confused about monitors--need help

[canadave]

Hi all,

Yep, I'm a newb, so this question will probably be redundant AND sound silly. I'm looking to put the finishing touches on my first home recording studio (never had the time or money before to set one up). I'm delving into MIDI-based music for the first time, got myself a Motif XS, Tracktion DAW, etc. I'm not looking to get signed by Arista Records...I just want to maybe get a few MP3's out on the net of some good old rock'n'roll that sound half-decent. I'm an amateur, but I'd like to get at least half-decent equipment--i.e. not use my computer's speakers for mixing.

Last piece I need is monitors (I've been using studio headphones up til now). I'm on a very tight budget, and therein lies the problem. I've done a ton of research, and all it's done is left me more confused about what to do than before.

First I read that the KRK RP-5's are generally acknowledged as one of the best budget monitors. Great! But then I read other people saying they're barely consumer grade, 5-inch cones can't put out a good mix unless you get a subwoofer (which would put it out of my budgetary range), etc etc. Then I read other people saying "You get what you pay for...save up and get a pair of really good monitors." And then, just to finish muddying things, someone pointed out that many platinum records of the past were mixed on shite monitors.

So, which is it? All things being equal, I like the look of those RP5's....can people here give their opinion on whether it's a waste of money and I should stick to the headphones? Am I kidding myself thinking I can spend $99 apiece on a pair of these monitors and come away with a decent-sounding mix out of them? I'm new to all this, so I really need some experienced advice. Again--not looking for professional CD-ready quality....I just want something that will let me listen to my songs and mix them so they'll sound okay on a variety of speaker setups. I tried playing some songs on my computer speakers that I'd mixed with my headphones, and it sounded absolutely horrible....unlike various artists' MP3's I play on the same computer speakers, which all sound fine.

Thanks in advance!
Dave

[noisewreck]

Personally I've never been a fan of the KRK monitors. They kind of sound blurry to me, and it's not a size thing. The larger ones sound even more muddy to my ears than the smaller ones. They'd make good second set of speakers, but I wouldn't go for them as primary monitors.

[Dogbreath]

I know nothing about the KRK's. Never tried em. But I use the Adam A7's, which are probably out of budget but when I started, I used a couple of good home stereo speakers with an amp and got some pretty good mixes. The key was to learn the speakers. I'd mix and burn a cd, find out it sucked on other systems, tweak the mix, burn another cd, listen on other systems etc...

I don't think you'll get as good of mixes, though, with out some treatment in the room. Even with good monitors. Too many nulls and voids to get an accurate sound image. But you can get pretty decent mixes.

Trial n error mang....