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sdevino 1 January 2004

I know that on occaission I tend to push for very expensive monitors when the topic comes up, so I thought I might list some reasons to consider going for the very best you can.

  • 1. The most important reason to get great monitors is you will spend an amazing amount of time listening to them. Whether you do audio as a profession or as a hobby, you probably love music. Having monitors that do not cause ear fatigue will add to your productivity and your enjoyment.
  • 2. How can you make microphone and preamp selections if you can't hear what they really sound like? In a good set of monitors it is very easy to hear very fine details that differentiate mic and preamp combinations.
  • 3. Your mic placement will be better because you will hear subtle differences between one location or another.
  • 4. You will make better use of the acoustics in your tracking environment, because you will actually hear subtle reflection and resonance issues. Then you can solve them before hitting record. Or even better you can take advantage of them to use natural acoustics to place instruments in a mix. (reducing the need for excess EQ and panning)
  • 5. Mixing will need less EQ and you will really hear just how muddy that excess reverb makes the vocals etc. Having an accurate sound stage is 100% dependent on the accuracy of your monitors.
  • 6. Your monitors will probably outlast you in the industry. Speakers are probably the cheapest and easiest thing to refurb when they get old. Any competent speaker reconing tech can rebuild a speaker to "like new" condition for $100 or even less. (I just had a 35 year old Altec driver for a Urei 813c repaired for $35). try that with any other piece of vintage gear!
    A good rule of thumb when starting out is to spend at least 40% of your total budget on the monitoring chain (amp + speakers). If you can spend more, then do it. You are better off with a great set of monitors and an SM57 then your are with a perfect U47 and a crappy pair of monitors. The reason is that with the good monitors you will clearly hear exactly what your current gear can do and you will know when it's good and when it sucks. You also be able to hear small differences in future mic and mic preamp gear that you evaluate and make better buying decisions.

    Some of you might say "Oh but what about all the pro's out there using NS-10s?". You should note that most pro studios power NS-10s with an amp like the Bryston 4B per speaker. Thats $3000 of amplifier per channel! Oh and they also get to listen to the reference monitors that are probably $30,000 custom Westlakes or equivalents. The NS-10's are used for mix reference and not generally for tracking.

    By the way this advice holds for home stereo speakers as well.

    Good Luck and Have Fun!

    Steve

    • Comments

    dpd Thu, 04/21/2005 - 22:42

    I have an audiophile friend in Maryland that has a very nice room (built like a tank and designed for audio listening). I have heard his big Von Schweikert Research system with the great electronics and source material.

    I have also heard a pair of early 1960's era 2-way AR bookshelfs in that room that, when properly placed and driven by great stuff will simply stun your ears.

    You should hear these things biamped through a DSP crossover (effectively 300 dB/oct!) after a complete set of acoustic measurements of the drivers.

    Moral: it ain't just the speakers, folks. A great (treated) room, optimized placement, and great electronics can do wonders.

    anonymous Fri, 05/06/2005 - 22:10

    Hi all,

    15 years ago I was using some EAW MS-30's.

    Before that some Hartke Monitors,

    The EAW's were reasonably crisp, slighltly dumb but pretty good.

    The Hartkes were too crisp and and blown too fast. Good.

    What would be some pretty good monitors, w/ a good amp that are crisp, fast and can keep up with primary synth sounds and warmer vocals?

    Something fast and with honest respect of frequencies?

    Price? Best? and below.

    Thanks,

    Robert

    8_left_turns Sat, 06/11/2005 - 08:57

    speaking of monitors...

    :-? I need some budget monitors, I know most of you would never spend under 1000 on monitors but my budget is about 300 bucks... :cry: these are the ones I've been looking at... any opinions?

    1 Alesis ProLinear 720 2-Way Active Studio Monitor
    2 KRK RP5 Rokit Powered Studio Monitor 2 Way Active
    3 Fostex pmo.5
    4 Event electronics Tuned Reference TR5 Active Monitors
    5 Behringer TRUTH B2030A Active Monitors

    All the reviews seem to be about the same...
    any feedback would be appreciated.

    anonymous Mon, 06/13/2005 - 22:51

    I usually just read here, but I decided I had to post on this one.

    JBL! 4311's are great (and can be had for $450-500), but really anything with the LE-5 mid will not let you screw up. If you do, they WILL tear your head off. Brutal honesty in the mids without a harsh top end. Plus, what percentage of rock records have been mixed on JBL/Urei? I absolutely love them, some people detest them. But then some people are madly in love with thier genelecs which I can't listen to for more than five minutes. Personal preference maybe, or maybe my hearing still goes up high enough that those funny little metal diaphragms give me an ice cream headache.

    I refrence on some cambridge 6's that someone gave me, and I actually have and use a pair of those little minimus full-range jobs. I have missions upstairs which I really don't like too much, but I'll listen there too sometimes.

    On the hifi tip, hifi is for audiophiles. Let them argue about which pair of astronomically priced 2-way whozits has better high-end extension. I want to hear the meat of it. I am much more concerned with making recordings that have balls and drive than perfecting the highest half-octave (that said, I must say that you can't ignore the top octave either. I just think some people let it consume them for some reason). I want to make records that feel like you're at a shed with a good turbo rig and someone who can actually mix at the knobs... where even as a career gear junkie I can forget about the rig for half a second a go "wow, this is a jam!". These are things that make it move.

    And it is all about "it". If we don't have it, the point is lost, (ah, the point! a purpose for all this talk even!) and after we die we'll all end up in a room where all we can talk about is how to time align our drum tracks forever and ever...

    right?

    did I digress? Maybe a bit. But what I'm getting at is this: find some speakers that make the music that gets you fired up sound like it should. 4311s do the flamin' groovies just about right... and if in my career I can make a record that hits me like supersnazz I'll have something to talk about in that room besides protools tips. 'nuff said.

    GC

    Davedog Tue, 07/05/2005 - 17:08

    I check in here from time to time and really there were two posts at the last that I agree with 100%. First and formost...Old 60's AR bookshelfs......Everyone knows that the late Frank Zappa used these...Room is important YES YES YES!!!! but those speakers were frikkin accurate! As were the KLH's of the same era...Just dont try to mix on the bigger units...the bass gets confusing once you get over a 10" in the woofer with them...and nothing less than power amps that believe in 'Voltage in =Voltage out'...(Phase Linear anyone?)(Bi-amped Crowns....D75 and D150's!)

    NEXT...and there will be an agreement with and exception here....4311's and all their little bretheren are really really good...no, really...and that part about all the great records made on em....! So, I learned on my 4311's, graduated to 803 Uries(another of the greats)and graduated again the GENELECS....so there. I know there are 'some' who get fatigued by these, but the translation factor is so high and like all monitors you learn em anyway....thats my exception. Next I'm graduating to ATC. Or maybe I'll retro back to the Westlakes.......................

    anonymous Fri, 07/08/2005 - 12:00

    I use a pair of Daedalus W-803s and SR-823s for reference monitors for recording as well as PA speakers, and I highly recommend them. I can't exactly explain the high quality and accuracy they have, but when I stand in front of them and listen, I know I have discovered something really special. They aren't talked about much at the various forums, but they are highly desired by those who know about them. I took a chance and purchased the 823s, then had to get another pair of the 803s once I heard them in action. They are really worth checking out if you are serious about your monitors.

    Here is the link: http://www.daedalusaudio.com

    I did a search on this forum, and there isn't much said about them, but don't let that fool you into thinking less of them. ALSO, I AM NOT AFFILIATED WITH THE COMPANY, I am just a very satisfied customer.

    anonymous Sun, 07/10/2005 - 12:06

    keep in mind what the general public will be playing your mixes through...

    after mastering through my BlueSky 2.1 monitors i always double-check everything over again in a pair of AKG headphones and some "Plain Jane" cheap Panasonic home speakers...sometimes you'll mix based soley on YOUR monitors which isn't relevant to other listeners, and sometimes can throw off your whole mix. Experiment, experiment! try your mixed tracks in a car stereo, cd player, whatever...just remember not everyone will be hearing your song through your monitors.

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