Studio headphones vs gaming headphones, which should I choose for making music?

You should go with studio headphones for making music, no question about it! Gaming headphones are designed for exaggerated bass and surround effects that make games more immersive, but they're a nightmare when you need to work on music tracks. Studio headphones, on the other hand, have a much flatter and more accurate frequency response, which means what you're hearing is really what's in the files and not a colored-up, distorted version!

Studio headphones have a more neutral sound spectrum, so when you're producing or mastering you won't risk getting nasty surprises when you listen to the track on other devices. Gaming ones make you think the sound is better than it actually is! Then take a look at build quality - studio headphones are made to last and handle long work sessions, while gaming headphones often focus more on "gaming comfort" which isn't exactly the same thing.

Another point in favor is that decent quality studio headphones can be found at reasonable prices, especially if you look for entry-level models like Audio-Technica or Beyerdynamic. Also consider whether you need a removable cable (super handy when you're working) and good acoustic isolation if you want to hear details clearly without distractions. Gaming ones? Leave those to the gamers!

I agree that studio is the right way to go, but the real point is to test them with tracks you know well before buying. Gaming headphones tend to color the audio too much (pumped bass, exaggerated highs) and when you then play the same music on speakers or other headphones you realize it's all off. With more neutral studio ones you immediately understand how what you're actually making really sounds, even if they might seem less "fun" to your ear at first.

Studio headphones are technically the most correct choice, but the thing is not all of them cost a fortune and especially it's not true that gaming headphones are automatically useless for making music. It depends on what you need them for. If you're producing, mixing or mastering then yeah, you need neutral flat monitors. But if you're just recording vocals, guitar or instruments and you don't need a perfect reference, a lot of gaming headphones are honestly decent - you just need to be aware of it and not blindly trust what you hear through hyped-up curves.

The real problem is people confuse "gaming" with "garbage". Some have decent drivers and a manageable tonal signature; others are pure trash. What you should really do is listen to tracks you know inside out - a song you've heard a thousand times - before you pull out your wallet. If you notice the bass is ridiculously bloated or the highs are scratchy, well, at least you know. And honestly, if your budget is tight, sometimes a mediocre gaming headphone costs half what an entry-level studio one does - in that case it depends on what you prioritize. For actual mixing, sure, you need studio. But for everything else? Not as dramatic as it seems.

Listen, the real game-changer is trying both with a track you already know perfectly well, like a song you've heard a thousand times on decent speakers, and seeing where you notice the differences! If the gaming ones make everything sound pumped up and the studio ones sound flat instead, then you know you need studio headphones - but if you honestly don't notice a huge difference and your budget's tight, don't throw money out the window just because "that's the rule".

One trick nobody ever mentions: when you're in a store or looking at reviews online, listen to people who actually produce music and not people talking about "ideal frequency response curves" without ever opening a DAW in their lives!