Can someone please explain what makes a speaker a "monitor"?

[Jedman]

Is a set of monitor speakers some special kind of speaker, or am I just getting thrown by the new (to me) terminology?

I could use my Cambridge Soundworks digital (2.1) set that I had (hooked up to the Audigy2) to monitor my mixes off the new WaMi Rack 192L, because a speaker is a speaker, right?
Maybe the quality will not be as good though...or maybe I just don't know what I'm talking about!

Help me out here, guys,
Jed

 

[M.Brane]

Monitors are designed to sound accurate.

Home stereo speakers are designed to sound pleasant, even the high-end stuff.

If you were to hook up a good set of studio monitors to your stereo for casual listening, you would probably think they sounded harsh and lacked bass.

I'm not going to tell you you can't mix on stereo speakers (I do) but it's much easier to do on monitors. A lot less guesswork involved.

Your room acoustics and monitor placement are also big factors in getting things to sound right, probably more than the actual speakers themselves.

 

[Jedman]

I see. So a monitor is made to reproduce the sound waves exactly as they are, and doesn't make your music sound good...which leads me to ask, why does that matter, if all the people who listen to your music (in final form) are going to be listening to it on Stereo Speakers? I mean if you mix a CD and sell it to me, I'm going to play it through "regular" stereo speakers, not through monitors, so would it then sound different than you wanted it to in the first place?
Thanks if you can clear that up for me...
Jed

 

[Richard Monroe]

More than that, Jed. Home audio speakers reproduce the fairly narrow range of frequencies normally used in radio broadcasts and music. Reference monitors are made to reproduce the whole audio spectrum. Made for critical listening, they must reproduce the whole signal, especially that which sucks. Your stereo tries to reject noise, but your monitors paint the picture with the whole palette. Projection is an issue also. Stereo speakers are meant to fill a room with sound. Monitors are meant to fill about 1 cubic foot with sound.-Richie

 

[ambi]

Jedman. if you mix on your creative 2.1 speakers, your mixes will sound like shit on any other system than the creative 2.1 speakers. pretty much gauranteed.

If get to know a set of monitors and mix on them, it should translate quite well on ALL systems.

A set of home stereo bookshelf speakers, with 6-8 inch mid/bass drivers and a tweeter are not very good for mixing, but they are a lot better than multimedia speakers with 3.5inch mid drivers and subwoofers. The difference between bookshelf home stereo speakers and monitors is HUGE, so imagine the difference between monitors and multimedia speakers.

It's just a given, there are tons of facts and research behind it, etc... but it's a basic fact, you need to mix on monitoring speakers. Bookshelfs can work, but not idealy, and multimedia speakers, especially with subwoofers are out of the question completely.

 

[Jedman]

Alright. Man, one more thing, I guess. Well, what are some decent monitors for a good price? I'd probably have to get some used ones...they look kind of expensive at musician's friend.
Thanks for the help so far, and if you could suggest a few models to look at, I'd appreciate it. -- and this is just a "home job" recording room -- not a fancy studio or anything!
Jed

 

[jake-owa]

Do you have a power amp?
If so you could get a decent pair of used JBL, Alesis, or Event studio monitors on Ebay or something. If not spend the extra cash for some decent powered ones (amplifiers inside the speakers). Eventmonitors sound pretty good to me and can be found used for a cheap price.

Event search.

 

[ambi]

You CAN mix on shitty speakers, i'm mixing on multimedia speakers right now until i get monitors. It just takes WAY longer, and you'll never get the same results. As soon as i get the money i'm buying some Yorkville YSMi's.

 

[M.Brane]

I see. So a monitor is made to reproduce the sound waves exactly as they are, and doesn't make your music sound good...which leads me to ask, why does that matter, if all the people who listen to your music (in final form) are going to be listening to it on Stereo Speakers? I mean if you mix a CD and sell it to me, I'm going to play it through "regular" stereo speakers, not through monitors, so would it then sound different than you wanted it to in the first place?
Thanks if you can clear that up for me...
Jed

And that is the function of studio monitors. They let you hear exactly what your mix sounds like so if it sounds good on them it will sound good on everything else.

If you mix on stereo speakers you'll have to check your mixes on many different systems just to be in the ballpark. That means lots of trial & error tweaking. I use 3 sets of speakers + headphones and still have a hard time getting my mixes to translate well. After I deal with some room treatment issues my next purchase will be a good set of near-fields: probably Tannoys or KRK's unless I can find a good pair of NS10's (yeah, right).

 

[Jedman]

Ahhhh - I get it! If I can make a mix sound good on Monitors, then everyone's happy.
Well, what about these on Ebay: Edirol MA-10D -- they're powered, digital & analog, have RCA & coaxial ins, 24/96 DACs. Here's a link for the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2512735354&category=23786

Worth me biting on?

Thanks for all the noob help,
Jed

 

[ambi]

I don't think these are "real" monitoring speakers.

I would pass.

 

[ambi]

these would be considered real
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2511630582&category=23786

but you need to buy an amp to drive them

Also check out the Yorkville YSMi's, and the Tannoy reveals.

Active monitors are monitors with power amplifiers built into them, so that you don't need an external amplifier. BUT they are more expensive.

If you add up the cost of passive speakers and an Amp the price is quite similar, but you can always find deals on ebay and different stores.

i believe the Hafler ta1600 is a popular amplifier for passive speakers.

And the yorkville ysmi's are known for being excellent monitors at a cheap price.

 

[M.Brane]

That's the first time I've seen those particular speakers (notice I didn't call them monitors ) and they don't look promising. Too much gadgetry, and not enough speaker. If you could get 'em for, say, $100 including shipping they might be OK to use while you look for something better. After all, why are they being sold so cheap with so little use?

Any more than that and you'd be better off to save for something better.

The JBL 8" 2-ways I'm using for near-fields were $90 for the pair new, and not too shabby for home stereo stuff. Of course they aren't powered, but I already had a good amp.

 

[Jedman]

Yeah, good point. Well, can I just use any stereo amp, or do I need something special? What do you use? I mean, just for once, can't an amp be an amp and not require me to buy something new? Does it matter the size of monitors (like 8", 12", etc), or is that dependant on the space I have available (not much anymore).

Jed

 

[sweetnubs]

you guys are all wrong. A montior is an enclosure containing one or more speakers.

 

[alfalfa]

Yeah, good point. Well, can I just use any stereo amp, or do I need something special? Jed

What stereo amp are you using now? A decent hifi stereo amp should be adequate for your needs.

 

[Jedman]

Hey thanks for the help guys! I walked into a SWEET deal (like 50% off) on some JBL studio monitors in a local store, and I couldn't pass them up. Someone had special ordered them, but they couldn't cough up the dough, so...I got to striking up a conversation with the salesman...
I've got a pretty new 100watt X 5 Pioneer 5.1 digital reciever/amp, (the VSX-D411 if it matters), so that's what I'm going to use...can't afford another one, so I hope this is OK.
I'm using 16guage speaker wire, w/ gold banana clips on the terminal ends...is this a good enough setup?

What do you guys think about electricity / line noise? Do I need some kind of line conditioner on all this new gear?
Thanks,
Jed