Monitors for a newbie

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zdr1977

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Hey all! First post here :-)

Anyway, I'm starting to put together a little recording set up on my PC. I just purchased a Behringer V-Amp Pro over the weekend and I have an M-Audio DiO 2448 coming so I can record from my V-amp in digital...so now I'm wanting a good pair of starter monitors.

Any recommendations from anyone? I guess I'd prefer to keep the price under $250 for a pair and hopefully have something with digital inputs on it. Any help is greatly appreciated :-)

Thanks!
 
Phyl,

thanks for the response. Digital is just a wish..certainly not a necessity. At this point, just a nice pair of powered studio monitors would do just fine. I'll try and scope out some of those m-audio monitors.
 
I also use the active M-Audio BX5s (I paid $270 new) with good results although the bass is barely enough--a common problem with such small woofers. I do get good, transferable mixes, though, and like the clarity and balance of sound, overall.

You might also try out the new Tapco/Mackie S5 monitors--also powered--and in the $300 range. I haven't heard them but just read a positive review in SOS mag. They're probably similar to the Tapco's in many ways.

Good luck,

J.
 
I hate to say this, but I've seen Behringer Truth monitors (with the 8" woofers) for around $300 per PAIR at Musician's Friend recently.

As much as people flame them, they're probably my first pick for powered monitors in that price range. If you're feeling saucy, try the M-Audio BX8s (which are most likely my pick under $1000) if you can dig up the extra scratch...

Remember - Without good monitoring, everything else means nothing.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
 
well, right now, financial constraints are going to keep me in $300 range for right now. I'm graduating from college this fall and then I'm going to pursue a 2nd degree (going to study Audio Recording at Indiana University...)....so I can't make any huge cash expenditures right now
 
you could check out a pair of Samson Resolv 65a's. Bigger woofer than the M-Audio BX5. I did a A/B with them in the store as they were my only options in my price range, and the Samsons are on my desk now. I know they are far from good, but I have dramatically improved my mixing and tracking since getting these compared to using home stereo speakers, PC speakers or cans. I am still "tuning my ears" to them so I can make sure I get the right sound out of them. I am finding I have to be careful not to put too much bass in the mix, as I am overcompensating for what I am not hearing in the monitors, but I am learning to work with them.
 
The M-audio bx5 is really bright which may be an advantage. However, in this price category, I really love the Event TR5.
 
Actually, all of the monitors mentioned should work fine for you if you remember the obvious: you need to take time to get to know your new monitors. Assuming that you pick up a respectable pair, like the ones suggested, I think the key is to really get to know them. Listen to pro CDs that you know well (on the new monitors) and become very familiar with how these CDs sound through your monitors. In fact, you can keep a pro CD in your CD tray so that it acts as a reference while you're actually mixing your own songs. Keep jogging back and forth--between the pro CD and your own recordings--to make them sound similiar in terms of EQ, panning, etc. This approach works well for getting your sound in the right ballpark.

Good luck,

J.
 
I use M-Audio SP5B's, which are the forerunners of the BX5's (same speakers, different box). The bass is weak, partly because of the small drivers, and partly because the bass port is in the back. This appears to be because they are designed to work with a powered subwoofer with a crossover, SBX, which I recently aquired. It is viable to start with BX5's or BX8's, and then add the subwoofer when the funds become available. I learned to mix with the little suckers, and now that I have the SBX, the bass problems are gone.-Richie
 
Massive Master said:
I hate to say this, but I've seen Behringer Truth monitors (with the 8" woofers) for around $300 per PAIR at Musician's Friend recently.

As much as people flame them, they're probably my first pick for powered monitors in that price range. If you're feeling saucy, try the M-Audio BX8s (which are most likely my pick under $1000) if you can dig up the extra scratch...

Remember - Without good monitoring, everything else means nothing.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
Click to expand...

Are they really decent? I found it kind of odd that their frequency stops at 50hz, where as other monitors with 8" woofers go down to about 35hz. Would that hurt me?

Also.. I have no way of testing these.. the Guitar Center around here only gets them on special order. Grrrr.
 
The numbers are all pretty ways of lying to you. Some are more honest than others. However, in a ported box of that size, extending below 50hz isn't easy unless you use a passive radiator, like mackie does.
 
To Richard,

So how's the sound now with the added sub? I'm using BX5s with good results after adapting my room and studying their response. I find the BX5s highs, mids, and mid-lows to excellent in balance and clarity, but the deepest lows are admittedly weak. Can you recommend the sub option when money allows?

Thanks,

J.
 
With no reservations. The difference is real clear. I did my release party on Sunday, and I'm feeling album-poor, so I didn't want to pay a DJ. I used my Roland VS1824CD for a PA jacked into the SP5B's and the SBX, and it was just fine for a small room, 50 people or so. I actually used that setup for a mic and an acoustic jacked into the board, and it was just fine. Who would've thunk? Yeah, it'll distort if you crank it, but the noise floor is good, and the whole setup is perfectly valid for mixing. I talked GC out of the sub for $300, but you have to stay on top of M-Audio. They've recently moved their facilities, so if you want the sub in a timely fashion, you have to harass customer service a bit. There's nobody here that doesn't appreciate the sound difference.-Richie
 
I would also throw Fostex PM05's into the mix at $299.00. I've heard them against all others mentioned, except the Behringer. Same things aply regarding the bass, but they sound very honest and mixes transfer very well to other systems.
 
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