Problem hearing pitch with headphones vs monitors

[muzician21]

I've noticed that if I'm doing a vocal, it's harder to detect a pitch
issue in the headphones. I'll record a section. Play it back, sounds
passable through the cans, but the monitors reveal obvious, glaring
problems. Like whoa, how did I not hear that? I'm not talking about a
few cents, it can be way off.

When recording I can hear the track, I can hear myself. I'm not tone
deaf - as an instrumentalist I'm normally known for playing in tune,
but there seems to be some odd acoustic thing at work here. Any
insights, suggestions?

Thanks

[Mike Rivers]

muzician21 wrote:
> I've noticed that if I'm doing a vocal, it's harder to detect a pitch
> issue in the headphones.

You're probably hearing yourself too loud. Turn down the phones
volume and try that. Another thing that usually helps is to listen with
only one earphone so that you hear yourself naturally through the
uncovered ear. Not only does it let you hear what you're singing
more accurately, it looks cooler in the video.

[Scott Dorsey]

muzician21 <muzic...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>I've noticed that if I'm doing a vocal, it's harder to detect a pitch
>issue in the headphones. I'll record a section. Play it back, sounds
>passable through the cans, but the monitors reveal obvious, glaring
>problems. Like whoa, how did I not hear that? I'm not talking about a
>few cents, it can be way off.

Yup. That happens.

>When recording I can hear the track, I can hear myself. I'm not tone
>deaf - as an instrumentalist I'm normally known for playing in tune,
>but there seems to be some odd acoustic thing at work here. Any
>insights, suggestions?

You might try just using headphone in one ear and cupping the other ear
downward with your hand like the stereotypical pictures of Gary Owens
(and lots of jazz singers too).
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Ty Ford]

On Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:38:26 -0500, muzician21 wrote
(in article
<dc241144-5235-4a4c...@m16g2000yqc.googlegroups.com>):

I don't know the reason but I have definitely had that happen with me and
with others I have been recording. I used to think it was a volume thing,
like excessive volume was warping my eardrums a little and affecting pitch
perception, but I don't know.

I've gone to one ear off, one on as other have mentioned.

Regards,

Ty Ford

--Audio Equipment Reviews Audio Production Services
Acting and Voiceover Demos http://www.tyford.com
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