On the topic of monitors.....

[ChekOneTwo]

...following on from the recent KRK discussion, is there anything you guys would class as better than the 5/6's in the same price range?!

I'm surprised to hear about the over powering bass, I've always wanted really accurate monitors, obviously for now these will be a good stepping stone onto something better....

Also if I'm upgrading my Cans, same question about the ATH-M50's ive heard really good things..?

...that is all

[groelle]

m audio studiophile 8 arent that much pricier aswell.

[ChekOneTwo]

Any advice on some decent headphones upgrading from my senheisers?! M50's for me are a good bet but would like some comparisons if you guys know of any?!

[ali^]

get HD25's, you won't need to buy a new pair ever again because u can just replace parts, along with the fact that they are lightweight and solid as fuck. they've also got one of the flattest frequency responses going, for studios and djing you can't really do much better

[ChekOneTwo]

Cheers Ali I'll be sure to check those out!

[StrifeII]

whoa whoa, slow down.

Monitors = you get what you pay for as a rule of thumb. You're not going to find monitors better than KRK's for cheaper than them because if that happened, everybody would buy them instead of KRK's. It's quite simply a case of more expensive = better.

Headphones, you will not be able to mix tracks with. You can't EQ or pan correctly with headphones because low frequencies don't travel like with monitors, it's the equivalent of mixing on a hifi system. The stereo field in your track won't sound natural either. The only thing you can really do with them is produce at night, or reference with them. Don't substitute.

Alesis MK1/MK2 sound terribly cloudy, don't bother wasting your money.

There arn't that many I've actually sat and used properly, but I'm happy with my Tannoy Reveal 501a's, although they lack in bass slightly. Very clear and precise and cost £250 a pair. THe only other thing in that price range worth noting is the Adam A series, which are quality.

[ChekOneTwo]

Cheers Strife, I'm looking for an upgrade on the cans as like you said, late night sessions keeps the lady up when my studio is next to the bedroom, I also want something a bit better when playing out as my current HD202's have needed upgrading for a while now.

So you reckon the Rockits are the ones to go for? I always remember reading somewhere that when you've chosen what you want, go out and buy them else you end up deliberating about your purchase the longer you wait. I wish I had now as I'm torn between the 5's and 6's? Are the 6's really that much better or do you just get a slightly bigger/deeper sound...?

...that is all

[mistasfx]

my first set of studio monitors were the Alesis MK1's and i must say theyre the worst sounding cans ive ever heard for dnb. No bass at all. Mackie HR624s tho sweeeet and u can pick up a 2nd hand pair on ebay for between £250-£400

[StrifeII]

The difference between the 5's and the 6's is a better handling of low frequencies, and if you're producing DnB, that's not a bad idea. Take into consideration how loud you can use them too - if you're barely ever pumping it up to really feel the bass, it's pretty pointless getting something huge, and most mastering engineers will cut below 40hz anyway.

I can't tell you which to go for, your best option is to visit a store and listen to them, see what sounds best to you. You won't go wrong with Adams, KRK's or Tannoys, but I'd steer clear of M-Audio and Alesis. There's no reason you can't get a good mix from any monitor, I've had releases on hifi speakers - it's about knowing where things should sit and identifying imperfections. Buy any of the above, and you won't regret it - after all, they're all an upgrade, and your mix quality will almost definitely improve. Also mrsfx hasn't got the wrong idea - Mackies are awesome

As for headphones, no idea, don't use them. But if it's for late night producing, fair enough

[DJPancake]

...I havn't been on this forum in a looooong while, and have switched genres (eastcoast rap) but you have to be stupid not to get the 6's, lol!

I had KRK 5's for a week or so, then had an opportunity to get the 6's, and i jumped on it. The best speaker decision i've ever made, haha! (I also got a 12" studio sub for free)

anyways, get the 6's or even 8's if you can afford! I love my KRKs and will never part from them.

[ChekOneTwo]

8's I've heard are overpowering for a "Average Sized" home studio...?

[groelle]

The difference between the 5's and the 6's is a better handling of low frequencies, and if you're producing DnB, that's not a bad idea. Take into consideration how loud you can use them too - if you're barely ever pumping it up to really feel the bass, it's pretty pointless getting something huge, and most mastering engineers will cut below 40hz anyway.

I can't tell you which to go for, your best option is to visit a store and listen to them, see what sounds best to you. You won't go wrong with Adams, KRK's or Tannoys, but I'd steer clear of M-Audio and Alesis. There's no reason you can't get a good mix from any monitor, I've had releases on hifi speakers - it's about knowing where things should sit and identifying imperfections. Buy any of the above, and you won't regret it - after all, they're all an upgrade, and your mix quality will almost definitely improve. Also mrsfx hasn't got the wrong idea - Mackies are awesome

As for headphones, no idea, don't use them. But if it's for late night producing, fair enough

no offense, but for someone claiming stay clear of that and this monitor, your mixes sound preeeeetty poor..

---------- Post added at 11:12 ---------- Previous post was at 11:11 ----------

8's I've heard are overpowering for a "Average Sized" home studio...?

the bigger the basscones, the more you have to worry about phasecancelling issues.

depends tho. if you got 20m² i wouldnt worry too much about that.

[StrifeII]

Alesis are shit. They sound shit. I would recommend against them to the death.

And I never claimed that my mixes were good by most people's standards, in fact I'm aware that they're not...but they sound good to me, and I absolutely hate how compressed and perfect modern electronic music is. Have you ever turned a Metallica or Hendrix record from the 70's way up on a big system? The depth is incredible. There's nothing that sounds better to me than elements in a track that you can't even remotely hear if you play it on your tv or a small car stereo. But again...each to their own

[groelle]

^^^ those albums are perfectly mixed tho, otherwise you couldnt turn them up on a big system and it would still sound good. thats the difference.

a good mixdown doesnt neccessarily mean to apply compression to any and each sound, its just a good mixdown. i personally tend to get 20-15rms after the mixdown, and then maybe apply 5db of compression on average, sometimes more, sometimes less to play out and upload - but im by no means a mastering engineer anyways, so i dont know, but it sounds good to me and leaves me enough room. i mean, a sound thats 20 or at least 10 dnb quieter than the loudest one is lots of space to play around - and you would still miss those sounds on a tv..

/rant

what i mean is that "i dont want to be evolved in that loudness war" doesnt mean you shouldnt try and aim to get the best mixdown possible. and tbh, ears develop over time and so do your mixdowns with that. hence why i was saying your judgement on monitors is possibly, as your ears 'mature' - a subject that may change and on the other hand, everyone should decide for themselves which monitors suit them best.

you remeber hearing tests at school? not everyone hears the same

not saying alesis are the shit, but they got more bass than the rokit 6s and still handle mids and highs comfortably - at least for that price range!