Monitor Advice

[Skol303]

^ Very good points above.

In addition to my regular monitors, I also use a pair of [url="http://www.avantonepro.com/Avantone-Active-MixCube-Powered-Full-Range-Mini-Reference-Monitors.html"]Avantone Mixcubes[/url] - a set of speakers deliberately designed to sound a bit crappy! They're very useful, to the extent that I tend to do most of mixing on these rather than the 'better quality' Mackies. If it sounds good on the Avantones, it generally sounds ok everywhere else - including laptop speakers and such like.

They're quite expensive new - I managed to get mine a stupidly good price second hand. But you could probably replicate the same approach by using a set of cheap computer speakers or similar.

[4stringslow]

I get that the best equipment is best for the actual recording process, I guess I was thinking more about the final mastering stage. In fact, I'm beginning to think that mastering is a trickier process than recording and mixing.

[RockfordStone]

So an update on this. Eventually I ran with the Mackie MR5's.

Set them up this evening, first impressions in my space are that they are nicely rounded with a good solid bottom end, something my previous speakers lacked.

Still need to play around with placing and getting used to them, but they certainly are a step up and make me excited about some tracks I'd dumped for not sounding right.

[Skol303]

Good to hear Rob!

I've really come to like my Mackies. Great monitors for the money. I probably should have gone for the MR5's myself. The MR8 have a bit too much bottom end for the size of room I work in, but I've gotten used to them now.

Have fun

Edited May 19, 2016 by Skol303

[RockfordStone]

looking forward to getting stuck in with them, hopefully as a result of my house move on the verge of falling through i can find time to use them

[Skol303]

[quote name='RockfordStone' timestamp='1463647079' post='3053002']...hopefully as a result of my house move on the verge of falling through i can find time to use them[/quote]

Oh no, sorry to hear that mate! Been through that particular saga myself... twice.

Good luck with everything and enjoy the Mackies.

[thebrig]

As someone who is just starting off in the recording game, I'm in need of a pair of studio monitors, I started reading various independent reviews online, and magazine reviews such as Sound On Sound, which I do realise could be a bit biased depending on various factors, but I thought I might go for the KRK Rokit RP5's, but having just read through this thread, I'm back to square one.

I started off thinking that dedicated studio monitors would be neutral sounding and with a clarity that doesn't add colour to the sound, but there are so many different opinions with people are saying that certain monitors colour the sound, if this is the case, could I not just use my hi-fi's Tannoys powered by my Yamaha amp which is a minimalist amp with no controls other than volume?

The reason I plumped for the Rokits was because being front ported, I thought they would be ideal as they need to be placed against a wall, they also fall into my price range.

Edited to say that after further research, the [b]PreSonis Eris E5[/b] seems to be a better option, apparently it is one of the most transparent and most accurate monitor in its price range, and its also front ported which is a bonus.

Edited October 11, 2016 by thebrig

[TenLetters]

Your best bet is to not sweat it too much over the differing brands at this level, or any level really, from what I can tell. Get some monitors (not hi-fi speakers!) set them up in your room and treat it with some level of acoustic treatment and learn how the speakers sound. This will have a far bigger impact on how well your monitor set up works than the brand you have chosen. If you are just getting started I would Google 'Reaper - why do you recordings sound like ass' and read that thread a couple of times (and the associated acoustic thread for how to treat monitoring room on the cheap) before hitting up any other recording forums etc which will likely tell you to buy x brand of gear or the latest Waves plugin to get good recordings. Then start recording and learn stuff. Hope this doesn't come across as patronising at all, all intended to help

[thebrig]

[quote name='TenLetters' timestamp='1476456886' post='3154523']
Your best bet is to not sweat it too much over the differing brands at this level, or any level really, from what I can tell. Get some monitors (not hi-fi speakers!) set them up in your room and treat it with some level of acoustic treatment and learn how the speakers sound. This will have a far bigger impact on how well your monitor set up works than the brand you have chosen. If you are just getting started I would Google 'Reaper - why do you recordings sound like ass' and read that thread a couple of times (and the associated acoustic thread for how to treat monitoring room on the cheap) before hitting up any other recording forums etc which will likely tell you to buy x brand of gear or the latest Waves plugin to get good recordings. Then start recording and learn stuff. Hope this doesn't come across as patronising at all, all intended to help
[/quote]Not patronising at all TenLetters, it's advice I want and I'm very grateful for it, I will take your views on board, Cheers.

Unfortunately, I've noticed that this forum doesn't get many visitors and you have to wait a long time for an answer, I check in here four or five times a day, and quite often I'm the only one here. I actually have another query regarding a Focusrite Clarett 8 Pre which I posted last week, but I'm still waiting for someone more knowledgable than I to come along to advise me about interfaces.

I'm sure someone will be along soon.

[Dad3353]

What's your remaining question regarding the Pre and PreX..? These are not the most common interfaces to be found in domestic settings, so there's less folks with 'hands on' experience with 'em. We use Motus (Traveller and another I've forgotten the name of...); I can't imagine that interfaces in these ranges are really, really bad.
I thought it had come down to 'get stuck in first, then see what you need/want after a while'; is that not the situation..?

[thebrig]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1476472136' post='3154705']
What's your remaining question regarding the Pre and PreX..? These are not the most common interfaces to be found in domestic settings, so there's less folks with 'hands on' experience with 'em. We use Motus (Traveller and another I've forgotten the name of...); I can't imagine that interfaces in these ranges are really, really bad.
I thought it had come down to 'get stuck in first, then see what you need/want after a while'; is that not the situation..?
[/quote]It is, but I love looking and getting a few ideas, having said that, the guitarist from my band came round today and we recorded some tracks, and to be honest, my Zoom R16 worked perfectly, no latency or noise, and the tracks sounded exactly how we put them in, so I might stick with it for a while yet.

Trouble with me is I have it in the back of my mind that I might have to pack up gigging soon, or at least cut right back on gigging, so I'm already thinking about clearing a lot of my basses and other gear out which should fetch around £5,000, so I'm now getting gas for things other than basses.

[SubsonicSimpleton]

Here is a link to the thread that TenLetters referenced, but in PDF format with random chat removed

http://stash.reaper.fm/oldsb/333146/Why%20do%20my%20recordings%20sound%20like%20ASS.pdf

[ambient]

I use a pair of Yamaha HS7s which are nice.

I think the thing to do, is just get to know whatever you buy. When you mix something, listen back to it on a few other set-ups. That way you'll start to know how your monitors are biased.

[thebrig]

[quote name='SubsonicSimpleton' timestamp='1476486522' post='3154814']
Here is a link to the thread that TenLetters referenced, but in PDF format with random chat removed

[url="http://stash.reaper.fm/oldsb/333146/Why%20do%20my%20recordings%20sound%20like%20ASS.pdf"]http://stash.reaper....0like%20ASS.pdf[/url]
[/quote]Thanks Subsonic, there's a lot to read there but I will try and give it a read later today.

[thebrig]

[quote name='ambient' timestamp='1476487235' post='3154821']
I use a pair of Yamaha HS7s which are nice.

I think the thing to do, is just get to know whatever you buy. When you mix something, listen back to it on a few other set-ups. That way you'll start to know how your monitors are biased.
[/quote]Just by chance, I was mooching through the garage a couple of days ago and I came across a pair of Sennheiser HD595 headphones I purchased a few years ago,, I'd forgotten I had them, but I do remember not liking them for normal use because they sounded a bit too thin and did nothing for my favourite music, but having found them again, I did some reading up on them and it turns out that they were highly praised for being transparent with great clarity, so I thought that they might be useful for mixing my recordings, I've read that headphones aren't ideal for mixing, but sometimes its a case of having to.
Anyway, I "mixed" (inverted commas because I'm still pretty clueless) a couple of songs I recorded with my band's guitarist using them, and the final result sounded quite good, but what pleased me more was when I played the songs on a cheap music system and then my hi-fi, and then some cheaper earphones and they all sounded pretty good, they were quite dynamic and loud enough without being muddy (sorry I don't know the terminology yet).
I think they cost me about £150 the best part of seven or eight years ago, so they certainly aren't budget cans, but they will do a job for now, especially when I want to do some mixing late at night, or the missus is watching a soap or drama.

[Dasher]

Like another earlier post I use the Presonus monitors and find them really good for the price. I have the Eris E8 as they replaced a Roland system that employed a sub. I tried the E5s and was concerned that they also sounds like a sub was required. They were OK without but somehow I felt I would always have a nagging doubt. The E8s were, at the time, just too expensive as my budget was similar to yours. However, keep your eyes open for a deal as I got mine from Source (the UK distributors) as an ex-demo pair and paid £225 including shipping. The E8s are full range and definitely do not require bass reinforcement. I also use mine with Nord keyboards and they are very smooth and responsive across the whole range.

[thebrig]

[quote name='Dasher' timestamp='1477223120' post='3160624']
Like another earlier post I use the Presonus monitors and find them really good for the price. I have the Eris E8 as they replaced a Roland system that employed a sub. I tried the E5s and was concerned that they also sounds like a sub was required. They were OK without but somehow I felt I would always have a nagging doubt. The E8s were, at the time, just too expensive as my budget was similar to yours. However, keep your eyes open for a deal as I got mine from Source (the UK distributors) as an ex-demo pair and paid £225 including shipping. The E8s are full range and definitely do not require bass reinforcement. I also use mine with Nord keyboards and they are very smooth and responsive across the whole range.
[/quote]Thanks for the advice, I will keep a look out.

[bazzbass]

without knowing your room dimensions, all I can say is that my Yamaha HS5s sound awesome in my small bedroom 'studio", yeah, let's call it a studio hehe

[Mornats]

I've just upgraded from a pair of M-audio BX5a Deluxes to Yamaha HS7s. The larger speakers on the yammys give me the bass that I was lacking on the M-audios but also, their have a fairly flat response. Anything I mix on the yammys tends to sound good on my M50x headphones and hi-fi (and pretty much everything else).