monitors but not really..

so i don't want to drop a bunch of cash right now on monitors, i was thinking about using just computer speakers. any one else lofi like that?

i hear modeselektor uses/used a ghetto blaster for basic monitoring

Audioengine A5s will do the trick but also work as room/computer speakers; they sound great. Not inexpensive, but the versatility means you can pretty much use them for whatever for the next 10+ years.

baph stamp of approval, which is worth nothing, but still.

I use an amp and two speakers I found on the side of the road. The amp is kinda busted. I have to jigger with the volume to get both the sides to work. The speakers are really good though. They're big sonys in perfect condition.

I use $30 CompUSA speakers I bought back in 2002.

hipster

I use some old Logitech 5.1 set-up I've had for a long time on my desktop set-up. Monitors w/ an audio box and synths on my "proper" set-up through the laptop. They've always treated me well except they're bass-heavy so if I want a good mix it sounds waaaay too bassy in my room.

Get a pair of Behringer Truth B2030A's. Can be had for under $300 (these are listed at $145 each):

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002Z82M6/_0-20

Flat response (with adjustable curves), very loud (bass that can shake walls), active (no amp required), and reliable. Had mine for 5 years.

i'm beginning to think i need monitors pretty soon. i use a 70s kenwood amp with $5 op-shop speakers to produce, sometimes using my alessandro ms-1 headphones to check bass since the speakers aren't very bassy. i also have a logitech 5.1 system with a semi-decent sub that i use to listen back to rendered tracks.

only problem is that the front room of my flat seems to resonate at a certain frequency, probably around 200hz or so, so anything around that frequency is amplified. not sure of the exact frequency but it seems to be the same note as the start of the first song from wavering radiant by isis, whenever i listen to my vinyl copy of that my entire front room rings from that note, argh!

I use shitty old PC speakers from like 8 years ago. I know their sound so I can get decent mixes usually, but i'll check 'em with a couple different sets of headphones. I do want to get a good setup though... those Behringers look pretty sick!

These will hopefully be the next speakers I buy

musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/adam-audio-a7-powered-studio-monitors-pair

  On 7/12/2011 at 7:08 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

These will hopefully be the next speakers I buy

musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/adam-audio-a7-powered-studio-monitors-pair

these are fucking awesome. i almost bought em, but they are a little weak in the low end. i sacrificed those stunning mids/highs for the more rounded sound of the mackie hr624's, but the a7's with a sub would probably be my top choice in that market.

Yeah I've heard they don't have even close to a hyped low end and that a well crossovered sub is completely necessary to round out the frequency range. For me one of the easiest things to gauge is when I have too much or not enough low end in a mix. Mids and the highs are so much trickier in my opinion to gauge. From all I've read those Adams with a good tailored sub is the best of the best even compared to much more expensive monitors.

  On 7/13/2011 at 2:50 AM, ryanmcallister said:

  On 7/12/2011 at 7:08 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

These will hopefully be the next speakers I buy

musiciansfriend.com/pro-audio/adam-audio-a7-powered-studio-monitors-pair

these are fucking awesome. i almost bought em, but they are a little weak in the low end. i sacrificed those stunning mids/highs for the more rounded sound of the mackie hr624's, but the a7's with a sub would probably be my top choice in that market.

i augmented my A7's with the Sub8 and it solved this issue

  On 7/13/2011 at 3:56 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

From all I've read those Adams with a good tailored sub is the best of the best even compared to much more expensive monitors.

Truth.

You shouldn't be mixing with a sub though.

Huh, why not? It would just extends the frequency range of your monitoring and balanced out the spectrum showing you the low end you wouldn't hear (if you make sure adjust the volume of your sub and the crossover correctly) right? If your sub is too loud or crossing over to boost a range your monitors are already adequately producing it would hype your low end but not if a sub is used correctly I would think.

Well, the idea to using studio monitors is to have a very flat signal, because when you compare your mix across several different systems it will yield the best average results. When you start using that sub, you might get it sounding really good on your own speakers, but when you test it on another system, there could be far too much bass [which is usually the case] or not enough.

Also, there's an inclination with electronic artists that want their tracks to always sound like a club banger even when it shouldn't. You really have to mix to the speakers you're given. I've heard a lot of mixes over the years that will be absolutely pounding on a couple M-Audio BX5a's, with heavy deep bass. That is not characteristic of those speakers, and subsequently, the mix sounded like shit when we changed to another system.

Now with that said, it actually is really nice to be able to test your mix on a system with a sub. I knew a guy in college that said he lived above a club and knew the guys that ran it. He used to go down and test his tracks on their system, to hear what it would sound like in a real club environment. THAT is a huge advantage.

I totally understand that your trying to get the flattest frequency response possible and not hype or attenuate any part of the spectrum. That's why I would think a subwoofer correctly set to not hype the bass and crossed over right where the monitors lose their low end would give you a more so correct perception of the frequency range. If a subwoofer is tuned at the right volume, crossed over so it's not building up at an area where the monitors and the sub meet together hyping that low end notch wouldn't it be completely beneficial?

I think the only problem with subs is when they are up too loud and completely hype the low end. When you make sure that is not the case they just round out and maximize your awareness of the frequency spectrum right?

Anyone ever used one of those gadgets that you play a completely flat wave and they show you how your speakers and your acoustics are attenuating and hyping certain parts of the frequency range?

  On 7/13/2011 at 5:21 AM, ryanmcallister said:

  On 7/13/2011 at 3:56 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

From all I've read those Adams with a good tailored sub is the best of the best even compared to much more expensive monitors.

Truth.

but not behringer truth !!

  On 7/12/2011 at 3:12 AM, Braintree said:

I use $30 CompUSA speakers I bought back in 2002.

  On 7/13/2011 at 7:58 AM, Braintree said:

You shouldn't be mixing with a sub though.

HURR DE DURR I MIX WITH $30 COMPUSA I GOT YEARS AGO, 2 COOL 4 DECENT MONITORZ, BUT IMA TELL U HOW 2 UZE URZ

  On 7/13/2011 at 9:42 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

I totally understand that your trying to get the flattest frequency response possible and not hype or attenuate any part of the spectrum. That's why I would think a subwoofer correctly set to not hype the bass and crossed over right where the monitors lose their low end would give you a more so correct perception of the frequency range. If a subwoofer is tuned at the right volume, crossed over so it's not building up at an area where the monitors and the sub meet together hyping that low end notch wouldn't it be completely beneficial?

 

I think the only problem with subs is when they are up too loud and completely hype the low end. When you make sure that is not the case they just round out and maximize your awareness of the frequency spectrum right?

 

Anyone ever used one of those gadgets that you play a completely flat wave and they show you how your speakers and your acoustics are attenuating and hyping certain parts of the frequency range?

It's more about trying to replicate the conditions of the average listener. It's good to use a sub for reference, but not for use while mixing your project. It can really skew your perception of the mix.

The first time I mixed something in 5.1, I made the mistake of mixing it with the sub [not just as a reference] and the end result was just way too much bass. I'm not saying it's completely wrong, but I wouldn't recommend it at all. I've generally gotten much cleaner mixes when just using monitors and then later adjusting slightly for bass after referencing.

  On 7/13/2011 at 10:36 AM, hahathhat said:

  On 7/13/2011 at 5:21 AM, ryanmcallister said:

  On 7/13/2011 at 3:56 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

From all I've read those Adams with a good tailored sub is the best of the best even compared to much more expensive monitors.

Truth.

but not behringer truth !!

 

  On 7/12/2011 at 3:12 AM, Braintree said:

I use $30 CompUSA speakers I bought back in 2002.

  On 7/13/2011 at 7:58 AM, Braintree said:

You shouldn't be mixing with a sub though.

HURR DE DURR I MIX WITH $30 COMPUSA I GOT YEARS AGO, 2 COOL 4 DECENT MONITORZ, BUT IMA TELL U HOW 2 UZE URZ

Well, I built a pair of speakers that are comparable to something you would get for $500, but I've used the same ones for years, and I know what they sound like so I'm wary to change my setup.

The most important thing about mixing is that you know your own speakers and what it's going to sound like on other systems.

  On 7/13/2011 at 12:03 PM, Braintree said:

  On 7/13/2011 at 9:42 AM, Blanket Fort Collapse said:

I think the only problem with subs is when they are up too loud and completely hype the low end. When you make sure that is not the case they just round out and maximize your awareness of the frequency spectrum right?

The first time I mixed something in 5.1, I made the mistake of mixing it with the sub [not just as a reference] and the end result was just way too much bass. I'm not saying it's completely wrong, but I wouldn't recommend it at all.

I don't understand how that would work, if you had your sub too loud you would think the low end was booming then when you listen without as much low end you should then find the mix to be smaller and less bassy. Sounds like you had the sub too quiet or had no computability/understanding of how your acoustics and speakers were playing out. Adding a sub only extends your frequency range (as long as you actually tune the sub to NOT hype the bass, adding, giving, enhancing, and extending your ambition to hear a flat reproduction of the ENTIRE FREQUENCY RANGE.

Dude. It doesn't extend your frequency range, it only emphasizes certain parts of it. Adding a sub makes your frequency response NOT FLAT. That's the entire point of the subwoofer.

Using it for reference is a good idea, but using it while mixing is not a great idea.

braintree you are dead wrong here. when you buy a decent set of monitors, they give you an accurate representation of the audio because they can cleanly reproduce it. if you were to compare a shitty set of consumer computer speakers with a good set of monitors in the 50-100hz range the monitors would come out on top as providing cleaner signal. in the exact same way, comparing some awesome 6" or 8" monitors with a sub in the 20-50hz range say the sub will come out on top in that area as it is a specific device for reproducing those frequencies. soo...

1. a sub will definitely extend your range down as far as possible.

2. a sub will more accurately re-produce this range.

also, in regards to your "mixing to the average listener comment", sure I can see how the average listener may not be able to re-produce those frequencies, and that's fine, you can work on them and they just won't be heard. but what about if you are mixing music to be played in a club or something? wouldn't you want to at least know what's going on down there instead of just neglecting it completely?

edit: oh i guess you somewhat addressed the club thing, but i disagree. and also, no one said we wouldn't reference our mixes without a sub, but honestly I'd probably say I'd only be removing the sub once in a while to make sure it still works instead of the other way around.

Do you understand what a subwoofer does? It doesn't produce low frequencies, it only makes them louder. Your average speaker goes from 20hz-20kHz [you know...the entire spectrum of human hearing], so those frequencies are already there. Studio monitors will reproduce those frequencies in a flat signal. A subwoofer alters this and emphasizes the lower end of the spectrum, making your signal response NOT FLAT.

When you're mixing, the idea is to do it on shitty speakers [ones with a flat signal] so they sound really good on good speakers.

Think about it like this, would you want to install some kind of super tweeter to emphasize the high end of the spectrum?

i love how everyone just talks out of their ass here.