MIXING ON HEADPHONES WITH THE OLLO AUDIO S4X
Author: Gary Noble
For many years I refused to mix on headphones. I felt that it was impossible to get a proper overall balance between all the sounds without hearing the crosstalk between both ears as when you use speakers. That was until I tried the Ollo Audio S4. I’ve been a longtime user of the S4 series of headphones and is now the proud owner of the the latest generation: The S4X reference headphones.
I like the Ollo S4s open air design as it’s very neutral and open sounding. They’re not hyped in the highs, mids or lows. I can actually mix on them and know that the mix will translate when played on other systems (They’re also a closed back model - the S4R which minimizes leakage and is great for recording purposes). I also love the fact that they’re very comfortable and can be worn for hours at a time without discomfort.
"Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should get rid of your favorite studio monitors but as a secondary pair of monitors or for those times where using monitors is not practical the S4X is a perfect candidate."
They don’t clamp down on your head the way some other brands do. The ear pads are large and encloses the ears. Durable but soft. The headband is very sturdy but flexible. The overall design is very pleasing and the wooden earcups are a nice touch. I’ve tried them with several interfaces and always got good results.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you should get rid of your favorite studio monitors but as a secondary pair of monitors or for those times where using monitors is not practical the S4X is a perfect candidate. They make an excellent addition to my rig.
Pre-Covid I’ve used them in the studio, hotels, airport terminals, poolside or balcony while doing mix edits etc.. In the studio they were a great reference especially when working in a room that I was not familiar with or had quirks in the monitoring system. In addition I think they’re a great real world reference since so many people enjoy their music on headphones or headsets these days.
Gary Noble | OLLO Audio Ambassador
3X GRAMMY Winner & 19X GRAMMY Nominated Mix/Record Engineer, Producer
