Studio Monitors

[Teddy IQ]

everytime i ask on someone to suggest a good pair... everyone has a different opinion but hopefully someone here can suggest a good pair of monitors....Im not tryna purchased some Perfect studio monitors just something good to get the job done..... price dont matter right now....any suggestions?

[brandondrury]

everyone has a different opinion

Studio monitors are just like women. Sometimes you got to try out a few before you settle on one. A lot of times the one you end up settling on isn't the one that seamed the best in the picture.

What is your budget?

I really want a set of Adam S3-A. That'll happen when my second lottery check comes in!

Brandon

[zbigniev]

Howdy-doo, first post!

I just got a pair of Event ALP5s for my entry-level DAW system (haven't set 'em up yet, waiting for my Monster Pro Power Center strips). Imagine my bringdown when a veteran poster on another site essentially told me those monitors won't do me any good, that I needed at least $1500 a pair monitors to do a decent job--not a really GOOD job, mind you, just a DECENT job. Any "budget" monitors were essentially worthless.

What up with that!?

[richiebee]

The Event monitors are supposed to be good - I was recommended these by a successful UK film composer who had just bought a pair. I can't remember whether he recommended a sub with them too or not.

There's a lot of snobbery in the studio world. Take it all with a pinch of salt. Recommending a $1500 pair of monitors without assessing the acoustics of the control room is pointless, and really goes to show how little the veteran posters really know! They get caught up in a gear head situation or simply spout what they've heard others recommend.

Getting to know your monitors is most important. Living within your means is also very important.

R.

[brandondrury]

I just got a pair of Event ALP5s for my entry-level DAW system (haven't set 'em up yet, waiting for my Monster Pro Power Center strips). Imagine my bringdown when a veteran poster on another site essentially told me those monitors won't do me any good, that I needed at least $1500 a pair monitors to do a decent job--not a really GOOD job, mind you, just a DECENT job. Any "budget" monitors were essentially worthless.

What up with that!?

You've been lied to. That's like saying a $20,000 car isn't good enough. Well...good enough for what? It gets to be really tricky.

Maybe this guy has found that his 3 favorite studio monitors all cost thousands of dollars. With that said, if you gave him a pair of $800 studio monitors on a desert island, I've got a feeling he'd take them. In fact, he may even crank out his best work.

The studio monitors are just tools. I really doubt if carpenters sit around and bash each other for using different hammers, but may be I'm wrong.

There is very little objectivity with music, engineering, or mixing.

Michael Wagener mixed one of the Dokken records on his home boombox stereo. I think he said that record when 3 platinum or something.

Recommending a $1500 pair of monitors without assessing the acoustics of the control room is pointless,

I'd say that room acoustics are 90%, the ability to match a studio monitor with what you expect to hear (completely personal and subjective) is 10%. That's it. The brand is insignificant.

The only way to really know is, after you've mixed 20 or 30 songs, to try different monitors in your studio. I say you need to mix 20 or 30 songs because unless you've got some experience with mixing, YOU are going to be the weak link in the chain.

Brandon

[cwat5150]

Ive got the Ms40's made by Beheringer. They are good enough to get the job done for me and they are inexpensive.

[brandondrury]

Ive got the Ms40's made by Beheringer. They are good enough to get the job done for me and they are inexpensive.

Do your mixes translate well to the outside world?

Brandon

[liquidair]

Hey I am new to this forum but hope I can help out. I have been recording music for 10+ years now and have a pretty nice studio and formal training. I used to work for Guitar Center and I have tested a huge amount of monitors.

The best for the money, especially now, have always been KRK's (they have the yellow woofers). They are flat, clean and just sound incredible. I hear things in recordings to this day I never noticed before on other systems. Not to mention, mixes almost always translate good even in rooms with no acoustic treatment. Stick with the V6's and V8's, I am not as firmiliar with the Rokit series. I think GC is selling the v8's for like $799 a pair, which is extremely cheap for a monitor of this quality.

That being said, the best advice on the subject I can give is go to your local music stores and bring a cd you are firmiliar with and give them all a listen. Listen for the balance and articulation of each monitor (how detailed the sound is) and decide for yourself. However, all buyers should beware of rear firing ports and passive radiators, such as the Mackies and Behringers.

These designs have a major flaw in that an out of phase low frequency spectrum is introduced to the room. Phase issues of frequencies are bad enough in a room as it is, introducing this signal reflecting back to your ears in this manner is GUARANTEED to skew the aural image. The only benefit of this design is to increase percieved bass response increasing the manufacturers sales. Unfortunately, alot of people still buy monitors because they have more bass, not reproduce bass accurately, which is how these manufacturers prey on customers.

I hope I was able to help you out. Good luck to you on your purchase and let me know if you have any questions. Don't forget to protect your investment by buying acoustic treatment for your room as treatment is just as important as the monitors themselves.

[brandondrury]

These designs have a major flaw in that an out of phase low frequency spectrum is introduced to the room. Phase issues of frequencies are bad enough in a room as it is, introducing this signal reflecting back to your ears in this manner is GUARANTEED to skew the aural image

.

Now we are getting somewhere!

The whole concept of reducing the rear reflection of low end is why soffit mounted monitors is such a big deal in many big studios.

Of course, all speakers are going to emit low end in a omni directional pattern, it's just the nature of low end. So, you are saying that the rear firing port / passive radiator in the Mackies is why going to be shooting more low end backwards than a typical studio monitor, right?

I've always hated my Mackie HR824s. I've always wanted to try out the KRK V8s, but have never gotten the chance to.

Brandon

[liquidair]

Exactly Brandon! Mackies and the Behringer clones send out low frequencies front and back, the back is out of phase boosting low end in some instances and cutting (via phase cancelations) in others. This is bad, bad news for someone trying to mix on these speakers. Even with bass traps behind the Mackies you still end up with a messy sound stage and a poopy low end.

I love the Krks, I took them over Genelecs, although I am intrigued by the Adam monitors. While they look cool, as do the Mackies, you should only buy anything in this industry via how it sounds and how it fits you. It's amazing how many people actually reject or buy based on looks.