Monitors recommendation for small home studio?

[pedrocosta]

Thanks Kayle,

That's where the idea of having the set at home for a demo is attractive from SE egg.
For sure there will be an adjustment period. I had that other set for 12 years.
I got pretty good at interpreting the sound on them and how it translated elsewhere.

[cardell]

At the other store they had the Yamaha HS50s which sounded quite natural but missing the low end.
They are ordering in a pair of 80s for me. Should be in this week. I'll then be able to listen to those.
Hopefully I will love them and buy them.

I have the Yamaha HS80Ms!
I doubt you'll be disapointed. They WILL NOT flatter your mix, which I found devistating at first.

My previous work (from before I owned them) sounded bad, because I could now hear what was really happening.

Later, the clarity that the HS80M's provide has become one of the most useful aspects of my setup.

Stuart



P.S. I have them sitting on a pair of Carillon iso pads. The pads were very reasonably priced (around $45 each) and make a huge difference.

[pedrocosta]

Thanks Stuart,

That's precisely what I want. I want to be disgusted by my old mixes so I can make better new ones.
For these I was thinking I'd buy stands for them. Never thought pads would work.
Good to hear that's also an option

[mojobone]

Personally I'd stay away from M-Audio. I got my wife a pair of the BX5s and one of them started to crap out pretty soon afterwards. I just think they are cheaply made.


Mazz

I'll second that notion; I have a friend in the speaker repair business; he says the same. (you should hear what he says about Bose, heh) They're an option, if they're your only option; you can definitely use them in a very small room, but the Mackie MRs are about the cheapest thing you can do really pro work on. (there's also a more portable MR5) In most rooms that are large enough and not shaped like a cube, you'll want at least an eight in woofer; it obviates the need for a sub, which can be really tricky to set up. MR8 Mk II goes down to 'bout thirty Hertz; below that there's little except LFE, which you won't usually need to worry about for music. Much below the fundamental of contrabass and kick or kettledrum, it's all jes' rumble, really, and you only need to be sure you don't have any that you don't want. (unless you do hiphop)

Having used the Mackies for a few weeks, I can say I think they're ultimately less fatiguing than the KRK and probably also the Yamahas, though I haven't heard the HS-80s, only the smaller ones and the old NS10s. They're nearfields, meaning you need to work close to them for the correct balance, they can be a bit dull at greater distances, though you can adjust both the highs and lows to better suit your situation. I'm definitely hearing stuff I want to fix, and not just in my own material, heh.

[brentmagstadt]

2) Monitors need a break in period before they really start to sound like they will ultimately sound.

Wow, I did not realize this; thanks!

I recently went with the KRK10/3's, and I gotta say they sound pretty damn fine to me. They're in the old room at the moment, and are waaay too much cone for the space, but once the new room is complete, they'll be fine mid-fields.

I do agree that my ears grow into a speaker set (though this can be a bad thing too. Like playing with the drummer with bad time ya know. Soon, we're all following him, perfectly locked in... ).

But I am feeling the pains of old mixes in new boxes.
Does anyone go through and remix their stuff in these situations?

[cardell]

But I am feeling the pains of old mixes in new boxes.
Does anyone go through and remix their stuff in these situations?

Yes, I've done that.

Or alternatively, I've taken certain tracks from old songs and built new material from there.

Stuart

[mrwonderful]

Yeah like what WERE you using that served you well all those years? What is/was your ear used to, or did I miss that? (Not hard to do at my age.)

[playagibson]

I have a set of Yorkvilles. They'll definitely fit your budget and I haven't managed to wreck 'em yet.
There's more than enough volume and I can hear everything well.
The bass is very tight and the tweeters can take a lot of abuse.
The monitors you mentioned will work very well and once you reference them with pro mastered cd's
you get to know how your mixes should sound on your new speakers.
Some of the monitors come with room correction software. This is crucial to mixing. Well worth the extra money.

[pedrocosta]

Got the Yamaha HS80Ms yesterday and had a wonderful night of listening in the studio

Very tight and detailed sound. Playing through several different reference track really made obvious albums that are well mixed. Not flattering at all on many of them including most of my own. I was pleasantly surprised that some of mine sounded great I guess I got used to mixing with my old set. But many a time I would listen to my mixes on other systems and then make adjustments based on that.

The Yamahas come with several settings for roll offs. But with the minimal room treatment I have so far they did quite well flat. There is some boomyness at the moment but I placed them on my desk with no decoupling. I will be looking for a pair of stands for them right away. Once they are off the desk I'm sure things will sound differently and we'll see what adjustments will be needed. For room treatment I am still missing several panels that I will be making as soon as it's bearable to work in my garage again. (-27C/-16F this morning)

Very happy with the set. I was hearing things in favourite songs I had never heard before. Very cool
Can't wait to do my first new song on them!

[cardell]

Got the Yamaha HS80Ms yesterday and had a wonderful night of listening in the studio

Very tight and detailed sound. Playing through several different reference track really made obvious albums that are well mixed. Not flattering at all on many of them including most of my own. I was pleasantly surprised that some of mine sounded great I guess I got used to mixing with my old set. But many a time I would listen to my mixes on other systems and then make adjustments based on that.

The Yamahas come with several settings for roll offs. But with the minimal room treatment I have so far they did quite well flat. There is some boomyness at the moment but I placed them on my desk with no decoupling. I will be looking for a pair of stands for them right away. Once they are off the desk I'm sure things will sound differently and we'll see what adjustments will be needed. For room treatment I am still missing several panels that I will be making as soon as it's bearable to work in my garage again. (-27C/-16F this morning)

Very happy with the set. I was hearing things in favourite songs I had never heard before. Very cool
Can't wait to do my first new song on them!

Congratulations!

I found I made an exponential improvement in my mixing once I got mine.

Stuart