OK. Is this the most crazy thing you ever heard?

JerryD

JerryD

New member
Hi all,

I'm a newbie and I don't know shit.

OK, now that's out of the way. I like the Mackie HR824 monitors.
I can only afford one at the moment. In 6 months I can purchase the other one no problem. Since I don't pan anything anyway and I'm new, wouldn't it be better if I buy just one Mackie monitor now and start using it. Then in 5 or 6 months get the other one in lieu of purchasing two monitors now that I don't really like?

Is this a stupid idea just to buy one monitor? Since I don't pan anything wouldn't the left and right outputs be identical anyway?

Note: Right now I'm using headphones and 1 monitor would be a step up. Especially this one.
 
If your goal is to make mono recordings, then listening in mono is just fine.

However, with music, our ears have been spoiled by a 40 year history of listening to stereo recordings. If you are seriously trying to market or distribute your music to the public (or anyone), it will be difficult to compete with strictly monophonic recordings.
 
Buy the best pair of monitor speakers you can afford now, keep in mind regardless how good or bad your speakers are, as long as you listen to reference cd's (or your favorite band's cds..) you can tell how your music compares. Actually, headphones, cheap to decent speakers is not a bad combination for mixing. The key is to break often, listen to someone else's music for a bit and come back at it. It gives your ears a break, and helps them recover from listening to your "tone" too much. :)
 
THanks

Yeah you guys are right. I think I will buy a set us speakers I"m comfortable with and start switching back and forth between them and the headphonses. Maybe if pan something :)

I was wondering now that I"m really getting into this. Where can you find real high quality songs (digital) to compare to what ever I'm doing. Does anyone have really good sample songs that they use to compare???

Or will a mp3 converted to a wav suffice?
 
Just listen to C.D.'s that you feel are really well produced and mixed through your mixing rig. This will give you something to shoot for.
 
JerryD


I agree with MisterX here. You really need to build up slow. Get the best PAIR of monitors that you can afford and get your basics down with the gear that you have. Get a workflow going. Get to know your gear (even if it's headphones at this stage).

I have a pro studio and hey - even I would like the Mackies - but after much study and listening - I settled on a pair of Event 20/20BAS that to my ears sound much better that the Mackies and cost a whole lot less.

Cuzin B
 
Depending on your time frame it doesnt sound that weird. I would rather have a good pair in a few months than crap now.

I would recomend a used pair of Yamaha NS10M's for anybody looking for reasonable monitors. They were around $400 new and there is a pair in every pro studio in the world.

If you are just messing around at home than working with mono until you get the hang of the basics is not a bad idea at all. It will help you to look out for phase problems and to use EQ to help the tracks fit together instead of resorting to stereo panning and delays.

The latest chili peppers album is almost entirely mono.
 
At the risk of incurring great wrath from the masses, I disagree about the NS-10m's. Yes, they were an industry standard, but that's because for years they were one of the few portable models available and since everyone used them, everyone knew how to compensate for their crappy sound. (A moment while I duck and cover!) I admit, I have a pair myself (but not as my main go-to monitors).

But if you're just starting out, I would go for something a little more pleasant to listen to for hours on end, and something with a little better low end. That would include most of what is available today. (Perhaps it is not merely a coincidence that even yamaha has no desire to continue manufacturing the NS-10m's)
 
I wouldnt buy just one, who knows if the exact one will be available when you can afford another one. Manufacturers change designs and models all the time/
 
Sorry to make your head spin, but I'm going to chime in with a vote for get one good one now. The 824's going to be around a while, and is a helluva value.

If you're not under pressure to produce mixes for distribution in the next six months till you get the bux for another, why the hell not? Mono is not death.
-kent
 
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