Headphone Amps: Getting just the right amount of click in your mix
A common problem I face when recording with acoustic instruments is getting just the right amount of click in my headset versus program material. Up to a few days ago, I would often just struggle with trying to set the other instruments to a lower volume or trying to crank the virtual instrument in my DAW (Logic) that creates the click to very high levels. Now, there is an easier way!
The magic needed actually existed from two existing picece of equipment that I already own, the MOTU 828 mkII audio interface and the Behringer Powerplay Pro Headphone Amp.
In Logic Pro, there is a setting where you can change what output the click track generated by the system eminates from. By default, this is set to Output 1-2 (the mains) of whatever hardware interface you are using. However, if you are using an interface that supports multiple outputs, you can rechannel this to whatever output you want. For me, this was Output 3-4.
After this, I ran a cable from output 3 on the MOTU to the front of the Headphone amp which has an “aux input” as shown below.
Then, by simply adjusting the “balance” knob on the headphone amp, I can get just the right amount of click. Nice!
Bonus Tip: When recording vocals with a headset (and others, but especially vocals) have the singer take one cup of the headphone off their ear so they can better hear themselves. Use your headphone amp to mute the channel that the ear is off so as to help minimize the bleeding into your recording. Your vocalists will thank you for it!
