How better headphones might help YOU as a drummer
We all have our favorite earbuds, speakers, or headphones that we enjoy using to listen to our favorite music. But many of us face the challenge of struggling to hear what the drums are actually doing on recordings.
Sometimes it’s tough to discern the kick pattern, and sometimes it’s really hard to tell if you’re hearing snare ghosting or additional hihat notes. And oftentimes there are so many layered parts on a recording that it’s tough to pick out what you should actually play on the drums.
This is the struggle for a lot of drummers, and I want to help you solve this in two ways:
#1) Explore how a higher quality pair of in-ears or headphones can make detailed listening easier
#2) Teach you strategies for listening more deeply and picking out parts - with whatever headphones you may have
Here’s an important listening / “mixing” truth you need to understand:
Turning up the bass on a recording doesn’t always make it easier to hear what the kick drum is doing. (Nor does turning up the highs make it easier to hear hihat / cymbal nuance.)
A lot of times turning up the bass makes things “muddier” and therefore harder to discern. Unfortunately, most consumer in-ears and headphones are doing just that. They boost the bass as well as the highs for a funner listening experience, but those boosts can actually make it harder to hear detail in a recording. The end result is a missing mid-range, where the majority of the mix lives - not to mention this is the range our ears hear the best. We need this mid range in order to hear full detail in a recording.
What most cheap earbuds do to a mix:
What slightly higher end in-ears or headphones do:
Nothing! The higher end headphones DON’T scoop the mid frequencies (or boost the highs and lows, however you want to think of it). So as a result, you actually hear ALL of the frequencies in a recording, therefore you’re able to much more easily pick out subtle details and nuance.
Here are some great affordable options that could very well change your listening experience for the better. I have not personally used either of these first two options, but I’ll tell you about the in-ears I use in a moment.
These are well-reviewed, base-level headphones that reproduce sounds as intended. What you hear is what the producers and engineers heard and intended for you to hear. These are a great starter option for over-ear headphones if you prefer this listening style.
Also well-reviewed, these are super affordable base level in-ears that will sound way more detailed and accurate than your typical $10-$25 earbuds. At this price, these are worth a look.
I’m a big fan of Shure products, though I’m not an official endorsee. Here are the in-ears I use, which I really love.
The Shure 535s are awesome for a few reasons...
- They are super accurate in their frequency reproduction, and you can literally hear everything on a recording.
- They isolate well (a must for a drummer), so they’re great for listening and for live playing.
- They are triple-driver, which means they essentially have 3 micro-speakers inside. They're specifically dedicated to lows, mids, and highs, so you get very thorough and accurate reproduction.
- They’re universal fit (as opposed to custom ear molds), yet they seal really well and sound great. In my opinion these are the best professional grade in-ears out there for the price. I’d recommend getting these if you’re playing a bunch on stages with in-ear systems.
I mentioned earlier I’d share with you the best strategies for listening more deeply and picking out parts in a recording. Here’s what I’d like to do. Rather than lay it all out in this email (and this end up being a super, super long email), I’d like to send you to a free e-guide that teaches you exactly this and much more.
If you have’t already downloaded this deep, powerful guide, do so now! It’s helped tons of drummers just like you learn how to really listen to music, picking out parts and learning songs before ever even picking up their sticks. If you want to play songs well or play really musically with a band…it all starts here. Download the free guide and get started today.
That’s all! I hope everything today helps you out. As always, shoot me an email if you have questions.
Stay non glamorous and God Bless,
Stephen
