I'll tell you which Mackie to buy if you tell me which pair of pants I should wear tommorow?

How is that you would expect us to know which Mackie you should buy without knowing your exact needs, or your monitoring enviorment? I myself don't like any of the Mackie monitors, so I would say none. But if your dead set on buying Mackie, then buy the best ones they make and you can afford.

[ August 23, 2003, 06:04 PM: Message edited by: AudioGaff ]

I have HR824's. Hate 'em. I need to sell 'em. To each his own. Some people think they are great.

I would look at Sunholm monitors:
http://www.sunholm-acoustics.com

Nice sounding!

Lawton,
Nobody can tell you which ones to buy. You need to listen to different speakers before you spend a chunk of money on them. I have recorded at a facility that used Mackie HR824's and they work great for them. A lot of people on this site will knock them for various problems people have had with them. There are an equally large number of people that will tell you that they are wonderful. I ordered a pair of Mackies and they got lost in the mail. After reading negative comments about them on this site, I actually bought a pair of Dynaudio's, but they were around $1600 for the pair. This is more than you need to spend if you are just getting started with recording, but if you are going to do this as a lifelong hobby, go ahead and spend a bunch on a very good set of monitors - you will be glad you did in the long run. Otherwise write back with a bit more information about what you have to spend, and what your goals are with monitors. I think you will get some suggestions that way. Good luck.

Rob

I imagine that even the entry level Dynaudio´s BM5´s will do a much much much better job than the HR824´s.

Even my monitor Ones translate better than the 824´s. I dunno about the 624´s, a much newer project... I think Bill R. mentioned they have some weird peak also.

If I were you, although not knowing which are your needs, would follow the other folks advices. Dynaudio BM5´s/6´s. Man, you live in the USA!!lol
It might find very decent prices!!

However, test all the monitors you can and pick the pair that sounds and gets you where you intend to go. Do not follow trends.

I remember myself a few years ago in a trade show, we were auditioning se :)

Hey guys,
I agree did not like the Mackies when I tried them in the shop. Although I personally know people who love them.

Ok I say this more and more.
Everyone hears things different.
Everyone does different music
Everyones rooms are different.
How much internet thumbs up is just spam I do not know.
I have not read a bad review of anything for a while. A lot of reviewers go by the if I have nothing good to say I will not say anything.

So if I cannot get a demo of something in my room to try myself. I do not buy it.

There are a lot of monitors around.
Go to a shop, bring a couple of CD's you know well. Try all of them.
Make a short list. See if you can try the pair you like most in your room over a weekend.
If not go to another shop.

When trying monitors mix on them, do not try to work out if they are bass heavey etc etc.
See how well they then translate.

My old KRK's were scooped in the middle, I knew this. It annoyed me. Artists I had in the room would always say can I have more snare etc.
You sound silly when you say well, do not listen to the speakers it sounds different in the real world.

Just my 2 cents

I also have Mackies 824s and I like them in some situations (i.e. while tracking). But for mixing I switched to NS-10s and ...boy...what a difference! Of course I A/B with the mackies but I don't rely on them. Actually, I would gladly trade them for a night with 2 beautiful girls (preferably sisters! :)

hehehehe

could it be 2 cousins?

IMO, there are only two purposes that a speaker system needs to fulfill:
1. Translate well whatever you are mixing into the "outside world".
2. Give you a pleasant and fatigue-free sound while you are recording/mixing.

Point 2 basically excludes NS-10's :D .

Point 1 is a little bit more complex. Your room plays a role and so do a lot of other factors. One thing not to overlook is the fact that people need to "learn" their speakers. There is a feedback loop of mixing, listening to the mix on other systems and drawing conclusions (maybe even to the point of slightly equalizing the speakers in the control room ... ?).

My main speaker system is a set of Event 20/20bas which I recently enhanced with their rather inexpensive new Subwoofer. Total damage around $1200 if bought new and probably nowhere near the high end of studio monitors. Nevertheless, I love the sound and can work long hours (point 2 met!) and my recent projects needed next to zero EQ during mastering (which was done by a very reputable mastering engineer). That to me means that point 1 is also taken care of!

I am sure that there are almost equally strong opinions about the Events as there are about the Mackies. Still, I believe that they are very usable speakers once "properly learned". There is a fair number of other things on my shopping list before I get to buying more expensive speakers (although those ADAM's are tempting ... :D ).

Just my opinion,

MisterBlue.

Hey Lawton,

I have owned and used a pair of the HR824s for about two years now. I have mixed pop, rock, rap, hip hop, dance, damn near everything. All my mixes have translated extremely well.

I have even brought them into studios where I mix and set them next to NS10's, Genelecs and the like. More often than not I wind up mixing on mine and A/Bing to the others. Kurt had a pretty good reveiw on Yamaha's latest offerings (the model escapes me but they are supposed to replace the NS10M's. If I remember correctly.) but they are self powered and according to his reveiw the are good for the money. I may actually look into a pair for myself.

My point is to know the limits of your speakers and your mixing environment. It is not always the speakers that have the problems.

Best wishes and happy hunting,

JD( o}===;;;

Originally posted by 3dchris:
I also have Mackies 824s . Actually, I would gladly trade them for a night with 2 beautiful girls (preferably sisters! :)

hehehehe

TWINS!!! :D

:) Kurt, if they are twins, how would you tell them apart? :D

--Rick

Originally posted by Rick Hammang:
:) Kurt, if they are twins, how would you tell them apart? :D

--Rick

Rick my friend,

you couldn't - but then again - who would care? :D :D :D

Rod

In the red light district in Amsterdam there were a pair of cute petite twins, and although I was in the millitary at the time I was on my way to a jazz club and didn't get in that kind of trouble ;) . I don't get it-- twins, sisters-- it is like incest and I think the chicks would be soooooo insane that if they could look past the incest part of it, then they've got to be in a pretty freaky league of their own. Kinda scares me off. Sorry.

To everyone who replied, and it was quite a many... the music i'm making is mostly just guitar/vocals in a mid'sized room, with overdubbed extras, basically electric guitars, keys, bass, and drum machine...the basic setup ya know.. so, i would love to know different monitors to try..i even thought of just buying ns10's casue everyone is using them, but for different things..i need a pair of monitor that i can do everything on, if that's wise... man, i hate not knowing enough to figure all this out on my own, but that's why i have u guys! also, with mic pres' does anyone have any clue on some cheap ones? also, are mic pres the same as compressors, like joe meek or is that a totally differnt thing? i mean, can u have a compressor that is also your mic pre for every input? or do u have to have a seperate mic pre and then a seperate compressor/limitor ?..hope that makes Mac.com">sence...lawtonmchil…

thanks!

Since everybody is throwing in their faves.... I recommend looking at the Reveal monitors by Tannoy. I own a pair of the active ones and I've found that they are very truthful monitors (sometimes too honest!). For the price they're damn good! Anyhow, I've used the Mackie 824s, Genelec 1031As, Yamaha NS10s on a regular basis. Personally I'd go for the NS10s. They have never let me down.

I ditched my KRK (passives) to buy 824s, thinking this would solve my problem of mixes not translating well. No such luck.

As it turned out, the problem wasn't so much with the speakers (although the Mackies have a flatter response) but with the rooms.

Now I have my rooms treated properly using a combination of diffusion, absorption, bass trapping, and symmetrical speaker placement. What a difference!

Moral of the story: Poor acoustics in a tracking or mixing room will make any speakers sound bad.
Fix the room first!

Doug Ferrara

twins? It would be a little boring -lolGuru Bob Katz wrote in his book that he knows a mix done with the NS10´s. BAss/kick drum heavy and low vocals. Indeed.
I got rid of my NS10´s last year, in fact I mixed just 2 albums with them.To me they were the reference monitors of the 80´s not for the bass heavy/squeezed distorted sound of the 90+´s.
Uncle Kurt is already preparing some stones to throw at me...
Dynaudio BM5/6´s are already on my wish list.

Hey Lawton, here is something to think about. If you're going to be doing guitar/vocal type stuff then you're going want to avoid something problematic in the mids. You don't have a big need for super low end. There are other "characteristics" that people ascribe to various monitor that will clue you in a little as to how they'll meet your needs.

But as the first bunch of responses to this thread stated, you've got to hear them and judge your self. To me that is sort of a paradox because for me the transistion from listening to speakers that flatter music to speakers that are supposed to reveal what is going on is a big step.

As a guitarist I see it like this: I don't know how many guitarists I know that when they start out think a solid state crap box sounds great, just about as good as my Riveras or old Fender. Some eventually develop the taste or ears to hear the differences, some don't. I'm afraid that will be like monitors for me-- that although I'm happy with my ADAMS, I'm afraid I don't have enough experience doing "critical listening" on "professional monitors" to honestly say I like these better than any other model. For me, I see nothing wrong with not having a solid opinion of my own yet. What I think I have is a decent basis to develop one as I work with them.

As you may already know, the room the monitors are in may impact your listening experience as the monitors themselves.

Heheh..I see couple of people like the idea of trading mackies for a night with a pair of girls :) I don't think twins would be good...I like variety :) To the guy who talks about incest: I never thought of it that way (and probably never will hehehe) :)
Alecio, I didn't have too much respect for NS10s until I actually mixed on them. Comparing to all other monitors I worked with NS10s are DA BEST!
And while you're looking in Kurt's direction waiting for the stone, watch your back :) hahaha

Chris

I'm thinkin cousins...identical cousins....but then there was that time in xxxxxxxx,xxxxxxx....and they were sisters but not twins......uhhh whut was the subject?

I almost bought into the Mackie hype....then I got the chance to A/B them to several other brands...a decent room with one of those AIR CD's with lots and lots of sonic changes and levels and all sorts of sounds....there were several of the pairs that completely blew the Mackies away for total range....they were clear and could go loud without distorting but gave a decided lack of low/mid punch to things.

What was amazing to me was the incredible clarity and range of sound of the Genelec 1029's.These are nearfields! Tiny suckers.Killer!Also making my 'A' list would be the Audix N5's(passive), the Tannoys (reveals in biamp I think??!!),an old pair of JBL 4311's(already owned these once...still love em),the Mackie 624's(much more focused than the 824's),and a set of JBL LSR25's(???not sure thats the right number) All of these sounded better to me than the Mackie 824's.....What did I buy? Genelec 1029's with the 1081 sub...Translates? EVERY CAR STEREO/HOME SYSTEM/OTHER STUDIO SPEAKER SYSTEM.Every one of em..........

It was cool to hear someone liking the 4311's. I picked up a pair from a local radio station who had them in storage for the last 15 years and they sound great.

I have the 824's, the low end is PURE MUD
all hail the mighty NS-10 !

hey, why do usa guys call them wackies?

:) I could not understand from the very beginning how a speaker designer could think that adding a simple multipoint bass roll off switch on the rear panel would actually correct for placement in corners and near walls. This was a dead give away for me.

I have experimented with this type of placement from day one. You can't get a balance of Low bass and mid bass no matter what type of EQ you use. Even so, the amount of re-enforced bass is far beyond the settings provided, not to mention the reflected phase relationships to the front of the cabinet.

That is like trying to tweak a monitor systems position with 1/3 band EO's, it really does not work to correct these problems.

Try it yourself, place your monitor against a wall, or a corner. The bass will rise significantly, at least 6db for the wall, and another 6db for the corner, and the point at which the rise begins is not predictable, or uniform.

This range of low end will be very noticeable, and can easily be measured. Keep your nearby surface areas in consideration as well.

--Rick

I personally use open air as my near-by surfaces.Mostly because of the very reasons Rick pointed out.3' is almost too close though I do not mix at high volume, it is still enough to get the surrounding surfaces a bit excited and I believe you can really hear this.The true test is when you get to mix in a very good room....this will cure you forever after.