Studio Monitors

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
Finally bought me some studio monitors, went with the mackie mr5 mk3, found one for $230 aud, which is really cheap.
Nice! They are great speakers and do make a big difference. I've noticed when mixing on them that my mix sounds the same on all types of speakers so right there it's worth the purchase.
 

PhDBeats

Dr. Boom Bap
What about the KRK Rokits? In all of the beatmaking videos I have watched, 90% of the producers have these. $300 a pair isn't bad either.
 

Fade

The Beat Strangler
Administrator
illest o.g.
What about the KRK Rokits? In all of the beatmaking videos I have watched, 90% of the producers have these. $300 a pair isn't bad either.
I never checked the KRKs but yeah me too, I see a lot of producers using them. I'm guessing they're pretty solid, they seem popular.
 

OriginalNoGuru

Struggles of Dad - by OldBones - due Dec 2016
No the Yamaha's suck balls.

I have the HS-7's and they're fantastic...
Neutral. You get out what you put into them.
I used to own Tannoy Reveals (blue actives) and regularly hear KRK Rokit-5's in my mates studio... The Yammies trounce them

I never checked the KRKs but yeah me too, I see a lot of producers using them. I'm guessing they're pretty solid, they seem popular.

They're good. Much more hyped in the bottom end than the Yamaha's - so you need to dial back the bass a bit to make it translate well on other systems - but they're good.
 
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PhDBeats

Dr. Boom Bap
Hey guys - trying to resurrect this thread. Does anyone have experience with the JBL LSR305s? I have whittled down my choice to either those or the KRK Rokit 5s. I heard that the Rokits color the sound a bit and the JBL's are more of a true, clear sound.
 

Slag prod.

Member
Hey @PhDBeats

I have KRK Rokit 5s, and I gotta say that I am very happy with them! I haven't heard those JBL's so I can't compare these to them. But I gotta say that when I bought these I had a chance to compare these to Genelec's (them small ones, I think they were like 8010's) And I like´d these KRK's more. Probably because the price too, haha.

What comes to a colored sound, I wouldn't be too worried. I don't have perfect acoustic treatment, or so called floating room. These things hugely affects the sound. At the end of the day, it comes down to getting used to what you got.
 

PhDBeats

Dr. Boom Bap
Thanks @Slag prod. I actually ordered a pair of the Rokit 4s. They will be perfect for my desk size. No acoustic treatment here either and it won't be happening. The room where I make music is our spare bedroom and it isn't aesthetically pleasing to have the treatment all over!
 

PhDBeats

Dr. Boom Bap
@Slag prod. They are awesome. I used them a bit yesterday and they sound fantastic. They definitely give me a different sound than my Audio Technica 50 headphones, which is great. They will help in providing a clear mix in the near future.
 

MaseedProd

www.maseedproductions.com
Believe me when I tell you, save up the scratch to get some good quality studio monitors. You want a monitor that will give you a true, uncolored, flat response so that when you're mixing, your mixes will translate well on just about any speaker or headphone you play them on. Your monitors are the one piece of gear you have in your studio that you can actually hear so even if you have a $150K SSL board, Protools HD system with the best converters money can buy, Nuemann mics, Vintage Neve compressors and EQs, ect. if you're mixing out of inferior monitors, none of that will mean shit.

Some things to consider when selecting a monitor.

Genre of the music you will be mixing on them: (If you produce or mix mostly urban music, then you'll want a monitor that will translate the low end properly for you. If you're mixing acoustic music or spoken word, a monitor with detailed mids would be ideal). Best bet is to go with a monitor that does both fairly well.

Size of the room you will be mixing in:
(Big 8" woofer monitors in a small room will be over bearing and won't give you a true representation of your mix). If you need low end, sometimes it's better to pair a sub woofer with some 5" to 6" monitors.

Brand and reputation of the manufacture:
(It seems like this wouldn't be important, but it is). Take for example, the famous Yamaha NS-10s...those things sound like shit yet every major studio and engineer has a set that they use as their preferred near field monitor. Why, you ask? It's because if you can make your mix sound good on those things, your mix will sound good coming out of any speakers. Think about all the hit songs that have been mixed through NS-10s? As much as I hate them, KRKs are highly used by reputable producers in the hip-hop genre. They are not the best speaker that money can buy but, they are a standard for that genre of music. Genelecs are a known and reputable staple in high end studios but they cost. Again, now that studio monitor technology is getting better, Genelecs are not necessarily the best choice but considering how many hit records were mixed on them, you can't sleep on them if you can afford them.

Listening pleasure:
Some monitors even though they may have flat response have a harshness to their sound that may make listening to them for hours on end, fatiguing. I think it's important that your monitors feel comfortable to your ears and that you actually just enjoy listening to music on them. They should have a nice "sweet spot" that makes the sound clear and nice without adding color.

Test drive them:
Honestly, your ears don't lie (unless you are tone deaf). Go to the music store and listen to all the monitors. Bring in one of your own mixes and a mix from a song that you like that is similar in composition to that song and listen to them both. A good pair of monitors should immediately expose the deficiencies in your mix, if you hear none then stay with the monitors you already have.
 
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