A Trusted Reference, Anywhere

After a year of constant travelling, thousands of miles, two trips around the world and sessions across Japan, Los Angeles, Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam and London, it's time to freshen up the foam pads on my X1s.

As a producer, mixer and musical director, I'm often moving between studios, hotel rooms, temporary workspaces, trains and airports. Deadlines don't stop because you're travelling. Clients still need mixes, productions still need attention and ideas often arrive at unexpected moments. Having the X1s with me means I can work wherever I happen to be.

The challenge of working on the move

One of the biggest challenges of working on the move is monitoring. Every room sounds different. Every studio has its own character. Every listening environment introduces variables that need to be understood before you can make confident decisions. The X1s provide me with a consistent professional reference wherever I am.

When I arrive in a new studio, I don't start by learning the room from scratch. I start with the X1s. Because I know them so well, they provide a reliable point of reference that allows me to quickly understand what the room is doing. By comparing what I hear in the headphones with what I'm hearing through the monitors, I can build an accurate picture of the environment far more quickly than I otherwise could. When time is limited, that becomes invaluable.

Accuracy, detail and trust

What I appreciate most is the combination of accuracy and detail. The X1s allow me to hear deep into a recording, whether I'm balancing a mix, checking edits, evaluating a master or simply listening critically to a piece of music. Even in an unfamiliar space, I know what I'm hearing.

Over the past year I have used my X1s virtually every day. Sometimes for long writing, production and mixing sessions that stretch from morning into the evening. Other times simply to check a mix before sending it to a client. Regardless of the task, they have become an essential part of my workflow.

For me, the value of a monitoring system comes down to trust. When I put on my X1s, I trust what I'm hearing. That confidence allows me to make decisions quickly and to keep moving forward, wherever in the world I happen to be working.

“For me, my X1’s are more than a pair of headphones—they’re part of the studio that I carry with me.”

Read more about OLLO Ambassador: Sie Medway-Smith