Monitors Vs. Home Stereo Speakers

[Robertt8]

I'm fully prepared to be berated here...

I've heard many times that you need to "learn" to hear your monitors by comparing pro material on them. Then you apply those sounds, tones or whatever to get a good sound on your household stereo speakers...My question is this: Why can't you just use your stereo speakers instead of "learning" on a new set of monitors?

I mean, I know there'll be hyped bass and that sort of thing, but if you made your album sound just like a comparable pro album on your home stereo speakers, shouldn't the sound (in theory) react the same (as the pro mix)...even on other speakers?

***Disclaimer, I don't claim to come even close to the mixing of a pro. I'm just talking hypothetically.***

 

[chessrock]

Some really good articles about that very subject:


http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Jun02/articles/monitors.asp?session=ef185948e9304795ac2e8f7a7b2dffc1

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Jul....asp?session=ef185948e9304795ac2e8f7a7b2dffc1

Enjoy!

 

[Robertt8]

Well I'll be damned... thanks!

 

[chessrock]

They cover the subject rather thoroughly and impressively, don't they?

 

[Blue Bear Sound]

I've got V8's soffited in my control room -- and I love 'em for both tracking and mixing.

I've also got a pair of B&W 601s behind the console... they are a much "nicer" sounding speaker - clean highs, nice lows (especially when combined with my sub), and excellent imaging... but I wouldn't dream of mixing on them.

For one - they aren't designed for nearfield listening (this is easily proven by listening to the difference in sound being at the front of the console vs. being at the client area at the back of the control room)....

For two - while they sound great, they also tend to make everything I play thru them sound great -- even recordings I consider less than ideal-sounding. (And that's exactly why I have them - because client's have a hard time equating what they're hearing from the V8's to their own listening frame of reference - the minute I switch from the V8s to the B&Ws, then it clicks in!)

And the clincher -- the mid-range detail is very smooth -- far too smooth to be of any use to me in really hearing what's going on in that critical frequency band.

In short - the hifi speaker seems to give a glossy sheen over the listening material (which is arguably what you want for speakers used for pleasurable listening!), but for tracking/mixing, you need a monitor to let you hear the sound as it is, with no polish or sheen.

....YMMV