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What to look for in Monitors
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| EtherealSL |
I've done a bit of reading and have a list ready to check out at the local store. I want to know what exactly I am supposed to be listening for when I am checking these out. If they are to reveal how a sound "truly" sounds then I shouldn't be buying the one that sounds "best." Technically, the best monitors reveal the impurities in a mix, so what exactly am I looking for? I don't want to drop a grand on a pair that are too forgiving and have my mixes suffer as a result. Help from the audiophiles out there?
Just in case you are wondering, my list, as of now is:
- Yamaha HS80M (have heard they hiss)
- Mackie HR824 (have yet to hear a bad thing about them)
- Mackie HR624 (almost same price as 8s, will prolly not buy)
- Event Asp8
- Adam A7 (can't find a dealer in the US, but heard they are excellent)
- M-audio Bx8a (seem sort of "budget" and have heard they are overbright) |
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| Topher Jones |
| I have the Event TR 6's and the M-Audio BX8a's, and Ive found that the monitors dont really matter as much as the room that you are producing in. The room will give you a much different perception of sound than the monitors will. I like both of the sets of monitors I have. Ive heard Adam monitors are great though....Hope that helps.... |
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| thecYrus |
| you should add dynaudio and genelec to your list.. |
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| s-cube |
From your list i would consider the ADAM A7 & the EVENT ASP8, also as suggested i would add Dynaudio BM5A and/or BM6A to the list..
Just take some music that you've written and some of your favorite cd's that have 'that sound' that you would like to achieve..Then take your time & listen to how everything sounds through the monitors..Listen to the highs, the low & the mids..At the end of the day choose the one's that sound truest to you & that reveal the most flaws in your mixes..Its up for your to decide what monitors will be the best for your needs as you will be the one spending hours in front of them everyday.. |
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| echosystm |
Personally, on that list, I would go for ASP8s or Adam A7s. The ASP line are amazingly well engineered, and pretty much everything Adam make kicks ass.
Lets get one thing out of the way... Cheap 8" speakers will always have a dip in the midrange. This is because, generally speaking, the larger the woofer is, the more low it will produce (less higher frequencies). Cheap 6" speakers deliver good mids, but you need to couple them with a sub to get a full sound range (PROVIDED YOU HAVE ACOUSTIC TREATMENT FFS). This is why KRK RP8s suck dick. IMO, ASP8 upward is where this dip becomes less apparent. In general, you will find Event monitors have a cleaner midrange than other similarly priced brands. Mackies do have this dip... but it is manageable.
Now, do you go for the 8" Events or the 6" Adams? Two things come in to play here... First, you need to decide if you like the sound of Adam ribbon tweeters. 99% of the speakers in the world DON'T use ribbon tweeters, and they do have their own unique sound. You need to be aware of this. That said, when done properly, ribbon tweeters are much more revealing than typical domes. Second, listening environment... If you're in a small room with no accoustic treatment, throwing 8" monitors in will do more harm than good. In such cases, you are best of getting a set of 6" speakers and have a sub on a foot pedal IF YOU NEED IT occasionally. Using a sub gives you a bit more control over how you tune your lower end to your room.
You should add Genelec and Dynaudio to your list too, like cyrus said. ;) |
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| EtherealSL |
Thanks for the responses :)
| quote: | Originally posted by s-cube
From your list i would consider the ADAM A7 & the EVENT ASP8, also as suggested i would add Dynaudio BM5A and/or BM6A to the list.. |
I've heard very good things about the BM5a but I am pressed on using 8inch speakers because of their extended bass response. Trance is not all that I will be producing and I am very scared to get a sub because of all the positioning and acoustic treatment required. The A7s have had so much acclaim but i cannot find a single showroom in this country that will have them for me to listen to :( Anyhow, am I wrong in going for 8 inchers for their ability to provide deeper low end output? I definitely will be working with 65Hz and lower frequencies for my other projects... Heck, even trance will have some of these low frequencies in there, after all, it IS club music.
| quote: | Originally posted by Topher Jones
Ive found that the monitors dont really matter as much as the room that you are producing in. |
I was afraid someone was going to say that eventually. I definitely agree with you because I just moved out of a wood-floored apartment and everything was bouncing around the place and I couldn't hear anything right. I've been told that buying the padding and treatment foam isn't necessary as long as you have a lot of "stuff" in your room to absorb the sound. So, even in a carpetted room with lots of junk, would I still need to acoustically treat if I used proper monitor placement (away from walls etc). |
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| Ry Thomas |
| I use 'Tannoy Pecision 6D's' awesome monitors imho, they have fallen a lot in price too since i got mine |
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| Topher Jones |
| quote: | Originally posted by EtherealSL
I was afraid someone was going to say that eventually. I definitely agree with you because I just moved out of a wood-floored apartment and everything was bouncing around the place and I couldn't hear anything right. I've been told that buying the padding and treatment foam isn't necessary as long as you have a lot of "stuff" in your room to absorb the sound. So, even in a carpetted room with lots of junk, would I still need to acoustically treat if I used proper monitor placement (away from walls etc). |
As long as you get used to the room where you are producing and are pleased with the mixdowns and EQ'ing you do, then you will be fine. I just graduated from school so everything sounds so much different than the room I lived in at school. I just built a studio room in my house because everywhere else in the house, the music sounds terrible. I guess just get used to the room where you are producing and you should be alright. |
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| EtherealSL |
| quote: | Originally posted by Topher Jones
As long as you get used to the room where you are producing and are pleased with the mixdowns and EQ'ing you do, then you will be fine. I just graduated from school so everything sounds so much different than the room I lived in at school. I just built a studio room in my house because everywhere else in the house, the music sounds terrible. I guess just get used to the room where you are producing and you should be alright. |
That's what I'm hoping will happen because acoustic treatment is very impractical given my situation.
I've done a bit of reading on the BM5a and have read nothing but stellar reviews. However, the bass extension on these seem limited. Doing club-oriented music will be so tough on speakers that can't extend down the levels that club music reaches. At this point, I am wondering if a sub would be worth considering... but again comes issue of acoustic treatment. So the easy fix seems to be in 8 inch monitors. I wonder what dubstep producers use.
Any advice? |
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| echosystm |
| quote: | Originally posted by EtherealSL
would I still need to acoustically treat if I used proper monitor placement (away from walls etc). |
Probably... It depends on what is in your room and the kind of monitors you've got. Generally speaking, 8" monitors will need to have accoustics sorted out in a small room, or you'll get standing waves.
For example, accoustic treatment in my current room would provide minimal gains, as I have a large room with a (full) book case + cupboard covering the entire back wall. Ive also got two little clothes drawers in the front corners, which would probably take a bit of bass out. I'm also only using 6" monitors so there isn't enough bass to do a massive ammount of harm.
Easiest way to "treat" your room is to buy a big ass bookshelf from Ikea and put it on the back wall. Make sure you fill it up with books and stuff. Next, get really thick (like a quilt) drapes and hang them over windows. Glass windows will let a lot of bass "pass through", but will reflect highs like crazy - the drapes stop this. Next, put acoustic pads behind your monitors and either side of the listening position. Doing this should fix things up to a level acceptible for home producing. :) |
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| Jmanch |
event tr8's for the win,
solid monitors for a good price. |
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| tranceinjection |
An empty room has lots of echo and once filled with furniture it cuts down on most of the echo.
Treament of a room is to stop the echo so you get an accurate picture of what your music really sounds like.
A simple test for your room is this, clap your hands and if you hear an echo then your room needs treament.
I read about that on a site once :-)
I know a guy that once that covered all his walls in his studio with thick fabric and that cut down a lot on the echo and his mixes sounded a 100% better.
It dosent matter what type of monitors you get your room will always effect the sound becouse of lack of room treatmemnt and acoustics.
Pro studios spend thousands making sure the room acoustics are perfect.
The larger the room the larger the echo the smaller the room the smaller the echo but it's still an echo.
Even when you listen to monitors in a room thats been sound proofed they are not going to sound the same at home.
Read lots of reviews on the differnt types of monitors and find out what weakness they have and then decide wich monitors are right for you. |
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