Is it just me?

[LoudGary]

I recently aquired a nice pair of KRK Rocket 5's for my studio. I've spent the last few days listening to my favorite mixes to condition my ears to the new monitors. However, in the past I was using my old Awia bookshelf stereo system to reference my mixes. The main reason for this was because the speakers with the system were very clear and seemed to my untrained ears to be somewhat flat. My mixes were very decent and everything seem to fall into its sonic place. Even putting the CD in other sources, the mix always sounded good (not when I first started though but another story).

I did a session the other day and my mix was way off with the new KRK's when put into another source. I figured it would be 10 times better due to the sound of these (KRK) monitors versus my non conventional bookshelf speakers and providing the fact that I conditioned my ears, and everything coming out from them was amazingly clear.

Am I doing something wrong?

 

[Chibi Nappa]

Sounds like you think you conditioned your ears but didn't. It might take more than a few days to overcome years of training on the old speakers. Keep listening to those reference CDs.

And make sure you're not doing anything else when listening. Just you, the speakers, and the music.

 

[LoudGary]

Thanks, I'm still wondering though if it could be a room thing as well. The old speakers don't have near the throw of these monitors and are no where near as clear. I'm looking into that aspect as well as the space is in serious need of treatment. I have no trouble getting good mixes with the cans or with the old speakers, but I will condition my ears more and see if that does the trick.

 

[dkelley]

the funny thing about revealing monitors and mixing is...


... it's WAY easier to mix well as a beginner if you mix a style of music you know on the stereo you're used to listening to. And for the record, there's nothing wrong with mixing on home stereo speakers in an average room as long as you have a way of checking bass buildup etc since standing waves will screw you from really finding out about certain issues that a great stereo in a great treated room might reveal later on. But still, it's the easiest way to get a good quick mix (a treated room helps a ton though of course). you do need to check for issues using revealing monitors or headphones etc regularly to ensure there aren't technical issues that your average speakers aren't revealing to you...

but to do it like a pro you will need to learn your monitors and use them full time:

studio monitors sound way different from most home speakers. That's because they are typically (not always though) far more accurate, revealing, and flat (although krks do sometimes have a bit of an increased low frequency bump unfortunately, I don't know which models do and don't have that though, I just have read about it and personally experienced it at other studios - great monitors though, just worth noting since you'll need to have lots of bass coming from the krks to hear any bass in your mixes when played back on normal stereos).

So listen for WEEKS on the krks in your studio setting (bedroom, whatever it is . listen to your favorite cds on them. ONLY listen to them, not your old stereo. Learn to love your music all over again on them. Learn to identify personally with the sound of the kick drum, the bass guitar, the cymbals, the snare, the rhythm guitars, the vocals, the levels. It will all sound different from what you're used to and you need to be able to pick apart your favorite commercial records well like that to really learn your monitors.

THEN remix one of your songs on them while trying to match what you've just recently learned to love in the sound of your fav cds on those same monitors.

It's a process... it takes time to learn speakers.

the more monitors you use, the faster you can do this, but it always takes time.

cheers,
Don

 

[Monkey Allen]

The KRK Rocket 5's might have a larger mass than the Awia bookshelf stereo system. The bass output...every frequency output might be totally different