Do you use professional near field monitors at your workspace even if you don't do real mixing, just for the sake of having good sound or do you prefer headphones?
ASKED BY · Stefan Fischer · WÜRZBURG, GERMANY · 16 SEP 2026 · ▶ 00:49:09
Uses two sets of monitors and headphones; cites Grammy engineer Andrew Schepps who only mixes on headphones; argues you can adapt to any consistent monitoring solution if you understand its limitations.
Uses KRK VXT6 as main monitors (6.5-inch driver, older reference series) and Atom D3V smaller monitors (3-inch driver), plus Audio-Technica R70X open-back headphones.
Uses Genelec powered monitors, JBL cheap reference monitors, Sennheiser and HD 650 open-back headphones for general mixing, and Sony MDR-7506 closed-back for isolation.
Mixes on Genelec 8050 series, 1032s, JBL 7 series and 3 series monitors across multiple rooms; uses AirPods Pro, Shure headphones, and Sony 7506s on the go depending on the task.
Summarised by AI from what the panel said. Watch the moment for the full answer.
From the transcript.
Machine-transcribed, so it may contain errors. Every timestamp opens the episode at that second.
48:51that fades down, and then you hear the translated voice. But in this case, it sounds like them. And they're expanding the number of languages that will do that as well. Alexander, let's go to the next question. All right. Next up from Stefan Fischer in Wurzburg, Germany. Do you use professional near-field monitors at your workspace, even if you don't do real mixing, just for the sake of having good sound, or do you prefer headphones?
49:20Alexander, I know you use real monitors. What do you use? I have two sets of monitors. I also mix on headphones. Now, I will say this. There are people that have very strong opinions of this and say you have to have near-field monitors. However, you can look at quite a few examples of very well-respected engineers like Andrew Sheps, a Grammy Award-winning mixing engineer who's mixed albums for Metallica, Adele, Jay-Z, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and so on and so on and so on.
49:51And he only mixes on headphones and he swears by it. So I would argue that you can get used to your brain, your ears can get used to anything and become familiar with the results that you would get out of those. And you can compensate. And as long as you understand the limitations of the monitoring solution that you have. Do you mind sharing the type of monitors you use?
50:17I've got now I will say I don't have anything super high because I don't do any high end master. That's fine. But I've got a pair of my mains are a KRK VXT6. They're the older, they don't make them anymore. It's their older reference series monitors. Those are a six inch, six and a half inch driver. And then I also check on these smaller little Atom D3Vs.
50:44It's a little three inch driver with a passive radiator on the side. And then for my headphones, I use the Audio-Technica R70Xs, which are open-back pair of headphones. And are the monitors powered, or do you have an amp? Yep, they are powered monitors, yeah. Jeff Francis, what's your preference? Yeah, I have Genelec-powered monitors. I also have a set of JBL little whatever, JBL3, little cheap guys.
51:14And headphones, I also use quite a bit. die like the Sennheiser HD 650 open back headphones and then the Sony 7506 is when I need isolation and Mickey what do you mix on uh what do I mix on I mix on my mains are Genelik 80 50 series I also have a whole bunch of 1032 so I have a lot of rooms that I bounce between um yeah
51:4580 series 1032 genelux jbl 7 series i also have some 3 series saying that though when when i'm not doing real mixing i still have have good speakers like say in my setups my rooms here in the studio as well as in my desk at home but when i'm on the go. I listen on cans. I listen on AirPods Pros. I listen on shocks.
52:22Depending on what's appropriate for what I'm doing at that specific point in time. So I have no qualms about, say, yeah, using AirPods when I'm just in the grocery. I'm not going to carry around my Bayers or my 7506s when I'm doing grocery shopping. So I... And if the good monitors are there, I'll use them for non-work situations. But if not, I'll use what's convenient.
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