M-Audio Monitors

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Does anoyone know anything about this setup. it is atually more than I wanted to spend but seems like it is a good deal for the price. Still not sure if I can afford it but we'll see. I bought a set of Roland MA-8 monitors (90.00), but I think I might take them back.
How important is a sub-woofer for mixing? Or would I just be better off going with a good set of head phones for now.
 
ANY speakers, in my opinion, is better than mixing on headphones.

I've used the m-audio bx5s, and now have the bx8's. I made a lot of good stuff on the bx5's, so I'll be the first and probably only to tell you that a sub (or loud/very accurrate bass) doesn't matter that much if you're just starting out, and are worried about money. Later you can always upgrade/addon, right? plus, you can always take your mixes to your car, or to other systems in your house/friends houses' and take a listen on those to hear what the bass/mix sounds like in different places.

Anyway, I don't know if that tells you anything...but oh well. haha.

what are you planning on recording? rap? rock? acoustic tracks? ...
 
yeah you dont need a surround sound speaker setup if you're not mixing for surround. you'd be better off spending the money on a 2 speaker setup.
 
BX5 to BX8

shackrock said:
I've used the m-audio bx5s, and now have the bx8's. .
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so how long have you had the 8's?
did you have a sub on th 5's?

any comparisons to share?
 
I use the BX5's as they are. I think they are really sweet. They're my first set of monitors. I won't be getting any others.
 
5's i had for a year, then went to school for a year and found some 8's for the same price that I could sell my 5's for, so it was like a free upgrade. ha.

8's have a lot more bass too them, it's very noticable. Easier to mix all this rap stuff I'm doing without taking mixes to the car every day. haha.

they 8's also get a lot louder...ha.
 
shackrock said:
5's i had for a year, then went to school for a year and found some 8's for the same price that I could sell my 5's for, so it was like a free upgrade. ha.

8's have a lot more bass too them, it's very noticable. Easier to mix all this rap stuff I'm doing without taking mixes to the car every day. haha.

they 8's also get a lot louder...ha.
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yeah, i tried the 5's very nice but needed a sub. haven't home-tested any 8's.

i get confused?? they say you want to go as low as you can...to Track...
but then in mixes many say to cut all the low,low rumble crap??

so get speakers that go low, and then cut the lows out during mixing?? whooa
 
Just to pick up on this a little more, I am very interested in this thread, so I did some research on these monitors and found that they are highly rated but expensive. Currently on Ebay the BX8's are going for under $300USD

However, given the emphasis on low bass freq. I'm wondering if they are geared more for Hip-Hip/ Rap then for the stuff I'm doing which is Jazz Fusion and Rock?

It seems the BX5's may be the better monitors for me .. right - wrong?
 
Bonz said:
However, given the emphasis on low bass freq. I'm wondering if they are geared more for Hip-Hip/ Rap then for the stuff I'm doing which is Jazz Fusion and Rock?

It seems the BX5's may be the better monitors for me .. right - wrong?
Click to expand...
I think it's a mistake to think of monitors that way. The monitors should be matched to the ear, not to the music.

I can't speak to the M-Audio models specifically because I don't use M-Audio, but the key to getting the right monitors is to find the ones in which if you work with them, your mixes translate best to the "real world" of consumer playback systems.

You've got two choices: 1) head to your local dealer with your favorite CDs and give them a comparison listen to get an idea of what works for you. 2) Buy "sight un-heard" what works best for your budget and intuition and be prepared to spend time (and several CD-R drink coasters) learning the new monitors and getting you ears trained to learn that if it sounds like X here, it will sound like Y in the real world.

Actually, you'll have to do option 2 no matter what. It's just that if you listen first before you buy, the number of drink coasters you make along the way will be smaller. ;)

And you might find out that the BX8s sound better than angels to you...or that both models suck to your ears. You never know until you listen.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
I think it's a mistake to think of monitors that way. The monitors should be matched to the ear, not to the music.

I can't speak to the M-Audio models specifically because I don't use M-Audio, but the key to getting the right monitors is to find the ones in which if you work with them, your mixes translate best to the "real world" of consumer playback systems.

You've got two choices: 1) head to your local dealer with your favorite CDs and give them a comparison listen to get an idea of what works for you. 2) Buy "sight un-heard" what works best for your budget and intuition and be prepared to spend time (and several CD-R drink coasters) learning the new monitors and getting you ears trained to learn that if it sounds like X here, it will sound like Y in the real world.

Actually, you'll have to do option 2 no matter what. It's just that if you listen first before you buy, the number of drink coasters you make along the way will be smaller. ;)

And you might find out that the BX8s sound better than angels to you...or that both models suck to your ears. You never know until you listen.

G.
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:D

OIC, I keep thinking the more money you spend the better but if I'm reading you right, it's really not about the money but the results. If I buy BX8s and get a great mix on them and my neighbor throws my CD in his home system to listen to my Master Piece on his JVC Home Entertainment System, it's probably not going to translate well. I think your option 1. is a good idea and seeing I'm on vacation this week, I have plenty of time to cruise around and check out some monitors large and small. The monitors I'm currently using seem tobe just fine to me but jst when I think I'm ok with the monitor thing, somebody here throws up a thread about not getting good mixes because of the monitors which makes me think "Hey maybe if I spend more cash on monitors, I'll get my mixes right?"

Dude, you're lucky I don't live close to you because I'd probably live at your house. :rolleyes:
 
Bonz said:
Dude, you're lucky I don't live close to you because I'd probably live at your house. :rolleyes:
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You mow the lawn, do all the housework, pay the bills and stay away from my lady, and I might not have a problem with that. ;)

You're on the right track. IN GENERAL, you get what you pay for in monitors; there's usually a reason why the more expensive ones are more expensive, whether it be sound reproduction quality or quality of parts and construction or all of that together. But where the rubber meets the road on this issue is the fact that everybody's ears are different, and what sounds "better" to one person doesn't necessarily sound better to the next.

It's not so much a matter of expensive monitors not matching what Joe Punchclock has on his JVC next door as it is your knowing that if a mix sounds like "this" on your monitors that it will sound like "that" on his JVC. It's a matter of knowing your monitors, knowing your own ears, and training the latter to know what the former are really telling you about the sound of the mix.

The reasons behind the listening to them with your favorite CDs is twofold. One is to find which ones sound the most "right" to you to minimize the amount of "training" your ears have to go through; though you'll still have to learn how they translate to other playback systems. The other is to get something your ears are comfortable with so you can keep the ear fatigue to a minimum. Take it from a guy who has had experience in the past with this; if you are using monitors that just sound too midrange-y to you (for example), your ears, your brain and your mix are all going to get tired after an hour or two of mixing. Get something that's both accurate enough *and* pleasing-sounding to your ears and you can potentially double or triple the time before serious ear fatigue sets in and you have to break. And your resulting mixes will sound better too.

G.
 
I Just Bought A Pair Of M-audio Studiophile Bx5, I Havent Received Them Yet But Hopefully They Are Good. I Paid 145.00 For Them.
 
Bonz said:
Just to pick up on this a little more, I am very interested in this thread, so I did some research on these monitors and found that they are highly rated but expensive. Currently on Ebay the BX8's are going for under $300USD

However, given the emphasis on low bass freq. I'm wondering if they are geared more for Hip-Hip/ Rap then for the stuff I'm doing which is Jazz Fusion and Rock?

It seems the BX5's may be the better monitors for me .. right - wrong?
Click to expand...

Nah this is a bad way to think of things.

The bx5's have less bass response than the bx8's. This would be the case for ANY 5" monitors vs. ANY 8" monitors. Rock and Acoustic stuff needs to have the bass mixed as much as any other type of music. However, hiphop is largley about the bass and people may feel they want to be sure they are mixing it as good as possible right away - which is why they are more likely to fork up another 100 on 8" monitors, or a sub.
 
shackrock said:
Nah this is a bad way to think of things.

The bx5's have less bass response than the bx8's. This would be the case for ANY 5" monitors vs. ANY 8" monitors. Rock and Acoustic stuff needs to have the bass mixed as much as any other type of music. However, hiphop is largley about the bass and people may feel they want to be sure they are mixing it as good as possible right away - which is why they are more likely to fork up another 100 on 8" monitors, or a sub.
Click to expand...

Gotcha :)
 
M-Audio's BX8

I know this thread is kinda old, but I wanted revitalize it a little for those who are thinking about getting this monitor set-up. I've had the 8's for three months and they are my first pair of "real studio" monitors. It's taken me all this time to actually get to the point of "what I hear is what I'm going to get" across different listening environments. My recording chain goes to Soundcraft Ghost, to Alesis HD24Hr to Alesis Masterlink 9600, the end result is still analog to the monitors. I record mostly rock bands. When I first got these monitors I had real problems with the mid-range, this took alot of burning up CD mixes to overcome. My main playback chain is getting a good mixed CD then going into my house to listen to it on my computer where I listen to alot of music, then out to the van for a listen where I listen to alot of CD's, if it passes these two tests it translates. We all want and need bass, man, these monitors have bass for the price and it's easy to put too much bass in the mix, I had a drummer come over this weekend and was listening to another bands mix I'm working on and he asked me where my sub woofer was, "I don't have one" : ) the BX8's get loud too. These have turned out to be excellent monitors, oh I'd love to have some Dynaudios or Genelecs, but for now these will do. If you are thinking about buying these monitors rest assured they will perform. You have to get use to them and practice mixing till they are tuned into your head then you will finally be able to mix across the board literally.
 
I have the M-Audio SP-5's and I like them. I AB'd a bunch of 5" monitors at Sam Ash and to me these sounded the cleanest and most neuteral. I picked them purely based on sound. I think they are basically the previous incarnation of the BX5.

I was using Altec Lansing PC speakers before that for mixing, and I thought they were OK. When I plugged in the SP-5's, and popped in a CD, I was blown away at the difference between these low end monitors vs. mid-high end pc speakers. Also, once I got the new monitors I noticed that my recordings did not sound as good as I thought they did..lol. The SP-5's sounded sweet in comparison. I am sure they would not hold up against high end studio monitors, but for low end monitors and definitely for entry level monitors they are very nice. I have had them for almost a year, and not an ounce of trouble.

It should be noted though: I mix and record metal, rock and country and that is pretty much it - I did not want an exaggerated low end. With the Sp-5's what you hear, is what you get. They are 'tight' on the low freq. stuff, and not 'boomy' or 'subby' (is subby even a word?)
 
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87PRS said:
My recording chain goes to Soundcraft Ghost, to Alesis HD24Hr to Alesis Masterlink 9600

I'd love to have some Dynaudios or Genelecs, but for now these will do.
thats a gearlust setup...very nice i imagine. fhkng touchdown..yeah!
user friendly too i'll bet....mixer with knobs, HD24 pure digital 24bit...
Mast-a-Link to burn a "mastered" CD. i read the limiter is sweeet surprise.

Monitors...i'm getting there too with the monitor thing.
once you hear an upgrade in monitors...

I can't help but "wonder what those would sound like??" :)
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gwayms said:
I Just Bought A Pair Of M-audio Studiophile Bx5, I Havent Received Them Yet But Hopefully They Are Good. I Paid 145.00 For Them.
Click to expand...

Lucky! They are sweet
 
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