Since 2012, Tokyo-based soul singer and songwriter Nao Yoshioka has impressed audiences worldwide with her powerhouse vocals and sincere delivery. As she headed into the studio to begin work on her sixth album, Nao was accompanied by a pair of Sennheiser’s latest and best closed back headphones: the HD 480 PRO. Read on to learn how the HD 480 PRO brought clarity, comfort, and reliability to Nao’s recording and mixing workflow. 

Nao Yoshioka: Getting the monitoring environment right is everything. If I can’t hear myself properly through my in-ear monitors, I risk straining my voice, so finding that balance is crucial. And making sure the microphone actually suits my voice. Those two things are the foundation of everything. 

I use them mainly for checking mixes, reviewing masters, and recording. I’m the type who finds one pair I love and sticks with it. Once I get used to a specific pair, it becomes my reference point. I’ll compare my own sound against other artists through the same headphones, and that’s how I start shaping the direction of my music. 

 

Spatial placement. When I’m checking a mix, I need to know exactly where each sound is coming from. If the headphones don’t give me that three-dimensional sense of space, I can’t make accurate decisions about the music. 

The ear cushions. Incredibly soft, right away. And then the dimensionality of the sound. It felt like the music had depth and space around it. Those two features stood out immediately. 

The spatial quality of the sound makes it so much easier to understand where everything sits in a mix. And while recording, I can hear my own voice with real clarity and dimension. It makes singing feel more natural and easier.

Right now, I’m deep in recording my new album, so that’s where they’ve been living: in the studio, on my head, every session. 

Yes. About half of the lead vocals on this new album were recorded with the HD 480 PRO. Compared to what I was using before, my voice came through so much clearer. That was a real difference. 

Some headphones start to hurt after a few hours. That pressure builds up and it becomes distracting. With the HD 480 PRO, that just doesn’t happen. I’m constantly putting them on and taking them off during recording, sometimes just pulling one ear off to listen to the room, and they handle all of that so naturally. The flexibility and softness make a real difference over a long day. 

Find something that feels right to you but be careful with headphones that have a very strong sonic character. If the headphones color the sound too much, you lose your ability to make objective decisions when you’re mixing or mastering. I’d recommend something as flat and transparent as possible, where everything comes through beautifully and naturally. That kind of neutrality is what lets you trust what you’re hearing. 

I’m in the final phase of recording my sixth studio album, and I genuinely feel like this is some of the best music I’ve ever made. I can’t wait for everyone to hear it. And since this whole album has been recorded and mixed with the HD 480 PROs, listening to it back through these headphones might be a really special experience. Stay tuned!