Near Field Studio Monitors..what are you using?

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 26 Sep 2002 2:44 am

those that have small home studios, what type of monitors are you using for final mixing.

After selling off all of my large gear I now am primarily using a small Boss Digital 8 track and do all my recording in phones, but for final mixing I am seeking a small pair of near field monitors. Any thoughts ? I am considering M Audio SP5B's at about $300. These are active Bi-Amped little monitors, 40 watts on the bass ,30 or so on the high end.

tp[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 26 September 2002 at 09:36 AM.]

Chuck McGill · Post by **Chuck McGill** » 26 Sep 2002 3:54 am

Tony I've been using the Yamaha MSP5's. Bi-amp power and plenty of volume for near field
applications. Priced at about 600.00 for a
pair. Lately I've been looking at the Mackie
624 but haven't heard them yet.

Dan Dowd · Post by **Dan Dowd** » 26 Sep 2002 5:16 am

What is the differance between regular monitor speakers and near field speakers. How important are they for getting a good mix.

Tony Prior · Post by **Tony Prior** » 26 Sep 2002 5:51 am

Dan, here is a link which explains it all. basically "near field" monitors are used by the final mixing engineer where the response is such that by sitting a few feet away from the speakers which have a supposed flat response, you mix the music you already made and you hear what it sounds like before EQing the heck out of it. http://www.homerecording.com/monitors.html

tp[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 26 September 2002 at 07:34 AM.]

Jim Palenscar · Post by **Jim Palenscar** » 26 Sep 2002 5:56 am

I use KRK V4's

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 26 Sep 2002 6:40 am

Tony,

FWIW, from a sure 'nuff amateur.
I am using a pair of "Project Studio 8" bi-amp speakers made by Event. Guitar Center Pro Audio stuff. Event makes several sizes. The 8 is somewhere in the middle.

I listened to several at the Guitar center and chose these. Can set sensitivity. They have XLR and TRS inputs. Totally quiet.

Maybe Brad Sarno will reply.

Ron

Michael Brebes · Post by **Michael Brebes** » 26 Sep 2002 7:15 am

I use Hafler TRM8 powered speakers. The clarity and definition is similar to the Genelec 1031s but they cost quite a bit less, about $1400 a pair. Still not cheap but worth every penny. They passed the test when I did a 12 hour mixing session and the last mix of the day matched the sound of the first. No ear fatique which I get from most passive crossover systems. They also make a smaller version, the TRM6.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 26 Sep 2002 7:37 am

I like the Alesis Monitor-Two speakers in combination with the RA-series reference amps. Not the Mercedes ($450 or so -- passive), but I get a good flat response in my little studio -- and that's all I ask of it. They make both active and passive -- Monitor-One is a two-way and the -Two is a 3-way system.

Whenever I want to compare steel guitars, I'll set the EQ flat on the board and amplify with the RA-100 and Mon/2. You JUST get the sound of the guitar and pickup that way.

------------------
Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 26 September 2002 at 08:46 AM.]

Terry Edwards · Post by **Terry Edwards** » 26 Sep 2002 1:53 pm

I also use Alesis Monitor II's. When I'm done mixing I always take it out in my car and listen. Like a lot of people, I do a great deal of music listening while driving to work, etc. You'll be surprised at what you will hear and then go back to the studio and make adjustments!

Terry

Allen · Post by **Allen** » 26 Sep 2002 3:22 pm

Roland DS-50A's. A great compliment to my Roland VS890HD. Pure, clean audio in the digital domain.

------------------
Allen Harry
Emmons SD10
Mullen D-10,
Nashville 1000

[This message was edited by Allen on 26 September 2002 at 04:22 PM.]

John Macy · Post by **John Macy** » 26 Sep 2002 4:20 pm

I'm down in Santa Fe this week mixing a record at Stepbridge. About 60% of my listening is on Yamaha NS10's and the rest is on some Genelec 1031s--both nearfields. They have some big monitors, but they seldom get heard...

I have used the NS10's for so many years that they work great for me. My personal fave are my Tannoy System 800's, though.

With near-fields, you really have to understand them and the room, or you'll really mess up the bottom end...

Rich Weiss · Post by **Rich Weiss** » 26 Sep 2002 6:30 pm

I just got some Mackie HR 624's,and they're wonderful. Of course I was coming off cheap computer speakers, so I was blown away by the clarity and accuracy. Make sure your get some stands that isolate them from your workdesk so the bass doesn't transfer to the floor. $900 for the pair.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 27 Sep 2002 9:03 am

It all depends on how much you want to spend..
The Mackie 624's are very nice, and translate material very well...For less money, the Yorkville powered monitors (6.5" woofer ) are a wonderfull bargain at about 1/2 the money of the Mackies....They also do very well especially for the money.....Jim

Matt Dawson · Post by **Matt Dawson** » 27 Sep 2002 9:51 am

Spirit Absolute....4P active are great.

So happens Im selling them on ebay.....!
I would ship to USA
http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=909438113&rd=1

You can hear home mixes Ive done with them at http://webplaza.pt.lu/dawson/music.html
Cheers Matt

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 27 Sep 2002 6:16 pm

Genelec 1031, I have other (JBL) bigger ones, but I prefer the Genelecs.

Darvin Willhoite · Post by **Darvin Willhoite** » 27 Sep 2002 6:31 pm

We also use Yamaha NS10M's in our studio. We just recently got a pair of Adam powered monitors which are really nice but they were about 3 grand. The NS10M's can be found pretty reasonable on Ebay etc.

------------------
Darvin Willhoite
Riva Ridge Recording

Wayne Brown · Post by **Wayne Brown** » 27 Sep 2002 7:06 pm

did you know that peavey makes them too...that's what i'm using and there great

Dan Tyack · Post by **Dan Tyack** » 27 Sep 2002 7:46 pm

Mackie 824s. I don't know that they are the best, but I am a pretty crappy engineer and my mixes don't suck too bad.

------------------
www.tyack.com

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 28 Sep 2002 10:31 am

On the other end of the scale, a few years ago, I was listening to Dennis Sands do an orchestra mix on his PMCs. The sound in that room was like getting religeon and those speakers only cost $30,000.

Steve Hinson · Post by **Steve Hinson** » 28 Sep 2002 2:33 pm

824s...

Miguel e Smith · Post by **Miguel e Smith** » 8 Oct 2002 7:57 pm

What I've found is finding something you can get something decent without wearing your ears out on long days. I've used the NS10M's and I just couldn't get much that I liked but others, like John Macy, can really honk on them. If I had the bucks to spend I'd probably go with Genelec's as an "also" set of presentation for my head. I've heard some good stuff on both the Alesis and the Mackie powered stuff. I'm using Tannoy NFM-8's with a Hafler setup but I think it's whatever you can get used to make mixes that sound good in places other than your own room. Comparing existing label mixes to your own over you own speakers can help somewhat (although those projects are all post-mastering and not fair to compare absolutely).

Chris Schlotzhauer · Post by **Chris Schlotzhauer** » 9 Oct 2002 7:31 am

Mackie HR824's

chas smith R.I.P. · Post by **chas smith R.I.P.** » 9 Oct 2002 8:43 am

Comparing existing label mixes to your own over you own speakers can help

On the last two projects of my own CDs, I had spent enough time with them, that I knew what they sounded like in my room, and I burned a CD master on my system, for referrance. The actual mastering for the CDs was done by Joe Gastwirt at Ocean View Digital Mastering. I brought him a DA-88 2-track master encoded at 24 bits with a Prism Encoder.

I took the referance master CD from there and compared it to the one I burned back in my room to hear what is different. Of course, his eq, speakers, converters and burners are out of my league not to mention he's got ears.