Interface and Microphone Chains
I've been meaning to post about this recently and wanted to get a take of everyones hardware gear audio chain breakdowns.
I've been using one of the most modest and minimal chains for a few years now. Xenyx300 2 channel into AT2020 condenser directly into Pro Tools into MacBookPro. That's it. No extra boosts / sound cards / or pre amps. I could definitely use some more bass and richer boosts for vocals but it passes Bunny's standards and works.
I'm mainly interested in finding a good interface that outputs nicely for headphones. I use Beyer DT 770 cans.
I've tried Scarlett and Solid State but both of those headphone levels were not loud enough for me and I had to crank the dial to almost 10 to be where I needed when recording. The Xenyx gives me tons of room for monitoring with cans. But if you guys have any help it would be much appreciated from my fellow VO colleauges.
-Ted
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Hi Ted, thanks for reaching out!
It seems like the problem here is related to the impedance of the headphones. Can you please share the exact impedance of your DT 770's? Beyerdynamic headphones tend to be available in 32Ω, 250Ω, and 600Ω versions, and the higher the number, the more power they require to operate.
On the other hand, some entry-level interfaces may not be designed to power that type of headphones. So my suggestion is to search for an interface that works well with the type of headphones you have. Alternatively, you could buy a separate headphone amplifier, or use an interface like the Scarlett and connect the output to the console you already have, using it solely for monitoring.
I came across this helpful article https://www.headphonesty.com/2019/04/headphone-impedance-demystified/. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Best regards,
Steven!
Thanks for your reply. I have the Beyer 770 with 250 OHM.
I saw one setup recently with a voice artist using a solid state interface direct into a mac and a seinheiser mk 416 and said they didn't need any extra headroom for monitoring. I'm not sure of their headphones but thanks for sending that link.
Anyone else care to share their chain setups?