Hearing the click over a loud amp

[dfunkeleven]

Hi everyone! Long time lurker and my first post

Over the last few months I’ve been getting into recording. I like to listen to a click but the problem is that it’s a little hard to hear over my amp.

I’m playing in my living room that’s about 20’x40’. The amp is mic’d and in the same room...15 feet away from me. I listen to the click as well as monitor the amp through headphones. The amp is so loud that I guess I really don’t need to hear it through headphones but it’s also hard to hear the click track. I can’t put the amp in a different room.

Just wondering what you guys do. Thanks!

 

[Dismalhead]

I've never used a click track, but I would think not monitoring your amp in the headphones should do it.

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Don't monitor the amp in the phones on the Initial recording.
Just use em for the click to record. You can listen to the amp through them when you mix (or any time the real amp isn't audible?)

 

[dfunkeleven]

I've never used a click track, but I would think not monitoring your amp in the headphones should do it.

Don't monitor the amp in the phones on the Initial recording.
Just use em for the click to record. You can listen to the amp through them when you mix (or any time the real amp isn't audible?)

Thanks

Yeah, I’m not sure why I do that. The thing is that while I’m monitoring, I turn the volume down (monitor vol in GarageBand)... So the amp monitoring is low but the click is at max volume. The problem is that the actual amp is turned up to get a good signal for the mic...it’s so loud that I’m hearing A LOT of the amp over the phones, which also drowns out the click.

Maybe a better set of headphones? Noise canceling ones?

 

[Mouth]

If you're using open back headphones, try a pair that are closed back.

 

[Nogoodnamesleft]

Thanks

Yeah, I’m not sure why I do that. The thing is that while I’m monitoring, I turn the volume down (monitor vol in GarageBand)... So the amp monitoring is low but the click is at max volume. The problem is that the actual amp is turned up to get a good signal for the mic...it’s so loud that I’m hearing A LOT of the amp over the phones, which also drowns out the click.

Maybe a better set of headphones? Noise canceling ones?

On the relatively cheap, Sennheiser HD280’s attenuate outside signals very nicely. They’re almost hearing protection level. Actually more attenuation than the David Clark flying headset I once used.

 

[klasaine]

Get a pair of Sennheiser 280 pros.
About a 100 bucks everywhere everyday.
Well worth the money!

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO – Professional Monitoring Headphones

Sennheiser's most significant closed, around-the-ear headphone to be introduced in years. Designed to exceed the demands of professional environments.

en-us.sennheiser.com

 

[dfunkeleven]

On the relatively cheap, Sennheiser HD280’s attenuate outside signals very nicely. They’re almost hearing protection level. Actually more attenuation than the David Clark flying headset I once used.

Get a pair of Sennheiser 280 pros.
About a 100 bucks everywhere everyday.
Well worth the money!

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO – Professional Monitoring Headphones

Sennheiser's most significant closed, around-the-ear headphone to be introduced in years. Designed to exceed the demands of professional environments.

en-us.sennheiser.com

I just looked at them. I think they should do the trick!

 

[bottlenecker]

Hi everyone! Long time lurker and my first post

Over the last few months I’ve been getting into recording. I like to listen to a click but the problem is that it’s a little hard to hear over my amp.

I’m playing in my living room that’s about 20’x40’. The amp is mic’d and in the same room...15 feet away from me. I listen to the click as well as monitor the amp through headphones. The amp is so loud that I guess I really don’t need to hear it through headphones but it’s also hard to hear the click track. I can’t put the amp in a different room.

Just wondering what you guys do. Thanks!

I have an old pair of Koss Pro4A that are big over-ear phones that block a lot of sound. Any modern isolation headphones marketed to drummers will work well.

 

[ReverendRevolver]

Thanks

Yeah, I’m not sure why I do that. The thing is that while I’m monitoring, I turn the volume down (monitor vol in GarageBand)... So the amp monitoring is low but the click is at max volume. The problem is that the actual amp is turned up to get a good signal for the mic...it’s so loud that I’m hearing A LOT of the amp over the phones, which also drowns out the click.

Maybe a better set of headphones? Noise canceling ones?

I've built a "fort" out of couch cushions around my 5e5 to record it in my dining room turned up a bit (without breaking anything...).
Might be something to do until the new headphones arrive.

 

[dfunkeleven]

Any modern isolation headphones marketed to drummers will work well.

View attachment 1049685

Good to know! Listening to the click at full volume wasn't fun!

 

[dfunkeleven]

I've built a "fort" out of couch cushions around my 5e5 to record it in my dining room turned up a bit (without breaking anything...).
Might be something to do until the new headphones arrive.

Definitely. Our living room is connected to the dining room which is then connected to the kitchen. Then with the close walls and wood floors, sound loves to travel and reflect off everything. Anything to "soak" up sound going through the amp will be beneficial. I've seen an old post about "small studios" and one guy put his amp right against his couch. Gonna have to try that.

 

[cyclopean]

Good to know! Listening to the click at full volume wasn't fun!

I wear earplugs under the headphones when i record so i can max the headphone volume without making my tinnitus worse.

Maybe eq either the amp or the click to get them out of the way of each other - being audible in a mix isn’t always a question of raw volume, it can be an issue of making space in the mix.

 

[David Barnett]

On the relatively cheap, Sennheiser HD280’s attenuate outside signals very nicely. They’re almost hearing protection level. Actually more attenuation than the David Clark flying headset I once used.

Get a pair of Sennheiser 280 pros.
About a 100 bucks everywhere everyday.
Well worth the money!

Sennheiser HD 280 PRO – Professional Monitoring Headphones

Sennheiser's most significant closed, around-the-ear headphone to be introduced in years. Designed to exceed the demands of professional environments.

en-us.sennheiser.com

These are the phones I used at my live sound gig for years. I preferred them to the usual Sony MDR7506 by far, the Sennheisers had better isolation and more neutral midrange. The HD300s are better, but at more than double the price.

The 280s are marked down to $79.95 at Sweetwater today.

 

[loudboy]

Or try some in-ear buds. They don't have to sound great to just hear click.

If that's still not enough, go to Harbor Freight and get some of those noise reduction over the ear things that you use when operating machinery, and put them on over the earbuds.

 

[dfunkeleven]

Thanks for the recommendations! The headphones arrived a few days ago... ordered the hd 280. I haven’t played through them yet but I can tell they’re waaaay better than the ones I’ve been using.

This came in too

 

[matman14]

Or try some in-ear buds. They don't have to sound great to just hear click.

If that's still not enough, go to Harbor Freight and get some of those noise reduction over the ear things that you use when operating machinery, and put them on over the earbuds.

This is what I have always done too. In ear monitors for the sounds and then ear defenders over my ears.

Between them they cut about 70dB or more of external noise and mean I can listen to my monitoring chanels at comfortable non hearing damaging levels, no matter what is going on around me with amps and drums in the studio.

 

[Alex_C]

Great advice thus far. A visual click in addition to the audible click is the only thing I can add to the suggestions.

 

[Alex_C]

Thanks for the recommendations! The headphones arrived a few days ago... ordered the hd 280. I haven’t played through them yet but I can tell they’re waaaay better than the ones I’ve been using.

This came in too

View attachment 1057356

Sweet! HNPD!!! or is it HNAD? Many positive reviews of that pedal.

 

[schmee]

I dislike a clik in headphones a lot. It's distracting trying to record well, play well and sing well. It almost seems like I'm playing like a robot with a clik.... too much concentration on the clik!
I've often wondered why a visual flash wouldn't be better. As a drummer a flash right in front of you would be good.