Keyboard: Huo Ji Z-77
Headphones: Sony MDR-7506 (been rocking these almost daily for ~7 years and just recently had to replace the original pair, my favorite headphones of all time)
So right off the bat the KRK-8400's will give u a skewed perspective on your music. As shown in this graph the comparison between the two http://graphs.headphone.com/graphCompare.php?graphType=0&graphID[]=963&graphID[]=2961&scale=30
The KRK-8400's are closed back headphones. They hype up the bass and boost the mids vs the dt880's do not and will stay true giving you a neutral sound to mix on. There's nothing worse then being romanticized and fooled into thinking the music sounds good just because the headphones make it sound good.
What I Suggest is you get a pair of AKG 240's or Sony MDR 7506 both will run you about 100$ that way you can get a good audio interface like the focusrite 2i2 and the amp.
Links for the headphones that I'd recommend.
Sony MDR 7506 $100 http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E
Focusrite 2i2 $150 http://www.amazon.com/Focusrite-2i2-USB-Recording-Interface/dp/B005OZE9SA/ref=sr_1_1?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1431837568&sr=1-1&keywords=focusrite+2i2
Keep in mind that you can get the audiointerface for about $100 on craigslist I'd just buy it of craigslist and get the amp and headphones from guitar center Plus price match everything _^
And yeah you did choose some really sick headphones to mix on to begin with. The dt880's were the first pair of headphones I bought and I did a ton of research before buying them. But if you want the whole enchilada the headphones the audio interface and the amp I'd choose this avenue.
Please don't choose the krk-8400's cause you might regret since the translation might not work well because they are hyped.
Good luck!
I honestly know nothing about those. Never even heard of the brand before. So it's a risk. The Sony MDR-7506 is an industry standard. You'll notice them a lot on TV and in movies because litteraly the entire crew wears them. Very flat response, and I've heard good mixes come out of them.
Without knowing your ears or your goals, that's my standard recommendation. And in threads dedicated to headphone purchases these always come up.
Again, you're buying headphones for studio work, so you aren't trying to by the best sounding headphones, rather youre trying to get the most natural sounding headphones.
Edit: after looking at that product a few things jump out. First, you don't want noise cancelling headphones for mixing. Also, they are marketed as "audiophile". Audiophiles spend a lot more money than $40 for headphones. So these are for people on a budget who don't really know what they are listening to. Which leads me to believe that these will be very colored sounding for "rich" response curve. The Freq response, Impedence, and sensitivity all leave a lot to be desired.
I found the Sony's on Amazon for $80 right now. At that point it's a no brainier.
Apparently these guys are quite the hit for entry-level monitors. I don't think you want noise cancellation. That technology works by messing with the frequencies you hear. Just find a nice "closed-ear" pair. Also, forget about aesthetics if you truly want scrutinous audio for "starters" / cheaper than $500.
Yes. BUT mind your ears - the louder you turn it up, the better it sounds. And you can easily give yourself tinnitus.
I used Sony Reference headphones with mine. They are sturdy headphones and last forever - I'm sure mine are over 20 years old now. Replaced the pads once. About $100 (currently on sale for $80).
(Neither of these items is appropriate for clubbing, but these two things help me at home.)
I wear closed-ear headphones while working, watching TV, or gaming. Not noise-cancelling ones, just big old-fashioned Sony Studio Monitor earmuffy things that blot out much of the outside world. (One current model's the MDR-7506; Sony's site , Amazon.com listing ) They certainly wouldn't be appropriate to wear at a bar unless you're the DJ, but at home they help eliminate distractions.
The other thing I use to screen out distractions at home is a LectroFan ; this is a version of a "white noise machine" that can emulate the sound of many different kinds of fan, so instead of just hissing, it can make a variety of low roars, good for muffling bass noises coming through the walls. (It seems to have better sound quality than phone apps that claim to do the same thing, and it can run off USB or wall power without tying up your phone.) Amazon.com listing
Yo, those are some nice headphones, and imma let you finish, but the Sony MDR7506's are the greatest headphones of all time! Of all time!
With a $500 to $700 budget I might suggest the following. Steer clear of the "packaged podcast stuff". And others will have their own opinions and thoughts but here are mine.
Recorder: Zoom H4nPro $230. Portable, flexible, will accept up to 4 inputs. Records on a SD Card.
Software: Audacity. It is free and allows you to manipulate and put together a cohesive product.
Mics: 2 of the ATR 2100 USB $150. Again, flexible and a decent beginner mic.
Accessories needed. 2 wind screen/pop filters for mics ($20), 2 mic stands ($20), 2 XLR cables for mics ($25)
Headphones: Sony MDR7560 $80 2 might be nice, but 1 required.
That is about $550 to $600 at this point.
If you wanted a studio mic, a decent starter mic is the MXL 990 at $100/ea. But beware that this is a condenser mic and it will pick up a ton of ambient sound especially in a non-treated room.
You may want to add a mixer into the mix at some point. I have a Behringer Xenyx 1204USB $139, but wish I had known more when I bought it and I would have bought the Behringer UFX1204 with the difference being that the one I have sends out a single stereo track to the recorder, but the latter has the ability to send separate tracks. Woudl be very handy if your guest is VERY soft spoken, there is a lot of talk over one another, etc.
Headphones feel and sound different to each individual. Either try them out before buying or make sure they can be returned.
I use Shure SRH440.
Sennheiser HD280PRO or Sony MDR7506, recommended by u/Dr0110111001101111, should work well too.
I bought the Presonus 24c and I love it. It came bundled with Studio One 5 Artist. I hope you can still get that deal.
As far as heaphones, I'd suggest a neutral model from Sony. They're legendary. https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=sr_1_3?crid=1HQJVGZWYXZ4D&keywords=sony%2Bstudio%2Bheadphones&qid=1651723710&sprefix=sony%2520studio%2520headphones%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-3&th=1
Sony MDR 7506 The only mixing headphones you'll ever need. Excellent flat response, great low end reproduction, and a nice long coiled cable!
Sony MDR-7506 is a great headphone for the money as well. It's also good for mixing though they can be a little fatiguing. Good closed back "direct" sound. Very easy to drive with decent clarity.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E
Depending on how your speaker setup is, (ie... running into a receiver? Game speakers? 5.1?)
RME make some high quality internal cards but they tend to be more pricey than similar cards. http://www.rme-audio.de/en_index.php
If you're outputting 5.1 via digital either your speaker system (if it has an optical input) or a receiver will be needed to decode the 5.1 stream as interfaces only output the raw information stream.
Also I’d consider something, especially if you’re stretching your budget and are stressed about it... your studio space and how it’s treated is as important (or arguably more important) than your monitors and their quality. If you’re spending your whole budget on monitors and not acoustically treating your space, you’re doing half of what you need to.
You could consider starting with a decent pair of headphones instead for now. You can mix on headphones and test your mixes on your phone, earbuds, car, etc. (which you’ll do even with monitors) until you can afford better quality monitors and treating your room.
These are a good option as an example:
$89 Sony MDR7506: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_U8gJDbDY0CFHG
They’ll also plug into your Scarlett headphone out.
Remember that regardless of what you primarily mix on, whether it’s laptop speakers, monitors, or headphones, you have to learn how it sounds to use that specific monitoring option. Even the most expensive monitors ever, you have to adapt to how they sound and know their particular characteristics, and STILL test on other speaker systems and headphones.
You can and must learn your monitoring system no matter what it is, and learn to mix on it in a way that ends up with good results across a bunch of other systems.
The Sony MDR 7506 are currently $74
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/
these are just as good as bose, don't have crazy good noise canceling, but can't see why that's necessary if you're just as home. Lots of studio people/artists use these too. Love them. Half the price of Bose https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000AJIF4E/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Industry standard, very flat. I recommend these especially if you’re just getting started: https://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=sony+monitor+7506+headphones&qid=1556547026&s=gateway&sr=8-3
These are bright and clear. They reveal a lot. The top end can be a bit harsh without Sonarworks so if you go this route you’d want to get sonar works (linked below): https://www.amazon.com/Beyerdynamic-880-PRO-Semi-Open-Headphones/dp/B079P9H1SH/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=FG0M37DL8V5A&keywords=880+beyerdynamic&qid=1556547157&s=gateway&sprefix=880+beyer&sr=8-3
Software that works great with any headphones, especially the 880s. It makes the sound more flat and balanced: https://www.sonarworks.com/truefi
If you buy 250ohm headphones you’ll also want a small amp so it’s powered properly. This one is affordable and works great. You hook it into your Audio interface: https://www.amazon.com/Behringer-HA400-Ultra-Compact-4-Channel-Headphone/dp/B000KIPT30/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=4+channel+headphone+amp&qid=1556547301&s=gateway&sr=8-3
Also research and consider these (read good things but never tried them):
All that being said if your budget is higher than those I’d research Beyerdynamics and Sennheiser top tier products.