ART HPFX Headphone Monitoring System with Effects
Putting the Cue Mix in the Artist's Hands
by Emile Menasché
September 21, 2000
Summing it Up
The HPFX is a specialized device, but one with a number of applications. If you already have a hardware mixer, it can function as a conventional headphone amp (useful in and of itself) -- or, by taking advantage of its clever routing options and built-in effects, the artist can control his or her own monitor mix, freeing the engineer to concentrate on the recording. It's also a good monitoring option for those without conventional mixers, though in many cases a low-cost hardware mixer might be a better investment. Still, listing at US $359, the ART HPFX offers more features than any headphones amp in its class.
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The ART HPFX lets the artist tweak his or her own cue mix without affecting the sound going to tape (click for a close-up)
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Headphone monitoring may not be the most exciting part of your studio, but it's one of the most important. Think about it: The quality that elevates the great recording above the good is the performance; an engineer/producer's most important job is enabling a great take. And few things can influence an artist's connection to their material like the cue (or headphone) mix. It's a simple equation for most musicians: If they like what they hear in their headphones, they can focus more on the music; if they're fighting the cue mix, their performance can sound labored, strained, and even a little surly.
But in small studios, creating a cue mix that works for both the artist and the engineer can be a problem. Many low-cost mixers offer only one headphone output and a limited number (if any) of pre-fade aux sends (which can be used to create an independent monitor mix).
Worse, many home studios rely on computer-based I/O and virtual mixing consoles that offer little or no monitor routing. These units often suffer from latency problems -- there's a slight delay between the input signal and the "thru" output. Though latency has improved markedly over the last year or so, a gap of even a few milliseconds can distract a performer and ruin a take.
ART's HPFX is designed to solve this problem by putting the artist in control of the most important part of the cue mix -- themselves.
Next Page: Routing; In Use....
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