Make my own monitors

G

goldfish

New member
Ok, well this isn't strictly a "Recording" question, per se, but I figgered you lot would be fairly knowlegable in this area anyway...

I've thought that it might be cheaper to make my own monitors for on-stage use.. than shell out for powered monitors which seem to cost a fortune.

I found a web page which had a few basic methods for making a speaker cabinet. It was all a bit informal and not entirley useful, but it looks like there are some decent tips in there ...

http://www.dancetech.com/aa_dt_new/pa/construction.CFM

What I've done is go to maplins and have a look at some of their drivers which they sell. They seem to be alright, as far as I can tell... BUT I have seen them in action and frankly it was dissapointing.

Basically what I'm asking is what would I want to look for in a monitor cabinet, and its driver... and how can I get this without breaking the bank! I'm planning to make a wedge shaped box to put them in, so they sit at about a 50 degree angle to the floor... I'm thinking about putting a port in it but not sure whether I'd need it. I'm also not too sure about the power ratings which the drivers give. Is that the maximum power rating that the driver can take from the amp, as in, the peak or what?

These would be used primarily for live use as monitors... so the performers can hear what they're singing!!

Thanks for any help anyone can give me
 
goldfish said:
I've thought that it might be cheaper to make my own monitors for on-stage use.. than shell out for powered monitors which seem to cost a fortune.
Click to expand...

I'm a bit confused . . . do you want to make powered monitors or passive ones? I don't favor powered monitors because they are heavy, expensive, and require two cables (sound and power).

So if you're building passive monitors you'll still need an amp. I have to say used monitors are available here for less than $200 so I'm not sure about cost savings. Beyond the cabinet you'd need connectors, a pot, a crossover, woofer + horn driver & horn, ports, grille, handle . . . it adds up.
 
Sorry to confuse!

I was just saying thay the advantages of a bought active (I'd never be able to make an active monitor) to a built passive is the cost. I like the idea of an active system as you can have as many monitors as you like without taking up piles of rack space, having an amp for each monitor, and you can adjust the volume for each performer.

I'll have a look into some used gear, to be hoest I've not thought of that before (kinda obvious really).

I did a quick add up of all the parts from MDF for the cabinet to horn tweeter, grille, handle, sealing, handle, sound absorbing material inside, and exterior covering and it came up to be about £40 less than the equivilant passive off the shelf model... which to me isnt really enough for it to be worth it.
 
goldfish said:
I like the idea of an active system as you can have as many monitors as you like without taking up piles of rack space, having an amp for each monitor, and you can adjust the volume for each performer.
Click to expand...

Many passive monitors have a level control, and generally you only need a single two-channel amp for monitors which can support up to four cabinets chained on each channel (just be sure to check impedances). Having a separate amp for each cabinet isn't necessary or helpful--usually you only have one or two monitor mixes, and the cabling is a lot simpler the fewer channels you have.
 
With the price (and sound!!!) of the Behringer PA gear that's coming out these days, I'd say that would be the way to go. I've tried to home build speakers, and especially monitors, and i've found it's really tough to get them to sound anywhere close to decent. there's just too many variables ...cabinet material, which drivers to use, which crossover....etc. it just takes too much time, and usually by the time you shell out the dough for the materials, you could have just spent 10-20% more and got a real speaker that sounds much better than the one you just built.

I'm not trying to crush your DIY spirit. I have just found from experience that it's tough to make speakers that sound good. especially for monitors, where dips and peaks in frequency resonse will make it tough to control feedback.

So now my fav cheap monitor is the behringer F1220. totally beats the peavey monitors (the peaveys blow horns alot), and the lower end EV's. and they can get loud.
 
You might think about buying the cheapest monitors you can find, then replacing the drivers/crossovers when they blow with good ones. It'd be a lot easier than building a cabinet from scratch.
 
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