These type of headphones would be a good choice if you were pairing them up with a USB microphone. This is not so much of a problem for tracking, since it’s NOT a high priority when recording. These bass frequencies are fine for most professional uses (and even desirable in consumer products), but less desirable for critical listening. The downside of this design is that it traps pressure inside the headphone, which creates false low frequencies. Why? Closed headphones prevent sound from escaping. The unfortunate side-effect of closed back headphones is that as the sound isolation goes up, the sound quality often goes down. Good example of closed back headphones are: Sennheiser HD280 Pro and Sony MDR-7506. Or for the budget conscious, the well reviewed and exceptionally well-price Status Audio CB-1 Closed-Back Studio Monitor Headphones are excellent for good sound isolation combined with an excellent critical listening experience. In other words, when you are trying to record vocals or acoustic guitar (for example) over a backing track, you do not want any “ bleed” – ie you don’t want to be making a recording of the sound coming out of the headphones back into the mic.Ī pair of good quality closed headphones will be essential to get a recording without bleed unless you can afford the most expensive open headphones which do have good sound insulation as well as superb reference quality. Most people starting out are not on that kind of budget. When you are recording tracks in your studio you want to make sure they have maximum sound isolation. This is so you can direct monitor the headphones mix as you play, sing or speak without the sound being re-recorded into the live mic, and ruining the take. Now let’s take a closer look at each type. Or compromise with a pair of semi-open headphones instead. This means you may have to choose one pair that is most suitable for your needs now, then purchase another pair when budget allows. Some really high-end open headphones do also have good sound insulation, but these will almost certainly be beyond the budget of many home recording studio setups.

Semi-Open-Back are a hybrid solution you can use for both recording and mixing.

Open Back Headphones are generally used for mixing.

Closed Back Headphones are generally used for recording tracks.Recording studios and professional recording engineers generally own more than one set of ‘phones: there are 2 very specific types of headphones for 2 very specific purposes, plus a compromise if you can only afford one pair: This distinction between the two main types addresses the design of the part of the headphone that covers the area behind the driver in a straight line away from the side of your head. What Is The Difference Between Closed-Back, Open-Back and Semi-Open?

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