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Buying monitors
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| G-Con |
Hello.
I'm considering having a pair of monitors for christmas as this is the missing link in my setup.
What i wanted to know is this...I currently run my pc through my hi fi speakers. If i buy monitors then any music I want to listen to on my computer will be through these. I know that monitors are what is needed for music production, but are they good to use for general music listening or will the music sound flat compared to through a hifi.
This might be a really silly question but as I understand it, monitors will not add any bass, or eq settings the way a hi fi will so i weren't sure if this meant that music wont sound as good.
Or am i completely wrong?? |
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| everyMan |
| It will sound good but, why don't you listen to some CDs on monitors in your local store ? You will see by yourself. |
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| T-Soma |
Songs that are lower quality or have been produced poorly will stand out and the ones that have been produced well and are high quality will sound good. Basicly
Bad = Worse
Good = Better |
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| DigiNut |
You probably don't want to listen to music in the exact same environment as you produce. As the previous poster stated, tracks which are poorly produced (and there are a lot of those) are going to sound a lot worse on monitors than on a regular setup. But even with the good productions, when you're listening you generally want a subwoofer, DSP, EQ, and other things that a hi-fi gives you, whereas monitors are made specifically to give you "just the facts".
It certainly won't make your regular music sound bad, but I think you'll miss the hi-fi if you start using monitors for everyday listening. |
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| RivalMan |
| quote: | Originally posted by G-Con
Hello.
I'm considering having a pair of monitors for christmas as this is the missing link in my setup.
What i wanted to know is this...I currently run my pc through my hi fi speakers. If i buy monitors then any music I want to listen to on my computer will be through these. I know that monitors are what is needed for music production, but are they good to use for general music listening or will the music sound flat compared to through a hifi.
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I certainly recommend getting some monitors. It's funny (not pointing at you specifically) how so many people underestimate the importance of monitors in music production. They'll spend thousand of dollars on hardware, synths, software etc. but they'll try to get budget-monitors or even work with hi-fi speakers. I don't get this. Monitors are perhaps THE most important thing in the studio. In my opinion more important than your sequencer, more important than the brand of your EQ etc. If you can't hear what you're doing to the mix, you can't mix properly and you'll never evolve as a producer. Imagine to choose the colour for the walls in your room while wearing 3D-goggles or sunglasses. No one will do that, and yet a lot of people are still mixing through hi-fi speakers. It just doesn't work. :whip: It should be simple logic (no pon intended), but for some reason it's not.
Ok - now I've got that out of my system. Nice :-) And my apologies if you feel "yelled at". I've been there myself so no worries...
Anyway, I recommend getting the BEST monitors you can possibly afford (and then some). And this is one of the few cases where "best" doesn't mean "if it sounds good, it is good". This cliché doesn't apply to monitors. They are supposed to sound not good, not bad, but transparent and revealing. As others have put it in this thread, this means that well mixed music will sound great and poorly mixed music will sound bad.
As an inexperienced producer, imho, you shouldn't go to the store and listen to some pair of monitors and then base your decision upon your ears. You probably won't know what to listen for and you'll end up choosing some monitors for the wrong reason. I would recommend reading a lot of interviews and trust the recommendations from experienced engineers and producers within the EDM genre (don't trust the salesmen, he's likely working on comission).
Also I actually recommend listening to your "everyday music" through your monitors. At first you might find some music a bit more "boring" and dull, but you need to "get use" to the sound of your favorite tracks - "uncoloured". This will help your mixing skills tremendously.
Everyday-listening through monitors will give you a reference of the sound on an unconsious level.
Another thing: Don't think that just because you've choosen the best Genelec costing 25.000 USD that you'll get flat frequency response. A thing that is also very important is your room and the way it has been accoustically treated. Test have shown that when you place good pro monitors in a "standard" untreated room that you're likely to have a couple of dips at as much as 20 db at certain important frequencies even when listening in the sweet spot...
I know, we are all on a budget. And monitors should be your first concern. All I'm saying is that it doesn't end there...
Just my 2 cents...
Regards |
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| G-Con |
Cheers for the replies everyone.
I wouldnt normally choose to listen to music through the monitors but anything on my computer (downloads, DJ sets) would go through them. I suppose I could just change the connections on my sound card for when I want to listen to music and change back again when I want to produce.
In terms of how much to spend, I would love to spend as much as possible, but I have limited money so unfortunately I am on a budget.
However I do remember Compter Music magazine doing a monitor round up and there were some Yamaha budget ones (around £180??) that got 5 star stating that they were the best by far in that price range. Anybody know which ones these were by any chance? |
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| askspence68 |
No - but i must totally agree with Rivalman on what he was blabbin about because I myself did exactly what he was talking about when he mentioned talking to as many producers and sound engineers as possible and it comes down to the simple fact that "You Get What You Pay For." At the same time, shelling out the money will not make you a great producer... sorry for the no sherlock comment but it had to be said haha. and yes i totally can tell u from expeirence... bull acoustics up. i have a pair of the Alesis M1 active monitors.. theyre legit as hell.. well worth the high 3 figures i paid for em and i was happy as hell with them till i moved into my appt at college... ty college walls mean terrible eqing and mixing.. had to clutter the hell outta my room and attempt to dampen the out of the place.. it worked. but what im sayin is my room took expensive high qual monitors and turned em into reverb machines. so rivals right it doesnt just come down to the monitors u need to make the space appropriate for them as well as a load of other thigns... wow sorry i just blathered too haha
did i even make sense? |
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| s-cube |
Completely agree with RivalMan..
Monitors are THE most important part of your studio..I recently invested in Dynaudio BM5A's..Its not even funny how much my mixes have improved since then..
I bought budget monitors before these (KRK Rokit 6) but they could not compare..Basically you get what you pay for, so i would suggest to save up & buy the best you can afford otherwise you'll find yourself selling them at one point anyway.. |
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| G-Con |
| The room in question will be about 9 feet square and will be relatively empty apart from the desk the monitors will be on, a leather sofa and a couple of other bits. Does this sound like an acceptable environment or a one? |
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| Storyteller |
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Not only the monitoring is very important but the acoustics as well. I recommend to at least have a lot of different materials (Or just a huge mess if you like) in the room which will create a decent space to work in (sound-wise).
Of course you could invest in acoustic materials and stuff, but then it would be a good idea to look into it a bit first :) |
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| askspence68 |
| i had a post on sound dampening like last week so look it up here "soundproofing+dampening" something liek that.. anyways u could prolly proffessionally dampen it for a lil over 200$ if you want.. theres a mock setup on the thread i started too. the clutter effect is solid too though.. itll definitely do the trick more or less just as long as u isolate the monitors from vibrating walls and windows. also keep in mind.. when u set up ur monitors, think about what ur putting them on.. if its a hrd table put some foam or towels.. etc. beneath them to take care ofthe reverb issues with the hefty monitors and cover whats immediately behind them as well.. this will certainly help dampen what u hear as air will be thrown directly out of them from the rear. additionally, youll want to create more or less a triangle between the monitors and you for the best mixdown experience. so position them pointed towards where you will be producing and prefferrably ear-level. this will give you the greatest chance of a proper mixdown. |
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| Effero |
| Dynaudio BM-6A for professional results... |
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