Studio monitors

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

I was wondering ,,,,,I purchased a set of studio monitors on E bay. Should be here Weds.
Just wondering how many, who record, use them, and the advantages they see in them.

They are a near field monitor, so I figure they will give me a better and more acurate mix, so the final mix will sound better on various players.

Am I on the right track here ?

Robby Springfield · From: Viola, AR, USA

I use the Mackie HR824's. They are near field monitors and I am in a spare bedroom with no acoustical treatment. I was a big fan of properly treated rooms until I heard Bobby Terry's mix's coming out of a room like mine with just a blanket hung from the ceiling over the console. He was using the Mackie's. Bobby has gone on to do records like Chrome, If That Ain't Country, and many more.

The trick is to get things to sound the same on other systems as you hear when you mix. A good quality near field should help you acomplish that. A small jam box is a good reference for me. Of course, starting right helps you end up right. Great tones from the instrument itself is one key. Good pre's and mics are another. As always, enjoy the journey!

Ron Randall · From: Dallas, Texas, USA

Studio Monitors are the reference for everything you will be working with. YOu will be choosing effects, making judgements about the sounds you hear. The monitors are accurate, in that they do not color the sound. They do not boost or cut

Placement of the speakers is critical to accurate mixes.

Once I have a pretty good mix, I play the CD (notMP3) in my truck stereo system. I might tweak the mix a bit and then create a master. Again, accurate speakers are very necessary to judge the final product.

Like most things, one can spend a lot or a little.

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

I have a pair of Truth 6/3/4" driver passive monitors. I use a amp to run them/ they are essential. I tried headphones to monitor built the cord continually got in the way (lap steel player).
the near field monitors work perfect.
I too burn to CD and play back from a crappy stereo or my truck CD player to hear the mix.

monitors are important.

Michael Johnstone · From: Sylmar,Ca. USA

Like Robbie,I use a pair of Mackie HR-824s. They're not especially cheap but since your monitors are the only thing in your studio that actually makes any sound,they ought to be the best quality,flat,honest,did I say flat? ones you can find. I like the Mackies because they reproduce a lot more bottom end than other units of their size and price range and that's crucial when making decisions about bass and kick drum levels.

Buddy Lewis · From: Branson, MO

Active reference monitors are mainly for reference. Most will acurately reproduce whatever you have in your mix. Learn your speakers. Learn what the speakers boost and what you have to boost yourself. Play major label songs through your speakers and compare them to your mix. Try to make them comparable. Then play your mix through every set of speakers that you can find and see what gets lost on those speakers and what should have been cut down at the mixdown. Then using your knowledge of your own speakers you can come up with a mix that sounds decent on all speakers. Remember that most songs are listened to on the car radio. Once you learn how your speakers sound compared to outside the studio speakers, you will be able to be confident that your mix will sound good on all systems. This takes time and patience.
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vocals and back-up vocals, bass and rhythm guitar

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

good post. active or passive monitors produce what is recorded. they are unlike hifi stereo speakers. those boost frequencies for a fuller sound.
I read in a recent Vintage Guitar magazine how Buck Owens would record and playback.
he had a pair of tinny car speakers on the mixer console. he learned that cutting the low end and boosting the high end would make his music standout and sound clearer and better. remember, all they had back then was AM radio. Buck figured out that too much bass rattled the car speaker.
we don't have the limitations as then. but it still remains important to hear what you have recorded accurately and in other presentations.

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

The main monitors in our studio are ADAM Audio S-2A Powered Monitors which are amazing little speakers, but are not cheap.

We also have an old set of Yamaha NS-10M's which are still very popular in studios.

And we have an even older set of Auratone 5c's we use mostly for checking mono mixes.

We drive the unpowered monitors with Hafler power amps.
_________________
Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, as well as some older MSAs, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Recently added a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored blue Rose, named the "Blue Bird" to the herd. Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic again that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also added a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks.

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Darvin, that sounds kind of like my desk, including the Hafler power amps. For mastering (and sometimes mixing) I've got 4 main reference monitors. The big clean ones are my 6' tall Dunlavy SC-3's with a Velodyne sub. For a good "average" midrange reference I've got the studio standard Yamaha NS-10M. Then for the even crappier reference I've got a pair of Frank Zappa's old Auratone cubes (really, I bought them from their sellout called "Joes Garge Sale" back about 12 years ago). Then perhaps my most prized tool of all, a $10 Sony jambox that I found at a garage sale that happens to have a line-in on front. It has these real small, ported and removable speakers.

I think it's critical to have at least 2 monitor references. Of course you want a good, clean, and accurate studio monitor. But the problem with a good monitor is that they can be so clean that they won't reveal certain offensive frequencies or mix discrepencies very well, like those low-mids that make your car speakers sound all bloated and cloudy. So if you have a second set of speakers that are intentionally small and crappy, it is just amazing how useful they can be. Jambox speakers especially since they usually have ports on them. That adds to the low-mid and bass "crap". That's the stuff you really need to have revealed when mixing and or mastering. If you can have that kind of reference on your desk, then you'll probably take fewer trips out to the car to find out what your mixes really sound like.

These days there are lots of jamboxes with line-inputs because everyone has an iPod now. This makes it very easy to get your studio signal into the jambox. Then just a line switcher of some type. Get your mixes to make good sense on both the good monitors and the crappy's, and your job will be SO much easier.

Brad

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

I finaly recieved the new Nady studio monitors the other day,, man these things are so clean its unreal.
I am really building up my leggs running out to the old truck to see how the mix really sounds on the old CD player

The first few mixes were a learning experience, too much mids, too little bass
too much of this too much of that Sad

Slowley though I am getting a feel for the right mix with the studio monitors. I too, need to invest in a crapy old boom box to give my leggs a rest.

One thing that is a problem for me is the amount of (white noise) I get when I mic the NV112 with a SM57. Seems I cant get the NV to produce without the speaker hiss at any setting,,its not that noticable, but I know its there. Running line out of the NV seems worse.

Anyone else run into this ?

Steve Stallings · From: Houston/Cypress, Texas

I use several different monitors.

I use NS10's for critical mixing. I've got a pair of Alesis Studio Ones that I use for a diferent perspective. For big sound, I use a set of Infinity SM150's that have a 15 inch wooofer for low end.

Of course, I also use the stereo in my car to check mixes.

As Buddy noted, I use reference mixes that I like to provide a framework. I've been using some Brad Paisley mixes for reference. I have a pretty cool EQ program which will capture the essence of any mix and then transfer that EQ setting to my mix. It is fun to try different mixes.
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Steve Stallings
Emmons Legrande II 8X5

Jerry Gleason · From: Eugene, Oregon, USA

As previously stated, it's really important to learn your monitors' characteristics, and really get to know them. Equally important, especially for those of us who don't have the luxury of an acoustically treated space, and must work in a spare bedroom or something similar, is to learn the sound of the room. A small rectangular room with a low ceiling is going to have some severe peaks and valleys at various frequencies at certain places in the room.

I was shocked when I did an acoustical analysis of my mixing room and found that where I was sitting, there was a huge (like 12-15 db) dip in the bass range from 70 to 130 Hz, probably a result of phase cancellation from the back wall. Rearranging the room helped, but at least now I know where I have to sit or move from to make decisions about different parts of the audio range.

I did this with a flat-response measurement microphone and some spectral analysis software, but you can get a pretty good idea of where the big problems are if you can hook up a test tone oscillator and play continuous tones at various frequencies, especially in the bass range, while moving around in the room. You will be amazed at the differences you hear.

For monitors, my favorites in the moderate price range are the Tannoy Reveals. I have a set of passive Reveal 6's, driven by an Adcom amp, and supplemented by a Polk Audio Subwoofer. I also have a pair of custom made nearfields that were built for me by a local company, "The Fabulous Tweeter Brothers" (now defunct, unfortunately). When I get a good sound from both of those setups, I listen through the Advents in the living room, and then in the car. The boombox sounds like a good idea, too.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Richard Tipple · From: Ohio, USA

Thanks to all, this gives me a number of things to look at here Very Happy

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Great stuff David!

I have to say that above all, THE most important thing about monitors is being familiar with them. When they're new to you, I think it's a great idea to play your favorite CD's thru them all the time. Even if you're in the next room. Just have music coming thru them whenever you're in or around there. Then your ears and your brain get familiar with what they sound like. I think it's critical to do this for a few days at least before you try to engineer on a pair of speakers. Honestly, I think it took me about 6 months to truly know my Dunlavy mastering speakers. The first few days I was totally flying blind. They sounded great, but I just didn't know them yet, and I didn't know how what I was doing on them would translate to other spaces and speakers. I'd rather engineer on crappy but familiar speakers than fantastic and unfamiliar speakers. So no matter what you've got, get to know them intimately. Play with EQ's thru them, listen to great sounding CD's thru them. Talk thru them with a microphone. Do whatever to just get acclimated.

Brad

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Thanks Brad.
Just trying to make your job easier,
when they send you home mixes to master
for their cds.

I agree 100% with getting to know your speakers intimately.
That's the 1st order of business.

Part of what Brad said is to get to know them
ANYWHERE in their listing environment,
with trusted source music.
Even on the next room.

The BEST speakers in the world, $100,000 a pair,
can STILL fool you BADLY, if you don't know them,
AND the room they are working WITH.

It's all total interaction of the AIR in the SPACE
and the EAR'S LOCATION in the space.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

David, I totally forgot to mention that, but I agree completely. A monitor will sound totally different in different spaces and places. I guess I should have said to get intimately familiar with your monitors in one specific place. Find the right room and place and let those speakers take root and live there. The room around the speakers is perhaps even more critical than the speakers themselves. We hear all the time engineers referring to being familiar with a "room". Some guys say they either know or don't know this or that "room". That can make or break whether they'll want to do important work in a given studio. I've heard bad work from great engineers in unfamiliar rooms even when they brought their own monitors with them. On a tour around Nashville a few years ago, I noticed that there were many very quality productions getting mixed in some suprisingly small and weird rooms. But the guys said they wouldn't work anywhere else. Their room is home to them, and they know it well. They know the results they'll get.

The monitors themselves are secondary to the room acoustics. It's what the waves do once they're airborne that creates the sound we ultimately hear. So yeah David, everyone should get to know their monitors, but especially get to know the room they're in.

Absolutely!!

Brad

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

As you can tell Brad and I are
on the same page with this stuff.

Another suggestion.
If you have picked 3-4 CDs of music you
a) really know well
b) you KNOW sound good in many systems
and rooms (they travel well)
c) they have a variety of textures and KEYS.

Then make a compilation of the songs
rising or lowering in key consitently from
song to song, when you program them.
A to Bb, to B, to C, etc. etc.

If they are slightly more complex chordally,
you will then get some bass notes in ALL 12
1/2 steps C to C.

Easy to find is A, B, C, D, E, F, G
But don't forget Bb, Eb, F#

That way you will get a great CROSS-SECTION
of low frequencies to test with.
as well as a fun CD to just listen to.

Also the shift of a whole or half step up or down,
will likely give a suprisingly audible change
in room interaction.
Room modes are pitch related,
change the songs center pitch and the
ROOM reflects and absorbs it differently
than the previous and following song.

If you pick anything classical that you know well,
try and get a recording done in the
Concertgebau Amsterdam.
It has the cleanest, smoothest,
clearest bass responce
of ANY room I have heard.
I know because I had to learn
clasical bass parts, and ALWAYS
heard them better in Concertgebau recordings.

Try as much of the above as you can,
and then let us know how your recordings come out.
We are interested.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

John Macy · From: Rockport TX/Denver CO

Another thing to consider with passive monitors is the power amp. I have pretty much mixed on NS10's since the '80's, and what you power them with makes a huge difference. Since they are rated as "maximum power 50 watts", many people tend to underpower them, and they sound like crap. Give them some juice, and they really come alive. I have been using a Yamaha PM2201, which is 250 watts a side on them for years, and they sound really great. You have to take care no to have any accidents, like a major pop or feedback loop or you may take out the drivers Sad

. I also have an inexpensive sub on both systems, which you can switch on or off.
_________________
John Macy
Rockport, TX
Engineer/Producer/Steel Guitar

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

John, maybe you can help me? I have two passive monitors at 150w each. my power amp is a 500 peavey.
not wanting to blow the speakers and a bit confused about the gain markings on the amp I wonder where I should set the gain.
the dial for each channel has an infinity symbol on the left and a db with a number value on the right.

I am from the era of left is off and more is turning to the right.
being timid I have the gain knobs straight up thinking I won't hurt them somewhere between all left and all right.

with this info can you figure what is what and where I could se the gain safely?

at the moment they are plenty loud.

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

I have to say that above all, THE most important thing about monitors is being familiar with them.

I whole heartedly agree with this statement ...You can really track or mix on just about any monitor that you want if you know the pro's and con's of said monitors ... Surely you won't get enough bass monitoring thru Auratones, but you run them in mono to see if your set up properly .... A lot of other monitors will not handle the bass that can be heard in a LOT of today's music, so you have to sort of imagine, and do a lot of guess work ...Once you KNOW your monitors , you will know just how much the bass needs to be boosted , or cut, as well as other frequencies ... My monitors give me a good representation of the mid's and highs , and also give me a good idea of how the various instruments sit in the mix ....They're Dynaudio BM6A's .... Not big speakers, and not terribly bassy either , but very accurate mids and highs and GREAT seperation , and depth of field ... I also have a pair of Auratones, and a pair of NS10M's ...The Auratones are for checking in mono , and the NS10m's are in just about EVERY recording studio across the nation, so I can get a good idea how my mix will sound in just about ANY studio using these .... Again, as Brad said, it's more about getting to know the monitors that you use, and know what they are , and aren't capable of ...Jim

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

I missed Darvin's post about his A.D.A.M. monitors.

I have heard several of my mixes on A.D.A.M. speakers
and they REALLY let me hear what I wanted to hear.

I have yet to own them, but really do want some for the future.

A truly interesting and original tweeter function,
sideways movement of a bellows, similar to an accordian.
It limits the mass of forward and backward movement,
by making it cover the same air moving area,
but in smaller increments of driver mass.

I was also asked by the ADAM people for 2 tunes
because they thought they showed their speakers
to good advantage.

As Darvin said, not cheap, but really topshelf monitors IMHO.
_________________
DLD, Chili farmer. Plus bananas and papaya too.

Real happiness has no strings attached.
But pedal steels have many!

Rich Weiss · From: Woodland Hills, CA, USA

I've been using Mackie HR 624's for about 6 years now.
I like them a lot, but even still, before I send anything to master, I make sure I like the mix on
1. My computer speakers,
2. Through a cd player, playing through the 624's,
3, the way it sounds in my car cd player.

Each set of speakers reveals a certain truth (OR UNTRUTH) about the mix, which I address in the continuing mix, until I finally like the mix through all the different sets of speakers.
I might go through a dozen or more blank cds per song, testing and re-testing.

Randy Reeves · From: LaCrosse, Wisconsin, USA

Rich. I had begun burning Cds to carry around and try out where ever I run across a pair of speakers and a CD player. I thought , at first, I was wasting CD plastic by only burning one song (sometimes unfinished) on a CD, but then I realized the importance of a good mix and sometimes getting out of the studio; a bunch of Cds does not matter.

it is tyhe same with my paintings. in my studio I become accustomed to the mess a painting was created in. it looks fine there. afterwards, when I see it in a gallery or better, in someone's home ($$) do I really see my work in a better light (so to speak).
then the decisions I made in that work stand out and help me better in the making of the next painting.

Geoff Barnes · From: Sydney, Australia

+1 for the NS10ms with a Hafler amp for my nearfields.

For referencing my finished mixes;
I have a nasty plastic Sony ghetto blaster that I bought at a pawnbrokers a few years ago....plus my car stereo... and a 5.1 "creative" setup on my gaming computer with an over the top sub... between these three if the mix holds up it should work on anything Very Happy

NS10ms work for me because they are unremarkable. There are better monitors, but the NS10s are pretty close to a domestic bookshelf system without the "color"...that plus the fact I have used this combo since the mid eighties and know how to make it work for me. Cool

Edited to add that when I started working in studios in the early Seventies we used Aurotones... the reason being that the best way to get a "result" was on these "average" little speakers. We would crank up the midfields whilst the band was in the studio so they would be happy it was "pumping" for 'em... then do the serious mixing on the aurotones after they left. Laughing

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Too much equipment....I think I need help.

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