Monitors
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Posted on Nov 04, 2009 10:37 am
Fragile
Member Since: Sep 30, 2009
How important would everyone here say the quality of your monitors is to your mix? I've been thinking about getting a set for some time now. Also, whats a fairly decent set of monitors for a fairly low, reasonable price?
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cruxTypo SzarMember
Since: Jul 04, 2002
Nov 04, 2009 11:22 am Well judging by the fact that u cant mix wat u cant hear, good monitors should be essential. I find though ofcourse that its not so much "monitors" as it is "monitoring".
I use a pair of Yamaha HS50Ms and i love how they sound they really did improve my mixes a ton when they replaced my PC speakers (ofcourse) but its not like i can get everything exactly right now. There is the room which plays a huge factor and all the external elements that affect wat ur hearing. So in the end, good monitoring is having a way of hearing ur music as it truly is so that u can make the right decisions and ur not just correcting faults in ur room and environment.
good monitors r just the first step to this i think, but yes their quite important.
J-botByte-MixerMember
Since: Dec 04, 2007
Nov 04, 2009 11:41 am Ah yes, the old monitor discussion hehe. I would say the quality of your monitors are the single most important item needed to get a good mix coupled with a good room setup acoustics-wise. Your room will influence what you hear back from the monitors since in any rectangular room, certain frequencies will be emphasized. So it's important to keep those things under control.
On the budget end, KRK makes some pretty good monitors. But even for quality budget monitors, you'll probably be looking at around $400 for a pair. The KRK RP6G2 run for about that much over on Zzounds. Though, I have not listened to them myself.
I'm using a pair of Tannoy Reveal 6 passives off an ART SLA-1 amp (100W/channel) but these days, I think most people just get the active monitors since they usually do a nice job of matching the amp to the speakers.
When you find the time and money, I'd highly recommend setting up bass traps in all the room's corners. There are some DIY guides around for making your own, which may be a bit cheaper than purchasing ready-made traps. Broadband trapping would help too after the bass trapping, depending on the size of the room. This will help with getting a good core sound for recording in addition to getting a good mix.
Also, in the end, it really ends up with your ears, and what works for them. I'd go to a shop, listen to different monitors, do A/B listening tests, and see what monitors work well with your ears. Burn a CD with some songs that you really know. Something that has to sound a certain way, and you'll know if it's off. Also, take some tracks that aren't mixed very well with you that you know they have problems, and see which monitors reveal the harsh truth the best.
Even on budget monitors, you can get a good mix if you take the time to learn your monitors' weak points, and learn to work around them. Listen to a reference album or track before mixing your own stuff. Having a good room will help with learning the sound too.
Nov 04, 2009 01:48 pm Quote:
How important would everyone here say the quality of your monitors is to your mix? I've been thinking about getting a set for some time now. Also, whats a fairly decent set of monitors for a fairly low, reasonable price?
There is absolutely, positively nothing that will ever come close to the paramount importance of your monitoring chain (and hopefully it goes without saying, but that includes the accuracy and consistency of the space those monitors are in).
Two of the only real "rules" in recording --
1) You will only ever be as good as your monitoring chain allows you to be. Self-explanatory. You will never know color-accuracy if you're color-blind or wearing lenses that filter out certain colors. You will never be a competent chef if you can't taste.
2) Your monitoring chain will only ever be as accurate and consistent as the room they're in allows them to be. Same thing. This is the chicken *AND* the egg. One without the other is basically worthless.
Nov 04, 2009 06:57 pm Yeahh thats about what i figured, 400 or so. Man when is my money gonna stop slipping threw my fingers haha. Ahh well whats a few days wages.
Right now i'm using my PA system to mix, so i'm not QUITE as bad as PC speakers, but i feel like i'm being held back.
Alright, yamahas, krks. Anything else in the 400 dollar region you guys would recommend testing out? btw good idea on the bringing in a few songs i know well, and a few of my poor mixes when i go in to test them.
Also, what sort of power should i be looking into, and speaker size? Or does it vary per set really?
Dematrixhttp://www.reverbnation.com/2ndgMember
Since: Nov 27, 2007
Nov 04, 2009 07:33 pm i like egg's and chickenses. dey taste good.
Nov 04, 2009 09:52 pm I like dem chickens first comin' outta the eggs :] yummm. tastes like raw chicken
Hey one more thing i just thought of. How important is it to have a set of headphones too? Like do you guys ever jump back and forth between monitors and headphones, or even just mix entirely with headphones?
And how much will a decent headphone set run me?
cruxTypo SzarMember
Since: Jul 04, 2002
Nov 05, 2009 02:40 am I hate mixing on my headphones, but more speakers is more speakers. basically if u have alot of systems to check ur mixes on, thats acutally in many ways better than monitors.
most ppl nowadays HAVE to have a good mix on their ipod headphones jsut coz its likely everyone else is going to hear their music on those, makes sense eh
I have a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770's, their great for tracking and comfy but i rarely use them to do any mixing, i might reference small things on them from time to time just to quickly make sure wat im hearing on my monitors is happening somewhere else.
the short answer however, is no a good set of headphones is not huge in mixing
J-botByte-MixerMember
Since: Dec 04, 2007
Nov 06, 2009 01:54 am Yeah, I hear you on the money part man. I think aside from robotics, music is probably one of the most expensive hobbies you can get into. Of course, you can always gradually build things up over the years, which is the approach I've taken.
I think good headphones for mixing is not an absolute must. Headphones are good for trying to run through with a fine-toothed comb to track down pops and clicks, and other anomalous artifacts.
It's usually a good idea to have decent headphones for tracking; decent meaning good sound, and little to no leakage. Decent cans will run you about $100 for a pair. Sennheiser HD280 Pros are pretty popular, as are the Sony MDR7506 phones. AKG also make some great headphones, I think it's the K240S that I'm thinking of, but they are a bit more pricey.
I'm using a more budget-minded set of headphones myself, the Audio Technica M40fs. Which I think I remember getting on sale. I think they run about $70 normally. I really like the sound on them, and I use them a lot late at night after my fiancee is asleep, but I just use em to get the ideas down in the DAW. I try not to tweak anything mix-wise with them, unless they are just very very minor adjustments, and nothing EQ or levels related, unless something is very obviously distorting.
But yeah, it's a good idea to have a few different references to double-check things on to see how your tracks perform in different settings and systems. Car stereo, iPod earplugs, home theater, desktop computer speakers, your friend's boombox, etc. etc.
That's my .02
Nov 06, 2009 09:40 am Gotcha, so variety is always a plus, but the monitors are practically a must. Thanks, that really helped put things in perspective :]
And yeah, i've noticed the money thing too haha. Its sad to think that just about every dollar i've made since i was 14 or 15 has went to music equipment. I've got over 5k in my bedroom studio, which is fairly cheap for a studio, but not cheap for a hobby while still in high school!
Nov 06, 2009 09:45 am 5k is a heck of a lot more than I have in gear in my studio...and I'm in my 40's. Learn to make do with what you have. Yes, monitor quality is important, no doubt, but if you have a nice room that doesn't give any obvious audio problems, use the speakers you have, and get to know them, their strengths and weaknesses so you can learn to compensate...then save some money and go out for the night and pick up chicks, your young for cryin out loud!
Nov 06, 2009 09:45 am Is it just me, or has there been a rash of monitoring questions of late?
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 06, 2009 10:13 am Yep, seems to be a good deal of post's dealing with monitor's lately.
As dB stated. learning what you have is a huge part of what is needed for a good mix. While I have access to perfect rooms with huge dollar monitoring systems I use an older pair of KRK's here with great success. Now they are not budget monitor's by any stretch they are definitely not top end. But after years of trying different system's these fell into place in this room with my set up and my mixes needed much less tweaking to get them right.
So choose wisely. I constantly preach taking a CD that you know like the back of your hand with you when you go out to try monitor's and listen with that. You'll know if you are hearing it the way you know it should sound or not.
J-botByte-MixerMember
Since: Dec 04, 2007
Nov 06, 2009 05:11 pm Yeah, my bad. I think I meant to say "mid-range" instead of budget on the KRK. I'm guessing a $200 pair would be a budget pair of monitors haha.
My Tannoys like I said, I got em on the cheap for about $375 for the pair. I think the full price was about $425 to $450 depending. But they're passives, so I needed an amp, and I think my ART SLA-1 was roughly $200. (before I was running them off an old Sansui G-3500 receiver)
And yeah, $5K is a lot of money to sink into a hobby at high-school age, no doubt. I'm 30 here, and I've probably got less than $2K in my own setup here, but not much so, and I think my setup is fairly bare-bones. (I've got pics up around the site here somewhere) But it sounds like something you're serious about, and that it will stick with you for a long time to come, so don't sweat it. ;)
Just try to save money where you can, do a lot of reading and research, ask questions (as you have been hehe), and we'll try to make suggestions to help you save money as well.
Though, do try to get out and have some actual fun every once in awhile. I never went out for the night or picked up any chicks in high-school, and we all see where that got me! Hehe, I kid, I kid! ;)
Nov 07, 2009 09:03 am Haha thanks for the advice guys :] I do get out, though probably not nearly enough ;] I do have to admit, when it comes to anything but music equipment i'm a MAJOR cheapskate lol. Ah well, my goal here was to get a formidable setup before my license, and have actual monthly bills.
And really haha? Well honestly, knowing some of the equipment they have now, i definitely could have skipped out on things like my bass and guitar amp, but i got a lot of this for a live setup, and just fun and experimentation. Then as playing with people became sickening when you've got major style differences with everyone you know, i began building up my recording equipment. I'm just about done though!
And oh trust me, this forum has helped me with so much already, and i'm still just beginning. :]
