Monitors, Amps or Pa?

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SaltSlasher

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I have my own office/music room, and I am buying some parts to give me more toys and things to learn.

I wanted to know if I mainly play guitar, but want to record it, bass and mic's, if I buy an interface for my computer, would I be better off with Studio Monitors or a PA system??

I only have a practice amp for my guitar, and I don't have money right now for a guitar amp, bass amp, pa, and Studio Monitors.

So I thought with a PA system I could use it for everything!

But I know that I would have better recording sound with studio monitors.

These are what I have been looking at

Studio Monitors:
Fostex PM0.4 or Alesis M1 Active

PA System:
Phonic Powerpod 410 / S710 or Phonic Powerpod 820 / S710 PA Package

Guitar Amp:
Fender G-DEC 3 Fifteen

I would pick one of these to go with an interface that I haven't picked yet, but I have been looking at the Line 6 UX2.
 
Do you need a PA for something? Monitors are more "honest" for recording accuracy but if you need a PA for playing out you could get by with that for monitoring - you'll need to learn what it's not telling you about your mixes - and then get monitors later. If you don't have live gigging requirements there is little use for a PA.

I have parts of my old PA - stage monitors and the amp - set up in my room just to have an alternative "voice". The PA gear sounds "better" for general listening than my Yamaha near fields but I wouldn't make mix decisions using them.

I don't know anything about the particular gear you posted.


lou
 
I guess the studio monitors could do the same thing as the PA, they just wouldn't be as loud and powerful.

I am just doing this for fun/hobie, so the Fostex's and Alesis are the affordable monitors that aren't completely "cheap" but aren't 300$.
 
You'll get use to your space with the monitors. Granted it won't sound like a concert but you'll have just as much fun and you won't wake the neighbors!
 
Well from what I have read, the Fostex PM0.4n should be plenty loud for me and and my room. If I get it and the Line 6 UX2, I can just play my guitars through it and out the Fostex's.

I just thought since I probably won't have any more big purchases for awhile, a $200 pa system could be my guitar, bass and singing machine. Since I don't have any amp besides for a practice amp for guitar that I got at RC Willey.lol

But I don't think that I will be playing out side the house, I just wanted to setup a Home studio to jam and record. I am going to GC tomorrow to check out the selection, I already got 10-15% off tickets for this weekend at GC, MF and a few others.
 
I have been reading through forums and it seems that someone who has been doing this for a long while has both Studio Monitors and PA in there studio.

Then people like me who are setting up there first home studio, ask this same question because they want the best bang for the buck, unlike what a professional or extreme hobbist who would spend 500-2,00 per monitor.

From this research, I am surprised people are against a PA. I have read several threads that people said to get the PA, and that the Studio Monitors are for precise recording and hearing. But I would just use my already owned 100$ headphones?

But if I place myself in a category, I would say that I am doing this for fun/hobbie, so for my 2 dollars, a PA would be more practical since I don't plan on building cd's to take to record companys. Not to mention I can haul them around and use them for so many things, while my studio monitors would never leave the shelf?

So I am just reflecting on what I have read, I still have a lot of reading, but if I was going to spend $300 on a pair of studio monitors, I could get a decent pa system by my standards!
 
Well I guess you could get a PA then so you can record and play back through them and jam along with your recordings ... If that is what you mean.
 
Yeah, thats one thing. If I plug my guitar/bass/mics into the UX2, then I could simulate amps and pedals. Since I am lame and don't have a real amp, this would give me an all in one.

I understand why you would want someone to use studio monitors if they were going to be recording primarily. I am more experimenting/learning, and it would be nice to have a loud system for all instruments.

But if I do get better at this stuff and get serious about recording, then I would probably spend hella on studio monitors, headphones and mics!
 
I have a question. If I have the UX2, would I need to get Powered Speakers, or passive speakers w/ powered mixer? Or could passive speakers get plugged right in?
 
SaltSlasher said:
I have a question. If I have the UX2, would I need to get Powered Speakers, or passive speakers w/ powered mixer? Or could passive speakers get plugged right in?
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Powered speakers I believe but you may need to get a few cord jack adapters.
Someone at GC or MF would be able to tell you correctly upon your purchase.
 
I have been looking into all the possible ways to record. Is using a Behringer Mixer as an interface any good? or would I just be better off with a regular interface?
 
A mixer isn't an interface, look into getting something like a Tascam US 122 MK11 USB 2.0 audio interface.
 
I was talking about the Behringer USB mixer, but I looked into the Tascam US122 and 144, and I thought the internet said they wouldn't work on Win7 64bit?
 
How about this FireWire Solo?? It seems to be the most affordable FireWire interface. I know its maudio, but what I read sounded good!
 
Wow, after what I just read, I will never buy a m-audio interface! I can not find one bad thing about the UX2. It has everything perfect as far as drivers and i/o goes.

The only thing else is that Tascam but I am not sure how well it operates compared to the uX2, from what I have seen they are very similar besides for ux2's program!
 
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