sound references

Well to make a long story short after todays “discussion” about the sound of trailers especially the kind of bad sound of the latest Batman Trailer here are some of the as i call them reference trailers for good sound design & sound mix. But let me talk about some of the issues I’ve heard – especially today – real quick. There are several things going on that result in a real issue in terms of sound that in the end kinda demolish the whole trailer experience (since many filmmakers say sound is 50% of a movie … well that is also true for the trailer, now isn’t it?!)  The First issue is maybe a not so good recording of an dialogue or / and not the best edit or cleaning up of that (maybe even no ADR done yet). Second issue is a some sort of bad mix. Loud Music & too much Sounds playing at the same time. And 3rd … after all that / on top of that a kind of poor encoding at the post facility but also on YouTube.

There also was a lil discussion about how stuff is viewed / listened to … like on Phones or iPads or Notebooks and whatnot… but in the end it should not matter that much, it should sound good on almost every device, shouldn’t it?
I talked a lil bit about that on that blog post a few days back.

But as i said there are some examples of really good work out there that are actually really good.  Listen to that and “extract” some “knowledge” about the sound for a film, movie or Project out of all this. All that kinda applies  not only to a mix for a big movie or an awesome trailer. So all i want to do with that is to invoke people to care more and think more about sound… that’s all:

http://vimeo.com/41370253

http://vimeo.com/41365995

oh and BTW that is the Batman trailer that i was talking about … really makes me kinda sad bcuz the trailer it self (pictures and stuff) really is great and so will be the movie in the end (hopefully)
but that is (kinda) just a bit embarrassing especially for a big Hollywood movie.

BTW also take a look at some of the awesome work soundworkscollection is doing with great BTS of the sound work for great movies … here are some of my favorites:

also if you want to see & hear more about sounddesign & soundpost & sound-mix & stuff
join the  “its all about audio” vimeo group

KRK Studio Monitors for your ears

 

[UPDATE 07/22/2011] After using the KRK’s for a week now, I really got to like them. They are good & useful really … so they are a recantation  for people that need / want a good, comfortable & analytic sounding headphones.

Well I’ll try o keep it brief 😉
That topic goes back too my audio-roots, I used a lot of different Headphones from cheap to expensive … all kinds of brands.

My favorites so far:

Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO

Beyerdynamic DT 250

SONY MDR-7506

Sennheiser HD 650

Sennheiser HD 201

Oh BTW I’m not a fan of the commonly used Sennheiser HD25 or any of the AKG headphones, just saying.

First of all: I just have to say we use KRK Rokit PR6 G2 (and PR5 G2) back here and I love them.

So i was kinda happy to see that there are KRK headphone available now too.

I did go for the KRK KNS-6400 (100 Bucks) because they are more affordable and almost identical to the KNS-8400 (150 Bucks) except for a bit wider frequency spectrum, better foam thingy and a volume control on the cable.

So that is that. Now to the essential question(s): how do they sound and are they usable?

To give you a bit of a reference and a kind of comparison I throw in two other headphones I used for quiet a while now:

Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO (160-190 Bucks) Sennheiser HD 201 (20-30bucks)

Keep in mind, all that is kind of matter of taste (as with Audio-Monitors as well)

So here we go:

 

Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO

– very solid

– powerful sound

– good isolation

– strong low-end … beautiful high range … almost Hi Fi (like B&W Speakers …almost!)

– very nice sounding ( a bit too nice )

– not that of a neutral sound (but still very good)

– you can enjoy listening to stuff with them (esp. Film-Soundtracks and Movies)

– a bit big & heavy to wear …you “feel” them

So a very good high-class headphones for professional use & “entertainment” (so to speak)

Back here in Germany they are considered as a Studio-Standard

 

Sennheiser HD 201

– good sound for the money

– pleasant sound not annoying or too aggressive sound (mid range) like cheap ones usually have

– good low-end (a good kick)

– flat sound (a bit boring) there a lot of details missing (esp. in the high range)

– not very neutral and analytic

– not that good of an isolation

– they “hurt” after wearing them for more than 1-2 hours (not that comfortable)

So yes its a cheap headphone and in a way you can hear & feel that but on the other hand its maybe one of the best sounding and most usable (and widely used) headphone in that price-rage. So totally ok.

 

KRK KNS-6400

– very neutral and analytic sound

– quite powerful but not too much kick

– nice low-end, good high range (very “reasonable”)

– very comfortable (to wear) even more than 1-2 hours

– good isolation

– you can catch stuff pretty good if something is wrong with a recording or edit

– tend to sound a lil bit “harsh” if you listen to stuff too loud (and i mean really toooooo loud)

– they might sound a bit “dry” (that can be good sometimes)

– maybe a bit emphasizing in the 200-600 Hz range for some stuff (for my taste)

– no “wow effect” (but that is good bcuz you want them to be neutral)

So they indeed sound like KRK Studio Monitors for your ears. Very solid, well made and “neutral’ish” sounding headphones. You really can use them to spot issues with your recording or edit. They might not be as enjoyable as the DT770 Pro’s or any other more Hi Fi oriented headphones. So, yes there is now “wow-effect” in terms of that your stuff suddenly sound like a Timbaland production and you don’t had to do something for that …But what would be the point of having too pleasing sound … that would miss the target of these headphones (so to speak). If something sounds really bad on these KRK headphones it is really bad. So yes they kinda keep their promise (KRK Studio Monitors for your ears).

Verdict

Solid and usable. Go get them if you need neutral and comfortable headphones, especially if you have and like KRK’s as your audio monitors. Don’t get them if you “only” need nice sounding headphones for listening to your Classic or Jazz Music … they are not made for that. For Studio use they are totally ok (well actually they ROCK … IMO)

On thing though: Headphone can NOT replace audio-monitors (speakers) when it comes to a good sound mix (regardless which brand or price) it’s just a too special or different of an “hearing point” so to speak. You will not get the same sound / “timbre” out of headphones … ever. I don’t use them for mixing, just for editing or recording or maybe just in case I really can’t use monitors in some situations. 90% of the time I use audio monitors only for my work. Though i have to say it is kinda essential to have good headphones around. It’s nice or essential to be able to listen “closely” / deeper into something or to check a mix or an edit (spot a edit inaccuracy or something like that)

One last thing

As with your Audio-Monitors or even Video-Monitors (for that matter) you have to get to know them in a way. How they “have to” sound for certain stuff/work/job/material. So I tend to listen to my favorite stuff/music/movies/own work I already know (how it sounds on other monitors even my speakers at home or in my car).

So you can make the most use out of your new headphones … that might take a while (like a few days or weeks 😉 … just saying.

Well that wasn’t Brief, was it?!

 

Oh BTW more about Audio at my “old” Blog-post: “its all about audio”