You have a limited budget and you certainly haven’t money to waste. So what is important for your recording room and what isn’t? If you already have a computer, a DAW, and an audio interface, what’s next?
Do you really need a pair of studio monitors? Yes, A quality pair of professional studio monitors is an essential for any project studio. Monitors are an imperative for critical listening. They allow for the accurate interpretation of the source sound. When placed properly in the room the monitors are designed to sonically depict the stereo field in an exacting and translatable way. Studio monitors are valued because they have a flat response. A quality pair will not add color to the sound.
Now that we’ve established acquiring a pair of monitors to be a priority, Lets take a look at a couple of details that should help you to get where you’re going.
Studio Monitors Are The Best Next Purchase
A pair of studio monitors is a tool, and an important one at that. In audio engineering the pair’s fundamental value is equaled only by a recording medium, and a tool for capturing sound. So in that same fundamental sense, the rest is just bells and whistles.
In my experience, it’s a practical idea to pick up the highest quality pair you can afford at your earliest convenience. The monitors will take time to learn. That is, it will take time for you to understand how what you’re hearing through them is going to translate to the stereo mix. The more time you spend relating to the monitors in this way, the more proficient you’ll become with making proper use of them.
Why They Are Important
Why they are important is that they give an accurate flat response. That is they don’t add any kind of color to your mix. If your monitors were adding frequencies or overestimating frequencies it would translate badly to the mix. If you had monitors that did that you would have to adjust everything you were doing to avert the impact of those unwanted frequencies to your final mix. Studio Monitors will improve your mix exponentially because they’ll take all of that guessing out of the equation. You will only hear what is supposed to be there.
Additionally, quality monitors will accurately reproduce the ever-changing transients. This requires that the Studio Monitors are able to act quickly to interpret the sharp changes in compression and rare-fraction. For those of you composing Electronic Music, it’s especially necessary in order to try and reproduce those square waves.
Recording and Mixing
Studio monitors will be useful to you in both the recording phase and during mix down.
In the mixing process the stereo image allows you to spatially place each instrument into an appropriate position in relation to the other instruments you’ve already placed into the mix.
In regards to recording and tracking, the studio monitors provide you with an accurate interpretation of the source sound. This allows you to confirm that the source recording material is clear and functional for your mix.
Where Studio Monitors Are Commonly Used
- Professional Recording Studios
- Radio Stations
- Audio Post Facilities (sound for film)
- Television Studios
- Project Recording Studios (home studios)
Getting Adapted Quickly
To get adapted to your monitors more quickly try spending a bit of time listening to music that you are already familiar with on them.
This will give you insight as to how these monitors interpret those recordings in relationship to how other speakers have. That differential is the information you’re looking to ingest, process and act on.
Additionally, those records and mixes that you especially love and wish to emulate can be used as a north star.
Listen to those songs over and over again, paying close attention to how everything sits in the mix. You may not have the same quality dynamics processors to use on your recordings but that’s irregardless. This strategy will still yield a deeper understanding of how to use a pair of studio monitors as a tool, and to effect.
You Should Not Be Using Home Stereo Speakers
You may be thinking…
“Hey! I have a great pair of home stereo speakers here. Why don’t I just go ahead and plug them into the computer and mix!”
That may seem like a good idea, but it isn’t.
It’s true; you may have a very excellent pair of home stereo speakers. But they were not designed to do what you are trying to make them do. They’re most certainly not intended for precision mixing. They color the sound. That means that some frequencies are enhanced in order to give the speakers a robust low end. Effectively, it’s as if the speakers have been permanently EQ’d.
Nor Should You Be Using Headphones
Yes, a set of headphones is an important recording tool. It’s just that their intended purpose is not for mixing. They are very useful for a number of functions and you may be able to get a lot of things done with using them in regards to mixing. But getting a clear image of the wide stereo field requires speaker separation and your head at the third point of the triangle, right in the sweet spot.
Often times you’ll be listening to the same music for long hours at a time. If you have to overly or excessively use headphones you’ll reach listening fatigue much more quickly.
If you’re working with studio monitors they can be turned down to low volume for delicate listening. You can still complete some tasks with out being over come by the suffocating way you experience headphones after prolonged use.
Active and Passive Monitors
In terms of powering the monitors, there are two kinds you can purchase. The most common are Active Monitors the others are Passive monitors.
An active monitor is self-powered. Which means it has a built-in amplifier to drive the speakers. Active monitors are very convenient because they are ready to go out of the box.
Passive monitors on the other do require a little bit of extra effort. Specifically that means you will have to do a little bit of mathematics to calculate which amplifier you need to drive those speakers.
Passive monitors may be less popular these days, or perhaps just less popular for project studios. I’m certain however that there are people out there interested in adding a set of vintage NS10s to their collection. I am aware that those of you looking to collect a vintage set of passive NS10s are already initiated. For the newcomers, the point is that someday this may be a point of consideration.
Monitor Size and Function
In terms of the physical size, frequency response, and width of stereo spread, there are three kinds of monitors for your consideration.
- Nearfield Monitors
- Midfield Monitors
- Farfield Monitors
Nearfield Monitors
Nearfield Monitors are the smallest sized monitors. They have a limited ability to represent the low-end frequencies. If they are your primary monitors you may consider eventually adding a subwoofer. Nearfield Monitors are the best and most practical solution for the Home Studio or Project Studios because their stereo spread is designed for a smaller room.
Midfield Monitors
The Midfield monitors are physically bigger than the Nearfields. They are intended for use in larger studios. Because of their design you can expect them to have a better bass response than the Nearfields have. I wouldn’t recommend them for a Home Studio, or Project Studio.
Farfield Monitors
Farfield Monitors are more exclusively used in professional studios. Their large size makes them great for giving a sense of low end, and a rich end user experience. But even in the big studios, they are only used in a complimentary fashion, more so as a tool to review the mix done on the smaller monitors. With a simple visual inspection it’s clear to see that Farfield Monitors would be an impractical choice for the small sized rooms that project studios are built in.
In The Future
Down the road you may consider picking up a second pair of Studio Monitors. One strategy for improving your mixes is to make mix comparisons on multiple pairs of speakers. If you use them to A-B against one another it will give you a better insight into how your mix will translate to consumer speakers.
Going Forward
In my own Project Studio, I am using the Adam A7 Monitors. They are Nearfield Monitors. This is not a recommendation, but I love that I have them. Whatever ones you choose make sure that you’re going to be happy about your purchase. What I do recommend is that you find someplace where you can audition the monitors first. No one has the time or money to be wasted on buyer’s remorse.
Now go and be great!
Good Luck