Which Monitor speakers ?

[Ghostdriver]

hi folks, a little advice please.
I have a home studio basic set up, i use a 16 track Yamaha AW16 studio in a box, and up until now have been channeling sound through the home stereo Arcam amp and a pair of Mission speakers, with pleasing results. But moved into bigger house now so have to fund some new speakers for just recording purposes.
I have limited budget, probably around £200 ($400), and they need to be active not passive.
Any ideas, i like the look of the M-Audio BX5's but reviews said they lacked bass and my recordings are very punk rock , my room is around 4 x 3m if that helps.

cheers

 

[GeckoMusic]

Look at 8" drivers if you want any bass. I have a pair of Event TR8's and they are nice, but the usable low end only goes down to about 60Hz. I'm looking at getting a sub woofer for the chest thumping lows. Other than the lack of sub frequencies I am very happy with my TR8's. (I guess expecting sound that low out of an 8" driver was a fantasy)

 

[Greener]

Just because you can't hear it doesn't mean it's not there.
Your hearing response drops off as the frequency lowers, not sure where the shelf is and I don't care.
Live bass rigs with multiple 8" speakers are loud, deep and punchy.
Adding a sub to your monitor chain will induce a whole bunch of mud into your room unless you're a wizard. Use the sub to reference but actually mix without it.

 

[GeckoMusic]

My post wasn't clear. The Event TR8's drop off at about 60Hz audibly, and when measured. This is a problem for mixing sound below 60Hz. However, isn't it all about what you hear in the end?

Yes an Ampeg 810 is one of the most popular bass cabinets, and the speakers are only 10" The point is that to get the really low frequencies reproduced well you need big speakers, or a lot of power. Many active monitors don't have both.

Using a different setup for your reference than your mix is ludicrous. The point of a reference is so you can compare two songs on a level playing field. Are you talking about auditioning your mix on a bass heavy system for compatibility?

Yes, without proper room treatment, a sub woofer can easily make your room muddy. It does take work to get it to sound nice.