NS10M's
Ok guys, lets get this straight once and for all.
The Yamaha NS10m's were never considered to be the creme de la creme of nearfields, having a slightly harsh 1k presence to them - everyone knows they sound a little harsh. The NS10's were used ( and this has been mentioned earlier ) because EVERYONE could go into nearly any studio and use the same speaker's for reference. Thats why they were called reference speakers !
This monitoring thing DOES require the ears to "learn" their environment ( why do good engineers carry a set of trusty speakers with them at all times for reference ??! ), and where NS10's were widely used, it meant any engineer could enter a strange studio and instantly be comfortable knowing they were using a "familiar" set of speakers ( regardless of whether they had a flat or even for that matter - a nice frequency response ).
The same still applies to monitor's in that a flat response is NOT necessary provided the engineer understands the workings of the speaker itself and is used to the shortcomings of the speaker ( or presence areas, phase probs etc ) and the environment into which it is placed ( dont get me wrong though - the flatter the better ! )
Obviously a truly flat response would be nice too, but thats not what the NS10's did. They were there to provide a speaker "staple" ... and thats why engineers used to check their mixes on them ( this had NOTHING to do with them trying to match consumer gear - thats the most idiotic thing Ive ever heard Freeman !! - why would they spend so much money trying to match bad consumer speakers when they could just BUY some bad consumer speakers for a tenth of the price !!!??? ).
Plainly and simply it's up to the engineer/producer to get "intimate" with their monitor's, and understand their shortcomings and plusses, and then to mix bearing these factors in mind when doing so.
Consumer speakers and amplifiers are "loaded" to appear more full on certain frequencies and to "colour" the sound coming out to make it sound more pleasureable. Given that monitor speakers are designed NOT to colour the sound, THAT is what you are looking for - a flat frequency response, so that you can mix in an uncoloured environement, and let the consumer gear do the colouring later once the album is finished. ( Watch out also for doubling of the lower frequencies, and odd X-over frequencies amongst other things ).
Im afraid I agree with all the posters here that disagree with Mr Freeman ! Mr Freeman, it is up to the engineer ( as it always has been ) to use a speaker that best resmbles a flat response for the budget. Then it is again up to the very same person to understand the misgivings of their reference monitors, and to mix accordingly.
The NS10M's were never flat. Please explain then Mr Freeman why, after years of successful NS10 mixes, I wouldnt be able to do the same on some Yamaha MSP5's once I understood their characteristics and how this translates to the recorded energy on my multitrack.
I believe
the NS10m is possibly the best example of how a not so clever speaker can be used as a great monitor, provided the engineer is up to the task of doing their job and using their brain to compare what they are hearing with what they know about the translation of the speaker.
If ONE MONITOR speaker was the be all and end all, why would anyone bother inventing another one ????
Rest assured, monitor's are a personal choice ( with some rather fanatical giudelines of course ! ) and it's up to the engineer to understand their monitoring environment and translate the mixes accordingly.
If you are looking for some active monitors, then consider the following cheapies :
KRKv6 and 8's
genelec 1029A's
Behringer Truths
Yamaha MSP5
HHB Circle 3
KRK V6
Yorkville YSM1P
Alesis M1
Tannoy Reveal Active.
And let your EARS do the critical listening for you - most shops will allow you to test bench htem if you look like a buyer, so just ask at your local, set em up and let your ears decide ( dopnt forget to bring various CD's to test them on ).
There is another new one on the market, I havent had a chance to test yet - the Samson Resolv series. I have no idea what these are like ... anyone tried them yet ?
Over the past 20 years I've worked with lots of them in video studios and audio is not their strong point. The know all about IRE units and which line the VITS are on but not squat about audio.
They don't mix on them, they just test the mixes on them.