monitors & headphones

  • Thread starter Thread starter Laynestaley
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Laynestaley

Newbie Shmewbie
I've been recording for a while, using my home stereo system as output. It sometimes sounds great through my system but it can totally suck on others.
That's why I decided to buy monitors, but where to begin.
1. I'll be hooking them up straight to my soundcard, so I guess I'll need active speakers right?
2. Also when I want to use my headphones I just plug them in to my stereo, how would I be able to use them with monitors?
3. Any suggestions on reasonably priced monitors?

Thanks. :)
 
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I made the transition from home stereo speakers to monitors just recently myself. Financially challenged, I decided to still use my hifi amp (some generic Sony thing) for the time being and get passive monitors.
The difference is very noticable already. Instantly I heard all these other things that need to be addressed (room acoustics to name just one).

I got a pair of Tannoy Reveal Passives for €222,- + €8,- shipping from www.musikproduktiv.de

I plug my headphones in either in the hifi amp or in my Mindprint DI-Port, one step earlier in the signal chain.
 
Bedankt voor de info Christiaan;)!

If I understand this correctly you plug your headphones in to your preamp? I could do this but then how can you record anything, while listening to earliear recordings or your pc's metronome?
This is a problem cause I use the headphones a lot. My soundcard only has a 5.1. output.
 
Layne, I'd honestly invest a little money in an external USB sound card with output designed for monitors. It would kind of suck to spend a bunch of money on a nice monitoring system and not be able to get a clean/strong enough signal to tell the difference.

Between $100 and $200 (you could also spend upwards of $1000) you can get a sound that would at least do your monitors justice. M-Audio has a whole series of cards, which is the brand I use. You can check them out at http://www.m-audio.com
There are also tons of others that people love to use, I'd just search through this forum for more references.

As for switching over from home stereo speakers, it's a really good idea. I just did it about a month ago, and all of a sudden I could create a mix that sounded great everywhere I played it, whether it was in my car, in the shower, in a computer, where ever without having to hear it anywhere other than through my monitors. Saves so much time!!! :):)
 
Laynestaley said:
Bedankt voor de info Christiaan;)!

If I understand this correctly you plug your headphones in to your preamp?
Click to expand...
Not really. I actually use my DI-port mainly as A/D-D/A convertor. it's kind of like a frontend to my soundcard.

You'll need some kind of monitoring device set up between the soundcard and the monitors, which can either be the amp that drives passive monitors (in my case the Sony amp) or else something like a small mixer (I used to use a behringer mixer for that but now the DI-port).
 
Old thread revival!

christiaan said:
Not really. I actually use my DI-port mainly as A/D-D/A convertor. it's kind of like a frontend to my soundcard.

You'll need some kind of monitoring device set up between the soundcard and the monitors, which can either be the amp that drives passive monitors (in my case the Sony amp) or else something like a small mixer (I used to use a behringer mixer for that but now the DI-port).
Click to expand...

I stumbled upon this post searching for Di-Port and monitors.

I also use a Di-Port and am considering monitors, about which I know very little. I wonder if you could explain to me how they can be used with the Di-Port?

Could I have the signal output from the soundcard to the Di-Port and use the Di-Port monitor out with passive monitors?

Or should there be active monitors plugged into the soundcard?

I'd appreciate any advice on this and perhaps a recommendation of monitors that offer good value. I'm not a recording pro, just a home enthusiast.
 
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