Studio Buildout Pics

Kapo_Polenton said:

Around 300-350$ for the pair depending on which ones I go for. These would likely be 6 or 8 inch speakers though I am not sure if i really need the 8 inch given the size of the room.

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Given your price range, I'd definitely go with a six speaker and maybe a five inch speaker (and later add a sub).

Kapo_Polenton said:

As long as they are clear and flat response, I think that is key isn't it?

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The gentlest way I can put it is that "Flat Response" is marketing nonsense. If I could spend $350 dollars and purchase monitors that performed as well as $5k monitors, I'd be thrilled. But the reality is that budget priced monitors don't provide the sonic detail that more expensive monitors can provide.

Now, that doesn't mean that you can't get a good mix that translates well, but it makes it far more difficult to do so because the speakers aren't capable of providing the type of detail available on higher end products.

If I were in your position, I'd also look at Tannoy, Event and M-Audio 5" - 6" monitors with the idea of adding a sub at a later date. It doesn't have to be a massive sub or even a "studio" sub. Just an 8"+ plus sub with a frequency crossover and volume knob to balance with your monitors for better bottom end clarity.

Generally speaking, mids and highs aren't a major issue when mixing, it's the 300hz and below range that can cause major issues.

Good luck!

Oh, one more thing I'd add about monitors: Spend as much time as possible listening to music that you love, regardless of genre, to get a feel for where guitars, bass, drums, etc. sit in your room and on the speakers.

That will give you a great basis for understanding where your recorded instruments should sit in a mix and provide an excellent frame of reference.

excellent advice there Mike thanks! The music that i like and the production that i like will give me a better indication of how i like to mix my instruments.. and how my room sounds while mixing.

Ok, I'll check out the 6's.. i actually do think 8's might be overkill. Also agree on what you said about the budget vs. expensive speakers. There is a reason a 5000$ set of monitors are that expensive..

Hey Mike, were these similar to your earlier pair?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-electronics/ottawa/2-yorkville-ysm1p-ii-studio-monitors/582974538?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Kapo_Polenton said:

Hey Mike, were these similar to your earlier pair?

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-electronics/ottawa/2-yorkville-ysm1p-ii-studio-monitors/582974538?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

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Unfortunately, no. Mine were like this:




From what I saw, there's an option to add a Yorkville subwoofer later with the latest versions, which is appealing.

Ok, so I guess i didn't understand that they mean the price is for ONE speaker.. i didn't think it made sense to sell speakers individually but i suppose sometimes they blow.. anyway, I was auditioning a few speakers and the yamaha HS5's were the clearest and least coloured to my ears. The MAckie's and rockets boosted and emphasized the bass and the yorkville's also favour the bass. Would be ideal for dance guys or DJ's but not so much for me I don't think. They are 219$ each canadian so will end up costing closer to 500$ with our shitty taxes but I think will be worth it for my uses. You were also right, 5 or 6 is more than enough for my space. 8's would be total overkill not to mention take up a crapload of space..

Kapo_Polenton said:

Ok, so I guess i didn't understand that they mean the price is for ONE speaker.. i didn't think it made sense to sell speakers individually but i suppose sometimes they blow

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Studio monitors have been sold as single speakers for at least a decade, maybe 15 years. It's due to the proliferation of 5.1 mixers.

Kapo_Polenton said:

.. anyway, I was auditioning a few speakers and the yamaha HS5's were the clearest and least coloured to my ears. The MAckie's and rockets boosted and emphasized the bass and the yorkville's also favour the bass.

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KRK's and Mackie's are used extensively in the Hip Hop world, due to their bass response. I haven't heard a pair of Yorkville's since I sold mine in 1995 (for KRK's, no less!).

Kapo_Polenton said:

You were also right, 5 or 6 is more than enough for my space. 8's would be total overkill not to mention take up a crapload of space..

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I don't know of a single person that uses 8" speakers as studio monitors these days. For the past 10 years or so, 5's to 6.5" with a matching sub have proven to be far more accurate than an 8" speaker and tweeter in a single enclosure.

I think the HS5's would be a fine choice, especially since there's an option to add the matching sub.

To everyone, please disregard my comments about the Markertek foam. As it turns out, that foam was causing phasing and other issues in my guitar and bass recordings since moving to the new studio. It's weird because it wasn't happening in my other cabinet closet but it happened in this particular closet.

I've covered the foam with a Producer's Blanket on the long wall and covered the amps with a Producer's Blanket. The difference is astounding. I had a little Markertek "Wall" between the guitar and bass cabinet and it too was causing phasing. I removed it today and the signals are even tighter.

I ordered a pair of 24x24x4" bass traps from Acoustimac that will now serve as the divider between both cabinets and I expect the sound to be even better.

I'll keep everyone posted with some comparison clips in the coming weeks and my apologies for the bad advice.

Studio monitors are a pretty individual thing. The individual pricing is more for advertised prices being lower than pair pricing.

Listening to a wide variety is important if you can.

I also recommend the smaller woofer in the monitor with added sub later. If you can, try the Yamaha offerings in addition. The most important is you being able to hear detail and know what's being captured.

Eventually you might consider adding a pair of Primeacoustic Recoil Stabilizers. I was very impressed at the noticeable improvement with a few monitors on them vs. not. They're not as cheap as the Auralex monitor pads, but they're quite a bit better.

I've completely re-done my cabinet closet. I've draped a Producer's Blanket over the Markertek foam (which was the root of my phasing issues), added two 24x24x4" Acoustimac 705 Eco Bass Traps between each cabinet and doubled up a Producer's Blanket and draped it over the top of both. I also removed the Auralex styrofoam diffuser in favor of two 2x4x1" 705 panels on the door.

I've haven't recorded with the traps yet but the recordings just prior to adding them made a huge difference. The guitars were more focused, tighter and no hint of phasing. Hopefully, the 705 panels will reduce or eliminate weird and random frequency spikes I have having, probably due to sound waves crashing into and bouncing off the old Markertek divider was using.

Here's a few pics. I hope this helps out someone!

Looks good... as usual! I am not a huge fan of the foam.. rather use the traps for my purposes. Now hunting for best bang for the buck reamp box.