Mastering and mixing audio involves meticulous and focused attention. Studio Headphones can play an important role in the mixing and mastering process, providing precision-driven highly detailed audio information that producers and musicians can hear, and process as per their production needs.
Audio-Technica makes high quality, dependable audio equipment, which makes us one of the industry’s leaders. If you happen to be looking for the best studio headphones for mixing and mastering, specifically Audio-Technica studio headphones, this blog is the right place for you to get started.
While wireless technology is always more convenient, for the precise needs of professional audio production, wired systems almost always outperform in regard to latency and fidelity. This is why this blog will focus around wired systems and talk about the best studio headphones for mixing and mastering suitable for professionals like you.
Why should we use Audio-Technica Headphones to mix and master music in studios?
Audio-Technica headsets have been loved for their,
- Flat Frequency Response: An important part of mixing, a flat frequency response gives you the audio as it really sounds, without unnatural boosts or cuts of specific frequency bands. This enables correct decisions on EQ, compression and effects.
- Fine Sound Representation: This is how well you can hear all the minor details in your sound. Backed by 60 years of audio-innovation and Japanese technology, Audio-Technica studio headphones offer high-fidelity sound with accurate response, allowing you to hear the lowest to the highest sonic frequencies, in your recordings.
- Long sessions: Mixing and mastering require hours of listening. To avoid fatigue and to stay focused, it is necessary to use headphones with ear-cups designed in an ergonomic way.
- Durability: Audio-Technica studio headphones are made to endure the demands of the studio environment, making them a good investment today and in the years ahead.
Best Audio-Technica Mixing Mastering Headphones
Below is an overview of some of the best Audio-Technica studio headphones fitting the modern day music production demands.
1. Audio-Technica ATH-M50x
The ATH-M50x are probably the most popular and versatile studio headphones ever made by Audio-Technica, and they do have a reason. They have a balanced sound signature with a great level of detail retrieval that makes them a great all-rounder in both tracking and mixing.
Main Characteristics:
- Critically-acclaimed sonic performance,
- proprietary 45 mm large-apertature drivers,
- high-level sound isolation,
- sturdy construction.
Why are the ATH-M50x Headphones good to mix with ?
The ATH-M50x Headphones are not strictly flat, but their slightly boosted low-end gives a pleasing and accurate response, and so are very effective at monitoring bass frequencies (low-end). Their mids and highs are clear enough so you could hear the detail of the vocals and separation of the instruments.
2. Audio-Technica ATH-R70x
The ATH-R70x suits those who want pure, open-back listening.
They are reference-level studio headphones for mixing, with critical listening capabilities and an immensely spacious and natural sound representation.
Main Characteristics:
- Open-back design to provide a natural and airy sound,
- Newly developed 45 mm drivers,
- 3D wing support system to fit comfortably,
- Sturdy built
Why are the ATH-R70x headphones so good in mixing and mastering?
The open-back design has a limited accumulation of pressure and gives a more realistic stereo imaging. They are very flat, which is why Audio-Technica Headphones are best suited to detailed mixing and mastering choices, enabling you to hear all the elements in their place.
3. Audio-Technica ATH-M70x
The ATH-M70x is the top model in the M-series of Audio-Technica, with a more analytical, accurate sound image than the M50x and optimized to be used in critical studio use.
Main Characteristics:
- 45 mm large-aperture drivers that use rare earth magnets
- Extended frequency response
- Circumaural design to provide excellent sound isolation
- All-metal construction
What makes the ATH-M70x so good to mix and master with?
These premium headphones have an even flatter frequency response than the M50x, and are great at finding small sonic anomalies in the mix. Their precision audio representation makes them a fantastic choice for the final stage of music production – mastering.
4. Audio-Technica ATH-M40x
The ATH-M40x also has a more neutral sound profile than the M50x, so they are a good option when you need an accurate response at a more affordable price.
Features:
- Tuned flat to ensure pinpoint audio monitoring over a wide frequency range
- 40 mm drivers
- Circumaural headphones – allowing sound isolation and
- Collapsible design to allow portability
Why are the ATH-M40x headphones good to mix and master tracks?
Their neutral sound is why they can be trusted to make informed mixing decisions especially when the budget is a decision maker.
What about using Bluetooth Headphones to Mix and Master?
The convenience of wireless headphones is indisputable in the context of casual listening, but the existing shortcomings of the Bluetooth technology (latency, compression) tend to render it unsuitable in professional mixing and mastering uses where accuracy and uncompromised audio quality are invaluable.
Despite having the best Bluetooth headphones for mixing and mastering, you need to know that the wired connection is still the industry standard to use with pro-audio work. Some high-end Bluetooth codecs seek to reduce latency, but still add a level of processing, which can compress or colour the sound, and are therefore not so useful in referencing or mixing and mastering for that matter. When doing serious studio work, use wired headphones.
In Conclusion…
High quality studio headphones are a very crucial part of any studio.
Audio-Technica is the best headphones for mixing and mastering provides a variety of superior products that address various needs and price categories, without compromising their reputation of quality and accuracy. It doesn’t matter whether you choose the versatile ATH-M50x or the analytical ATH-M70x, or the open-back precision of the ATH-R70x, you are investing in a device that will assist you in producing professional-level results.
Again, the most effective mixing and mastering headphones are the ones that enable you to listen to your audio with unparalleled clarity and description.
FAQs
Which Audio-Technica headphones are best for mixing and mastering?
The ATH-R70x is the best headphones for mixing and mastering and strongly suggested due to their uncompromising open-back sound and the ATH-M70x have accurate analytical sound that is required in critical studio uses. ATH-M50x are all round tracking and mixing headphones.
Can I use wireless Audio-Technica headphones for mixing and mastering?
In most cases, wireless Audio-Technica headphones are not recommended in high-end mixing and mastering applications (latency, compression issues). Wired connections are far better in fidelity and accuracy, both essential to serious producers and engineers.
Is the ATH-M50x best for professional mixing?
The ATH-M50x is the best headphones for mixing and mastering, are also great and versatile to mix with, being neither too detailed nor too dead. Nonetheless, the ATH-M70x or ATH-R70x could be favored, as for the most critical and analytic professional mixing and mastering, this will have flatter frequency response and a greater ability to retrieve details.
Which is better — ATH-M50x, ATH-M40x or ATH-R70x for mixing?
For high-level reference-grade mixing and mastering, the open-back ATH-R70x can be regarded as the best; with its unbelievably wide and natural soundstage and nearly perfectly flat frequency response. The ATH-M50x is a decent all-rounder that has a slightly improved low-end, and the ATH-M40x has a more neutral sound profile compared to the M50x, and is also priced lower than the other two.