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Old 05-09-2013, 07:55 AM   #81
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Originally Posted by EJ James View Post
If you can make a mix sound good on M1's, it's a good bet it'll sound good on better monitors. =)
It doesn't work this way. Low end monitors or consumer speakers are not giving you an accurate representation, so making it sound good on them is just that, only making it sound good on them. All your decisions are based on incorrect information.

Not saying that a good mix can't be done on them, but a lot of luck, rather than informed critical choices, will be involved.

It's like trying to bake a cake using hand written directions that you can't see because they have been smeared and obscured because they were written on cheap, thin paper with a dull, really light pencil, by a two year old child.

That cake ain't gonna taste good when it's eaten in another kitchen.
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Old 05-09-2013, 08:13 AM   #82
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Not saying that a good mix can't be done on them, but a lot of luck, rather than informed critical choices, will be involved.
We'll have to agree to disagree. Experience with them, and knowing how they respond/perform in comparison to my other monitors is how I use them effectively.

A little "luck", perhaps, but more experience and knowing my equipment.

Like I said, I mainly picked them up for a cheap, simple means of monitoring in a remote location. I've since been able to utilize them effectively in my setup in ways that meet MY needs. They do what I need them to do based on my expectations and knowledge of their quality.

As always, "your mileage may vary", but don't issue blanket generalizations that people "can't do something without luck". It's simply not true.
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Old 05-09-2013, 08:46 AM   #83
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We'll have to agree to disagree. Experience with them, and knowing how they respond/perform in comparison to my other monitors is how I use them effectively.

A little "luck", perhaps, but more experience and knowing my equipment.

Like I said, I mainly picked them up for a cheap, simple means of monitoring in a remote location. I've since been able to utilize them effectively in my setup in ways that meet MY needs. They do what I need them to do based on my expectations and knowledge of their quality.

As always, "your mileage may vary", but don't issue blanket generalizations that people "can't do something without luck". It's simply not true.
Absolutely. We don't disagree on this at all. Knowing your equipment will enable you to make good judgements withing the limits of accuracy provided to you. I live it with my AV40's, for example. They lie and hide things from me constantly. I know the little half-truths that they tell, but I don't always recognize them until checking mixes on other systems.

That wasn't really the point of why I responded though. The point was to address your statement that making a mix sound good on low end monitors will result in having mixes that sound good on better monitors.

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Originally Posted by EJ James View Post
If you can make a mix sound good on M1's, it's a good bet it'll sound good on better monitors. =)
As a sweeping generalization, this is not true.

If this blanket generalization doesn't apply to your situation, that's awesome. I wish it didn't apply to mine.
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Old 05-09-2013, 08:54 AM   #84
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Point taken.

You're right, it was a bit of a blanket statement. I presumed that anyone with M1's would be as equally familiar with their performance in comparison to other monitors as I am. I also assumed most folks have multiple monitor pairs, which was absolutely my bad.

But to another point...M1's aren't really all *that bad*, especially for small home studios. In a pinch and on a budget they will absolutely allow a novice (such as myself and probably many others who frequent these forums) to produce a decent sounding mix. Radio/CD quality? Probably not. That doesn't mean they're not useful and can't serve a purpose.

Show me another set of monitors in the sub $100 range that sound "as good" (subjective of course) as M1's. I haven't even seen a decent set of Logitech 2.1's in that price range (though I wouldn't recommend mixing on those =).

Again, this is all "my opinion". Value it what you paid for it. =)
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Old 05-09-2013, 09:13 AM   #85
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i'm wondering if just listening to music for enjoyment will be a sad experience with studio monitors as opposed to speakers. with that said, if music for listening can be enjoyable through monitors, i'd be happy to get monitors and make use of them when recording my stuff.
I think you might find that music through monitors will sound more... 'flat/sterile' compared to hifi speakers. You will also, probably, find that the bass is lacking in the monitors.

Studio monitors attempt to sound flat and clear (that is their true purpose), without exaggerating any frequencies or pretending to go low in the bass with faux bass ports. Studio monitors also 'appreciate' proper placement, proper listening position, and room treatment, to reach their potential. They are not made for casual music listening, although you can do that too.

Monitors in these price ranges usually have limited bass response and don't sound very impressive in music listening (esp. for bass heavy music).
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Old 05-09-2013, 01:01 PM   #86
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I think you might find that music through monitors will sound more... 'flat/sterile' compared to hifi speakers. You will also, probably, find that the bass is lacking in the monitors.

Studio monitors attempt to sound flat and clear (that is their true purpose), without exaggerating any frequencies or pretending to go low in the bass with faux bass ports. Studio monitors also 'appreciate' proper placement, proper listening position, and room treatment, to reach their potential. They are not made for casual music listening, although you can do that too.

Monitors in these price ranges usually have limited bass response and don't sound very impressive in music listening (esp. for bass heavy music).
If I could find you I would hug you right now

Seriously though I would like to make a plug for using a high end stereo system.

My listening room is my mixing room. I have a vacuum tube amp with Triangle Celius speakers and a Paradigm sub. I use a DSP to get the bass flat to my listening position. I use absorption on all first order reflection points which includes the ceiling and behind my head. I also have absorption along the ceiling/wall joint and in the ceiling corners to kill echo flutter. If done right I think one can kill two birds with one stone and not necessarily use "monitors". Good high end speakers and systems are supposed to reproduce the music true to the original. Same mission as good monitors. (And "monitors" that are designed for near field listening can do something high end speakers are not designed to do). I augment this system with Sennheiser HD-280s and the VRM Box
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Old 05-10-2013, 09:40 AM   #87
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If I could find you I would hug you right now

Seriously though I would like to make a plug for using a high end stereo system.

My listening room is my mixing room. I have a vacuum tube amp with Triangle Celius speakers and a Paradigm sub. I use a DSP to get the bass flat to my listening position. I use absorption on all first order reflection points which includes the ceiling and behind my head. I also have absorption along the ceiling/wall joint and in the ceiling corners to kill echo flutter. If done right I think one can kill two birds with one stone and not necessarily use "monitors". Good high end speakers and systems are supposed to reproduce the music true to the original. Same mission as good monitors. (And "monitors" that are designed for near field listening can do something high end speakers are not designed to do). I augment this system with Sennheiser HD-280s and the VRM Box
I once read that since you can't achieve a perfectly flat speaker anyway, the tolerance when it comes to frequency response is +-3db, so if you have peaks or drops larger than 3db caused by the speakers or the room, you can correct them. Of course, you'll need a proper mic for this.
I think that when it comes to speakers/monitors, the bigger the price, the greater the illusion of sounding "better".
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Old 07-11-2014, 01:28 PM   #88
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Ive been doing in home studio stuff for awhile myself and im curious if it is ok to use a stereo receiver to stereo speakers to mix with? obviously studio monitors would be better but for what i have i was wondering that if i should keep the EQ on the stereo receiver flat or if i should balance the eq to where all my listening music sounds great so that i am mixing to that standard and tone??? PLease IF ANYONE CAN HELP I NEED IT...
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Old 07-12-2014, 01:05 AM   #89
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Ive been doing in home studio stuff for awhile myself and im curious if it is ok to use a stereo receiver to stereo speakers to mix with? obviously studio monitors would be better but for what i have i was wondering that if i should keep the EQ on the stereo receiver flat or if i should balance the eq to where all my listening music sounds great so that i am mixing to that standard and tone??? PLease IF ANYONE CAN HELP I NEED IT...
You can mix on anything,
yet you cannot mix good on everything.

A studio monitor setup is ideally:
- A well designed and treated room, balanced in fq response.
- Good flat speaker and amp-system, matched and tuned (this is what studio-monitors are)
- Decoupled speaker-stands
- Ideal placement of speakers and listening-position

So, with that ideal, you make the best out of it
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Old 07-12-2014, 02:14 AM   #90
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Biggest difference between 'normal' speakers and 'studio monitors' is that the monitors project much more accurately and are designed to project accurately up to a specific distance, often much shorter than 'normal' speakers, which is why you can sit much closer to them. Monitors also have a very distinct 'sweet spot' as far as listening goes. This will generally be the apex of an equilateral triangle between the center of the bass cones and your listening position.

That said it is always good to mix on different speakers, I have a pair of HS5 monitors as main speakers, but also compare with a set of cheap Logitech PC speakers and built a small 3inch mono box which I also listen with. My mix should sound OK an all three but obviously will mostly sound best on the Yamaha monitors (and my living room stereo).

I also find it is a great test to, when mixing, walk away from the desk and into the hallway. The mix should still hold up when you are away and it also gives you a good perspective on what you are doing (or not doing).
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Old 07-12-2014, 02:42 AM   #91
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In that price range, check the Tannoy Reveal.
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Old 07-12-2014, 04:55 AM   #92
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I bought a used pair of Behringer Truth's (8") for only ~$200, so there are definitely deals out there. It would probably be better to get cheap monitors than stereo speakers.

Unless your budget is *extremely* tight, or you don't care so much about how the end product sounds, skimp other places, but not on monitors.

But there's also no point getting expensive monitors if the room will just screw them up.

I use IK ARC2 as a monitor/room correction too and I highly recommend it as a cost effective way to get the most out of less than ideal monitors in a less than ideal room.
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Old 07-18-2014, 01:26 AM   #93
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i´m not a fan of monitor speakers (but i didn´t have any yet).

what i do mix and listen on are these:
http://www.audio-ideas.com/reviews/l...y-aegis-2.html
(filled ´em with 10 lb of sand each)

in that price and performance range (and above), you can find some really useful home-stereo speakers.
the better they are, the closer they get to good monitors, i´d say.

there´s nothing i´d ever miss with mine. and they can really pack a punch, holy sh.
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Old 07-18-2014, 04:32 AM   #94
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Fact. My 2200GBP Unity Audio The Rock IIs sound nowhere near a "nice" as either the Tannoy System 6 NFM IIs and the Yamaha HS80Ms they have replaced.

But it is incredible the things that even my deaf old ears can suddenly hear going on in the mix with the new speakers.

I spent the money mostly because I AM going deaf and decided I would like to hear what was really happening for as long as I still can, rather than kidding myself.
Mind you the Tannoys still sound great and have not been moved on, unlike those nasty Yamahas.
The bass on the yams was like sitting in a Golf GTi with a subwoofer under your seat.
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Old 07-18-2014, 08:40 PM   #95
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Yeah, sometimes I wonder how much is just hype. Human beings are such incredibly impressionable creatures. I mix with some smallish Yamaha's and a subwoofer. I listen to a few other songs first to try to get it "flat." But what is flat? "Flat" by one audio company will no doubt sound different than flat by another.

I listen to my mix on at least three different systems. When it sounds okay on all of them, I figure I must have it pretty close. Bottom line... I've saved a bundle by not getting sucked into all the studio-goodie-oo hype. Mind you, I'm just a rank hobbyist. If I were a pro I might take all the steps. Still, pros mix differently among themselves. It's largely subjective, IMHO.
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Old 11-16-2014, 02:03 PM   #96
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Mackie HR824 Mk2 vs Neumann KH 120 A
or anything similar?
The big problem is my current halftreated room which has to stay half untreated, 16m2

What would you propose to me?
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Old 11-16-2014, 02:07 PM   #97
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Originally Posted by urednik View Post
Mackie HR824 Mk2 vs Neumann KH 120 A
or anything similar?
The big problem is my current halftreated room which has to stay half untreated, 16m2

What would you propose to me?
Well, then I guess room is gonna be a significantly greater factor than your monitor-choice..
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Old 11-16-2014, 02:13 PM   #98
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Well, then I guess room is gonna be a significantly greater factor than your monitor-choice..
That is why I say current. I would like to invest to get to the pro level, so I would not like to buy some monitors I regret later.
Plus would I need a sub for those in order to get the correct feeling?
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Old 11-16-2014, 03:58 PM   #99
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Biggest single improvement in monitoring for me was when I finally got my bass traps up and the diffusion at the rear sorted.
Still need to slap up some more trapping at the first reflection points and between the monitors on the front wall.

Decided against fancy monitor stands and have even the posh speakers stood on sorbethane hemispheres on top of my modified Ikea bedside-table 4U racks!

OH and I had not listened to the Tannoys for a while. Had a friend come over and showed him the difference.
Oh dear I have gotten SO used to the Rocks and now the Tannoys don't sound quite as good as I remember.
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Old 11-17-2014, 12:38 AM   #100
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My monitor speakers of choice were in my old car. If it sounded good there it sounded good anywhere

I think monitors, although they are important, are not the most essential piece of equipment you need to invest in when starting to build a home studio. If you're just starting out to mix it is better to learn the basics of actual mixing than to rely on a set of cheapish monitors. Once you know what you're doing and can concentrate on the subtleties of the mix good monitors definitely help to make a good mix very good.

Having said that, if you look at a medium size to big professional studio, you'll see that they don't just have one set of monitors, but several. And recently I saw a mastering studio room with 15 sets of speakers. Which proves something that has always been my mantra: It is less important which monitor speakers you use, than on how many speakers you listen to your mix - and ideally in how many rooms.

My current set up consists of:
Dr Dre Beats Headphones
Sony MDR CD480 Headphones
Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro Headphones

Room 1 (The Apollo - accoustic studio)
Behringer B2030P Truth (passive monitors)
Philips 2way speakers (from a 1982 2-track machine)
2 sets computer speakers, one low and one medium quality

Room 2 (Living Room)
Canton Chrono SL 590 DC (really nice stereo speakers, not monitors)

Room 3 (The Sound Kitchen - electronic studio)
Tannoy Reveal 502 (active monitors)

Additionally I listen to my mixes on my brothers surround system and on the car stereo. Although not quite as good as in my old car, this still highlights any booming bass sounds or shrieking highs that might have escaped me so far.
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Old 11-18-2014, 04:41 AM   #101
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Despite conventional wisdom saying don’t mix on headphones, a pair of sehheiser hd650’s ( or similar but I really love the 650’s ) and set of second hand cheapish stereo speakers will give you far better mixing results than spending $400 on monitors.

For one thing it will give you two reference sources rather than one, which no matter how great a set of monitors you may have, a second reference always picks up something you've missed.

And also as your room has no or little acoustic treatment, what ever monitors you get are going to be effected by your room quite a lot.

HD650’s to me don't sound like headphones, they feel really open and the mixes translate well, I have Adam A7's which are not top line but still decent monitors but I do far more critical stuff with the 650's and they always pick up stuff the monitors ( in my not well treated room ) miss.
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Old 11-18-2014, 04:46 AM   #102
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last two posts I really do not get, but about the bass traps and my room I am aware of those.

Testing in my room right now and I seem to make a totally unpro decision. I can make my mind until tomorrow. Both decisions are way costier than the money last posters talking about (probably because I hijacked the wrong cheap monitors thread - sorry for that).
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Old 11-18-2014, 04:50 AM   #103
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last two posts I really do not get, but about the bass traps and my room I am aware of those.

Testing in my room right now and I seem to make a totally unpro decision. I can make my mind until tomorrow. Both decisions are way costier than the money last posters talking about (probably because I hijacked the wrong cheap monitors thread - sorry for that).
I'm saying that decent headphones will give you better mix results than mid priced monitors in an untreated room. hd650's are £250 new in the uk, so i would assume getting them off ebay in the US would be a lot cheaper than $400

edit: ok just noticed you're not the original poster with the $400 budget, still I stand by the headphone idea
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Old 11-18-2014, 04:52 AM   #104
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Yep - very nice cans those 650s. Bought a pair myself and love them. Used on ebay uk under £200 in pristine condition.
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Old 11-18-2014, 05:20 AM   #105
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Second headphones, as they give you far more accurate monitoring for the money. But.. you need to know what you're doing

In fact I'm gonna try out a pair of airbuds
these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sennheiser-I.../dp/B003V9M0VY
and see if they work, as my ATH-50 are a little fatiguing.
So far I judge them as the best performance/price monitor item I've heard.
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Old 11-18-2014, 05:20 AM   #106
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last two posts I really do not get, but about the bass traps and my room I am aware of those.
I was basically saying that more important than mid price monitors is the opportunity to listen to the mix on several sets on speakers & headphones. I would even go so far as to say that good headphones with good stereo speakers are better than just one set of good monitors.

Quote:
Originally Posted by teleute
I'm saying that decent headphones will give you better mix results than mid priced monitors in an untreated room
Totally agree
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Old 11-18-2014, 05:38 AM   #107
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I would even go so far as to say that good headphones with good stereo speakers are better than just one set of good monitors.
I recently spent the great sum of £50 building a set of Auratone clones and getting a little 20 watt d-class amp to run them. I doubt they sound like the originals but they certainly showed up a huge amount of stuff my A7's smoothed over. And I don't think that's a fault of the A7's, it just your ear gets used to things, like if you turn up the treble on a hi fi for a few minutes, when you turn it back down it now sounds flat, but it didn't before. So yeah multiple sound sources you can flip between are a huge huge help.
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Old 11-18-2014, 04:38 PM   #108
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Ok, thanks. I already was mixing for quite a time on my cans, and they are great, but you can not do as good as on some better monitors.
Plus I spent enough time on that to go on now.
Secondly, I need them for making final decisions with producers, so I kind of need some midfield "mastering HI-FI" speakers. Nearfield are after testing sounding a bit more precize, but since I will treat my room, I assume also the midfield ones will get somewhat closer.

I tested it with some persons and they interestingly share my leaning towards bad monitors - that is the ones who sound more HI-FI like.
As I stated - not ideal for mixing, but rather mastering, however I can not afford to have aditional sub in my enviroment, so they are quite ok, covering even below 40Hz.

In no way a perfect decision, but it seems legit ATM.
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Old 11-18-2014, 10:20 PM   #109
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Cans are great for tracking and editing, and I used to think that using them might be a good idea for mixing in an untreated room, but I have changed my tune. I can't judge dynamics and compression for crap on cans. I can hear the tonal effects of compression just fine, but the dynamics come at all wrong when starting on cans. Judging stereo placement on cans is futile, too. And cans fatigue my ears way faster than monitors. Also, I think that having some air moving in the room helps in getting the energy right.

A tweeter went out on one of my monitors recently (bummer), and I'm going to have to get a new pair at some point in the not too distant future. Those D5's look semi-interesting, but I think I want a good pair of passives and a good amp (possibly used), rather than another low budget pro-sumer pair. I don't really trust the cheapo amps in actives any way (in sound and reliability) and dsp in monitors just seems wrong (how good can it be at that price?). My current monitors are not detailed, lack depth, lack a meaty mid-range, the sweet spot isn't very wide, and they're pretty swampy in the low mids (speaking, before the tweeter gave up the ghost). Any suggestions on passives would be welcome.
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Old 11-19-2014, 08:04 AM   #110
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Originally Posted by brainwreck View Post
Cans are great for tracking and editing, and I used to think that using them might be a good idea for mixing in an untreated room, but I have changed my tune. I can't judge dynamics and compression for crap on cans. I can hear the tonal effects of compression just fine, but the dynamics come at all wrong when starting on cans. Judging stereo placement on cans is futile, too. And cans fatigue my ears way faster than monitors. Also, I think that having some air moving in the room helps in getting the energy right.
I felt the same until I got the hd650's, I've not tried that many different headphones to be fair but they are the only headphones I've used that didn't sound like headphones, they don't sound the same as a live room but they don't give me the same sort of detached from the real world type of sound that other headphones do. No idea why, guess it could be that the ear pieces are pretty big so the drivers aren't pushed right up against my ears and a lot of ambiance bleeds in from the room too so it doesn't feel isolated. The bleed does make them useless for recording vocals with though. But what ever it is generally dynamics and space I can work fine out on these, I still wouldn't want to be without a the monitors for comparison, but overall I seem to get it ok. But every other set of headphone I've tried mixing on has just given laughable results.
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Old 11-20-2014, 07:54 AM   #111
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Speakers are just speakers.

Most monitors have been manufactured to be as close to the next produced speaker as possible. The main reason is to be able to work professionally in another room that has been treated and uses the same speakers.

Take the Fostex 6301, which is a ridiculous expensive thing, but a de facto standard in broadcast audio because they're small, solid and everybody uses them. They're only ten watts and they retail around 200 $ a piece...

I need monitors that adapt well to any usually untreated room, so I like to use an old hifi speaker from philips because it's small, active and the woofer is controlled with a feedback velocity sensor. That makes these much more insensitive to the room reflections. At least, that's what I think happens.

The best speakers? Surely not, but I know these speakers, I have six pairs so it doesn't matter if I need to service one.

Let's not forget that the first real monitors also were and still are hifi speakers. And the Yamaha NS-10 wasn't even intended as a "monitor". It was just a hifi speaker that didn't sell...
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Old 11-20-2014, 10:34 AM   #112
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Originally Posted by cyrano View Post
Speakers are just speakers.

Most monitors have been manufactured to be as close to the next produced speaker as possible. The main reason is to be able to work professionally in another room that has been treated and uses the same speakers.

Take the Fostex 6301, which is a ridiculous expensive thing, but a de facto standard in broadcast audio because they're small, solid and everybody uses them. They're only ten watts and they retail around 200 $ a piece...

I need monitors that adapt well to any usually untreated room, so I like to use an old hifi speaker from philips because it's small, active and the woofer is controlled with a feedback velocity sensor. That makes these much more insensitive to the room reflections. At least, that's what I think happens.

The best speakers? Surely not, but I know these speakers, I have six pairs so it doesn't matter if I need to service one.

Let's not forget that the first real monitors also were and still are hifi speakers. And the Yamaha NS-10 wasn't even intended as a "monitor". It was just a hifi speaker that didn't sell...
Truth.
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Old 11-20-2014, 10:47 AM   #113
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Originally Posted by cyrano View Post
Speakers are just speakers.

Most monitors have been manufactured to be as close to the next produced speaker as possible. The main reason is to be able to work professionally in another room that has been treated and uses the same speakers.

Take the Fostex 6301, which is a ridiculous expensive thing, but a de facto standard in broadcast audio because they're small, solid and everybody uses them. They're only ten watts and they retail around 200 $ a piece...

I need monitors that adapt well to any usually untreated room, so I like to use an old hifi speaker from philips because it's small, active and the woofer is controlled with a feedback velocity sensor. That makes these much more insensitive to the room reflections. At least, that's what I think happens.

The best speakers? Surely not, but I know these speakers, I have six pairs so it doesn't matter if I need to service one.

Let's not forget that the first real monitors also were and still are hifi speakers. And the Yamaha NS-10 wasn't even intended as a "monitor". It was just a hifi speaker that didn't sell...
Not that simple. It is the amplifiers, settings, the whole bundle needs to be balanced. If you just compare sounds of them life you can hear why some are cheap and others not. Treated or untreated room, you hear it. Of course the room is important too.
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Old 11-22-2014, 08:31 PM   #114
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Default monitors vs speakers- unsolicited thoughts

I've learned that you need to hear your mix through as many combinations as possible. I've even previewed my mixes in the car as part of the process. While I can rough things up on headsets (which the wife prefers!), when it comes to the final, you pretty much have to work with speakers.

For actual mixing I have been using a pair of M-audio AV40 powered speakers for about three years, now. They were not that expensive (about 150 US), and as `near field`monitors, they are pretty darn accurate.

I also have three sets of regular "home stereo" speakers, all bought used, all medium to mediocre quality, one set of which is always wired to a small bookshelf amp. It's amazing how different the same mix can sound between different speakers, btw.

Last, for really big listening, I have a 500W stereo PA amp matched to two 3-way EV speaker enclosures, but you almost need to leave the house to hear it properly! However, they're not at all bass-heavy, and they come in handy when mixing backing tracks for performers to use in their act, which is about 60% of what I do these days. Brilliant horns preview best on the big boxes!

My room is pretty lively, which means I stay light on the reverb and may be a little heavy on compression, but I haven't had a lot of complaints. I'm still very much an amateur at Mastering, but so far, there have been only a couple or three actual clunkers.

Finally, never, EVER use computer speakers or any kind of MP3, iPod, etc speaker system. They're designed to give you a very bass heavy sound (you should see their frequency charts), and even if you're mixing a hiphop track, they're going to disappoint in the end.
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Old 11-22-2014, 11:55 PM   #115
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The main reason for a "must have listen" in a car stereo etc. is lack of good studio monitors. I can assure you after having some now, I do not need to make all those comparissons. Of course they do not harm, however now I can make a proper master without leaving my room.
This is my experience. And what the horns are concerned on the Neumann 120 they sounded the best - so it is not at all a matter of size
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Old 11-23-2014, 02:02 AM   #116
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Originally Posted by KMFrye View Post
Finally, never, EVER use computer speakers or any kind of MP3, iPod, etc speaker system. They're designed to give you a very bass heavy sound (you should see their frequency charts), and even if you're mixing a hiphop track, they're going to disappoint in the end.
I disagree here - this is how a lot of people actually listen to music nowadays so these should also be taken into consideration. If my mix sounds good on $1000 hifi speakers, but really bad on Apple ipod headphones (which I think are among the worst) then I guess the majority of the audience will have a bad mix.

Quote:
Originally Posted by urednik View Post
The main reason for a "must have listen" in a car stereo etc. is lack of good studio monitors. I can assure you after having some now, I do not need to make all those comparissons. Of course they do not harm, however now I can make a proper master without leaving my room.
This is my experience. And what the horns are concerned on the Neumann 120 they sounded the best - so it is not at all a matter of size
Well, I can do a pretty good master on my headphones, because I know them so well and listen to a lot of music for comparison on them. But that's beside the point, which is that studios and especially master rooms don't just rely on one system, but have many different speakers for comparison. So why pass up on the chance to achieve something like this with practically no financial outlay. Ok, if you need to buy the car first, it might be more prudent to invest some room treatment first
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Old 11-23-2014, 02:33 AM   #117
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Originally Posted by NowoTone View Post
I disagree here - this is how a lot of people actually listen to music nowadays so these should also be taken into consideration. If my mix sounds good on $1000 hifi speakers, but really bad on Apple ipod headphones (which I think are among the worst) then I guess the majority of the audience will have a bad mix.


Well, I can do a pretty good master on my headphones, because I know them so well and listen to a lot of music for comparison on them. But that's beside the point, which is that studios and especially master rooms don't just rely on one system, but have many different speakers for comparison. So why pass up on the chance to achieve something like this with practically no financial outlay. Ok, if you need to buy the car first, it might be more prudent to invest some room treatment first
+1
I listen to my final mixes on
1) Budget monitors + bad room
2) Studio headphones
3) Livingroom consumer hifi
4) Laptop-speakers
5) Earbuds
6) Consumer headphones

All these have something unik that really make me judge the mix better.
E.g. hyped high-fq? It will sound so bad on my earbuds.
Too loud mix? The laptop sound-enhancer will turn it into crap.
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Old 11-23-2014, 02:51 AM   #118
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I do not get it now - do you use all those to mix or to master?
I understand that in the final phase of mastering, but no way with mixing. Oh yes and for the same reason they have in studios more that just one set of STUDIO MONITORS

I was doing the same as you guys, but now when I've got some monitors it seems much easier. That is the trick why they are more expensive, isn't it?
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Old 11-23-2014, 05:14 AM   #119
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Originally Posted by urednik View Post
The main reason for a "must have listen" in a car stereo etc. is lack of good studio monitors. I can assure you after having some now, I do not need to make all those comparissons. Of course they do not harm, however now I can make a proper master without leaving my room.
This is my experience. And what the horns are concerned on the Neumann 120 they sounded the best - so it is not at all a matter of size
Why do some studios have Auratones?

Listening on other sound systems is necessary today. It doesn't matter much how good your main speakers are as long as they're not really awful. Your experience otoh, will help a lot.
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Old 11-23-2014, 05:49 AM   #120
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Why do some studios have Auratones?

Listening on other sound systems is necessary today. It doesn't matter much how good your main speakers are as long as they're not really awful. Your experience otoh, will help a lot.
It does matter. A lot. Some have Auratones STUDIO MONITORS. Indeed. Some.
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