Re: [microsound] Re: monitor speakers

[Kerry Uchida <kerry@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

kyle jones wrote:

> I have seen this type of comment come up a couple of times on this list when
> it comes to conversations about monitors.  I would like to point out that
> studio reference monitors are supposed to have a flat frequency response,
> not sound warm or harsh or anything like that.  Their purpose is to show you
> what your music "REALLY" sounds like unlike consumer electronics which make
> no attempt at flat frequency repsonse and instead are designed to "enhance"
> your music according to what (some) people really want out of music (ie
> rolling off the high end and boosting the bass).
>

You've stated "studio reference monitors", but what is that supposed to mean?
Are they "digital ready" how about "24bit/96kHz compatible" ?
Why are there Yamaha NS10's in every professional studio?  Why are
there Auratones in every pro studio too?  Because the people that are
buying the music aren't listening on "studio reference monitors".  You
can mix your music away and make them sound great on "studio reference
monitors" but they will possibly sound like shit on people's car stereos,
ghetto blasters, walkmans, home stereos or computers.  That's why NS10s
and Auratones are used.  Many engineers found that if they could make
their mixes sound great on NS10s that they would sound great on a wide
variety of playback systems.  While they'll also check their mixes on big
huge studio monitors, this is more for the enjoyment of all in the studio.
Once it's left the studio it will never sound like that.  This was a trend in
the 80's and 90's and slowly many engineers/producers have grown
tired of listening too and working on NS10s (cause they sound like shit).
So they've been exploring many other speaker systems that would
be able to provide a

1) Mix that translates well to a variety of playback systems
2) Enough power and punch to give the 'huge system playback' feel
        (hence self powered speakers)
3) Either a pristine and clear or a coloured sound that
    the engineer and producer enjoy listening too (that still fits #1)

There have been a rash of speakers that have been the "rage"
to use.  Genelecs, KRKs, etc now Mackie and Soundcraft etc
have been jumping on the bandwagon.  You need to listen
to them all (don't read the documentation, read magazine articles
or listen to salemen) and decide what's going to work best for you.
While I don't think you'll be able to buy a set of monitors that
will cover all the bases like this for less than $2000.  It is well
worth it to spend the money.  The two things I've learned about
engineering that you do not skimp on is microphones and speakers.
Gather the best sound you can, listen to something that you
know it's going to sound like that on other peoples systems.

My speaker evaluation:

When I was monitor shopping I was able to get the saleman to
bring by different sets of speakers.  We set them up in the studio
and came up with a a/b/c/d/e switchable system.  We aligned
all the speakers to 85dB reference level.  It was pretty neat
to listen to one speaker and go "wow that sounds pretty good",
but then it was mind blowing switching to a different speaker
and hearing the difference.  If I was to only hear the one
pair at a music store I probably would have been very impressed.
But to be able to instantly switch to a different set and hear
the difference was amazing.  We tried a wide variety of music
through each speaker.  Eleminating speakers as we went.
We came down to 3 different monitor systems.  After A/B/C ing
them again.  We decided that speaker A (Genelecs) provided
a well balanced clear mix that would be great for the translation
factor, but they did not sound musical, they sounded harsh
and clinical.  speaker B (PMCs) provided great imaging
and depth, mix balance was good, they had a warmth too them
but very little punch.  Speaker C (can't remember???) had
loads of punch and energy but no imaging and the mix
balancing wasn't cutting it.  So after spending quite a bit
of time listening to various speakers.  I chose to go with the
PMC LB-1's with Bryston piggyback amps.  While spending
12-14hrs a day listening to these speakers, I'm happy and
my mixes translate incredibly well to other systems.

kerry


--

Kerry Uchida
Vancouver,Canada

"Sounds don't belong to human beings,
in the same way as nature itself does
not belong to them.  Sound Ambience is
part of nature, and the composer only
needs to make listening to it possible." -John Cage


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