Proper reference monitor size for my room and application

[Redtortoise39]

Hello and just breaking the ice here. My space that I use for mixing/mastering (not recording) is quite small (11' by 12')...and my ceiling height is 8'. I am currently mixing acoustical music/bluegrass instruments and vocals, and I know that the type of monitors you use depends alot on the type of music you are mixing down. Given the small space...does anyone have any feedback on this issue? I am quite partial to the KRK VXT series of speakers (not the Rokit line) and need some advice on speaker size. Thanks.

 

[Massive Master]

Hello and just breaking the ice here. My space that I use for mixing/mastering (not recording) is quite small (11' by 12')...and my ceiling height is 8'. I am currently mixing acoustical music/bluegrass instruments and vocals, and I know that the type of monitors you use depends alot on the type of music you are mixing down. Given the small space...does anyone have any feedback on this issue? I am quite partial to the KRK VXT series of speakers (not the Rokit line) and need some advice on speaker size. Thanks.

The type of monitors you use has nothing to do with the type of music you're working on. A monitoring chain (let's include the room here as it's basically just as important) is either accurate and consistent or it's not. Or it's somewhere in a range of "accurate and consistent" --

That said -- Your room is going to require a relatively obscene amount of broadband trapping to support pretty much any speaker you put in there -- I'm not sure of your budget, but that's something to keep in mind. The best speakers in the world in an improperly treated 11x12x8 are going to be worth a bowl of warm sinus fluid.

KRK VXT's... Personally never been a fan, but I know people who are. Might consider Equator D8's (even the D5's are quite good for such small speakers), Focal Alpha 65's (in the "I know a guy that likes them" category). But if you really like the VXT's compared to those, there you go.

And a small truckload of broadband trapping. Put together a room or two in that size range and it took a minimum (MINIMUM) treatment of 12 [2'x4'x4"] OC703/705 type traps just to get it "within reason" (which is actually a pretty typical starting point).

 

[mjbphotos]

yes, bass traps for sure. My room is actually smaller, by a foot in all the dimensions. I have 6 2'x4'x4" traps, 2 2'x4'x2" ceiling cloud traps, a triangular trap in a front upper corner, plus triangular superchunk traps in the rear corners. The room is also chockfull of other stuff - upper front wall and one side wall have shelves with CDs, books and whatnot, there is a china hutch on one side wall, an open cabinet on the opposite wall where my guitars are stacked, and of course all the various music equipment and instruments.
In other words, you can learn to work with what you got - but bass trapping, as much as you can squeeze in makes ALL the difference.

My monitors are JBL LSR305s. I really like them, but note that I have bass traps on my front wall - immediately behind the monitors, which are needed because the JBLs (including the 8" ones) have rear-firing bass ports.
They are plenty loud enough for this room - in fact I never get the volume control on my interface past 2 o'clock, and that's enough to be heard in adjacent rooms.

 

[RedStone]

I second the "obscene broadband trapping". I used a case of Roxul insulation - 8 sheets of 2ft x 5ft or something wrapped in thin cloth. It did a miracle when placed at the first reflection points, above my noggin, behind me and in the corners of the room. And I probably still don't have enough.