studio monitors

[jclampitt]

so i've been recording for about 3 years now, and i've decided it's probably time to get some studio monitors. i'm getting sick of mixing a song, burning it on a cd, taking it out to my car, and then repeating the whole process 10 times, just to end up with something that still sounds shitty. anyways i don't know anything about monitors, even how to hook them up. (do they hook up the same as computer speakers?) let alone which ones don't suck. any advice on this would be helpful. thanks

[richiebee]

What kind of budget do you have? What kind of room do you mix in?

To some extent, you have to learn monitors, whichever ones you get. We should be able to give you some ideas though based on the above.

[jclampitt]

i was hoping to not spend more than $500, but whatever it takes i guess. i'm sure the room is terrible, it's a living room attached to a small kitchen.

[kyleknapp]

I have a pair of Event TR6 monitors I got for around $350 or so. I'm really happy with them, except that I'll probably add a subwoofer before I mix another major project (the low end response is a little weak)

[znball]

When your mixing, you also have to consider your room enviroment if your trying to get a good mix. Having good speakers is just part of the process.

[kyleknapp]

do they hook up the same as computer speakers?

basically, yes, but it depends on your setup: what kind of sound card(s) do you have? how is your software/driver configured? If the only audio output from your computer is the little 1/8" jack used for computer speakers, you can probably use that, but you'll need a "Y" splitter and whatever cables/adapters necessary to connect them to whatever kind of input jacks your monitors have. If you get passive (unpowered) monitors, you'll need an amplifier(s) to drive them. You might want to have some kind of device (I use a 4-channel Eurodesk mixer) in line between the sound card and monitors to control volume, output to headphones, etc.

Somewhere in your recording software there's a configuration panel where you'll direct the output signal to the output(s) of your sound card.

It would be helpful to those trying to respond to your questions if you list components of your system in your profile.

And, yeah, the room is important, but I think the biggest factor is your ears. If you have accurate speakers and position them well (and your roommates aren't watching TV or playing poker in the same room with you) you should be able to get pretty decent results.

(also read this thread for useful info on the subject.)

[jclampitt]

for a sound card i have a soundblaster audigy 2zs, (i know nobody likes soundblasters but it actually has worked well for me so far) besides the actual souncard it also has an internal drive, (that fits in a cd drive bay) which has different inputs and outputs on it, such as midi in/out, 1/4" headphone out, line in, optical in/out, spdif in/out, firewire, and of course the little red and white audio inputs (can't remember what they're called). on the back of the souncard part there are three or four 1/8" outputs and thats what i have my speakers hooked up to now. i'm using my mixer hooked up to the red and white inputs to record my microphones and what not. this is my setup now, i plan on upgrading when i can. as far as the room, i know it has an impact on the sound but i'm stuck with the one i have for now. i just need something more accurate than the $20 wal-mart headphones that i've been using for 3 years. thanks for your help by the way

[kyleknapp]

Granted it's not the best, but you can easily run the output from your soundblaster card to any amplifier/speaker setup you choose. Before I got my reference monitors, I went to a pawn shop and bought a stereo (amp/receiver and a pair of speakers) for $50, then just ran my soundcard output into the "aux" input of the stereo. Of course, within a couple weeks I was disappointed enough to invest in real monitors, but it was a huge step up from cheap computer speakers, offered a lot more control (volume, eq, support for additional speakers etc), and really helped me acquire a better understanding of what I needed monitors for. (Plus when I was done I had a spare stereo to give to my kids.)

You probably already have a stereo in your living room. Try running your computer output into your stereo's "aux in". If you get a "Y" cable you can plug in both the stereo and your computer speakers and switch between them simply by turning one or the other on or off. It'll cost practically nothing ($10-$20 bucks or so for cable and connectors), it may signigicantly improve your mixing setup, and you'll probably learn a thing or two.

[znball]

From reading all the comments on this subject, which are good ones, I believe doing recordings and mixing depends on where your at in this game. Either your just starting out as an amatuer (which is not a problem, you have to start somewhere) or your serious about the musical product your trying to achieve. I say this because, when you mentioned your using a soundblaster card for multitrack recording with expensive monitors, it's seems to me that you should be doing a lot more research before pushing forward. Like reading a book on Home Recording, such as "Home Recording for Musicians for Dummies". It will probably save you a lot of time, money, and headaches in setting up your system.

[jclampitt]

thanks i might have to give that a try, i'll look around for speakers, but it kind of sucks cuz i dont have a stereo in my living room. i dont want to go buy a new stereo cuz thats money that could be put towards getting real monitors. my computer speakers actually aren't that bad, i should probably be using them for now.