massplanck
11-12-2007, 01:14 PM
I see a lot of questions on studio monitors so I'll do my best to share some knowledge...
Section 0 - What is a Studio Monitor and Why do I Need Them to Make Killer Beats that would make my big boned Italian grandmother shit in her diaper.
You can skip this part if you know the dynamics of making grandma shit her diaper.
Studio reference monitors are like your ears. They let you hear the music. If I cut your ears off, or stick pencils through your eardrums, you don't really know what your music sounds like. That is an extreme. If you have ears that don't work well, you will write music that sounds good to you, but that probably won't sound good to other people's ears. This won't make my grandmother shit in her diaper.
I'll get more technical about getting grandmother to shit in her diaper now.
Let us say you are writing a song on speakers that accentuate 10khz by 2 db, and cut 100hz by 2 db. You have wrote your tune and now you are trying to make your track sound really really good - grandma shit herself good. when you mix down, you will be trying to get the sound to sound good on your speakers. Because your speakers accentuate 10khz by 2db, you will tend to find the sound harsher here or too loud so you may cut these frequencies with eq. Likewise, when you are mixing the bass frequencies, you will be trying to get the kick to make grandma shit without boom. But because the speakers cut the sound at 100 hz, you will tend to incease the ammount of frequency at 100hz.
When you then take that song in your car and drive around with grandma, the extra 2db of 100hz that you added to your mix to account for the lack of 100hz in your speakers at home will be noticable in your car. It will make your track sound 'boomy'. You won't know why - it sounded so good at home. Grandma no shit because of boom. Likewise there will be a big gap in the upper frequencies so granma can't make out the lyrics - she turn up her hearing aid and keep turning over to you going 'huh? huh?' because she can't figure out what is the music and what is her own farting and what is your voice.
So basically, by writing on good quality monitors (preferrably in an environment with some sound treatment, and with proper speaker placement) you will create a mix that will transfer well on to other systems, rather than it only sounding good on the system you are working on. You won't really understand this unless you've had a lot of problems mixing down in your music. If you're reading this, likely you've had problems with translation and now see the advantages.
Hopefully this clarifies.
Section 1 - I don't know a god damn thing about monitors but I want to learn more - what the **** do I do! Jesus Christ!
First, if you want to learn a bit about monitors, the best place for reviews imo is sound on sound (www.soundonsound.com). It should truly be your first source of reference for looking for information on any potential purchase.
Now here are the big boys that you'll hear everyone talking about.
ENTRY LEVEL MONITORS:
Behringer B2030/B2031 series.
The Behringer series are really ****ing entry level.
If you're seriously strapped for cash, these might do. I've spent a very small ammount of time on the smaller ver and they're not smooth, but they're a bit better option than hi-fi. Similar to most of Behringer's other gear, thier market stance is low quality low price with a lot of un-needed bells and whistles. I would recommend against these.
KRK RP5/RP6/RP8 series.
I own a pair of RP5s and have spent a small ammount of time with the RP8s. The KRKs have a slight aggressiveness in the mid-highs which most people find very pleasing (myself included). They're a real joy to work on. I notice that the RP5s definately have have a 'boxy' quality, which becomes extremely obvious next to my HRs. They have a pretty average bass response (RP8s go down to 45hz, RP5s down to 57hz I think - check SOS). Good speakers - great value.
Event TR8.
These things are bass. frequency response down to 35hz - which is lower than pretty much every other 8" reference monitor around. Due to the nature of speakers, deeper bass response means an inhibited ability to produce higher frequency sound. The result is a slightly 'unclear' mid range. All speaker design is about compromise and balance. These guys go for the deep tones rather than clarity. Not a bad choice necessarily for dubstep producers. My recommendation would be the KRK RP8s or Samson Rubicon 6As and save for a sub instead of going for these - a bit more long term and you'll get a more physical bass response with better mid and high end image, but it will obviously cost you more.
Tapco S5/S8s.
The new guys on the block. I've spend a bit of time with these - had the S8s in my studio for a bit but brought them back to the store. I'll discuss the S8s.
I think mackie have managed to create some hype with these (Tapco is mackie's entry level brand) Don't listen to the hype/reviews. These speakers have a really hollow and far away quality that is exactly the opposite to the KRKs and Rubicons 'visible' image. These do have good bass response - down to 40hz. They really lack the ability to show you what's going on, even if the frequency response is deep and flat. Not a bad choice on a budget if you really want the deeper bass, but listen to them first. I would really recommend against them if you've never spent time with reference monitors. Again, would recommend a speaker with better image/less bass paired with a sub.
Samson Rubicon 5A/6A
The least talked about reference monitors! No one seems to consider these. you're going to pay more for the woofer cone size than the others listed here, but they're my fav of the lot. These don't use a cone for the tweeter - they use a traditional ribbon tweeter design (different than adams ART ribbon tweeter). The design is good - a bit too above my head to express, but apparently these lack a lot of the negatives associated with ribbons (delicate, quiet) These speakers give an incredible image of equisite quality. They're very airy - you can see really deep into the sound. Best bang for the buck IMO - these are fantastic with the 6As at $600. Go listen to them - you'll see what I mean. The only problem is the bass response is not deep at all!! Grab a sub - when people come over and look at your monitors and go 'what are those' they'll walk out talking about how your studio is the best sounding joint around
MID RANGE
I'm just going to discuss a couple big ones here.
Adam A7
Now we're breaking the $1000 mark. These are a compromise between cost and quality. Adam have stuck thier infamous(ly expensive) new fangled ribbon tweeter design into a less ideal enclosure/woofer combo. You're going to get that impressive depth and visibility on the highs, but you might find some holes in the rest. You'll probably want a sub as these guys are only 6+"s and won't have a real deep bass response, although it is still impressive for a smaller woofer ( I think 47hz)
Mackie HR624/HR824 (MKI or MKII)
Mackie recently redesigned thier HR series. They're now quite possibly the sexiest looking monitors on the market. I own a pair of the HR824MKIIs and I love them. These use a different design than all of the above. They're unported with a 'radiator' which is basically a big oval inside the enclosure which you can't see. This allows deep bass response (37hz on the mkIIs, I believe, or 39hz). The design is good, the quality is reliable. While Mackie may have you believe they're the best on the market, they're not. A lot of people find them brash - I think they're quite smooth so listen to them. The tweeters are aluminum/titanium depending on the version which colours the sound differently than the silk and ribbon designs in above speakers. These are very flat, very reliable. The image is reasonably upfront - not hyped or aggressive. The image could be a bit easier to look in to. I like the ribbon design of the Samson/Adam for this.
All in all, looking at price vs quality, these are probably more on the price side with speakers like the KRKs popping up.
TOP END SHIT
I'm not getting into this stuff. If you're looking at Dynaudio, Genelec, top level adam shit, then you know what you're doing and don't need my help[/b]
Section 0 - What is a Studio Monitor and Why do I Need Them to Make Killer Beats that would make my big boned Italian grandmother shit in her diaper.
You can skip this part if you know the dynamics of making grandma shit her diaper.
Studio reference monitors are like your ears. They let you hear the music. If I cut your ears off, or stick pencils through your eardrums, you don't really know what your music sounds like. That is an extreme. If you have ears that don't work well, you will write music that sounds good to you, but that probably won't sound good to other people's ears. This won't make my grandmother shit in her diaper.
I'll get more technical about getting grandmother to shit in her diaper now.
Let us say you are writing a song on speakers that accentuate 10khz by 2 db, and cut 100hz by 2 db. You have wrote your tune and now you are trying to make your track sound really really good - grandma shit herself good. when you mix down, you will be trying to get the sound to sound good on your speakers. Because your speakers accentuate 10khz by 2db, you will tend to find the sound harsher here or too loud so you may cut these frequencies with eq. Likewise, when you are mixing the bass frequencies, you will be trying to get the kick to make grandma shit without boom. But because the speakers cut the sound at 100 hz, you will tend to incease the ammount of frequency at 100hz.
When you then take that song in your car and drive around with grandma, the extra 2db of 100hz that you added to your mix to account for the lack of 100hz in your speakers at home will be noticable in your car. It will make your track sound 'boomy'. You won't know why - it sounded so good at home. Grandma no shit because of boom. Likewise there will be a big gap in the upper frequencies so granma can't make out the lyrics - she turn up her hearing aid and keep turning over to you going 'huh? huh?' because she can't figure out what is the music and what is her own farting and what is your voice.
So basically, by writing on good quality monitors (preferrably in an environment with some sound treatment, and with proper speaker placement) you will create a mix that will transfer well on to other systems, rather than it only sounding good on the system you are working on. You won't really understand this unless you've had a lot of problems mixing down in your music. If you're reading this, likely you've had problems with translation and now see the advantages.
Hopefully this clarifies.
Section 1 - I don't know a god damn thing about monitors but I want to learn more - what the **** do I do! Jesus Christ!
First, if you want to learn a bit about monitors, the best place for reviews imo is sound on sound (www.soundonsound.com). It should truly be your first source of reference for looking for information on any potential purchase.
Now here are the big boys that you'll hear everyone talking about.
ENTRY LEVEL MONITORS:
Behringer B2030/B2031 series.
The Behringer series are really ****ing entry level.
If you're seriously strapped for cash, these might do. I've spent a very small ammount of time on the smaller ver and they're not smooth, but they're a bit better option than hi-fi. Similar to most of Behringer's other gear, thier market stance is low quality low price with a lot of un-needed bells and whistles. I would recommend against these.
KRK RP5/RP6/RP8 series.
I own a pair of RP5s and have spent a small ammount of time with the RP8s. The KRKs have a slight aggressiveness in the mid-highs which most people find very pleasing (myself included). They're a real joy to work on. I notice that the RP5s definately have have a 'boxy' quality, which becomes extremely obvious next to my HRs. They have a pretty average bass response (RP8s go down to 45hz, RP5s down to 57hz I think - check SOS). Good speakers - great value.
Event TR8.
These things are bass. frequency response down to 35hz - which is lower than pretty much every other 8" reference monitor around. Due to the nature of speakers, deeper bass response means an inhibited ability to produce higher frequency sound. The result is a slightly 'unclear' mid range. All speaker design is about compromise and balance. These guys go for the deep tones rather than clarity. Not a bad choice necessarily for dubstep producers. My recommendation would be the KRK RP8s or Samson Rubicon 6As and save for a sub instead of going for these - a bit more long term and you'll get a more physical bass response with better mid and high end image, but it will obviously cost you more.
Tapco S5/S8s.
The new guys on the block. I've spend a bit of time with these - had the S8s in my studio for a bit but brought them back to the store. I'll discuss the S8s.
I think mackie have managed to create some hype with these (Tapco is mackie's entry level brand) Don't listen to the hype/reviews. These speakers have a really hollow and far away quality that is exactly the opposite to the KRKs and Rubicons 'visible' image. These do have good bass response - down to 40hz. They really lack the ability to show you what's going on, even if the frequency response is deep and flat. Not a bad choice on a budget if you really want the deeper bass, but listen to them first. I would really recommend against them if you've never spent time with reference monitors. Again, would recommend a speaker with better image/less bass paired with a sub.
Samson Rubicon 5A/6A
The least talked about reference monitors! No one seems to consider these. you're going to pay more for the woofer cone size than the others listed here, but they're my fav of the lot. These don't use a cone for the tweeter - they use a traditional ribbon tweeter design (different than adams ART ribbon tweeter). The design is good - a bit too above my head to express, but apparently these lack a lot of the negatives associated with ribbons (delicate, quiet) These speakers give an incredible image of equisite quality. They're very airy - you can see really deep into the sound. Best bang for the buck IMO - these are fantastic with the 6As at $600. Go listen to them - you'll see what I mean. The only problem is the bass response is not deep at all!! Grab a sub - when people come over and look at your monitors and go 'what are those' they'll walk out talking about how your studio is the best sounding joint around
MID RANGE
I'm just going to discuss a couple big ones here.
Adam A7
Now we're breaking the $1000 mark. These are a compromise between cost and quality. Adam have stuck thier infamous(ly expensive) new fangled ribbon tweeter design into a less ideal enclosure/woofer combo. You're going to get that impressive depth and visibility on the highs, but you might find some holes in the rest. You'll probably want a sub as these guys are only 6+"s and won't have a real deep bass response, although it is still impressive for a smaller woofer ( I think 47hz)
Mackie HR624/HR824 (MKI or MKII)
Mackie recently redesigned thier HR series. They're now quite possibly the sexiest looking monitors on the market. I own a pair of the HR824MKIIs and I love them. These use a different design than all of the above. They're unported with a 'radiator' which is basically a big oval inside the enclosure which you can't see. This allows deep bass response (37hz on the mkIIs, I believe, or 39hz). The design is good, the quality is reliable. While Mackie may have you believe they're the best on the market, they're not. A lot of people find them brash - I think they're quite smooth so listen to them. The tweeters are aluminum/titanium depending on the version which colours the sound differently than the silk and ribbon designs in above speakers. These are very flat, very reliable. The image is reasonably upfront - not hyped or aggressive. The image could be a bit easier to look in to. I like the ribbon design of the Samson/Adam for this.
All in all, looking at price vs quality, these are probably more on the price side with speakers like the KRKs popping up.
TOP END SHIT
I'm not getting into this stuff. If you're looking at Dynaudio, Genelec, top level adam shit, then you know what you're doing and don't need my help[/b]