monitor/speaker question...

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LiquidBronze

LiquidBronze

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ok im not sure if i should get actual studio monitors or not
(by this i mean if they are essential)
i already have a 400w (powered) yamaha ms400 pa speaker...
for when i do live recordings with friends so we can hear our voices...
(and i have been using my altec lansing 400w computer speakers for monitoring but the sound isnt that good)
any way i was thinking can i use the pa speaker for monitoring the actual mix?
meaning will i get the same effect from pa speakers as from studio monitor speakers??? (im new to this speaker shit)
becasue i was thinking of picking up a pair of studio monitors but i can also pick up another pa speaker for the same price of two studio speakers.
i just dont want to have an extra set of speakers around collecting dust essentially
can anyone give me any advice??
thanks alot
peace

hope this makes sense lol
 
Do a search on monitors for some additional input.

Get the studio monitors. Your computer speakers are probably better for mixing than PA speakers.

But both will pail in comparison do a decent pair of monitors.
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
A PA speaker is NOT a studio monitor.........

Bruce
Click to expand...
Bruce is correct, of course, but perhaps a bit stingy with the details. Monitors are theoretically designed to have a flat frequency response. The idea being that you hear the recording's details uncolored by any eggregious errors caused by the speakers. If you had a speaker that had a prominent peak in the midrange for instance, you would probably cut that on your EQ so it wouldn't sound "boxy". But when you played it on other speakers, it wouldn't sound right unless they also had that midrange peak. This applies to any abnormal response a speaker might have. But PA speakers are designed to be LOUD and also are often meant to project vocals in particular. So they aren't flat and aren't suitable for monitor use. If you plan on doing much recording, you need a pair of monitors and you don't have to worry about them gathering dust since you will rapidly come to understand that you can't really do good mixes on anything thats not flat.
 
...

thanks for the quick imput guys
and i know pa speakers are not the same as monitor speakers
i was just confused what the real diff. was between them thats all

thanks again
looks like ill get a pair of monitors in the near future then
peace
 
They don't have to be expensive. You can find acceptable monitors for $200-$300. But these won't be loud enough for monitoring vocals during live recording. You'll still have to use the PA stuff for that. The monitors would only be for mixing purposes.

In fact, if your original question was actually what to use for listening to the mix during "live" sessions, then a PA speaker might be more appropriate if you're very loud. For the final mix though, you'll need the studio monitors.
 
Near field Monitors are very different from stage monitors. Fear field monitors are designed to be as flat as possible so that you get a realistic mix that will translate perfectly to any system. When you listen to nearfield monitors, they will sound very uncolored, lacking the exentuated bass and treble frequencies that you are probably used to hearing.

For what you are doing, I would buy a pair of Mackie HR824 Monitors. They get exceptionally loud, so they will work well in live recording environments, and are very good monitors. They only drawback is they'll run you about $1300 to $1800 depending on how good of pricing you get from your dealer. They are definately worth the money.

Also, when buying monitors, if theres some local place where you can actually listen to them, take some cd's you're familiar with, and listen to them on different monitors, keeping in mind that monitors are SUPPOSED to sound flat.

Spend as much as you can on your monitors. These are really what matters in your studio.
 
tyler657recpro said:
Fear field monitors are designed to be as flat as possible ... they will work well in live recording environments ... spend as much as you can on your monitors. These are really what matters in your studio.
Click to expand...

Anyone wanna comment on the above statements? Blue Bear? ...

No? Ok, so I go first ... :o

Fear field monitors? Yes, I had two of those. They were so bad, I was actually scared of using them ...
.. live environments? You're probably referring to "live" in front of 10 people.
... spend as much as you can? That's right. Sell your car, sell your girlfriend and most importantly, sell your mics, preamps, cables, console, effects, ... and spend it all on the monitors. You think that's dumb advice? Well, you're wrong. What you obviously fail to understand is that monitors are what really matters in your studio.

Cheerio
 
mcr said:

Anyone wanna comment on the above statements? Blue Bear? ...
Click to expand...
Well.. no comments are actually necessary... baby-tyler's words really speak for themselves.........

Unfortunately for him, his words are saying - "I have no clue what the hell I'm talking about... I wanna be an engineer so bad, maybe if I post enough confused bullshit I can fool someone into thinking I know what I'm doing........!"

Yep... those words seem clear to me!

Big yikes... :rolleyes:


Bruce
 
Look at these two quotes:

tyler657recpro said:
For what you are doing, I would buy a pair of Mackie HR824 Monitors. They get exceptionally loud, so they will work well in live recording environments, and are very good monitor ... They are definately worth the money.
Click to expand...

and on a couple of hours later, on the same day in a thread about HR824 monitor stands, he asks:

tyler657recpro said:
What do you think of your mackies? Are they great? Are they worth the money? Or is it worth it to spend 200 less and get the 624's?
Click to expand...

... mind the emphasis :D
 
I was speaking in reference to the 824's vs. the 624's which are not loud enough for what he wants to do.
 
Yeah, but sometimes "Toejam Sandwiches" don't taste so bad, as long as you have lotsa' onion on 'em to hide the taste... Steve
 
Hey Steve! What's a cool guy like you doing in a dive like this??? :D

Actually, on Chess's recommendation, I've been following the great Tyler/Bear skirmishes for quite some time. I even did a search for Tyler's name to make sure I didn't miss any of his gems! Practically makes it worth the cost of admission around here. ;)

But hey, even a broken clock is right twice a day. If he had rephrased his thought a little and said "it's not a bad idea to get the best monitor you can afford" it might have come across a little better. That's why i'm saving my pennies for those ADAMs. (Now, let's see, how much do you think I can get for my girlfriend and dog on e-bay....?)
 
Now, let's see, how much do you think I can get for my girlfriend and dog on e-bay....?)


Hmmm let me see... is she toilet trained?






The dog i mean.... hehehe....:):)
 
"Hey Steve! What's a cool guy like you doing in a dive like this???" I dunno, I fell asleep on RO waitin' fer questions to answer, and when I woke up I musta fell on the moose (oops, I meant mouse, that woulda' hurt) and accidentally wound up where somethin' was happenin'... Been just tryin' to help out where I can, while I polish all the acoustic study of the last 15 years by checking out John's excellent insight/experience. Other than that, I kinda figure I should let these good people get used to me before they find out what I'm REALLY like :=)... Steve
 
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