Dont Have To Sound Good

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jmorris

jmorris

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MONITORS DONT HAVE TO SOUND GOOD TO BE GOOD! THE NS 10'S ARE IN ALL THE BIG STUDIOS I THINK BECAUSE THEY GIVE A TRUE REFLECTION OF WHAT THE REAL SOUND IS. HAS ANYONE EVER COMPLETED A MIX,ONLY TO POP IT INTO YOUR CAR OR HOME STEREO AND SAY "SHIT,WHAT IS THIS?" A GOOD MONITOR SPEAKER WILL NOT MAKE A RECORDING TOO BOTTOM HEAVY, OR TOO BRIGHT. IT WILL HOPEFULLY LET YOU MIX SO IT WILL SOUND GREAT ON ALL SYSTEMS.ALSO,WHATEVER SPEAKERS YOUR USING, YOU NEED TO USE THEM A LOT,LEARN THEM, KNOW WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE COMPARED TO OTHERS.
 
Just remember not to get a cheap pair of ears or else you're really asking for trouble.

Isaiah
 
jmorris said:
MONITORS DONT HAVE TO SOUND GOOD TO BE GOOD! THE NS 10'S ARE IN ALL THE BIG STUDIOS I THINK BECAUSE THEY GIVE A TRUE REFLECTION OF WHAT THE REAL SOUND IS.
No, they are in all the studios because years ago, Yamaha was giving them out like candy and people got used to them.


HAS ANYONE EVER COMPLETED A MIX,ONLY TO POP IT INTO YOUR CAR OR HOME STEREO AND SAY "SHIT,WHAT IS THIS?"
Nope, not once.... I've NEVER done a bad mix... ;) :D
Do you mean to imply that I should get some NS10s so I can know what a bad mix is like?


A GOOD MONITOR SPEAKER WILL NOT MAKE A RECORDING TOO BOTTOM HEAVY, OR TOO BRIGHT.
Then explain why the NS-10s, with their excessive midrange honk, boomy mid-bass, and lack of low bass are used!


IT WILL HOPEFULLY LET YOU MIX SO IT WILL SOUND GREAT ON ALL SYSTEMS.ALSO,WHATEVER SPEAKERS YOUR USING, YOU NEED TO USE THEM A LOT,LEARN THEM, KNOW WHAT THEY SOUND LIKE COMPARED TO OTHERS.
Well, that's true enough....

BTW, why are you shouting??

Bruce
 
He's shouting because the text on his screen tells him that it looks best if he uses all caps..

He didn't try his text out on other systems before posting..
 
On the other side of the issue there are recordings that I used to like to listen to, that since Ive got studio monitors I dont like anymore(while going thru the monitors).

While hearing everything uncolored is fine for the steely dan catalog. the heavier rock from the seventies tends to sound bad on them.( I think there was a period when engineers were using these auralux monitors that trashed stuff up).
 
Cool! found something to disagree on Blue!!
NS10's certainly didn't get popular because Yamaha gave them away, there were always plenty of alternatives. Apart from that, you can find NS10's in just about every major facility - not exactly the kind of places that would skimp a couple of bucks on nearfields?
More hits (and records on the whole) have been referenced on NS10's than any other monitors, but no engineer on earth will have a pair at home to listen to.
First - its difficult to get anything to sound good on NS10's. Rest assured, if you do manage to do just that, it will sound GOOD on anything else.
Second - they are extremely unforgiving. Make a mistake and you hear it, it will more or less jump in your face.
I fully realise that, for people who always work in one place, it is possible to use whatever system, and obtain good results. But for people like myself, who work all over the place, in lots of different facilities, NS10's have often been the saviours.
If ever I go somewhere where I'm not sure about the monitoring system, acoustics, or system calibration, I will use NS10's, as do MANY of my collegues.
Personally I find a large number of modern monitors totally useless.
Why should I reference on monitors which sound "nice", monitors which hide any errors I might make?
I learned my lessons the hard way. For example, I remember working in a large facility with extremely expensive main monitors, and Genelex near / mids. My mixes sounded great on both, but when I put them on a cassette when I drove back to the hotel they sounded bad in the car. Also on a boom box they didn't do very well. I asked for a pair of NS's, hooked them up, and everything sounded awful - had to make major changes to the balance and structure of the mixes, which took 4 extra days.
After that the mixes sounded good on the NS10's. on the studio's mains and nears, in the car, and on the boom box.

You can keep "nice" - as long as I can have a set of monitors which scream WRONG at me, I'm happy
 
heh-heh...

It was bound to happen at least once Sjoko! :D :D

Bruce
 
Hi,

Even if you don't like them get a pair. They will help with bookings. Everyone expects to see a pair on the console.

Besides that they are a truly very usefull tool. Shit, I agree with sojoko2 :)
 
All these arguments are futile.
What ever monitor you cjoose the first desicion should be to match them to your room-were you will place them and were you will be sitting-how much acoustic treatment you have invested in the room.

Any thing else IMHO is playing games with monitors.
Example: If you buy monitors that have a nice bass response yet yuor room is untreated you will not here correctly the lower freq's so what matter is it if you own a $2000 monitor?.

If they are placed in a small room they will sound totaly different then in the shop so how can you decide on hearing them there?.
Small room? go for a smaller monitor. As it is your going to have a problem with the lows...........
My suggestion would be to take them home check them out in your room, Listen to the 80-210Hz, listen to music that is not over done (to much bass to much highs), listen to them with a normal volume (not to loud) and take with you a recording of a piano playing "A". Hear how crystalic it sounds in the highs and see that it sounds natural and not syntetic or the sort.

Take if you can a few brands home and test them against each other.

Never mix on a single pair. Find at least one other references.

Hows about we all rest from these which monitor is better threads :) (just a suggestion)
 
Re: Re: Dont Have To Sound Good

Blue Bear Sound said:

Nope, not once.... I've NEVER done a bad mix... ;) :D

I've can testify that Bruce has never EVER done a bad mix!
 
"All these arguments are futile. " ?????
I didn't see any arguments anywhere
 
Re: Re: Re: Dont Have To Sound Good

Wallycleaver said:


I've can testify that Bruce has never EVER done a bad mix!
heh-heh-heh...

:D :D

(i do hope everyone realizes I was kidding!)
 
What!?!?!?!?! Bruce, you mean..................you, bad ass mofo mixer of Canadian music, have made a bad mix at some point in your life? I don't know what to say, I'm crushed! :D
 
sjoko2

sjoko2, you said it in words better than I could! I also agree.the big boys are NOT going to use a $300.00 pair of speakers just because they got then free( if that even be the case) Oh, yeah lets use the shitty free monitors but go spend $5000,00 on a Neumann U47!!! Duh!!! Again, if you can get a good mix on NS 10's, the rest of the world should sound fine.
 
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Since the proliferation of active monitors, it's relatively easy for engineers to take their preferred monitors with them as they move about - so there is little reason for studios to keep NS-10s around for only that reason.

For me, personally, I have tried to work with NS-10s and found them far too fatiguing. Mixing's intensive enough, why fight with your ears at the same time?? Use good monitors that you've come to learn how to translate mixes on and you will do just fine........

Bruce
 
and then.....just to make sure, listen to your mixes on a pair of NS10's ;)
 
opps!

Sorry guys,did not know caps was shouting! My wife just told me. Not up on all this hidden internet stuff I guess. I was lazy when I noticed caps were on, Anyways, I agree with Bruce....learn how your monitors sound in relation to other speakers and you'll be fine. I use Tannoy reveals now-near field- but what is a good set of speakers for sitting back a BIT and giving a listen.
 
sjoko2 said:
and then.....just to make sure, listen to your mixes on a pair of NS10's ;)
Agreed!

(well... not necessarily NS-10s - in my case anyways - I have 2nd (Tannoy Proto-J), 3rd (cheapie Auratone equivalent - mono), and 4th (cheapie computer speaker -mono) references!) ;)

Then there's boombox and car as well!

Bruce
 
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