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Old 06-21-2015, 01:15 PM   #1
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Default does it help in any way to buy studio monitors

does it help in any way to buy studio monitors when i don't have an acoustically treated space (apart from the fact that i will not be using headphones)
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Old 06-21-2015, 01:48 PM   #2
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does it help in any way to buy studio monitors when i don't have an acoustically treated space (apart from the fact that i will not be using headphones)
Yes. They help considerably. Especially over computer speakers and no headphones. Unless you'll only be playing back over computer speakers.
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Old 06-21-2015, 05:21 PM   #3
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It's relative, I guess...

I'm just a one man bedroom band and I think that acoustic treatment is highly overrated. Sucking up all the hype, I did the whole trick - behind monitors, bass traps, 1st and 2nd reflection points... Well it's there now, but wish I hadn't - could have spent that money on another guitar.

Point is after a bit of basic recording education, I now do my basic mixing on cans and then go to monitors at low volume - enough to speak over. You need this to catch all the individual instruments/vocals/nuances etc. Heck, any crap will sound good with the volume pumped.

My humble opinion of course...
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Old 06-21-2015, 06:52 PM   #4
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I could not disagree more trevlyns
I worked like crazy making things myself and purchased some acoustic treatment too, spent a lot of money as well it certainly was not wasted I regret not a dollar or my time.

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Old 06-22-2015, 01:23 AM   #5
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Just take a look at some measurements of untreated rooms. Frequency response and waterfall plot. Compare this to a Frequency plot of even cheap monitors. Draw your conclusions.

I drew mine, treated my room and all I regret is that I haven't done it 10y earlier.

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I could not disagree more trevlyns
+1

I mean for example if your speakers had a 2s long resonating +10dB peak at 65Hz followed by a null at 80Hz, you'd directly throw them into the garbage bin, wouldn't you? How could you possibly make correct EQ decisions on this crap?

But when the room does this (an untreated room does this and a lot more), it's overrated?
Yeah, seems legit.

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Old 06-22-2015, 01:43 AM   #6
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Hi Read,
it will really help when playing at not too high levels and keeping them some inches from the walls (if they have rear bass ports). And put them on some pads.
I can not mix on headphones at all, allthough I use them for parts of the proces of production.
You know this subject always leads to big arguments, I just think that it will be an enjoyable step up. You can use the headphones for checking the low end. Listen to a lot of reference tracks on the monitors will help, learn to use some analysers as an extra option and double check on other systems.
Don't let the idea of the ideal circumstances keep you from an essential step up.
Have fun.
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Old 06-22-2015, 02:37 AM   #7
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yes. Near field Studio monitors are optimized to be listened at the optimal position with the direct sound and no the reflected sound. But of course you should try to avoid reflected sounds.
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Old 06-22-2015, 06:11 AM   #8
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yes. Near field Studio monitors are optimized to be listened at the optimal position with the direct sound and no the reflected sound. But of course you should try to avoid reflected sounds.
so I should search for "near field studio monitors"

thanks any more advice on this
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Old 06-22-2015, 06:22 AM   #9
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so I should search for "near field studio monitors"

thanks any more advice on this
The closer you are to the speakers, the better the ratio between direct signal and reflections. But this doesn't help at all in the lower frequency range, since the modes are typically much too strong. Also i find too close monitoring to be more fatiguing than headphones, but that's a personal thing.

If room treatment is out of question, get some small speakers - like 5" drivers max. - place them as close to you as possible.
Get used to the bass-light sound and mix accordingly.
Check bass on headphones/in your car.
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Old 06-22-2015, 06:35 AM   #10
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so I should search for "near field studio monitors"

thanks any more advice on this
yes. Probably all small studio monitors are near field monitors.
It will sound you a bit different at first. But you get used to it quickly.
For the position of your head, you just have to sit at the same vertical level than the speakers and forming a more or less equilateral triangle. Don't put your self closer breaking the triangle or you won't be in the sweet spot.
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Old 06-22-2015, 08:16 AM   #11
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http://www.equatoraudio.com/D5-Studi...-Pair-p/d5.htm

I'd highly suggest these.... they are what I currently have in one room.

or if you have the bucks, the D8's which are 8 inches instead of 5 inches.

One of the reasons I say this is the current sale price... a super deal...
another is their guarantee... you don't like them, then send them back, period amen...

but the main reason is their 'sweet spot' which is very wide.. and which makes placement of sounds in the stereo field MUCH nicer to do than anything else I'd ever had.
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Old 06-22-2015, 08:18 AM   #12
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If room treatment is out of question, get some small speakers - like 5" drivers max. - place them as close to you as possible.
Get used to the bass-light sound and mix accordingly.
Check bass on headphones/in your car.
My 5" speakers have a better presentation of bass than the 8" Yamaha ones I sold to get them!

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Old 06-22-2015, 08:44 AM   #13
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My 5" speakers have a better presentation of bass than the 8" Yamaha ones I sold to get them!

http://unityaudioproducts.co.uk/the-rock.php
Hm, the link you've provided shows 7" monitors, but then, those look good. 7" sealed enclosure is a very good concept for OP's situation. Good transient response, little group delay and not too much information in the problematic low freq. range.

Bassheavy 5" monitors on the other hand is probably the last thing somebody wants in an untreated room.
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Old 06-22-2015, 08:57 AM   #14
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professionals don't spend money on room treatment because they enjoy throwing money away for no reason. I've never been in a pro mix engineers space that was not acoustically treated. that should tell us something.

A mixing space that allows for more accurate listening conditions, means you can work faster and trust you mix decisions without the need for hundreds of test mixes and trips to the car. In a professional setting time is money. You want to mix fast, stay fresh, deliver a quality mix and move on to the next one. So a good space is important along with reasonable monitoring that you know well.

In a home scenario, you can arguably mix on anything. It doesn't matter if it takes six weeks and three hundred CDs to go to the car for comparative listens and multiple requests for listens and advice on internet fora to mix a single song. you're not on the clock and no one is complaining about the mix budget, deadlines and time wasting.

If you want room treatment and are handy with a hammer and nails then room treatment is pretty inexpensive.

I'd do at least some bass traps across the four corners and see how much even lowly computer speakers are able to do for you.
You can even make it modular and non permanent so you can move it around for tracking/mixing needs and put it away when not in use.

Also worth bearing in mind is that many cheap "monitors" are barely any better than computer speakers anyway, so dumping a set into an untreated space is unlikely to give you much in the way of results. In fact with "woofy" bass ports to try and extend the low end reach, they may actually make things worse.

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Old 06-22-2015, 10:13 AM   #15
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professionals don't spend money on room treatment because they enjoy throwing money away for no reason. I've never been in a pro mix engineers space that was not acoustically treated. that should tell us something.
That. Find a professional *anywhere* that doesn't tell you "The most important thing outside the artist is the room" and claim your Nobel Prize in physics because you've discovered a portal to another universe.

If you can't hear the difference in the room after treating it, it's either because your treatment sucked, or your ears need some more miles on 'em.
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Old 06-22-2015, 11:05 AM   #16
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Hm, the link you've provided shows 7" monitors, but then, those look good. 7" sealed enclosure is a very good concept for OP's situation. Good transient response, little group delay and not too much information in the problematic low freq. range.

Bassheavy 5" monitors on the other hand is probably the last thing somebody wants in an untreated room.
Well I`ll be darned! Had them for ages and somehow when I looked at the spec, I translated 180mm to "about 5 inches!"

I am still impressed by the bass extension but less so.
Not sure what they did to the MkI but my Mk IIs have significantly more bass extension.
The big advantage with an IB cab is that the bass stays far more controlled.
My second monitors, which sit next to the rocks, are point-source 6" Tannoys with rear ports, which are still good monitors, but the bottom end is far less controlled. Even in my moderately well treated room.
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Old 06-22-2015, 01:01 PM   #17
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I just bought me a pair of JBL lsr305 5inch monitors after mixing with headphones for a loooong time..And i immediately heard many faults with my mixing..
Like for example i drowned vocals in reverb..And i much more easily hearing sounds with clashing frequencies which needed eqing.It really was money well spent..
I still using the headphones when checking the low end though but for the low mid to high end these monitors are awesome..You can really feel and hear the punch from a snare.The monitors are going as low as 42hz or something so it should be low enough for mixing bass,though i still feel i am missing bass.
I am producing EDM bass heavy music so i really like to feel the power of the bass.

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Old 06-22-2015, 01:06 PM   #18
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Yes it helps a lot. More important than acoustic treatment, though I think my monitoring improved a lot more* with some acoustic treatment.

I have some fairly good treatment now, took measurements, professional bought bits, etc. But even my diy treatments helped a lot.

*i.e. how accurate I was at thinking the mix was good in the recording room versus other environments I cross-tested in.
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Old 06-23-2015, 02:31 AM   #19
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I just bought me a pair of JBL lsr305 5inch monitors after mixing with headphones for a loooong time..And i immediately heard many faults with my mixing..
Like for example i drowned vocals in reverb..And i much more easily hearing sounds with clashing frequencies which needed eqing.It really was money well spent..
I still using the headphones when checking the low end though but for the low mid to high end these monitors are awesome..You can really feel and hear the punch from a snare.The monitors are going as low as 42hz or something so it should be low enough for mixing bass,though i still feel i am missing bass.
I am producing EDM bass heavy music so i really like to feel the power of the bass.
Those JBLs are great, i like the loaded tweeter concept, but to get a proper representation of bassheavy music, they're still too small. The fact that the specs say something like 42Hz doesn't mean anything. especially when there isn't stated if it's -3dB or -10dB or whatever.
However for mixing this is good, because it makes you work harder on the bass fundamental/harmonics balance.

For a full representation (mastering) you'd need a sub or better, a pair of main monitors with large woofers (like 12" or larger). room treatment is absolutely essential in this case.
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Old 07-28-2015, 10:24 AM   #20
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OK

Does it matter if i set up the monitors

looking straight to my ears (one on the left) and (one on the right) I think you get the picture...

rather than setting them up as a triangle.

This is given that i don't have an acoustically treated space, so i believe it would be better to have them set up that way...to get the direct sound directly into my ears

what do you think.
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Old 07-28-2015, 01:00 PM   #21
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OK

Does it matter if i set up the monitors

looking straight to my ears (one on the left) and (one on the right) I think you get the picture...

rather than setting them up as a triangle.
Yes it matters. You want the sound directed at your ears, not over your shoulder.


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Old 07-28-2015, 01:05 PM   #22
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Yes it matters. You want the sound directed at your ears, not over your shoulder.


i don't understand. its over my shoulder but still the speakers point straight to my ears like below




SPEAKER ----> LEFT EAR RIGHT EAR <----- SPEAKER


it will be like headphones ....but with monitors, i will get the direct sound this way isn't it?
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Old 07-28-2015, 01:50 PM   #23
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No!
When do you ever listen to music from beside each side of you? only from headphones.
I would suggest about one metre (three feet) or there about, apart in front of you pointing toward each side of your head where the ears are, at your head height so there is a triangle on a plane with your head at one point.
My opinion on headphones and pointing speakers at your ears from sideways is a huge factor in becoming deaf or and producing severe fatigue!
Monitor mostly at low volumes and at a whisper sound walk around the room if you can hear all the instruments in your production you are getting somewhere.

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Old 07-28-2015, 02:10 PM   #24
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There's no such thing as "nearfield" monitors. It's just a marketing phrase meaning "too small to fill a big room".

It's even worse. There are no "monitor" speakers either. There are just good speakers and lesser speakers.

What I mean is, don't keep staring at numbers. Frequency range won't tell you a damned thing. Not even when it's specced "-3dB, +0.5 dB". These numbers were measured in an anechoic chamber and even those don't compare well for the low end.

I know people mixing and mastering on the most unlikely speakers around. Why does it work?

1. Room measurement and treatment
2. They KNOW their speakers, having used them for years.

Some of the most renowned "monitors", including the much cited Yamaha NS10, are just hifi speakers.

Start off with a good pair of cans. Select some of your own recordings and some of your best known CD's and start a small test library. Get to know that material.

Get a 50$ measurement microphone and learn how to use something like REW (Room Equalization Wizard, free). That will give you an idea how good or bad your room is.

Then, and only then, you are ready to go listen to some monitors. Find a couple of stores that allow you to listen to what they sell. The better ones might lend you a pair to listen in your own environment.

I do location work and sometimes need monitors to "work" in the weirdest places. Like a kitchen or a deep-freezer cell. For that kind of environment, I use a pair of very old Philips MFB541 speakers, because they are small and relatively insensitive to reflections. And that's because the small woofer is controlled by an acceleration sensor. Only Backes & Müller and Dynaudio (Air) still make this kind of speakers.

Most of the stuff in the lower end of the market has too small woofers to put out real low bass. There's no good way to compensate that and if you are in a bad room, it will add to the problem and you won't get very far trying to teach yourself how to mix. And subs don't work. They're a pita, really.

I'm afraid there are no substitutes for experience or knowledge. Even dollars don't work.
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Old 07-28-2015, 02:53 PM   #25
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Just to update the earlier discussion about the size of the drivers in my Unity Audio The Rock IIs, UA can say they are 180mm all day long, but that is the outer measurement of the frame.
The actual driver cone measures 142mm including the butyl surround.

So I am back to calling them 5 inch drivers, even if they ARE technically 5.5 inch
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Old 07-28-2015, 03:03 PM   #26
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There's no such thing as "nearfield" monitors.
Most of the stuff in the lower end of the market has too small woofers to put out real low bass.
I'm afraid there are no substitutes for experience or knowledge. Even dollars don't work.

No
Yes
No

There IS such a thing as a speaker that is listenable from closer up than the usual "midfield or full range monitors you find in tracking rooms and full on control rooms, though. Which is what the term "nearfield monitor" attempts to describe.

ALL of the typical NFMs have too small a woofer to put out real low bass. That isn't the purpose of having near field monitors. It is to be able to focus on the all-important midrange components of a mix.

All depends on how good the experience is and how many dollars you actually have.
Are you saying you mix exclusively on large full range speakers?
I love listening to a huge pair of mains in a really well designed room and checking mixes on horrortones or the like, but in the real world I mix on small speakers and quality headphones, then schlep them around the house trying mixes through stereo, cheesy radio, TV sound bar and car radio.

Works for me and for a heck of a lot of other people.

EDIT: Having read Jondis68's response, I should have said that my room is pretty well threatened as well. Floor to ceiling bass traps in the corners, early reflection points covered and some "barn" diffusion courtesy of a bookcase loaded with different sized stuff! Ceiling cloud over mix position is next on the list. Room treatment really IS a must in my book.

Last edited by ivansc; 07-29-2015 at 01:21 AM.
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Old 07-28-2015, 09:03 PM   #27
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There's no such thing as "nearfield" monitors. It's just a marketing phrase meaning "too small to fill a big room".

It's even worse. There are no "monitor" speakers either. There are just good speakers and lesser speakers.

What I mean is, don't keep staring at numbers. Frequency range won't tell you a damned thing. Not even when it's specced "-3dB, +0.5 dB". These numbers were measured in an anechoic chamber and even those don't compare well for the low end.

I know people mixing and mastering on the most unlikely speakers around. Why does it work?

1. Room measurement and treatment
2. They KNOW their speakers, having used them for years.

Some of the most renowned "monitors", including the much cited Yamaha NS10, are just hifi speakers.

Start off with a good pair of cans. Select some of your own recordings and some of your best known CD's and start a small test library. Get to know that material.

Get a 50$ measurement microphone and learn how to use something like REW (Room Equalization Wizard, free). That will give you an idea how good or bad your room is.

Then, and only then, you are ready to go listen to some monitors. Find a couple of stores that allow you to listen to what they sell. The better ones might lend you a pair to listen in your own environment.

I do location work and sometimes need monitors to "work" in the weirdest places. Like a kitchen or a deep-freezer cell. For that kind of environment, I use a pair of very old Philips MFB541 speakers, because they are small and relatively insensitive to reflections. And that's because the small woofer is controlled by an acceleration sensor. Only Backes & Müller and Dynaudio (Air) still make this kind of speakers.

Most of the stuff in the lower end of the market has too small woofers to put out real low bass. There's no good way to compensate that and if you are in a bad room, it will add to the problem and you won't get very far trying to teach yourself how to mix. And subs don't work. They're a pita, really.

I'm afraid there are no substitutes for experience or knowledge. Even dollars don't work.
I hate the term "Studio Monitor" and the term "nearfield monitor" The only term that really fits is "reference monitor or speaker" and the reference is specific to the listener or engineer. I cut my teeth in the pro analog studios in the 80s and early 90s and every major studio in my area had a pair of NS-10 as their reference speakers.(many still do) So if you were going to try to make a living as a "call engineer" you had better familiarize yourself with the NS-10s or be prepared to bring your own. (which some did) But the NS-10s were good speakers that were not over colored and relatively "flat" (Or maybe its just what we learned or trained our ears to perceive them as "flat"????) You learned the speaker and how the sounds coming from them might translate to other systems.... "you had a reference" And then just about every studio has a set of "Client Speakers" These were generally PA type speakers. Big and loud and colored!!! LOL! Because to the untrained ear... The NS-10s that you were mostly working with didn't impress your clients! So you would A/B the mix to the Client Speakers to settle them down for a minute!

Bottom line is... you need a "good speaker" that doesn't overly color or hide important audio information. And yes, there is no way around having to learn what that is and train your ears to recognize it regardless of your speaker choice.

In terms of surface/room treatment.... Man, most of us in here are putting up our DAW rooms in a bedroom, Den, office, basement, etc..... We are dealing with parallel surfaces, windows, drywall with semi-gloss paint, etc. Some bass traps in the corners and well placed surface absorption is a must. Not only can you significantly hear the difference.... You can feel the difference in sound pressure when you walk into the room. You really need to kill the majority of the reflective surfaces in our home studio environments.

I just finished treating a standard size bedroom with Auralex DST Series tiles. I have about 150 square feet left over and 4 corner bass traps. You can treat a good size room with what I have. If you live in the Midwest USA and want a good deal on it message me. I will let it go for less than half of what you can buy it for at the big box discount retailers. I didn't intend for this to be a plug for my leftovers... but I have no use for it and don't really want to store it.

I rambled here quite a bit (sorry) .... but Cyrano offered us some great info on things. As did the others.... and there is no magic formula for training your ears to recognize what works and what doesn't regardless of your speaker choice.

FYI: Yamaha doesn't make the NS-10s anymore. And I haven't had the chance to use their replacement series enough to know if they will be close enough for me to transition to??? And used NS-10s are pricy and a bit scary to buy not knowing if they have been altered or rebuilt with aftermarket parts and pieces. Sigh......
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Old 07-29-2015, 09:18 AM   #28
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There's no such thing as "nearfield" monitors.
While I completly agree with the rest of your post, I think the term "nearfield" makes sense

To me at least, a nearfield-monitor is a monitor, that is designed to have all drivers on-axis at short distances. So typically small 2ways or coaxial point source speakers.

If you're using a larger 3way at a too close distance, you're probably in the off-axis area of at least one driver, resulting in subpar behaviour at the crossover points.

But then the ns10m's used horizontally are subpar as well, but still work great for a lot of people. Whatever works.
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Old 07-29-2015, 09:42 AM   #29
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(for some reason it won't let me quote cyrano's post)

Cyrano has a good point about being used to your speakers. I would argue that's the most important factor (apart from some good room treatment - reflection points and bass traps) in using any speaker. To a certain extent the term 'monitor' is just a marketing word - you can potentially mix or master on any speakers. Michael Brauer apparently has a cheap boombox in his studio and he actually does a fair amount of his mixing through that. At the end of the day it's the ears that matter - not the equipment - but it's a good idea to start with a well thought of pair of monitors if you have the money to buy them. When I went from a pair of Wharfedale diamond 7's to my Fostex PMII's it was a big difference but I had already been doing good mixes with the Wharfedales.

If you have an untreated room I would spend the money on room treatment before monitors.
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:13 PM   #30
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It's relative, I guess...

I'm just a one man bedroom band and I think that acoustic treatment is highly overrated. Sucking up all the hype, I did the whole trick - behind monitors, bass traps, 1st and 2nd reflection points... Well it's there now, but wish I hadn't - could have spent that money on another guitar.

Point is after a bit of basic recording education, I now do my basic mixing on cans and then go to monitors at low volume - enough to speak over. You need this to catch all the individual instruments/vocals/nuances etc. Heck, any crap will sound good with the volume pumped.

My humble opinion of course...
I couldnt agree more.

Thankfully I sussed it out before I spent any time or money on it



A decent pair of monitors and away you go.Just learn to mix and you be grand.
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:22 PM   #31
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I couldnt agree more.

Thankfully I sussed it out before I spent any time or money on it



A decent pair of monitors and away you go.Just learn to mix and you be grand.
Sarcasm??!!
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:40 PM   #32
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Sarcasm??!!
Absolutely not.

Just speaking from experience.

Not having room treatment hasn't held me back in the slightest.
Having poor monitors however, did to a certain extent.And shite mixing chops.
The only thing holding me back is my lack of ability,and only practice will remedy that

Having said that..I wouldnt say no to having a professionally acoustically treated room,but its not the end of the world.
You get used to working with what you've got

Look at Motown.I've seen pictures of that and its just basically a basement
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:41 PM   #33
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Absolutely not.

Just speaking from experience.

Not having room treatment hasn't held me back in the slightest.
Having poor monitors however, did to a certain extent.
The only thing holding me back is my lack of ability,and only practice will remedy that.
what monitors you recommend
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:43 PM   #34
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what monitors you recommend

i was thinking going with these

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alesis-M1-...item3a90d18e02
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:49 PM   #35
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I don't know, I've never heard them.

Judging by the specs..I would advise against them and look for something possibly second hand with a 5" woofer
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Old 07-29-2015, 03:53 PM   #36
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Absolutely not.

Just speaking from experience.
I made that comment mainly because you said 'just learn to mix' - seemed like it was sarcasm - implying how easy it is lol!! ('just'!) But if that's your experience then that's your experience - just not sure it's good advice to a newcomer. Learning to mix does necessitate a good listening environment - a good reference point - and, in my view, a good listening environment starts with the room you're in. I remember walking into my college studio - Mackie HR824's - and it sounded absolutely shite in there because they had no decent room treatment. It was near impossible to make any decisions - students would get better results using headphones.

Also... you may have just had good luck that your room already sounds good - good frequency balance, stereo image etc. even sounding bass (not building up and exaggerating etc.)
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Old 07-30-2015, 12:17 AM   #37
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With total respect,cos I'm not looking for a flame war,but I think my advice is exactly what a newbie needs to hear and I'll tell you why.

I wasted a great deal of time worrying and fretting that the room acoustics were cramping my style,this was mainly as a result of reading gearslutz I will admit.Even though I wasnt in a position to do anything about it.It didn't stop me trying to keep learning to mix better but it made it feel like I was on a hiding to nothing.

In hindsight it was folly,and even if I had the option I wouldnt do anything about it now.I just work in my sitting room,so I dare say the furniture and pictures on the walls act as absorbtion and diffraction,enough to make it learnable.
I'm not sure I woulda learned any quicker in an acoustically ideal room.Maybe I would've.I'll never know.

SO,having said all that,I think the total beginner should be encouraged to just get stuck right in and start practicing,because no matter what gear he's got or where he's got it..it takes a few years of very hard work to start getting a handle on audio production.
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Old 07-30-2015, 02:17 AM   #38
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With total respect,cos I'm not looking for a flame war,but I think my advice is exactly what a newbie needs to hear and I'll tell you why.

I wasted a great deal of time worrying and fretting that the room acoustics were cramping my style,this was mainly as a result of reading gearslutz I will admit.Even though I wasnt in a position to do anything about it.It didn't stop me trying to keep learning to mix better but it made it feel like I was on a hiding to nothing.

In hindsight it was folly,and even if I had the option I wouldnt do anything about it now.I just work in my sitting room,so I dare say the furniture and pictures on the walls act as absorbtion and diffraction,enough to make it learnable.
I'm not sure I woulda learned any quicker in an acoustically ideal room.Maybe I would've.I'll never know.

SO,having said all that,I think the total beginner should be encouraged to just get stuck right in and start practicing,because no matter what gear he's got or where he's got it..it takes a few years of very hard work to start getting a handle on audio production.
Fair enough. And it's good for the op to see different opinions in this thread so he/she can make their own mind up.

I first started making music seriously around 2001 - I would take a line out of the built in headphone socket on my pc (no external soundcard) and plug it in to my hi-fi amp that was at one end of my front room. I made music that way right up until about 2006. I didn't have any specific room treatment - and most of what I made during that time ended up getting released over about 10 labels. So, yes, I do know that one can definitely dive in head first and get stuck in without doing everything the 'correct' way. I absolutely do know that. What I'm doing in this thread is giving the OP the benefit of my accumulated experience after that point as well. When I finally did make the effort to buy acoustic foam and build bass traps (that was pretty fun and rewarding) I couldn't believe the difference it made - I suddenly was able to hear A) very clearly where things are in the stereo field - left to right B) a much better sense of 3d space - front to back C) a separation (especially to the low end) to everything that just wasn't there before. All these things suddenly made it much easier - and much more fun - to mix.
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Old 07-30-2015, 04:34 AM   #39
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great info guys thanks!
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Old 07-30-2015, 04:35 AM   #40
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Me too - at it for decades before I started taking it seriously.
I finally put up the bundles of rockwool that had been sitting in a shed for literally years and have been kicking myself for not doing it sooner ever since.
CHEAP and effective.

Sadly it also made me realise WHY I bought those crappy Yamaha 8"-ers in the first place. I couldn't hear what was happening down in the bass department for all the nodes and shit.
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