Cheap monitors for a home studio

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Hi guys, basically stuck in a situation here. Just got my first ldc mic, audiobox interface, and software for recording. But my DAW only lets the sound be played back through the interface. I can always plug in headphones to the box but that isn't desirable for obvious reasons (other band members need to hear.) By NO MEANS are we even a slightly professional band and very much so are making amateur recordings with hardly any mixing done. Should i just stick to headphones and maybe get some headphone splitters or use the speakers off of my desktop and use them for my laptop or should i invest in a pair of monitoring speakers?

If the monitoring speakers, why? and what is a pair i can get cheap (like dirt cheap) and be fine for what i am doing with them?

If it makes a difference, im using a Presonus AudioBox 22VSL (USB) and Studio One Producer. I use Windows (Vista) as my os.



Thanks!

For a really cheap entry level set, how does this look?
http://www.amazon.com/Samson-MediaO...al-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1375649943&sr=1-13
 
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If the budget allows, the best option is to get a pair of small nearfield monitors. The best thing to do is bite the bullet from the start and grab some respectable $200-300 monitors if you can. If you want to start off cheaper, M-Audio, Samson, and Alesis have some pretty darn inexpensive ones--not to mention Behringer, yikes! These will inevitably be unfit for mixing, but great for high volume monitoring and playback.

In the meantime, I'd recommend you download the free ASIO4ALL driver from www.asio4all.com where you can enable your audio interfaces inputs and your computer's speaker outputs! This is not usually possible in dedicated drivers that come with an interface.
 
Bane01 said:
In the meantime, I'd recommend you download the free ASIO4ALL driver from ASIO4ALL - Universal ASIO Driver where you can enable your audio interfaces inputs and your computer's speaker outputs! This is not usually possible in dedicated drivers that come with an interface.
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Wait, what? Not sure I would ever recommend a less than desirable 'fake' ASIO driver, just to allow use of PC speakers. Plug the friggen PC 'Desktop' speakers into the headphone output of the Audiobox. Problem solved. Depending on model, you may need one of those silly adapters, but by all means, do not resort to using ASIO4All if you have better actual OEM ASIO drivers at hand. High latency and overall yuckiness comes from ASIO4All. It just fools software into thinking it is using an actual ASIO device.

Getting some monitors is a great idea for the future, as Bane01 addressed. Even better for tracking, would be a headphone distribution amp. You will want to track with headphones to avoid feedback loops.
 
jimmys69 said:
Wait, what? Not sure I would ever recommend a less than desirable 'fake' ASIO driver, just to allow use of PC speakers. Plug the friggen PC 'Desktop' speakers into the headphone output of the Audiobox. Problem solved. Depending on model, you may need one of those silly adapters, but by all means, do not resort to using ASIO4All if you have better actual OEM ASIO drivers at hand. High latency and overall yuckiness comes from ASIO4All. It just fools software into thinking it is using an actual ASIO device.
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Indeed, the connection is a much better solution (forgot about that). ASIO4ALL is always a last resort and I'd never recommend tracking with it due to latency and of course it's weird reaction to MIDI tracks. I did use it for a long time with no significant issues, but still it shouldn't be used as a long term solution in any case, only if you don't happen to have the cable on hand to make the connection described above.
 
Alright cool for now im going to stay away from it, thanks for the suggestion though bane. Would monitors even be necessary at this point? or should i just hold off on those and wait to buy them when i need them? I do have an extra compact mixer laying around i use as a headphone distributor at times when needed. But just have the set of speakers/monitors is easier for all of us to listen for playback. Thanks a ton for the reply and suggestion jimmy!
 
Well if you aren't even going to be mixing you might even be able to get away with some cheap multimedia desktop speakers! If you can afford it though it would be best to grab some cheap nearfield reference monitors, which can generally be trusted to mix in a pinch, as long as you check it on different sources such as headphones with a flat response. Still, its definitely not recommended purist technique!

The above brands have their budget speakers anywhere from $80 to $150. How much are you looking to spend?
 
Anyone in the band got an old stereo amp/receiver and speakers you can use? Good monitors are needed for mixing, but as you mention that this is primarily for the band to hear the recordings, it might be a solution.
 
What Audiobox interface are you using? What operating system? What DAW?

I just picked up the Audiobox Studio and I was having a heck of a time until I played with the knobs. You can isolate the headphones on the interface from the other outputs I think. I'll check tonight when I get home (if you're using the Audiobox USB like I am).
 
Try looking for some used Yorkville YSM1's or Tannoy PBM 6.5's. They sound decent and are very cheap. The used Tannoy should cost you about $100 used.
 
everybody's gonna jump on me but I have behringer truth monitors - ran about 200 a piece. I assume they aren't the best for the price, but I must say they have a great response and I was very surprised by them. they sound a bit fuller than KRK's of the same level in my opinion
 
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