About Studio Monitors

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Mattybass

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Hello everyone!

I just took the plunge into a bit of actual recording hardware. I'm a music student studying bass guitar at MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta. My bass teacher encouraged me to buy an audio interface to record myself playing and practice against myself. At the same time I've been interested in recording some simple guitar and vocal tracks, etc.

I bought the Edirol FA-66 audio interface today (yes I know, it just got rereleased under the Cakewalk name at NAMM, but it's exactly the same.) Now I'm running it via Firewire to my 13" Macbook Pro (base model if it helps).

I realized I need a set of studio monitors to eliminate the lag through my speakers. As it is, I'm using Logitech Z-5500 speakers through the laptop's headphone port. Of course these don't cut it.

My question is this: If I buy active studio monitors (I had the Mackie MR5's in mind), will playing everyday music through them sound ok? Of course there's no sub, but what will the tradeoff be? I tend to have audiophile ears so having great-sounding music is a must. Will I need to keep the Z-5500's hooked up to listen to music on iTunes or will the monitors sound even better?

Thanks guys!
 
Studio monitors are flat in response if you can get by that your ok. I'm ok with it when I listen to every day music.
Home stereo speakers seam to be hyped...for your listening pleasure.
 
Interestingly enough, my 'flat' studio loudspeakers are my best sounding speakers.
 
I think you'll find the same thing in a lot of studio rats. Home stereo speakers are designed to sound good. Studio monitors are designed to tell the truth. The longer we listen to studio monitors, the more convinced we become that the truth *does* sound good. More and more, when I listen to consumer audio equipment, even pretty good stuff, I find myself missing that near field reference sound. It's like spending time with a truly beautiful woman who doesn't wear makeup, and then looking at one who wears too much. Reality is better than most illusions.-Richie
 
Welcome to HR - I live across the street from WEM.... Do you go to the west end campus? Cool to see someone on here that lives in Edmonton....
 
You can study bass guitar at university?

Man the world has changed....

Bill Wyman would be rolling over in his grave. He is dead, isn't he? Or will be soon if he doesn't stop dating 18 year olds...
 
Holy hell, I've never seen this many responses from a first post! This is amazing!!

If the music is EQ'd then that will also improve the sound for average playback anyways, correct? I'm really debating what to do now because I miraculously got a response for the ad I put up on my computer speakers. I'm really debating whether to sell them or not, or keep them for a future surround system if I get a flat screen... although I don't see that happening anytime soon haha.

Yeah I go to the West End campus in Jasper Place! I actually live in St. Albert, sort of sucks having to commute every day though.:(

Bass guitar in school. Who woulda thunk it. But actually MacEwan is one of Canada's top music schools. My bass teacher has played with some amazing musicians. He even turned down an opportunity to play with Trooper when they first started! (Not saying much, but hey, it's a fun fact!)
 
Will EQ make music sound better? That is one of the great cosmic crap shoots. First, you can't get 2 audio techs to agree on what sounds good. Secondly, EQ is a two edged sword/tool. It can't add anything that isn't already there, it can only subtract things. Badly done EQ can trash any piece of music, and the difference between well done and badly done is a matter of opinion. EQ is like a knife. We all have it, most of us use it, and we don't always agree on what is should be used for.-Richie
 
Interesting thought, that makes sense though. Well I think I'm convinced enough to take the dip and get some monitors. I'm going to sell the Logitech speakers and get some good monitors. Might miss having a huge sub once in a while but I'll get over it. :rolleyes:
 
So add a huge sub to your monitors. There are plenty of subs designed to be part of studio monitor arrays.-Richie
 
Ah I see... Now in that case, would I need to buy a 2.1 monitor setup? Or are studio monitors different in the sense that they can be mixed and matched with other hardware? I'm just trying to get my head out of the fixation on consumer electronics like my logitechs, where you pretty much have to set it up one way and thats all.
 
You should be careful when using a sub while mixing you'll need to check your mixes on other references like your car cd player, boom box or home stereo to make sure that what your hear is what you want for a final mix. It will take a little experimentation to know what your new monitor set up will sound like to get a great out side of the studio sound.
 
Generally, both monitor outs will go to the sub, which has a built in crossover, usually with an adjustable crossover set point and a separate volume. So if you set the crossover at say, 150Hz, it will send all frequencies above 150 Hz to the satellites. Then you set the level controls on all three speakers until you get the right balance. They don't really have to match anything, but of course, a lousy sub and kickass satellites may not sound so good together. My mains were designed to work with a sub. Without it, they don't produce enough bass to be useful. Together, it's a pretty good system.-Richie
 
Hmm... Well as I was looking at the price of some of those subs, I don't think it's going to happen for a while anyways. I would rather here clean, accurate music with less bass than listen through my headphone jack anyways.

Thanks for the tips guys! I think I'm going to buy those Mackie MR5's that seem to be really popular for entry-level recording/listening. I'm glad some of the reviews I read on them said they sounded good for listening to music as that will occur more than actual recording, most likely.
 
Well that's one of the nice things about a sub- you can add it later. I knew initially that I wasn't going to be mixing my first album, so I confess I went pretty cheap on the monitors compared to the mics and pres. I got a pair of M-Audio SP5B's. I wondered why the bass port was on the back instead of the front. My mixes were always way too bassy when I listened to them in the car, or on a consumer system. Then one day I bumped into the regional M-Audio rep by accident at Guitar Center, and we were discussing several of their products. He explained to me that the SP5B's were never intended as a standalone monitor system, but were designed to work with the SBX subwoofer. Well, I bought it and- problem solved.

One thing- if you are mixing on monitors, they don't really have to be great. You just have to know how they need to sound to translate well to consumer systems. Plenty of big time recordings have been mixed on pretty cheap speakers, because the mixing engineer understood them. As far as what Moresound said- it's true. It takes a while to get the crossover point and the relative level set between the sub and the satellites. Once you get it right, so what sounds right on them sounds right in the car, or on a cheap boombox, or through an ipod with cheap headphones, don't change the levels or the crossover point, and don't move the speakers. Once you get it so it ain't broke, don't fix it.-Richie
 
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