Posted on 
Sep 25, 2011 06:10 am Gave the mix a listen, and I've heard worse, for sure. But yeah, seems like the problems are in the low-end, possibly a little bit into the low-mids. Better/bigger monitors will probably help with some of that I think. It sounds like you might have overcompensated for the bass a little bit. And yeah, I hear what you mean in the highs. the hats/cymbals are a little "hissy." At least that's what I'm hearing on my headphones anyway. I'm up waaaaaayyyyyyyy past my bedtime so I can't really give em a go on my speakers. Might do that tomorrow though. :)
Anyway, well, the sad news is there's not really anything that will do much for you in the sub-200 range. :/ Monitors as anyone around here can probably say, are probably one of the most important things you can invest in, if not the most important.
This is probably common sense, but in the end, your mixes will only be as good as your monitoring chain and room combined will allow them to be. Rooms can be adjusted and treated, but your monitors are like your eye-glasses for your audio work. It's been said before, but "Don't skimp on the monitors!" =D
I'd recommend saving up until you can afford a pair in the $400-ish range. I got my Tannoy R6 passives on a deal for about $380-ish. (they used to retail for about $450 for a pair) The Yamaha HS50M's run about $400 a pair, and those might do well for ya. I think or rather, IMO/E the $400 to $450 range tends to have a pretty good budget : quality ratio.
That said, if you can get to a local music place or guitar center, ask around and see if they'll let you demo a pair or something, or have them connect em up for you in the store, and take in a CD you know like the back of your hand. One which you know has a good mix on it, and possibly another CD with a bad mix, so you can see what the speakers are telling you. It's good to get a set of monitors that work well with your own ears.
If you can't demo 'em in a shop, then I'd highly recommend reading....a lot. Read every review you can dig up on any monitors that catch your eye. Check the ratings at online vendors like sweetwater and zzounds. See if SoundOnSound has any reviews on em, and generally research as much as you can. Compare those results to other similar systems in the same price range. And think about what your ears tend to prefer, or what you like to hear. I probably spent the better part of a year reading, and digging up reviews before I finally decided on mine. The local music stores where I was living at the time simply didn't carry that type of gear.
In the end though, it's really -your- ears that will be hearing them, and your ears are what will help you make the best decision. :)
Now, one thing that might help, is if you "calibrate" your ears with a good CD that is similar to the sound you're aiming for, then you can train your ears to learn the weaknesses and pitfalls of the monitors. But you'll probably still be checking your mixes on various setups more often. Better monitors will take some of the checking and re-checking out, and make it a bit easier to get to a decent mix. (though IMO it never hurts to check a mix on a home stereo and/or car's sound system as a kind of sanity check)
Anyway, I don't wanna leave you totally hanging, so if I were stuck/forced into the $200 range, these are probably what I would be looking at/focusing on for digging up the dirt:
www.zzounds.com.../item--SAMSAM5A <-- Samson used to make a very good budget monitor called the Resolv, which came in the 40a and 50a flavors (and they had a nice blue trim). I have no idea if these are the next generation, or totally different from the resolvs, but I'd look at em.
And in that same token, www.zzounds.com/item--SAMSGT4 Might be worth looking at as well.
Sweetwater I think has some Resolv A5's and A6's , and those might be the newer generation of Resolvs, but I have no idea how they compare to the originals. I know dB like the older Resolvs for what they were.
www.zzounds.com...item--MDOBX5ADX <-- The M-Audio Bx5A's I've heard good and bad things about em. Some people are fine with em, some can't stand em. I'd dig up some opinions and see what type of music people generally favor them for.
www.zzounds.com...item--BEHB2030A <-- a bit past your budget, but the Truth series have received some okay-ish reviews. But again, some people don't like em, and so it definitely pays to check the reviews. I think the 2031A's are marginally better, and almost $400 for a pair.
I think one of the HRC peeps had a pair of TRUTH's at one point....was that Tripps mebbe? I can't remember. I think they served him decently for awhile, but he was wanting to upgrade.
www.zzounds.com...item--ALEM1AMK2 <-- these seem to have a lot of reviews and ratings posted for em, but I've also heard it can be hard to get a good mix on these. Some people just can't stand the M1's, and some find em hard to mix on.
And don't be afraid to check the re-packaged/blemished blowout deals on some of the vendor sites. That might help get something slightly over budget down into affordable.
Anyway, in a nutshell, Monitors in the sub-200 range probably aren't going to tell you what you really need to know about your mix. They'll be marginally better than your more accurate bookshelf speakers, but I think for getting solid mixes more easily, the $400 to $450 range is a pretty good budget/quality ratio for the area, so I'd recommend saving up another $200 or so if you can.
As I've heard from the stuff you've posted, your mixes are generally pretty good, so I hope the info will help you come to a well informed decision. :)
Also, I think Tweak's forum over at studio central had some monitor comparisons/ratings, for the price levels. At least it used to. Definitely worth checking out if it's still up.
