We've said before - don't forget headphones as your budget for your recording studio…Invest in one or more good sets of professional headphones for use with your music recording software.

You want a set that is

• as neutral as possible
• made for the recording studio

Headphones made for consumer listening will color the sound, so avoid them.

But what about Noise Canceling [tag]Headphones[/tag]? Are they worth considering?

Here's the first of 3 articles which go into some depth to answer this and discuss the merits of different models of noise canceling headphones, from Sony, Bose and others….

Sennheiser PXC250 Noise Cancelling Foldable Headphones

Employing NoiseGard Active Noise Compensation to reduce external noise, the Sennheiser PXC250 Noise Canceling Foldable Headphones are a great way to get the best sound out of any portable player. These closed, dynamic, supra-aural Sennheiser mini headphones are foldable and include a belt pouch for on-the-go listening. "Duofol" diaphragms with spiral embossing impart high-resolution sound. Sennheiser includes Kevlar-reinforced copper cable with 1/8" jack, and 1/4" and airline audio adapters with your PXC250 Headphones.

Sennheiser PXC250 Noise Cancelling Foldable Headphones

Noise Canceling versus Noise Reduction - The Difference When It Comes to Headphones

Author: Lee Blue

Noise-canceling headphones use tiny microphones that identify the noise or sounds outside the headphones and then work to cancel out the sounds.

Noise-reduction headphones (also known as noise-isolation headphones) reduce sound by being a barrier through which sounds cannot pass.

What does all this mean? And how do these two differ?

Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org) states, "noise canceling is a method for preventing unwanted sound. Sound consists of vibrations in the air, which can be represented as a wave. If a speaker emits a sound whose wave has the same amplitude and the exact opposite polarity to the original sound, the waves cancel out and the result is no sound at all."

While this seems rather technical here is a more simple explanation: sound waves are created by the noise canceling headphones to counter and eliminate the unwanted sound waves outside of the headphones or speakers. A digital signal processor determines what sound wave is needed to cancel the outside sound wave and it produces that sound and amplifies it through the headphones.

This method differs from noise-reduction headphones which are designed to reduce the noise you hear by physically blocking the sound from reaching your eardrum. This is the same passive, unpowered method that is used by insulation or sound-absorbing ceiling tiles in your home.

Noise canceling headphones tend to work best for constant sounds like lawn mowers and appliances but they allow in intermittent sounds, such as conversation or a ringing phone, so you are not totally isolated. They are also known to be more comfortable than noise-reduction headphones since they are lighter weight and generally smaller in size than noise-reduction headphones.

Some of advantages of noise canceling methods compared to noise-reduction methods are:

• They can be more effective at low frequencies
• They can be less bulky
• They can be selective in that they can block noise (e.g. from an engine) but not useful sounds (e.g. voices)

Some of disadvantages of noise canceling methods compared to noise-reduction methods are:

• They consume power, usually supplied by batteries that must be replaced. If the batteries die the noise cancellation stops working; and if you are using the headphones to listen to music, in many models, the music stops as well.
• They may introduce additional noise, usually in the form of high-frequency hiss. Noise cancellation headphones attempt to block sound by sampling the outside sound and then producing an equal but opposite sound - sometimes the approximation of sound can be difficult.

Whatever method of noise reduction you choose, it can help prevent hearing loss. By using headphones when listening to music, you can hear the music at much lower volumes because you are not trying to drown out background sounds. And those around you won't have to listen to your music; it can be contained in the headphones.

About the author:

Lee Blue is an avid musician, composer, and home studio recording artist. He uses Extreme Isolation Noise Reduction Headphones (http://www.quietheadphones.com) in his recording studio as well as his office during work to block out distractions.

Written by: Lee Blue

In Part 2, we'll review specific noise-canceling headphone models.

Tags: Recording Studio, Music Recording