Agreed, if you have small monitors, the you should get a sub to cater for the low end, and set up the crossovers accordingly. As far as I am concerned, if the set up (whatever config it may be) can't reproduce 15hz-30,000khz then it's not really a monitor, it's just some speakers.
Looking to add a pair of studio monitors to my set up!
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Agreed, if you have small monitors, the you should get a sub to cater for the low end, and set up the crossovers accordingly. As far as I am concerned, if the set up (whatever config it may be) can't reproduce 15hz-30,000khz then it's not really a monitor, it's just some speakers.
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I've managed to hear some of these recently and they do sound pretty nice, nicer than KRK's which are essentially rebadged Behringers
Genelecs are worth a listen also, they seem to give less fatigue than a lot of monitors out there, they are more expensive however
Well I must be a freak then, my ears tend to cut off at about 22,000hz, and bottom out at about 18hz, and I don't have perfect hearing, although below 20hz, it's more wind than sound, lol.
Sorry, I miss typed. On the back of the monitors you can put it on 80hz, it cuts all the low end bass off. And on the sub it on flat. For me its much better for mixing, as the bass isnt right in you're face.
There are these settings so you can tweak them to you're enviroment and application.
With the yammies on flat the bass is bloody lovely tho.
Are you sure! Some children can hear under 20hz but older people can't hear under 20hz and over 20khz!
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You'll struggle to find a set of monitors that do 20-20k I'm afraid
Even the rather large Genelec 1038B's 'only' go down to 35hz, and they weigh in at 60kg each
Most people with a bedroom studio type setup will be ok if they have something that can hit 40hz IMO
You'll struggle to find a set of monitors that do 20-20k I'm afraid
Even the rather large Genelec 1038B's 'only' go down to 35hz, and they weigh in at 60kg each
Most people with a humble bedroom setup will be ok if they have something that can hit 40hz IMO
I agree!
Yeh pretty sure... you have to have speakers that are capable obviously, or the frequencey simply won't be reproduced. I use 'sound check 2' by stephen Court and Alan Parsons.
What speakers do you use?
Edit: just checked that programme and it only does 20hz to 20khz!!
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At present, Tannoy stereo pair, with a Paradigm 10" sub, but I don't record, it's just for music listening.
Just checked myself, right you are, lol!
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Hey guys,
Thanks for the responses, even if the last few did go over my head entirely haha! But a good debate is always great to follow!
As for the kind of music being recorded! It will 95% be live recordings with instruments including a drum kit, so the ability to record around 6 miss for the drunk kit would be ideal depending on price. Up until now, I have always recorded drums going into a mice, then having one out into the computer to record, not giving me any ability to mix the drums after recording...bit of a pain, but you do what you have to!
It seems the interface will be the most important piece of equipment! One with built in mixing capabilities would be great, but might be for a purchase down the line! Is it possible to have a good basic interface to start with, with the ability to cater to about 8 inputs, and then add a mixing desk to the equation later on? If so, will my monitors plug directly into the original interface? And also, if I did add a mixing desk a little later, how would that then connect? To the interface, or the mac?
I will definitely give all the other monitor suggestions a listen too this week when I get a chance!!
Thanks for the responses, even if the last few did go over my head entirely haha! But a good debate is always great to follow!
As for the kind of music being recorded! It will 95% be live recordings with instruments including a drum kit, so the ability to record around 6 miss for the drunk kit would be ideal depending on price. Up until now, I have always recorded drums going into a mice, then having one out into the computer to record, not giving me any ability to mix the drums after recording...bit of a pain, but you do what you have to!
It seems the interface will be the most important piece of equipment! One with built in mixing capabilities would be great, but might be for a purchase down the line! Is it possible to have a good basic interface to start with, with the ability to cater to about 8 inputs, and then add a mixing desk to the equation later on? If so, will my monitors plug directly into the original interface? And also, if I did add a mixing desk a little later, how would that then connect? To the interface, or the mac?
I will definitely give all the other monitor suggestions a listen too this week when I get a chance!!
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Hi Detroit,
I would recommend the Presonus Firestudio for you.
http://www.presonus.com/products/detail.aspx?productid=5
8 XLR Inputs, 48v Phantom power (although no phase reversal), ADAT S/MUX for interfacing digitally with other devices and stable drivers.
I have owned/used a few of these interfaces over my time in various amateur/professional studios and it is a good buy.
As for the mixer situation - I used to 'sum' all my multi-track recordings into a large analogue mixer but I really don't see the point these days. Unless, of course you like to get 'hands-on' with mixing. Having said this, you might want to consider looking into control surfaces instead. A control surface is literally a controller for your favorite DAW that has faders, panpots, switches and usually transport controls. However, a control surface in NO WAY degrades your signal path or colours your recordings as no audio is physically routed through the device. It is simply a more elegant alternative to using a keyboard + mouse if this is what you are scared of.
We also need to remember that every time we convert a signal from digital to analogue or vice versa we are degrading it (same with adding EQ or ANY insert effect plug-ins for this matter). I moved from an analogue setup to an 'in the box' digital one with a controller in my studio and the sonic quality of my recordings is much improved. Unless you are planning on performing a multi-track recording say, of an orchestra, OR you really love phase reversal/manual EQ then a mixer will just complicate things. Remember, mixers look pretty and impressive when clients come into your studio but most, if not ALL the pros I know use a in the box solution centered around a decent audio interface and DAW of their choice.
In my studio for example, I have an Audient ASP008 8 channel preamp which is plugged (via ADAT) into my RME Fireface 800. This means that the signal only gets converted from analogue -> digital ONCE in the signal chain. Once it's in the computer its 1s and 0s even up until mastering + release.
Sorry if I've gone off on one but you get the idea. Mixers are only worthwhile if you have a lot of money to spend. If you are desperate for a mixer still, then look at the TLA M4, Audient Zen, Allen & Heath Zed series & Soundcraft live mixers. Remember also, that if you are working on a project and come back a week later to finish up there is NO way to instantly recall EQ settings (unless of course you want a digital mixer but then theres hardly any point - just get a control surface!!!).
Hope this helps.
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Very good advice ^^
I agree that you don't need a mixer, especially on small scale recording. You would be better off getting a MIDI controller, then you can have all your controls (transport, mixer, pads, knobs etc.) all on one device + you get a keyboard!
I agree that you don't need a mixer, especially on small scale recording. You would be better off getting a MIDI controller, then you can have all your controls (transport, mixer, pads, knobs etc.) all on one device + you get a keyboard!
It's quite common to cut off the frequency so you produce a flatter response at the crossover frequency, otherwise you'll end up having all sorts of cancellation and superimposition at the low end.
What is a reasonable volume for you? I thought people typically mixed at around 80-90dB for the flattest hearing response. You will most definitely hear/feel 50Hz at those volumes.
Also do you use a lowcut filter at 52Hz? If not I would think it's shortsighted to ignore low frequencies just because your room/system is unable to reproduce it. Some genres go much much lower than 52Hz, see sludge metal!
Protools 9 onwards work with non-avid/m-audio interfaces. PT9 plays along nicely with my RME card. Thumbs up to Avid!
Like others already said, I highly suggest you avoid going the mixer route. You can get control surfaces with and without audio interfaces if you wish to expand your tracks. With an analog mixer there are a few ways you can connect it to your comp. One would be to connect your soundcard's output to the mixer and into the speaker. For the mic pres/input you would put them on a bus and into your soundcards input. This method is inherently limited by the number of buses and number of ADCs you have. Even an 8 bus behringer mixer is expensive!
For a mixerless system you could also take a look at the focusrite saffire pro 40 which is a great alternative to the firestudio. *cough* Focusrite is British, Presonus isn't *cough*
As for monitors, just find a pair that you're comfortable with. I settled for some dynaudios BM5a and I don't think I can be happier. I would suggest you spend your money on acoustics. At least get some bass traps and absorbers. You can build absorbers quite cheaply with plywood and rockwool if you're able to DIY. There is no point in spending money in equipment if you have a bad sounding room. It will be extremely difficult to get good mixes/recordings if not impossible even if you had the best gear possible.
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Lots of great information! Thank you for all the heads up!
The Presonus Firestudio looks like it will be perfect for the job required! Pretty decent price too so I'm sure I will be more than happy with it!
Looking at all the information, I think you are all correct, an analogue mixer wouldn't make much sense for me! I like the look of some of the control surfaces to use for my mixing. the main reason being, I just like the hands on approach, I find it lacks something using a mouse to mix, and I'm just used to having some sort of mixing desk ability at my finger tips, and therefore a control surface is going to fit the bill perfectly I think!
Its all pretty exciting, I'm looking forward to getting it all ordered up in the next couple of weeks!
I know this thread has gone slightly off topic from the actually monitors, but seeing as there are is so much knowledge already here, i'll just ask here! I have no expertise whatsoever of external FX rack based units. Obviously there is a lot out there, but my question is if I was to start looking at some in the new future, just how would they fit in the chain in the planned design so far? So just how and where would these start to connect? Is it something possible with what I have planned?
Thanks again everyone!
The Presonus Firestudio looks like it will be perfect for the job required! Pretty decent price too so I'm sure I will be more than happy with it!
Looking at all the information, I think you are all correct, an analogue mixer wouldn't make much sense for me! I like the look of some of the control surfaces to use for my mixing. the main reason being, I just like the hands on approach, I find it lacks something using a mouse to mix, and I'm just used to having some sort of mixing desk ability at my finger tips, and therefore a control surface is going to fit the bill perfectly I think!
Its all pretty exciting, I'm looking forward to getting it all ordered up in the next couple of weeks!
I know this thread has gone slightly off topic from the actually monitors, but seeing as there are is so much knowledge already here, i'll just ask here! I have no expertise whatsoever of external FX rack based units. Obviously there is a lot out there, but my question is if I was to start looking at some in the new future, just how would they fit in the chain in the planned design so far? So just how and where would these start to connect? Is it something possible with what I have planned?
Thanks again everyone!