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STUDIO MONITORING WITH HIGH-END HI-FI?


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Here's a question I cannot find a logical answer to:

why don't we (engineers/producers) ever consider high-end hifi equipment (I'm not talking Aiwa or Pioneer here) to cover our monitoring needs? Why do we buy Genelec, NS10 or Event 2020 instead?

I would believe that both industries (consumer hi-fi and pro audio) strive for achieving the same in their amp+speaker setups, right? and that is total transparency and fidelity to the original recordings;

what then is the difference between a $ 5,000 super-high-end hifi setup and a $ 5,000 Genelec or Dynaudio or whatever setup?

Thank you.

Max Ventura, Italy.
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If I'm right, it has to do with sound coloration. A hi-fi is going to color the sound coming through it, making it punchier, crisper, whatever. A monitoring system is designed to keep every frequency constant-- not doing any boosting or cutting. Now, it's always good to listen to material through a number of different speaker systems, to get a sum of the parts, so to speak. A studio I worked at years ago had cheap Jensen car stereo speakers in the walls. If the engineer could get them to sound good there, he could get them to sound good everywhere!

Bill Murphy

www.murphonics.com

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Funny you should bring that up Argomax, My buddie just got some new monitors (genelex) and invited me over for a listen and we had the same conversation. I thought they sounded great, however i dont think they sounded better than quite a few "hi fi" speakers nor are they any flatter although i found the sweet listening position to be quite narrow . Ive been a "hi fi" enthusiast for over 35 yrs and have critically listened to hundreds of good speakers and find the suitability of these speakers as monitors to be fine for the home or small project studio I believe it is only the large or busy commercial studios who need "monitors" so the engineers can compare the sound studio to studio and have a relative reference sound. As far as monitors maketed to smaller studios ( mackie alesis ect.) they are way overpriced for the fidelity they deliver and will not help you get any closer to that perfect mix than a good pair of hi fi speakers and listening to your mix on a variety of play back systems.Have yourself some fun and take a tape or cd of something youve recorded to your local hi fi boutique this will give you a great reference for coparing the sound on many good systems, who knows you may even hear something you like.
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Yo whassup everybody, come stai, Massimo? Tutto posto?

 

Check this out, for monitoring? I use a pare of Techniques home stereo speakers that I bought from a little center-city electronics hole-in-the-wall, owned by an Isreali immagrant named Avi, for $120. When I take my stuff in for mastering, I NEVER get any major complaints from the mastering engineers, mostly compliments, in fact.

 

That's our little secret, tho, so don't tell anybody.

 

Yo, Forza Italia, when you gonna send me some of your sounds, Bro?

Eric Vincent (ASCAP)

www.curvedominant.com

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kinda odd no homes are equipped with "pro" gear.

 

i use home stereo speakers and industry type. i dont think it matters what you use as long as your comfortable using them. shit, the ns10's are probably the most wretched speaker made... and their home line isnt any better. but people use [abuse] the hell out of them.

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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Alpha, if memory serves me, the NS-10's started life as home speakers.

 

Personally, I like my nearfields to sound like "home" speakers and my mains to be fairly accurate and flat. I run Event 20/20's for nearfields and JBL 4412 (soffit mounted) as my mains, and I'm pretty happy with everything.

 

Hifi stuff is fine if you get to know what they are doing to the sound so you can compensate. Too many hifi speakers are "hyped" in the highs and bottom ends for my tastes. I don't want to "guess" I want to KNOW what's coming over that mic, going to tape (or hard disk, whatever - old habits die hard and "we're rolling disk" just doesn't sound the same) and so I prefer to have at least one set of monitors that I can trust. Knock the JBL's or Events if you want (monitors are another thing engineers get religious about) but they work for me, in THIS room.

 

I also agree with ya Steve - try everything on as many playback systems as you can, in as many different rooms as you can. this is especially important if you have less than ideal acoustical conditions in your mixing room.

 

Speaking of crappy speakers, I wish I still had my old auratones...

 

 

Phil O'Keefe

Sound Sanctuary Recording

Riverside CA

http://members.aol.com/ssanctuary/index.html

email: pokeefe777@msn.com

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i hate to break it to you but ALL speakers are hyped in some way or another. im saying it doesnt matter as long as you are used to the way a particluar speaker sounds, then its fine to use. its all personal tastes here.

alphajerk

FATcompilation

"if god is truly just, i tremble for the fate of my country" -thomas jefferson

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