monitors...vs. speakers...what is the diff.?

  • Thread starter Thread starter shackrock
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shackrock

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I got an aiwa mini-system that i use to mix all my songs. It's gota reciever, with 2 SX-WNA909 speakers. Should i be mixing with these? i mean...what makes a speaker a monitor anyhow?

...ha
 
a speaker is a monitor if you "monitor" sound with it.

I monitor on aiwa speakers, headphones, alesis "monitors", my car, my computer.

Monitor on all kinds of shit...cuz in reality the people that buy your CDs aren't really going to be listening to them on $4000 monitors.
 
Reference Monitors have a very flat frequency responce so they dont color the sound with the speakers own characteristics. The idea is to mix on a neutral system so you dont have to listen on 10 different sets of speakers.

When you listen on a home stereo system you are only mixing it to sound good on your system and will likely add too much bass or something to compensate for weaknesses in your system.
 
All you have to do is say "I want my mix to sound reminiscent of this" and listen to that recording on those speakers. Then you know how it sould sound like. Know what I'm saying?

If your going for something completely new then getyaself some supaflat monitors....
 
superflat monitors....as in crapp 20 dollar comp speakers? ha.

cuz i got those...but i seem to always mix terribly worse with those (can't hear clipping noise unless its REALLY REALLY clipping bad)...etc. (NO bass in those things..etc.)

but while i'm recording (i do one track at a time)...it's ok to get the sounds good on my headphones and record right? or shoudl i make sure it sounds good on decent speakers? or what? hopefully i'm not finding out anything i didnt know already...otherwise i've been doing this wrong for too long...ha
 
Oh I wasn't suggesting what you have are superflat moniters because they most deffinately are not(as far as I know). I'm saying if you are doing something that you have no professional basis for like a favorite CD or something, say something experimental, you need to purchase some really flat monitors or you will have no clue what it will sound like on other systems.
 
ah ha i see.

so really - if i want my band to sound like weezer's blue album, your saying i should get to know that sound on MY SPEAKERS that i'll be mixing on...and mix to weezer's sound?
 
EXACTLY

If you know what their mix sounds like on your speakers, then you will know what your mix should sound like on your speakers.

MY NAME IS JONAS!!!
 
Make your album sound like pinkerton. That album is much better. What a kick ass dirt garge sound.


I'm Tired of Sex!
 
shackrock said:

but while i'm recording (i do one track at a time)...it's ok to get the sounds good on my headphones and record right? or shoudl i make sure it sounds good on decent speakers? or what? hopefully i'm not finding out anything i didnt know already...otherwise i've been doing this wrong for too long...ha
Click to expand...

Make sure it sounds good on speakers.. Headphones do not give you any accuracy with regard to tone, level, or proper stereo imaging.. Save your headphones for when you are actually recording the track..

And when it does sound right on monitors, it will sound 10 times better in the headphones..

Cy
 
Comparing your mix to a mastered CD is a bit of a fallacy. You can use it as a reference but I bet the final mix of that CD sounded different than the mastered version.

Comparing a mix to a master is apples and oranges.
 
That's true in a way, but the whole purpose of mixing is to get it as close to "there" as possible to minimize the need for extensive mastering. If you can emulate WELL a mastered CD, you just saved yourself more work in post production.

It's all opinion on this issue. Whatever gets you the end result you want.
 
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