Monitors - When is it worth it?

[seansigep]

I am a noob, dont do any serious stuff ever, but I was wondering. When is it worth it to invest in monitors. I've seen monitors for 99.99 per pair, and I know they just go up from there (as does everything in music equipment). I mean, would it be worth it to buy a $200 pair of monitors, or is the increase in quality from bookshelf speakers going to be so minute that the $200 dollars spent will be a waste? I've heard good things about some $300 monitors, but there are also alot of things you can buy with $300.

So for my situation, which is just hobby stuff (but I want it to sound good and professional) would it be worth it to invest money in monitors, or would it be worth it to invest the $300 in something else. My gear list is below.

You can also listen to some of my mixes at www.soundclick.com/seanscogin
They were all recorded and mixed with the gear shown below.

I dunno, my birthday was a couple days ago, and i got a chunk of change, and its burning a hole in my pocket.

 

[djhead]

Hobby stuff will never equal sounding good and pro. You can try and try, but experienced ears will always know.

If you are just screwing around, get cheap ones. If money is burning a hole in your pocket, invest it.

 

[CoolCat]

very good job. your newest is showing imporvement too, nice.
i listened a few times and could almost think of a couple different arrangements, good tune and recording.

your a trip dewd...Pulidos...hahaha...Pulidos & Punk Rock.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

One's monitors and listening enviroment are second only to one's own ear in importance in the production chain, so a good set of monitors can make all the difference in the world in one's mixes.

That said, in the $200/pair range, it's pretty dicey and can go either way. There are some bookshelves at that price that can blow away some supposed wannabe "studio monitors" for the same price; on the other hand there are some at least servicable monitors at that price as well as some stupendously awful bookshelves. All you can difinitively do is listen to them in your dealers' showrooms with the same familir source material and do the best comparison you can with your own ears to see what works and what doesn't work for you.

Ideally, though, I would probably not recommend spending "only" $200 on monitors, and to save up a lot more before upgrading to those. At the $200 price range there are other things that could help you a lot more, based upon your gear list. For example:

Forget your soundcard and get a decent 2-channel audio interface with mic pres and instrument and line input, and that intervace to your computer via USB and bypass that game card altogether. I'd highly recommend the Tascam us122 right now, especially since it's on sale at Guitar Center for $149 right now. Also, adding another microhone could do wonders for you; one can never have too many different microphones (just think of them as VERY expensive fishing lures ). Something like an Audio Technica AT3035 or an MXL 960 would be a nice addition.

G.