fibes, post: 298824 wrote: I am mixing sampled, processed drums to a professionally produced track. I have never had near-field monitors before and am confused as to which ones to purchase. I was thinking about getting a better monitor to get better results. If I buy one good monitor, such as Genelec 8030a, will I be able to mix my drums with good results?

Not if you're trying to mix down to stereo.
One speaker won't do you much good!
Are your sampled/processed drums stereo?

I am interested in setting levels and reverb. The drums are not in stereo.

If you have multiple drum tracks to mix together, generally speaking each track should be placed somewhere in a stereo field..like left, right, center, somewhere in between depending on panning.
Now I suppose you don't need to do that, if that's what your asking...
Any added reverb to a track will push that sound further back in the mix so you hear a more distant sound. If you're setting "levels" to record you should be looking at meters that display each track. Monitors (typically two of them) are used in an acoustically treated room as a means to accurately listen to playback during a mix and to make sure each sound blends nicely where you want them in the stereo mix. So maybe you have some other ideas and I'm not understanding what you want to do...

The drums are pre-mixed. Each drum does not need to be adjusted in the stereo field. That is the reason I thought I could get away with only one monitor.

I would say it's quite possible to do. Of course, like anything else it takes a lot of experience and practice. If you're very successful and have a lot of experience mixing in stereo, then mixing in mono shouldn't produce too much of a hurdle. Knowing my own capabilities, I usually give myself a dozen test projects or so of a new technique before taking on a client.

Is the tune only going to be listened to in mono? If so, go ahead.

If not, then you'll need at least a pair to mix properly for stereo. How else will you have any idea at all whether it's not heavily balanced left or right, or instrumentation isn't clashing from either side? For instance, you could conceiveably have everything...or everything but one instrument, coming out left or right, and set to mono, it could be fine because they've added together to the middle. You could have something in the left or right track that masks the kick or bass...whatever...a bit, and when mixed to mono, sounds OK, but in stereo it could make it appear that another instrument...such as bass, has moved from center, thus making it sound lopsided...even if a right and left waveform appears to have equal dynamics in your software.

Mix to mono, if you'll only listen in mono, and don't expect it to sound right in stereo...unless you're lucky. Mix to stereo if you'll listen in stereo, and listen in mono to check for phase issues and mono compatibility, and you'll be covered.

Kapt.Krunch