Studio monitors at Sage Audio.
It is often argued that the two most important pieces of equipment in a studio are microphones and studio monitors. The logic is obvious; if you have the right tools to record your audio and the right tools to replicate that audio, you’ve already completed half the battle of achieving a great sounding mix. But choosing the right studio monitors for your setup quickly becomes a daunting task due to the sheer number of options available.
Before diving into detail about different types of monitors, it’s best to know what your monitoring needs are. It should be noted that this guide refers to “near field” monitors – those typically placed between three and five feet from the engineer. Some studios will have additional monitors (placed in different locations) for various referencing, but we will be looking solely at close range monitors, since many home studios and small studios use these exclusively.
Passive Monitors Vs. Active Monitors
To start narrowing down the types of monitors available, we can start with two basic categories that all will fall into: passive and active.
Passive monitors do not include a built in power amplifier, and therefore must be driven by a separate amplifier. Conversely, active monitors have a built-in amplifier that is optimized to work with each component of the speaker. Each category has distinct pros and cons, and the best will depend on your particular needs.
Advantages for passive monitors:
- Many professional studios use passive monitors because it allows them purchase specifics amplifiers based on their needs. These amplifiers typically have higher quality components than the amplifiers used in active monitors.
- Separate power amplifiers have their own settings, so you have more control over what is sent to the speakers.
- You can use different sets of speakers with the same power amplifier, allowing for more mix referencing options.
- Some audio engineers argue that including the amplifier in speaker design can compromise internal speaker acoustics.
Advantages for active monitors:
- Active monitors have become increasing popular with the rise of home recording, and likely will continue to do so because they are essentially “plug and play” – simply connect the speakers to your DAW or mixing board and you are ready to mix.
- Unless you already have a power amplifier you want to use for your speakers, buying active speakers is usually less expensive because you don’t have to purchase as many separate components.
- The specifications of the built-in amp are designed to work optimally with the particular components, such as; tweeters and woofers of the speakers.
The Perfect Flat Response
The goal of a studio monitor is to provide a truly flat response – meaning that the speakers represent the mix exactly as it sounds, without boosting or reducing any frequencies in the process. Most consumer speakers are configured to produce loud bass and pleasant high-end frequencies. This is one reason your mix will sound different on many consumer monitors.
More balanced mixes come from studio monitors that represent the low, mid, and high frequencies exactly as they actually sound – which is why ‘accurate response’ is a synonym for ‘flat response’. When you produce a good mix on speakers with a flat response, the mix is more likely to sound good on all other stereos systems.
While the goal of all studio monitors is to provide this flat response, the actual accuracy varies, and is why a pair or $2,000 monitors cost as much as they do. Typically, the more expensive the pair of studio monitors, the flatter the response will be. As with many products in the music industry, however, don’t blindly take this as fact, as your ears will provide you with more information than a price tag.
Subwoofer Vs. No Subwoofer
Nearly all studio monitors include a tweeter and a woofer, and some systems have a subwoofer to replicate the low frequencies of a mix: but the question is this: is a subwoofer necessary in a studio?
The answer is typically no, though as with most answers in this industry, that can change depending on the situation.
Woofers on studio monitors typically range from 3 inches to 8 inches or so, and the larger the woofer, the more bass response you will have, which will more accurately replicate the lows in your mix. If you find that your mixes sound great on your monitors, but then rattle the walls and windows of the room you’re in when you play them on your home stereo, you may want to think about adding a subwoofer to your mix.
This could potentially complicate your monitor placement setup and most likely be more trouble than it is worth. Usually, as long as your woofer is 7 inches or larger, you will get a bass response accurate enough for most needs if you’re only mixing music.
Price
The old adage “you get what you pay for” holds true for the most part when it comes to studio monitors, but that doesn’t mean you have to have the most expensive monitors available to get a good mix. Still, this is also not an area where you want to skimp.
As mentioned previously, monitors are among of the most important aspects of your studio, and are crucial in producing a good product. A good guideline is to spend as much on monitors as your budget allows, but don’t go below $200. Any less than that amount and you’re likely to get speakers that you are unhappy with and will be looking to upgrade as soon as possible anyway.
There are plenty of high quality monitors in the $200-$400 range today that will work well and are used in many successful studios. The more you spend on top of that price level, the more you’re likely to find that your mixes are more accurate and your mixing time is shorter.
Learn Your Monitors
One of the most important aspects of buying studio monitors – one that is often overlooked – is that you have to learn your monitors. Even if you’re using the most accurate monitors available, you still must give your ears time to adapt to the specific speakers you are using, and then adjust your mixes accordingly.
The flatter the response of the speakers, the shorter this adjustment period will be. Even with less expensive models, as soon as you learn that the bass is a little underrepresented, you’ll eventually be able to adjust for this in your mix, and your final product will sound great on any system.
Every monitor is going to be better at one thing or another – the model with the best replication of highs may slightly sacrifice its low-end replication. As you mix, you’ll learn what you like best, and what best suits your mixing style. Learn as much as you can about different monitors you’re interested in and test them in the store if possible. This will help you choose a pair that best fits your needs and your budget.
About Sage Audio
Sage Audio is a professional mastering studio located on legendary Music Row in Nashville, TN that provides high-fidelity CD mastering at affordable rates aimed at giving independent artists all over the world the same quality sound as those on major labels.
Bryston amplifier at Sage Audio studios.
They also offer a free mastering sample for first time artists. This preview allows the artists to hear exactly what their tracks will sound like after being professionally mastered.
Links
Sage Audio Online: click here
