Monitors

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Monitors
Posted on: 17.10.2010 by Noelia Koga
I have a set of speakers/subs that I purchased for my PC last year and I want to know if they acceptable for production/DJing as well.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Authority-3780RB-Subwoofer-Satellite/dp/B0000CC7A9[/ame]

I don't really know what exactly to look for in a set of monitors but I do know these plug in fantastically without an external sound card which I love.
Velma Fruth
17.10.2010
Originally Posted by bamrocket
thank you, i have found a pair of KRK Rokit 5's on Craigslist for a good price so I might pick those up.
Just make sure you go out to a shop that sells monitors and listen to the KRKs before you spend money on them. I was very keen to get some Rokits after reading about them online, but listened to them and hated the way they coloured the sound. A good set of monitors is an investment, and you shouldn't just rush into it. Listen, compare prices, and consider saving up a larger budget since it's better to buy one piece of solid quality gear than lots of cheap junk that dies on you.
Noelia Koga
17.10.2010		I have a set of speakers/subs that I purchased for my PC last year and I want to know if they acceptable for production/DJing as well.

[ame]http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-Authority-3780RB-Subwoofer-Satellite/dp/B0000CC7A9[/ame]

I don't really know what exactly to look for in a set of monitors but I do know these plug in fantastically without an external sound card which I love.
Ling Zambada
19.10.2010		My best friend uses the BX5A's and when I've been working with him, they've sounded really good. I haven't noticed anything bad about them. Have never used the Rokit's though, so I don't have a comparison.
Noelia Koga
19.10.2010		OK so I went to Guitar Center today to compare the KRK Rokit RP5's/6's and the M-Audio BX5A's. I believe the BX5A's sounded the best out of all of them but online polls and community s seem to agree almost unanimously that they aren't great. Am I possibly preferring them because I am used to commercial speakers?
Noelia Koga
17.10.2010		Yeah I'm going to have to head to Guitar Center at some point and actually listen to them. I just hate going because they always always try and make me buy something.
Ling Zambada
17.10.2010		I've heard great great great reviews of the Atom Monitor by Paradigm. Supposedly they're some of the best monitors you can buy (~$275 per monitor)
Velma Fruth
17.10.2010
Originally Posted by bamrocket
thank you, i have found a pair of KRK Rokit 5's on Craigslist for a good price so I might pick those up.
Just make sure you go out to a shop that sells monitors and listen to the KRKs before you spend money on them. I was very keen to get some Rokits after reading about them online, but listened to them and hated the way they coloured the sound. A good set of monitors is an investment, and you shouldn't just rush into it. Listen, compare prices, and consider saving up a larger budget since it's better to buy one piece of solid quality gear than lots of cheap junk that dies on you.
Ling Zambada
17.10.2010		A while ago I found a list of songs that the professional sound designers use to test out new monitors, speakers, etc.

1. "Don't Know Why" by Norah Jones. Listen for Norah's voice to sound natural, and centered in front of you.

2. "Diamonds and Rust" by Joan Baez. Listen for strong vocals, and for the instruments to be set across a wide sound stage.

3. "No One" by Alicia Keys. Listen for clarity in Alicia's vocals and spacious background sound.

4. "Hotel California" by the Eagles. Listen for the clarity and dynamic range during the opening guitar solo, and of course the powerful drum beat.

5. "Boom Boom Pow"by the Black Eyed Peas. Listen for powerful, accurate bass beats, even at full volume.

6. "Rock that Body"by the Black Eyed Peas. Listen clear, intelligible lyrics over the powerful, persistent bass beat.

7. "Hide and Seek"by Imogen Heap. Listen for the enveloping ambience of the song, building on the openness and dynamic vocals.

8. "He Mele No Lilo" by Mark Keali'i Ho'omalu from Lilo and Stitch.Listen for the ambience and staging as the children's chorus is offset by powerful bass.

9. "Bird on a Wire" by Johnny Cash. Listen for the clarity in Johnny's distinctive voice, and his guitar to sound natural and free of any coloration.

10. "Packt Like Sardines in a Crushd Tin Box" by Radiohead. Listen for the punch from the percussive bass, and the ring of the steel drums.
Noelia Koga
17.10.2010		thank you, i have found a pair of KRK Rokit 5's on Craigslist for a good price so I might pick those up.
Velma Fruth
17.10.2010		Judging by the reviews on Amazon, those would be terrible for production.

What you should look for in a set of monitors is their ability to reproduce audio perfectly without adding colour. This means you should be looking at speakers that have a very flat response curve (i.e. all frequencies come out at the same volume) and no smearing issues (i.e. you should be able to hear everything clearly).

I've found that a good way to test monitors is to go to the store with a CD recording of something you know very well and use that to test the systems. If you hear something in the song that you've never heard before, that's a good sign. If it sounds indistinct and blurry, that's a bad sign. The output shouldn't be exciting - most home and car stereos colour the bass frequencies to make music sound sexier, but that's not what you're looking for here. Be sure to compare as many brands as possible in as many different environments as possible. Don't buy monitors before listening to them.

You might find this helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studio_monitor

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