Looking for a pair of powered monitors specifically for tracking keyboards...

[Wiggum]

Hey all,

 

I posted this is Craig's forum awhile back, and they suggested I post here for your feedback.

 

I currently mix through a pair of Event PS8's, and I absolutely love them. But because of my room layout, I am looking at getting a second pair of monitors specifically for laying down keyboard tracks.

 

I want powered monitors, and I don't want to spend more than $600. I would get a pair of Events again, but I figure I should diversify.

 

I have looked at JBL LSR25P's, KRK V4's and V6's ($), and HHB Circle 3A's ($). Are there any others that you would recommend?

 

As much as I plan to use these for tracking, they will also be my speakers for practicing. The Events have been great for this, but again, I think my studio would benefit from a second set of monitors with different characteristics. Perhaps I'll catch something that the Events missed.

 

All the best,

 

Wiggum

[Dave Bryce]

Originally posted by Wiggum:

I want powered monitors, and I don't want to spend more than $600.

 

Why so little? Why not save up some money and get a good pair of speakers?

 

IMO, monitors are one of the most important pieces in ther studio (if not THE most important). They are they piece through which every sound that you make passes. I waited and saved for years to find a set of monitors that knocked me over dead, and I do not regret the money that I spent in any way.

 

If you have never used a set of really good monitors, you don't know what you are missing. You will hear things that you have never heard before, and you will find that tracking and mixing are much easier and more pleasurable than you thought possible.

 

If your situation is such that you can afford to get good monitors, I recommend highly that you do so. You will absolutely not regret it. If not, then you should just go to a music store with some of your material, and listen to as many of them as you can. The Behringer 2031 monitors are actually a pretty good buy in the price range that you specified.

 

dB

[Dan O]

You may want to check out Yamaha MSP5's . dano

[cologne2000]

Dave I assume you mean he should get something like Genelecs which you could probably never go wrong with, however he may need to wait a bit before he has that kind of dough.

 

There must be something in the intermediate range that is usable. I've used the Mackies I found them to be very Genelec like so I would recommend those.

 

Have you had a chance to listen to the new Roland Digital monitors?? They caught my ears, but I didn't give them a thorought listen.

 

Ed

[Dave Bryce]

Dave I assume you mean he should get something like Genelecs which you could probably never go wrong with

 

Correct. Genelec, Dynaudio, Westlake, ADAM, Meyer...any of those.

 

however he may need to wait a bit before he has that kind of dough.

 

It is so worth it. I mean, c'mon...it's your monitors we're talking about here! All your music passes through them - you use them to gauge how everything you do will sound to you, and to everyone who hears it. When your sound is great, you get more inspired, don't you? I know that I do fer sure.

 

There must be something in the intermediate range that is usable. I've used the Mackies I found them to be very Genelec like so I would recommend those.

 

To each his/her own. I know people who like the Mackies, and people who don't. They are certainly Genelec-like...they look a whole lot like a copy of 1031s, except that the bass porting is on the back. The Behringer monitors of which I spoke in the last post are also copies of the Genelec for half the price of the Mackies and the ports are in the front, just like the Genelecs.

 

Have you had a chance to listen to the new Roland Digital monitors?? They caught my ears, but I didn't give them a thorought listen.

 

Yes, I have heard them. Not my particular cup of tea.

 

I think that monitors are important enough that you should buy them from a company that specializes in making monitors, not one who does it to try and be all things to all people. Same with microphones.

 

dB

[Wiggum]

Thanks everyone,

 

Keep in mind that I will be using Event PS8's for mixing. The second monitors are only for tracking and practicing my synths. I thought about spending a grand on a set of Mackie's and dedicating the Events to tracking synths, but I don't have that kind of cash for monitors. Between all the things I need (acoustic treatments, plug-ins, instruments, etc), monitors just aren't that high on the list. But I figure I could afford a set for $500 or $600.

 

All the best,

 

Wiggum

[cologne2000]

Dave,

 

I firmly believe that if what were talking about doing is basic pre-production or just plain song writing then state of the art monitors are simply not required.

 

My genre is Dance and R&B, and no one I work with owns those types of monitors yet we have placed several titles with major labels. But never mine what I've done, what of the COUNTLESS hits that have been mixed on $400.00 Yamaha NS-10's, or even Auratones. Hell Bob Clearmountain raves about these little Apple Powered Speakers he uses in conjunction with his KRK's. No one is saying that the Yamaha's sound great, or that they have a perfectly flat frequency response, but familiarity with the sound has allowed many to achieve the desired results.

 

Basically, it all boils down to familiarity which is why so many felt like singing the praises of DP or Logic in my other topic. With all due respect to you Dave, I say to the guy who started this topic find something that you like and can afford and learn what it's doing by checking your work on other systems and eventually you'll be able to make them sing to your tune.

 

Remember equipment is no substitute for talent.

 

Kind regards,

 

Eddie

[Dave Bryce]

I firmly believe that if what were talking about doing is basic pre-production or just plain song writing then state of the art monitors are simply not required.

 

Sure, I'm inclined to agree with that.

 

My genre is Dance and R&B, and no one I work with owns those types of monitors yet we have placed several titles with major labels. But never mine what I've done, what of the COUNTLESS hits that have been mixed on $400.00 Yamaha NS-10's, or even Auratones. Hell Bob Clearmountain raves about these little Apple Powered Speakers he uses in conjunction with his KRK's. No one is saying that the Yamaha's sound great, or that they have a perfectly flat frequency response, but familiarity with the sound has allowed many to achieve the desired results.

 

Eddie, I am in no way saying that it is not possible to do good work on inexpensive monitors - that would be foolish of me, as you so adroitly point out. What I am saying is that I firmly believe that it is much easier to work on great speakers than it is to work on inexpensive ones. Switching over to state of the art monitors has more profoundly affected the quality of my work than any other piece of equipment that I have brought into my studio, and I am just attempting to share that experience. It has not only improved my work, I believe that it has improved the way that I listen in general.

 

Basically, it all boils down to familiarity which is why so many felt like singing the praises of DP or Logic in my other topic.

 

I agree with that as well.

 

With all due respect to you Dave, I say to the guy who started this topic find something that you like and can afford and learn what it's doing by checking your work on other systems

 

Ahhh - you see, this is another one of my points. I find checking my work on other systems to be tedious. First the car, then the boombox, then the big stereo - then you have to go back, adjust your mix, and begin the whole cycle again. One of the main advantages of great monitors is that you don't have to do that.

 

Remember equipment is no substitute for talent.

 

Absolutely agreed. However, I might suggest that having the right equipment (whatever that means to you) can definitely make working a much easier and more pleasurable experience.

 

dB

[cologne2000]

Hi Dave:

 

Well I think we're both on the same page, and (for the record) monitoring via Genelecs and the like is an extremely pleasurable experience. I'm sure that it is also a major time saver as well. However, I would like to clarify the comment I made about checking mixes on other systems.

 

My point was that with all gear there exist a learning curve, and monitors are no certainly no exception (though perhaps a listening curve may be a more accurate term). With time and comparison of your mixes on other systems you will become familiar with your monitors peculiarities and adjust your work accordingly. At that point I would hazard a guess that you may not feel the necessity to run out to the car all the time.

 

That said, in many instances I have had the benefit of mixing on high end monitors and still I'm always interested to hear what my stuff sounds like on different systems (especially car stereos and boom boxes).

 

Lets also not forget that if anything we do ends up in a professional mastering lab then more than likely our work will be played through an audiofile system which bares little to no relation to even the most professional in standard studio monitors.

 

I live in NYC where many of the mastering houses cut to Duntech and/or Dunlavy monitors. In my lifetime I can never recall seeing those monitors in a recording studio. Why? Well this is where the economics of the mastering industry come into play in the recording process and that's all I'll say about that.

 

I think we are all guilty of getting way to wrapped up in the gear and forgetting that the purpose of all this neat stuff is to help us to make great music.

[Intheether]

I bought Event 20 20 powered monitors for $545. They are so worth every penny so if you're happy with your ps8's - why not give Event more business? They have amazing bass response and crystal clear reproduction. I had them linked to my trinty for a couple of years and now they are in my 2408. Definitly the best purchase I've ever made for under 1000 bucks....

[mojosaur]

Its another good parallel to to the graphics field, where the monitors, scanners and printers must be callibrated to maintain precise color rendition across the entire process-- I guess the point being that the ear is, for the average person, less sensitive than the eye, ie anyone can denote differences in color, but sound can be much more subte and hard to discern.

 

Of course knowing what sounds or looks good is an entirely different issue, and that comes with experience. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

 

 

 

This message has been edited by mojosaur on 08-02-2001 at 12:29 AM