Help to upgrade monitors! / Song mix.

AndreiR

AndreiR

Member
I know it's been covered from many different angles. But here is my novice question:

I currently have a pair of M-audio Studiophile SP-5B monitors in my home studio. I got them a while ago for video editing purpose. Now when I started mixing my own music, I see (or rather hear)) that they aren't adequate -- sound a bit boxy and bass is not very present. Would anybody recommend an upgrade to those out of what is available on the market today? Do you think $200 (all I have) will buy me something better? Or should I just stick to what I have and learn to use them? Right now I hear a big difference between the sound out of the monitors and the other stereo systems that I have in the house. Now my mixing experience is more like guessing.

Thank you for your help!
 
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I do try to analyze some music that I listen to on my monitors. I just don't have anything specific tracks that would sound close to what I'm trying to do. Can you suggest any?
 
Pick a referance track from the same genre (my guess would be garage band)as you are trying to achieve
Import it into your daw so you can cross referance it against your own track to see how it compares.

eg if your doing a reggae number and you really want that sly and robbie sound. Find a track that is close to what you want to achieve.
Import it into the daw in its own stereo track.
notice the seperation of the instruments. length of notes on differant instruments, the arrangement, format, where differant instruments come in and go out. how the lift is achieved in the chorus etc
and use some of the same instruments and trick that the pros do.
I hope this makes sense
 
most of all though if your track sounds far off from the referance track then try to get the same sound as the pro track.
Say for example the bass and drums dont stand out as much as they do in the pro track make the changes needed.
The aim is to mix so that when you burn to cd or whatever medium and play the track back on another system be it car stereo, boom box, house entertainment system that your tracks dont loose anything.
 
kip4 said:
most of all though if your track sounds far off from the referance track then try to get the same sound as the pro track.
Say for example the bass and drums dont stand out as much as they do in the pro track make the changes needed.
The aim is to mix so that when you burn to cd or whatever medium and play the track back on another system be it car stereo, boom box, house entertainment system that your tracks dont loose anything.
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Thank you, Kip4 for your help! There is lots to learn.
Would using a reference track solve the problem with poor monitors?
 
no it would not but at least you know what your mixs sound like compared to pro mixs even on the same monitors.

can i just say there is a lot of low end on your track. It might help to eq some of it out at the mix stage on instruments where it is not needed. just an observation. But then again i dont have the best monitors either or room or treatment for that matter so it might just be me.
 
kip4 said:
no it would not but at least you know what your mixs sound like compared to pro mixs even on the same monitors.

can i just say there is a lot of low end on your track. It might help to eq some of it out at the mix stage on instruments where it is not needed. just an observation. But then again i dont have the best monitors either or room or treatment for that matter so it might just be me.
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Thank you, Kip4! I feel the same about the low end, even though almost all instruments are EQed with cutting off the lower frequencies. I think it happens in the compression of a master track.
 
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The basic answer is that you need to learn your monitors, whichever ones they are. Unless you've got $$$ monitors in a well-treated room, this applies (and even then!)
 
mjbphotos said:
The basic answer is that you need to learn your monitors, whichever ones they are. Unless you've got $$$ monitors in a well-treated room, this applies (and even then!)
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Thank you, mjbphotos! I just got a pair of KRK Rokit-6. And I have to say -- the difference is huge! NOW with the dissent monitors I will learn them and improve the room.
 
james@refinery said:
Definitely look at your room as well. It's equally as important. If you have the best monitors in the world there not going to be of any use if your room sounds awful.

Have a look at a company called GIK acoustics. There really friendly and have some great high quality acoustic treatment. Behringer also make the ECM8000 flat frequency response microphone for under £40. Download Room E.Q and run some tests with that microphone and it will reveal the frequency response and response times of your room.
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Thank you James for your info. It sounds great. I already treated the room. Nothing too fancy, but it's a big improvement from what it was. It's interesting to learn what to do with the results of a room EQ testing?
 
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