Why do I need a monitor or a monitor headphone?

[athrun200]

I am going to buy a Scarlett 2i2 to do some recordings. I know that there are two output at the back of the audio interface allowing you to connect it to the monitor or headphone. When I was looking up at the setup tutorial, all of them connect the interface to either headphones or monitors.

I wonder if I could do this:
Connect the interface only to the computer and then record. After that play it through the speakers of the computer. If it works, I am not going to buy any monitors since I will never do live recording.

 

[witzendoz]

Without headphones how are you going to sing or pla to something you have already recorded?

Computer monitors sound like poo, thats whey we buy studio monitors.

Alan.

 

[athrun200]

Then what is the best monitor I could buy with $50? Don't have much money left after buying new mic and audio interface.

 

[athrun200]

Without headphones how are you going to sing
Alan.

Wait a second, did I always do the recording in the wrong way?
I always use a headphone which connects to my mp3 player while recording. And then, I mix the recording with the background track by using the speakers of my computer.

Would you mind to tell me how professional record?

 

[ecc83]

Wait a second, did I always do the recording in the wrong way?
I always use a headphone which connects to my mp3 player while recording. And then, I mix the recording with the background track by using the speakers of my computer.

Would you mind to tell me how professional record?

You cannot monitor backing tracks on speakers and sing anyway. If you don't get feedback , you will get track leaking back into the mic and that will sound bad.

"Proper" monitors are used to judge sound quality (can't do that on crappy PC speakers) and balance the mix. Do you have access to a decent hi-fi system? If so you could burn your marvels to CD and check them on that although a lot of modern audio systems will now play from a USB stick (lot of FST tellies will as well. If you can make something sound good thru' a telly, you ain't so dusty!)

But if you are just making music for your own enjoyment, no, you don't NEED £400 monitors. Get some decent CLOSED BACK headphones. About the cheapest that are any good are the Sennheiser 202s, about 20quid.

Oh! And "professionals" get someone else to do it...For money!

Dave.

 

[athrun200]

You cannot monitor backing tracks on speakers and sing anyway. If you don't get feedback , you will get track leaking back into the mic and that will sound bad.
Dave.

Sorry, I am new to this recording world. I wonder what is the actual meaning of "mix".
I thought "mix" means that you already have 2 tracks in the computer, and then use audacity to put them together...

 

[ecc83]

Sorry, I am new to this recording world. I wonder what is the actual meaning of "mix".
I thought "mix" means that you already have 2 tracks in the computer, and then use audacity to put them together...

The term "mix" no longer has one, specific meaning in the recording world (if it ever did!)

In a multitrack studio the various instruments had their own track or tracks and these 16,24 even 48 tracks were then "mixed" down to a stereo pair for "mastering" and subsequent vinyl pressing or CD duping.

The home jockey can usually only record up to two tracks at a time but can build as many up as he/she likes depending on the recording software used (often called a DAW) .

he/she then "mixes" those tracks "In The Box" * i.e. in the DAW software to create a stereo result. Mixing does not just mean getting the various instrument levels right but also signals must be "panned" into a believable stereo "space". EQ and reverb will probably be added. .....This is an art and science all of its own!

From the HARDWARE point of view those things we call "mixers" are very rarely used as such by home recordists. No, they are mostly used as microphone pre amps but with the advantage over interfaces that they have more gain and level control and EQ, and pan.

*As opposed to exporting tracks and mixing in hardware.

But! I shall leave this topic now since as a mere technician I am hardly qualified to squeak in such company as Bobbsy and John S!

Dave.

 

[BroKen_H]

Also a big part of mixing is getting all the tracks to play nice together. Pushing the EQ up or down at certain frequencies to get each piece it's own "space" in the "mix" timbre-ally as opposed to the spacial example that Dave gave. It's like taking a bunch of square pieces that sound OK together, but fall apart with little effort and cutting and tweaking them into jigsaw puzzle pieces so they can hold up to more stress (louder volumes and cleaner sound) google "subtractive EQ" for some tips!
By using a combination of additive (boosted) and subtractive (attenuated) EQ you push what sounds good into the mix and lessen what sounds poor.
Now the point to all this ramble (there really is one) is that your computer speakers have already been attenuated and boosted in certain frequencies to sound good with games (lots of thunderous booms and explosions, etc) and they will not allow you to realistically hear the "good" and the "bad". And this is post recording. To sing into your computer with speakers is going to give you fits (Dave covered all that). Start with a decent set of closed back (this is important) headphones so you hear what's being recorded instead of what's going on in the room. Save up some $$$ and get a decent set of monitors. If you're serious about getting good sound out of a small budget, you're in the right place for advice. Be aware, though, that there are minimums, and the great folks here are going to try to steer you toward, at least, those. Shoot for the 202s and see what we're on about and...
Happy Recording!