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My problem with gaming and music production (Headphones/Headsets)

Go to solution Solved by Lauen,

Honestly this sounds like a troll post but I'm bored.

 

"Gaming" headSETS aren't inherently better for gaming. The only reason they're gaming headSETS is that they come with a mic attached so you can use voice comms. Some gaming headsets advertise that you can hear footsteps easier and have virtual surround and stuff like that. I've tried a few virtual surround setups (Logitech G35, some Creative software I can't remember), various built-in game setups, and the one that came with my ASUS Xonar soundcard way back in 2013ish. I also got to try a Razer Tiamat 7.1 with actual physical surround in a headset. It was pretty bad. 

 

All they do is add reverb so things sound like you're drunk, and very often boost the bass. The worst was trying to listen to music with it, as all the punchy attack from drums and palm muted high gain guitars just sorta disappeared. Vocals often lost their center stage place and got sorta ethereal, as if a divine being would speak inside your head. 

 

The best you can do for yourself is to get a good pair of open headphoned. Open headphones will give you a wide soundstage which will help you pinpoint where footsteps and gunshots are in games, and they'll for the most part sound fairly natural. If you want bass, Beyerdynamic DT990. If you want a more neutral sound, Sennheiser HD600/650, or if you can't afford those you can step down to Sennheiser HD518/558/559/599/598, whichever of those fit your budget. They sound very similar, a fairly neutral response but veeeery slightly "veiled" meaning some of the highs are a little subdued. Not my personal choice but they're very easy to listen to. 

 

If you need sound isolation / passive attenuation, closed headphones like the Sennheiser HD569 is pretty decent and sounds a lot like its brethren. Beyerdynamic DT770 has more bass and a decently wide soundstage for a closed headphone. I can also recommend the Shure SRH440 / 840. If you get the 440 I recommend you get the pads for the 840s for better comfort, the pads are called HPAEC840. If you want even more bass you could even go for an Audio-Technica ATH-M40X (M50X is overpriced when the M40X sounds almost exactly the same). I'm sure there are other headphones in the category that are good but I haven't been paying attention to anything for 5 years. 

 

If you need a mic for voice comms, a Blue Snowball is very simple and sounds pretty good if you get it close to your mouth. 

Hello,
I work with game development, music production, video editing, animation and audio post-production (foley)


My problem is:
If I buy a gamer headphone I will be able to work better in my game and play my FPS games at leisure, but if I buy studio headphones I will work better in all other areas, but I will not have the same quality when working with game development and playing my games.


I want a headphone that can supply these two areas: studio and gaming. I even thought about buying modular headphones, but the only ones that exist are from AIAIAI Audio, and still do not meet my needs.
 

I really hate having to buy 2 headphones, besides the fact that if I need to, how can I quickly switch between the two headphones without needing a lot of work? Remember that it would be repetitive every time I had to play and get back to work and vice versa.


Also, i see that Ninja (streamer) uses a Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro but DT990 is not surround, does it really affects gaming experience?
Every opinion will be helpful.

Thanks in advance,
- Emanuel Messias, R.d.S.

Emanuel Messias, R.d.S - a.k.a: MiniDarkOF | Brasil, SP

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Heh.  It’s a very old sound issue.  You may need more than 2.  Phil Spector famously had a whole pile of speakers he listened to stuff with. Everything from a cheapass mono pocket “transistor” to an fm radio designed for cars to the best audiophile equipment of the day.

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

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Honestly this sounds like a troll post but I'm bored.

 

"Gaming" headSETS aren't inherently better for gaming. The only reason they're gaming headSETS is that they come with a mic attached so you can use voice comms. Some gaming headsets advertise that you can hear footsteps easier and have virtual surround and stuff like that. I've tried a few virtual surround setups (Logitech G35, some Creative software I can't remember), various built-in game setups, and the one that came with my ASUS Xonar soundcard way back in 2013ish. I also got to try a Razer Tiamat 7.1 with actual physical surround in a headset. It was pretty bad. 

 

All they do is add reverb so things sound like you're drunk, and very often boost the bass. The worst was trying to listen to music with it, as all the punchy attack from drums and palm muted high gain guitars just sorta disappeared. Vocals often lost their center stage place and got sorta ethereal, as if a divine being would speak inside your head. 

 

The best you can do for yourself is to get a good pair of open headphoned. Open headphones will give you a wide soundstage which will help you pinpoint where footsteps and gunshots are in games, and they'll for the most part sound fairly natural. If you want bass, Beyerdynamic DT990. If you want a more neutral sound, Sennheiser HD600/650, or if you can't afford those you can step down to Sennheiser HD518/558/559/599/598, whichever of those fit your budget. They sound very similar, a fairly neutral response but veeeery slightly "veiled" meaning some of the highs are a little subdued. Not my personal choice but they're very easy to listen to. 

 

If you need sound isolation / passive attenuation, closed headphones like the Sennheiser HD569 is pretty decent and sounds a lot like its brethren. Beyerdynamic DT770 has more bass and a decently wide soundstage for a closed headphone. I can also recommend the Shure SRH440 / 840. If you get the 440 I recommend you get the pads for the 840s for better comfort, the pads are called HPAEC840. If you want even more bass you could even go for an Audio-Technica ATH-M40X (M50X is overpriced when the M40X sounds almost exactly the same). I'm sure there are other headphones in the category that are good but I haven't been paying attention to anything for 5 years. 

 

If you need a mic for voice comms, a Blue Snowball is very simple and sounds pretty good if you get it close to your mouth. 

Reviews: JBL J33i   M50s   SRH440   Soundmagic PL50           

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You might have to buy 2 headphones . 1 that to you is good for production and 1 for gaming. But headsets aren't inherently better for gaming than a normal headphone

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Gaming headsets are most of the time way too ugly and too much plastic and shit, yuck! Exactly what rice guru said. I use my DT770, Amirons and Meze 99 Classics for everything for example.

 

And switching between different headphones will be tedious over time. I solved that by getting the Fiio E10K and using velcro fastener. No more looking for the right hole in my black Fractal R4.

 

Don't believe in what they advertise what their "gaming" headsets can do. Virtual sound? Some idiotic brands also advertise it can do 7.1. And just what Lauen said, they are bad.

DAC/AMPs:

Klipsch Heritage Headphone Amplifier

Headphones: Klipsch Heritage HP-3 Walnut, Meze 109 Pro, Beyerdynamic Amiron Home, Amiron Wireless Copper, Tygr 300R, DT880 600ohm Manufaktur, T90, Fidelio X2HR

CPU: Intel 4770, GPU: Asus RTX3080 TUF Gaming OC, Mobo: MSI Z87-G45, RAM: DDR3 16GB G.Skill, PC Case: Fractal Design R4 Black non-iglass, Monitor: BenQ GW2280

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7 hours ago, Lauen said:

Honestly this sounds like a troll post but I'm bored.

No, it's not a troll post, I'm Brazilian, I can't express myself properly in English, so some mistakes like confusing headset with headphone may appear during my post

Also, you don't need to write "sets" in capslock, i get it.

 

7 hours ago, Lauen said:

If you want a more neutral sound, Sennheiser HD600/650

I was thinking about buying it, apparently it makes it sound more natural and airy, thanks for the recommendation
 

Ok, in conclusion, I see that I need to buy a gaming headset and a studio headphone

There is no escape from some things 
 

Quote

The only reason they're gaming headSETS is that they come with a mic attached so you can use voice comms

Yep i know that, but i'll stick with my Shure SM7B
 

Emanuel Messias, R.d.S - a.k.a: MiniDarkOF | Brasil, SP

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3 minutes ago, MiniDarkOF said:

No, it's not a troll post, I'm Brazilian, I can't express myself properly in English, so some mistakes like confusing headset with headphone may appear during my post

Also, you don't need to write "sets" in capslock, i get it.

 

I was thinking about buying it, apparently it makes it sound more natural and airy, thanks for the recommendation
 

Ok, in conclusion, I see that I need to buy a gaming headset and a studio headphone

There is no escape from some things 

It’s about user experience.  For a game what is the gamer going to hear?  Gamers play using several types of sound systems.  Tiny little powered speakers, sound bars, gamer headphones, possibly even earbuds.  There should be statistics somewhere for each type of game.

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

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6 hours ago, CTR640 said:

Gaming headsets are most of the time way too ugly and too much plastic and shit, yuck! Exactly what rice guru said. I use my DT770, Amirons and Meze 99 Classics for everything for example.

 

And switching between different headphones will be tedious over time. I solved that by getting the Fiio E10K and using velcro fastener. No more looking for the right hole in my black Fractal R4.

 

Don't believe in what they advertise what their "gaming" headsets can do. Virtual sound? Some idiotic brands also advertise it can do 7.1. And just what Lauen said, they are bad.

Studio headphones, here we go

Emanuel Messias, R.d.S - a.k.a: MiniDarkOF | Brasil, SP

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Just now, Bombastinator said:

It’s about user experience.  For a game what is the gamer going to hear?  Gamers play using several types of sound systems.  Tiny little powered speakers, sound bars, gamer headphones, possibly even earbuds.  There should be statistics somewhere for each type of game.

Thank you, I will use an AKG, Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic

Emanuel Messias, R.d.S - a.k.a: MiniDarkOF | Brasil, SP

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For properly testing all the different types of devices gamers are going to use with your game, the only solution is to buy a wide array of devices.

 

 

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11 minutes ago, MiniDarkOF said:

Studio headphones, here we go

Using studio headphones though you run the risk of designing stuff that people without studio headphone won’t be able to hear.  I would say studio headphone are possibly the least useful system to use.  You may make something almost no one else can experience.  The important thing about gamer headphones is that they ARE crap.  And they’re much more common crap than studio headphones. 
 

Phil Spector didn’t become the wealthiest sound engineer in history by being a wildly talented sound engineer.  He did it because he was “the  man that learned to play the radio”

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

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2 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Using studio headphones though you run the risk of designing stuff that people without studio headphone won’t be able to hear.  I would say studio headphone are possibly the least useful system to use.  You may make something almost no one else can experience.  The important thing about gamer headphones is that they ARE crap.  And they’re much more common crap than studio headphones

Also i'm planning to buy Studio monitors, and use my earbuds just to see if my music is sounding good in all types of devices. Don't worry.

Emanuel Messias, R.d.S - a.k.a: MiniDarkOF | Brasil, SP

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Emanuel Messias, R.d.S - a.k.a: MiniDarkOF | Brasil, SP

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11 minutes ago, MiniDarkOF said:

Also i'm planning to buy Studio monitors, and use my earbuds just to see if my music is sounding good in all types of devices. Don't worry.

I do wonder if studio systems can emulate sound gamut.  That would be really useful.  If you had studio headphones with a “this is what gamer wearing this type of headphone will hear” setting you might be able to emulate various types of listening devices.

Not a pro, not even very good.  I’m just old and have time currently.  Assuming I know a lot about computers can be a mistake.

 

Life is like a bowl of chocolates: there are all these little crinkly paper cups everywhere.

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22 minutes ago, MiniDarkOF said:

Thank you, I will use an AKG, Sennheiser or Beyerdynamic

Don't limit yourselves to brands either there are great brands that make awesome headphones beyond those 3. Like audio Technica, audeze, fostex,hifiman and and insane amount of Chinese brands

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16 hours ago, Bombastinator said:

Heh.  It’s a very old sound issue.  You may need more than 2.  Phil Spector famously had a whole pile of speakers he listened to stuff with. Everything from a cheapass mono pocket “transistor” to an fm radio designed for cars to the best audiophile equipment of the day.

Alot of people still do this, even I do. Got "audiophile" speakers to the cheapest Sony SS-NX1 and alot in between. Gotta check how everything sounds on different gear. No point in making music sound perfect on monitors, but sound awful on what the majority of the audience will listen to it on.

LTT's Resident Porsche fanboy and nutjob Audiophile.

 

Main speaker setup is now;

 

Mini DSP SHD Studio -> 2x Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC's (fed by AES/EBU, one feeds the left sub and main, the other feeds the right side) -> 2x Neumann KH420 + 2x Neumann KH870

 

(Having a totally seperate DAC for each channel is game changing for sound quality)

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On 1/21/2020 at 4:20 PM, Bombastinator said:

I do wonder if studio systems can emulate sound gamut.  That would be really useful.  If you had studio headphones with a “this is what gamer wearing this type of headphone will hear” setting you might be able to emulate various types of listening devices.

Some information I found:

https://shop.audified.com/products/mixchecker
https://oscillotaudio.com/

Emanuel Messias, R.d.S - a.k.a: MiniDarkOF | Brasil, SP

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