Why do recording studios...?!
Question: ...put giant headphones on their artists? Is it because the headphones are actually giant ear muffs and artists want to hear thenselves sing over the music or is it because there is music playing in the headphones?
Answers: ...put giant headphones on their artists? Is it because the headphones are actually giant ear muffs and artists want to hear thenselves sing over the music or is it because there is music playing in the headphones?
There is music in the Head phones. Lets say your the singer and supposed to be singing to the guitar lead, and you are getting thrown off by the drums... well this lets you hear the guitar and guitar alone while the bassist is following the lead to the drums. Sorta why some bands sound better on their cd and suck live.
It is a playback of the scratchtrack so they can sing along to it.
Because it helps to block out other noise so that the artist can hear what he is listening to properly and that is I assume listening to the music that he has to sing to, so that he can keep the vocals to the format of the song..
You pretty much answered your own question in both regards. The artist/s work with the engineer for the right balance so that they can perform at their optimum peak of excellence.
Singers and instrumentalists are often segregated by partitions or in booths so that that each microphone is exclusive of the other and the headphones give everyone the proper mix so they can stay connected in the same groove.