Are Slate's VSX Headphones worth it, general thoughts and impressions
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- Опубліковано 3 жов 2024
- #stevenslateaudio #mixingtutorials #vsxheadphones
An extremely non technical review of the VSX mixing headphones. These are my initial impressions of using them after about a month, and whom I think they may be geared towards.
linktr.ee/Tremdan
Great review buddy! Glad they're working out well for you.
Thanks craigers! The craziest thing is when you switch them to nearfield for the first time, literally sounds like it’s coming from your monitors. Super cool!
They are on sale right now until the end of December. After a lot of research, I'm convinced!
I have mixed feelings about Slate VSX. The bass in the emulations seems to be totally overpowering (in the reference tracks, not mine). It may sounds cool and exciting, but I can't believe that studio monitors have such an overly bassy sound in recording studios. In addition, the speaker balance within a given simulation seems strange, because when switching from small near-field speakers that can sound as if they somehow had sub-bass, we suddenly get even more bass. Totally weird thing.
In the meantime, out of curiosity, I checked Realphones 2.0, which I was skeptical about, especially after spending a lot of money on VSX, but I must say that after listening to their emulations, it sounds much more realistic. I recommend checking it out.
After a long time of comparing Slate VSX vs Realphones vs my KRK 5, I'm considering returning the VSX.
Interesting, thanks for sharing. I’m not familiar with Realphones. But KRK are exceptionally popular for a reason, because they work well. If I were you, I would spend some time treating your room with some acoustic panels and more importantly, bass traps. The KRK’s should do just fine. My reference monitors are tiny and lack low end, so for me the VSX make sense. But I agree with you, it’s better to stick with one room and one emulation. Thanks for watching and for sharing. Cheers!
It is possible that your head shape and ear size (especially ear canal size) isn't in the target demographic. VSX simply does not work for everybody due to anatomy being so different from person to person. Slate himself mentioned that approximately 2 out of 10 people can't get VSX working correctly for them. So if you can't get the sound "illusion" happening, then you can unfortunately not use it properly. Then again, it may also be a completely subjective bias that you have.. you don't seem to like bass. Have you tried using the built in EQ to take out the bass that you dislike?
As for Realphones. That too is highly dependent on your head shape and size, and ear. Personally I couldn't get it working at all. I found it to sound just like all the other HRTF based simplistic systems (which VSX is not!). Basically just an impulse response taken through a dummy head. That's exactly how it sounded, no matter how much I tried tweaking the settings. However, if it works for you (meaning: Mix translation!!) then that should be the option you choose.
Are these good for the writting process/sound design as well or should i only be using them for mixes/ final touches?
Yes, I think they would work very well for that. 👍
Could you help me understand how you use these in your mixing process? Do you use these during tracking to get the instrument situated properly in the mix? Do you do final mix down with the VSX active on the master bus? (I hope I’m making sense) I’m just confused. Thx
So for my workflow, I track everything using regular headphones. When I'm ready to enter mix phase, I add the VSX plugin to master bus and use the room emulations with the VSX headphones to get the mix where I want it. I find separating the tracking and mixing phase goes a long way to creating better mixes. For sure you could track with the VSX as well, but I like to keep things separate. Hope that helps!
How was the unboxing experience? Does the plastic have a premium feel?
They don’t really feel any different than other pairs of headphones I’ve used in terms of build quality. The real test will be if they hold up long term, only time will tell.
I used the VSX for about 3 months now and im not a pro mixer by any means but honestly i kind off feel they made my mixes sound worse ^^
the Problem with the VSX IMO is: you put them on and be like "oh jesus wtf" and have to spend like 3-5 minutes listening to something so the brain can adapt and up until today i just dont trust them ... especially the lowend is overhyped like crazy ... TLDR: if youre used to mix with something "flat sounding" those headphones will introduce a lot of trust issues imo.
The Archon Room in Version 2.0 sounds best to me ... but yeah im switching to sonarworks virtual monitoring. It doesent sound as exiting but thats kind off also the point
Interesting. For me, I really haven’t changed my workflow much. I felt like my mixes already sounded good. But I have found the room emulations helpful to find frequencies where I need to do some minor subtractive EQ. I think the key thing with all of this is small changes. And subtractive EQ. Ultimately, trust your ears and if you found another solution that works better for you, then go with it. Happy mixing!
@@DanTremblayMusic agree its really useful for that. But for some reason i still cant "emerge" with them and fully Trust what im Hearing. So they Kind Off ended Up as Backup for Problem checking sadly
How’s the comfort for many hours on the head?
Not bad. You def want to take breaks. I find the biggest thing is your ears will get hot.
Stay safe??
We live in troubled times. Wars, mass shootings. It’s my way of spreading positivity. 🙂
@@DanTremblayMusic Are you boosted Dan?
take a hike buddy @@oinkooink
oh well, 99% of users listen to music from Spotify and Apple Music with the earbuds that come with their phones and in general the music they listen to is pure garbage. It won't matter to them what monitors you used or if you recorded it in the best studio in the world, as long as the song is played on the radio and they tell them it's the best in the world they will consume it. The point is that if you listen to for example the song 'Despacito' which has billions of views on youtube, it is literally garbage sound if you listen to it in a good studio. The point is not so much how good you make your songs sound but how much people like them. Make a song that is pure garbage with a poopy sound but people like it and you've succeeded! just sayin'...
I see your point. For me, and my music as well as the music I produce and mix for others, I don’t worry in the slightest how many people will consume it or like it. But I do focus on providing the best quality I am capable of.