of course, the individual mixing capability is the hit. Its easy to send a single mix to multiple headphones. With a simple console one would have to use splitters (as you suggest) and a separate way to mix them and send them out in order to create individual headphone mixes. That would require a mixer for each different feed. While possible it doesn't seem practical.

IMO, if someone is doing sessions that are large enough to require multiple musicians and separate headphone mixes, then that studio should have a console large enough to have the spare buses to use for that purpose. There are many solutions like P16 and others that use an Ethernet cable from a digital console. Those are typically used in live situations but can work well in a studio of course.

Thank you very much. I do have an 8 channel behringer that I use for the podcast studio. Thanks again

That mixer will not solve the need for each musician to have their own mix. At best this mixer would give you one more mix to work with but you would have to find a way to send each individual instrument to individual channels on the mixer (such as the splitters mentioned).

Having individual mixes for each musician is such a daunting (and equipment intensive) task that for home record it was pretty much out of the question until the development of the digital console; however not many home studios can afford such mixers. The studio in Boston where I did most of my work had a 32x32 API console and I would only be able to send 2 basic mixes to the headphones. I only had a single headphone box for multiple headphones, so the second mix would work with 1 headphone only and that was usually the drummer. Individual mixes are really a luxury and not a realistic expectation for a home studio, unless one has a digital console and can use something like a Behringer P-16M.

 

[Arjan P]

Individual mixes are really a luxury and not a realistic expectation for a home studio

I was gonna say just this.

And TBH, with the Model 12 you also have a machine that was not designed for studio work. It's a live mixer that also records and has limited DAW connectivity.

 

[FirstCoastFm]

Thank you all for your input.. I have learned a great deal and will most likely have follow up questions. A little background, I have a podcast studio. I have guests who are mostly local musicians. I wish to record their performances while they are in the studio playing, which is why I bought the Tascam model 12. Maybe I blew it with that purchase. I totally agree that this is not a recording studio such as Muscle Shoals. Far from it.. But I do want to produce the best quality possible.

I'm a musician myself, but have no recording experience other than recording the podcasts, and use Rodecaster Pro for that and an ATEM extreme for the video cameras. My studio has a Yamaha keyboard, and several mics including the SM57, 58 and SM7B and a couple of condense mics. I have a snake that is 50 feet long and the equipment will be routed to the control room through it.

I'm still wrapping my old brain on the ART HeadAMP 4 and the ART SPLITMix 4 Brody mentioned above.. Maybe a wiring schematic might make it more clear.

I thank you again for your collective experience and inputs..

Warm Regards,

Fernando

 

[Arjan P]

I have guests who are mostly local musicians. I wish to record their performances while they are in the studio playing, which is why I bought the Tascam model 12. Maybe I blew it with that purchase.

Oh but I didn't mean to say that at all. I'm pretty sure the Model 12 is very well suited for this purpose, but just not so much to provide 3 or 4 individual headphone mixes.

 

[FirstCoastFm]

I know that Arjan P. I took no offense. In hindsight, I wish I had done more due diligence before choosing a mixer.. I thank you again for your input.. I'm learning a great deal.. Thanks again..

 

[Brody]

Ofc the others are right, you have to really invest in something for true individual mixes. The solution I offered is a way to cobble together something out of $70 utility boxes. You would have to buy one per musician.

it may be better to actually invest in a real solution. The cheapest option I know like that is the $800 zoom livetrak l-20R which can output six individual mixes. But even that still may not be that friendly to use. I’ve never personally tried.

 

[Brody]

@FirstCoastFm wow, just stumbled on something amazing! Apparently Tascam’s headphone amplifier contains a direct in on each of the 8 channels as well as multiple sources. For only $499 MSRP!!

https://tascam.com/us/product/mh-8/top

 

[Max Relic]

@FirstCoastFm
The Model 12 doesn't provide a band-size solution for individual headphone mixes but you can do with the help of cost-effective gear: plug the instruments or mics into a patchbay (Behringer PX3000 or Samson S-patch Plus ) arranged as a splitter, then feed each instrument/mic both to the Model 12 and to a headphone amp such this ART HeadAmp6 , then feed the total mix (from Main, Sub or Aux1 outputs) to the HeadAmp Aux input. Each headphone ouput will have individual balance of main mix and "my instrument".


Edit: now link points to the more affordable ART product

 

[FirstCoastFm]

@FirstCoastFm wow, just stumbled on something amazing! Apparently Tascam’s headphone amplifier contains a direct in on each of the 8 channels as well as multiple sources. For only $499 MSRP!!

https://tascam.com/us/product/mh-8/top

Cool beans! Thanks!

 

[BazzBass]

@FirstCoastFm
The Model 12 doesn't provide a band-size solution for individual headphone mixes but you can do with the help of cost-effective gear: plug the instruments or mics into a patchbay (Behringer PX3000 or Samson S-patch Plus ) arranged as a splitter, then feed each instrument/mic both to the Model 12 and to a headphone amp such this ART HeadAmp6 , then feed the total mix (from Main, Sub or Aux1 outputs) to the HeadAmp Aux input. Each headphone ouput will have individual balance of main mix and "my instrument".


Edit: now link points to the more affordable ART product

ahah! thanks for this tip. I DO have another 8 channel Headphone amp that I've never used, I hope it has the same ability