Recording Studio Monitor Speakers (Mono/Stereo/Surround)

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Anyone know the characteristics of Studio Monitor Speakers
(frequency range, phase accuracy, dispersion etc.)?

If one wants to hear (close to) the original mix, using the
same speakers would be one step toward that goal.


Kirk Bayne
 
Anyone know the characteristics of Studio Monitor Speakers
(frequency range, phase accuracy, dispersion etc.)?

If one wants to hear (close to) the original mix, using the
same speakers would be one step toward that goal.


Kirk Bayne
Precisely the same point I made many years ago, only to be "shot at" (not shot down) by other members, can´t recall which ones, though...

Big believer in (yes, I KNOW that studios are calibrated by pros) "if you want to hear mostly what engineers and producers heard, studio monitors is the way to go..." ...well , that and I graduated from Music Production and Engineering in Berklee, so I think I may know what I am talking about; but only as far as MY opinion goes...

I saw that SW uses Genelecs (have never heard them in real life, though...have heard that they are one of the best) but , I know someone who works in the Audio world and he has Adam Audio AX7s which sound heavenly...

I have said it before and I will say it again, even if you leave a mix halfway done to finish the next day, it WILL sound different. Not only because your ears act as compressors and next day they will be fresh but also , atmosphere conditions will be different, so even if you have a replica of SW's studio, you will hear your version of the mix, and that is why so many members disagree on many MCH mixes and their EQ...that and many other factors but I hope you get my gist...
 
Precisely the same point I made many years ago, only to be "shot at" (not shot down) by other members, can´t recall which ones, though...

Big believer in (yes, I KNOW that studios are calibrated by pros) "if you want to hear mostly what engineers and producers heard, studio monitors is the way to go..." ...well , that and I graduated from Music Production and Engineering in Berklee, so I think I may know what I am talking about; but only as far as MY opinion goes...

I saw that SW uses Genelecs (have never heard them in real life, though...have heard that they are one of the best) but , I know someone who works in the Audio world and he has Adam Audio AX7s which sound heavenly...

I have said it before and I will say it again, even if you leave a mix halfway done to finish the next day, it WILL sound different. Not only because your ears act as compressors and next day they will be fresh but also , atmosphere conditions will be different, so even if you have a replica of SW's studio, you will hear your version of the mix, and that is why so many members disagree on many MCH mixes and their EQ...that and many other factors but I hope you get my gist...
I even believe personal mood affects how we "hear" and interpret the aural senses.
The psychoacoustic factor relating to mood should not be underestimated!
But to the question by the OP; I'd say since there are so many different engineers and studio/home studio rooms with different acoustics, is it really relevant?
 
I don't know what pop music lovers are looking for, but as a classical music listener the very last thing I want is the replication of the sound heard in monitoring a booth. I would hope the recording engineer would be using the monitor speakers as a tool and nothing more.
 
Anyone know the characteristics of Studio Monitor Speakers
(frequency range, phase accuracy, dispersion etc.)?

If one wants to hear (close to) the original mix, using the
same speakers would be one step toward that goal.


Kirk Bayne
Speakers are speakers. Some are designed to be more by the book accurate. Others are designed to favor some hype. This needs clarification though! Let's take an example of smaller limited range speakers. There isn't one that's full range to begin with. So we could never have an accurate small speaker?! Accuracy in this example means that the limited range of the speaker is accurate (flat) in that limited range. We're not trying to cover or qualify beyond that. The "hype" design for the small limited range speaker might favor a skewed response that is more pleasing (in someone's opinion) than truly flat. As sort of a workaround for not having full range. Full range and accurate is the highest point a listening room can achieve. However, hyped sounds more exciting than a smaller limited range system. You just can't trust it to mix on!

With that in mind, speakers for use in studio work are chosen for accuracy over hype. They're not different types of speakers at all. Some companies may only make the accurate style designs and thus have the reputation as a "studio monitor" maker. But speakers are speakers. Powered speakers are simply a combo product that are speakers with an amp built into the box. Any terms found beyond that are all marketing bs. Like "computer speakers" which suggests to the suggestable that you need something special for the computer (because "computer"). They're just little (and usually quite awful) powered speakers.

The bigger player is still the setup alignment and calibration (especially for surround) and room response. Work out the distances from the back wall(s) and corners by trial and error (while keeping the array angles and distances proper). Don't turn your room into a big bass box or standing wave machine! Use a tape measure and level. (Leveled into the same plane is important.) Calibrate channel levels as/if needed. You'll be hearing everything as close to how it was intended as possible.

Avoid processing!
Don't put the speakers at different distances from the listening position and then put in a delay correction, for one example. This kind of crap shouldn't even be an option on AVRs but it is. (Right next to the "club sound" eq and other suck buttons.) Don't do eq frequency correction unless it's an absolute last ditch workaround for an ugly room with no other options. (Like the stages in many live venues we have to deal with! But I digress...)
Try to get your overall frequency balance by altering distance from the back wall and the corners while keeping the array perspective intact (proper angles and consistent distances).

If you're using an all in one AVR for interface/DAC/preamp/amps, vet the controls carefully! Sometimes the 1:1 setting is not default!

If you go for a speaker array that needs speaker management (like the popular small top mains and redirect all mains' bass content to mix in with the Lfe channel), pay attention to details when setting this up. You can get pretty wild results with wrong settings!
 
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I enjoy my Genelecs (3x8331 + 2x8320 + 7350) in a desktop (overkill!) setup, and Genelec provides pretty comprehensive measurements. I agree that getting the speaker placement right (distances and angles) and some room treatments for corners and first-reflections help too.


1604437484323.png

https://www.genelec.com/8331a
 
I’m possibly upgrading my Danley LCR to JBL M2‘s. They are extremely popular at studios worldwide at this point.
 
A good engineer listens to the mix through several different sets of speakers (and if matrix encoded, with and without a decoder).

No you don't have to buy many sets of monitors. Take the recording out and play it in your car. Stick it in your son's boombox. Put it in the kitchen background system. These tests will make any inconsistencies in your recording and mix evident.
 
If you want the BEST SPEAKERS for listening to CLASSIC ROCK......just about all the rock records made in the 70's, the studios used JBL 4311's!!
 
A good engineer listens to the mix through several different sets of speakers (and if matrix encoded, with and without a decoder).

No you don't have to buy many sets of monitors. Take the recording out and play it in your car. Stick it in your son's boombox. Put it in the kitchen background system. These tests will make any inconsistencies in your recording and mix evident.

Major recording studios let people take yet to be released works by great artists off the premises and allow them to be plugged in to random bits of kit owned by third parties? That’s very interesting.
 
The engineer makes a test pressing and tries that in different systems.

All of these systems could be on premises. For example, the engineer brings the boombox into the studio. The car is in the parking lot.
 
I thought most engineers preferred at least 3 sets of speakers on hand? I suppose there will be some in the camp of learning a main set and room and not looking back. I have this never ending rage battle with my perception bias and prefer multiple sets of speakers that I can switch freely (and instantly) between. Got to have the little bookshelf stereo pair in near field to check gross balances and make sure the bass doesn't fart. Then the boring "home stereo" pair (a little bit awkwardly set up in the room to boot) that just exaggerate any hint of muddiness. Genelec 1032a's for normal listening and mixing. If it's in the wire, you'll hear in on the Genelecs. Nothing sneaks by. I probably prefer the sound from the AR9 array though. I'm going to build some speakers myself for my next upgrade I think.
 
The engineer makes a test pressing and tries that in different systems.

All of these systems could be on premises. For example, the engineer brings the boombox into the studio. The car is in the parking lot.

I wouldn't allow that to happen if it were my studio and I were responsible for the protection of the IP, potentially worth millions, of both of my company and that of its artists. I'd want to keep the material locked down on my system until I released it to the publisher, otherwise the risks are enormous. What are the modern security practices of international recording studios I wonder?
 
Thank you for your feedback, I'm also looking for quality speakers to listen to classic rock. I have cheap speakers and I should have replaced them a long time ago. So your comments are useful to me. Well, music is my life and sometimes I listen to tracks by unknown artists, because I like to discover new talented guys. While I was looking for new tracks, I found a music producer's blog and found a lot of new young artists that Raz has worked with in his Los Angeles recording studio. It's great that he gives the guys the opportunity to make a musical career.
 
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Along with the Auratones, the Yamaha NS-10.
I can't think of a music studio I've been in that didn't have a pair.
Not to mix to, but to check your mix.
Yamaha NS-10 - Wikipedia

Many years ago, when I worked at Sunset Sound Recorders, they had an AM transmitter at the studio so clients could go out to the parking lot and listen to the mix in their car.
 
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