Drum Tracking - Headphone Loudness

[Melodeath]

This may be a stupid question, but here goes...

So I'm working on a short clip in my home studio. I'm playing both guitar and drums, and doing the vocals. I have the guitars done, and I'm trying to track the drums (one-man band).

What's the best way to track drums without blowing my ears out? I have plenty of gain for my headphones (they go around the ear but they aren't very good at isolation), but my goal is to not ruin my ears just so I can record some drums while still hearing the guitars.

Suggestions?

 

[gorath23]

I think you've already nailed the problem, maybe invest in some Vic Firth Isolation headphones?

 

[PhilR]

Or build your own ISO headphones. I built some DIY cans for less than £30. I just fitted some AKG headphone speakers into some Bilsom ear defenders.

 

[everybody's x]

http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/equipment/394868-extreme-isolation-headphones.html

 

[punkrockacademyfightsong]

or wear plugs under your headphone...

 

[smy1]

or wear plugs under your headphone...

Yep. So easy!

 

[MetalJonesy]

i use some sennheiser cx300 earphones, they are decent, and then i use ear defenders, better than the drum isolation headphones imo as you can really isolate the drums with the two levels of isolation and its a cheaper solution!

 

[colonel kurtz]

look up moreme headphones

cheap as shit, and they work

 

[HeadCrusher]

http://northern-america.beyerdynami...ase_pi1[showUid][backPID]=68&cHash=737b0c6713

 

[PhilR]

Sony Fontopia earbuds kick ass for bass thump and block a LOT of outside noise so they would be great for drum tracking. Only problem is the horrid earcrud buildup.

 

[Melodeath]

Thanks for the sugegstions!

How would ear plugs under the headphones help? It would just lower the volume of everything I assume.

 

[if6was9]

yeah so if you've got enough volume to hear the playback over your drums but the overall volume is gonna seriously damage your hearing wear earplugs to bring down the whole level of everything

 

[Melodeath]

Well what I meant was, I could have put the guitar loud enough to heear over the drums, but that would have hurt my ears. I dont think ear plugs would lessen the intensity enough to keep my ears safe at that level.

 

[if6was9]

yeah i know thats what you meant- about the getting the guitar volume loud enough. Ear plugs take out like 25-30db of everything so if you wear the phones and protective plugs you should be totally safe and be able to hear the guitars and drums no problem

 

[fooman]

Careful with plugs... cause you will have to turn the phones up so loud that you will hear them in the overheads.. at least with the Vic Firths and for sure with any phones that aren't iso-friendly.

 

[Thedeloshimself]

buy the Skull Candy in ear headphones. Theyre cheap and amazing. I've used alesis, Vic Firth Isolation, Sennheiser and sony head phones and these Skull Candy ones work the best for drums, especially for monitoring for mic placement.

 

[fooman]

buy the Skull Candy in ear headphones. Theyre cheap and amazing. I've used alesis, Vic Firth Isolation, Sennheiser and sony head phones and these Skull Candy ones work the best for drums, especially for monitoring for mic placement.

holy shit man! I use these at work everyday and wondered if anyone ever tried them for tracking. Cool.

 

[Thedeloshimself]

i know dude it seems like ajoke almost but now theyre the only thing i use, i use them for mixing too sometimes haha

 

[PhilR]

The Skull Candy plugs look more or less the same as the Sony ones I use.

 

[Executioner213]

I've been using the Skull Candy's for a while, was using them for my in-ear monitors when I had them, pretty good isolation.

Wouldn't you get pretty good results by using something like these and covering them with something like those HP-25's?