Guide to Headphones for Drummers

[matt_19]

Maybe it's just me...but my HD-280's barely isolate behind the drums.

Yeah, they tend to polarize opinions - I've read that they isolate well and that they don't. I haven't used them because I stick to in-ears. :P
But being closed, fully circum-aural, fairly large and look to have relatively strong clamping force, they SHOULD isolate okay.
Other options are the Shure SRH440 and 880, but I don't think that they'd isolate any more.

[Vivi22]

I've tried my HD 280's before and they did isolate, but not that well. If I wanted to use them to play to music I'd have to turn it up to a completely unreasonable level to hear it over the drums. They didn't isolate nearly as well as the metrophones I've been using for year.

[rollracer]

here's my problem.

i'm looking for a kind of monitoring solution for rehearsals with my band.

i play with headphones since we play with backing tracks mounted on a click looped in our PA, but since my kit is not mic'ed, when every amps are cranked up, i don't feel my drums enough to get a good feel out of my playing.

what i do like many drummers is letting one ear free out of the headphones ,that way i get the feel i need to play good. i now need to get another set of headphones because mine are done, and i hesitate about what to get. in-ear, OR headphones again...

is there some IEM you can cancel one side ,who let the sound of the room going by, or i still have to go with headphones and do the same thing, one ear in , the other off on the side of my head??

[matt_19]

here's my problem.

i'm looking for a kind of monitoring solution for rehearsals with my band.

i play with headphones since we play with backing tracks mounted on a click looped in our PA, but since my kit is not mic'ed, when every amps are cranked up, i don't feel my drums enough to get a good feel out of my playing.

what i do like many drummers is letting one ear free out of the headphones ,that way i get the feel i need to play good. i now need to get another set of headphones because mine are done, and i hesitate about what to get. in-ear, OR headphones again...

is there some IEM you can cancel one side ,who let the sound of the room going by, or i still have to go with headphones and do the same thing, one ear in , the other off on the side of my head??

Leaving one ear unprotected during a show is a very bad idea. It's a recipe for hearing loss in only one ear. ;)
I can't help you much there. The problem would be easily solved after mic'ing your kit, but that's more money and effort.
This isn't a great idea, but maybe you could have one in-ear headphone in one ear and then some form of hearing protection (foam, silicon, etc.) in the other. Then you can hear your drums BETTER in that ear because you're not hearing the backing track.

[matt_19]

I've tried my HD 280's before and they did isolate, but not that well. If I wanted to use them to play to music I'd have to turn it up to a completely unreasonable level to hear it over the drums. They didn't isolate nearly as well as the metrophones I've been using for year.

Ok, thanks for the info.

[exordium]

I've tried my HD 280's before and they did isolate, but not that well. If I wanted to use them to play to music I'd have to turn it up to a completely unreasonable level to hear it over the drums. They didn't isolate nearly as well as the metrophones I've been using for year.

Yeah, that's my issue. They're great to have for general use, but even on the bus, they don't isolate a huge amount.

[rollracer]

Leaving one ear unprotected during a show is a very bad idea. It's a recipe for hearing loss in only one ear.
I can't help you much there. The problem would be easily solved after mic'ing your kit, but that's more money and effort.
This isn't a great idea, but maybe you could have one in-ear headphone in one ear and then some form of hearing protection (foam, silicon, etc.) in the other. Then you can hear your drums BETTER in that ear because you're not hearing the backing track.

well...thanks for the advice about hearing protection...after 20 years playing,i'm aware that a ear ringing is no fun....

however, i heard there's a brand of IEM who offer that feature. you can cancel one side, and there's a kind of vent that can be closed or open for this exact purpose of un-mic'ed situation for the ones like me who like to have the sound of the room/pa/drum on one side, and the backing tracks/click in the IEM. it's just that i can't remember the brand of this IEM system.

[matt_19]

well...thanks for the advice about hearing protection...after 20 years playing,i'm aware that a ear ringing is no fun....

however, i heard there's a brand of IEM who offer that feature. you can cancel one side, and there's a kind of vent that can be closed or open for this exact purpose of un-mic'ed situation for the ones like me who like to have the sound of the room/pa/drum on one side, and the backing tracks/click in the IEM. it's just that i can't remember the brand of this IEM system.

Could this be it?

What is an ambient vent?
An ambient vent is a small tube, which is bored into an earpiece to limit isolation. This allows the user to hear outside, “ambient” sounds. Typically, stage performers who do not wish to be completely cut-off from their audiences request the ambient vent option. We do not recommend ambient vents for critical listeners as these drastically affect the sound quality of the earpieces.

http://www.custom-iem.com/page.html?id=23

I still don't think that that's a very good idea for playing shows. Maybe you should just invest in some mics. :P

[rollracer]

Could this be it?


http://www.custom-iem.com/page.html?id=23

I still don't think that that's a very good idea for playing shows. Maybe you should just invest in some mics. :P

nothing related to a live/show set up here. it's for rehearsal purpose. since our rehearsal space isn't very wide/high, it just gives nothing to put my whole sennheiser mic setup on duty looped in the pa there lol.
thanks for the link.that might be what i'm looking for.

[NickatNite25]

well...thanks for the advice about hearing protection...after 20 years playing,i'm aware that a ear ringing is no fun....

however, i heard there's a brand of IEM who offer that feature. you can cancel one side, and there's a kind of vent that can be closed or open for this exact purpose of un-mic'ed situation for the ones like me who like to have the sound of the room/pa/drum on one side, and the backing tracks/click in the IEM. it's just that i can't remember the brand of this IEM system.

Ultimate Ears

"The Ultimate Ears 4 Pro is available with the optional ambient feature to allow for stage bleed while controlling the isolation effect."

The UE4 is the cheapest pair they offer at $400 USD (not including the audiologist molding fee, but that varies by audiologist)

I've been looking into UE's for a while because I'm tired of using Remington shooting earphones OVER my cheap Shure in-ears.

[Jack_Frost]

I don't see much of a mention of custom IEMs in this thread (I only skimmed). These are by far the best solution to most people's monitoring woes. Yeah, they're more expensive (although Alien Ears start at $160), but they're also a better solution in general.

[matt_19]

I don't see much of a mention of custom IEMs in this thread (I only skimmed). These are by far the best solution to most people's monitoring woes. Yeah, they're more expensive (although Alien Ears start at $160), but they're also a better solution in general.

I didn't go into custom in-ears because they are USUALLY out of the reach of the average consumer, personal preference is a major factor of choosing headphones at such a price range and they aren't as good value-for-money as universal in-ears. It is also harder to find reliable information about particular models.

The recommendations aren't the important part of this thread - the main text it.