Help chosing studio monitors

Rich Wood

Member
Hi guys, I'm looking into buying a new pair of studio monitors ready for when my Axe FX II arrives.
Just home studio. I was thinking along the lines of the KRK Rokit PR5's? Anyone tried these or similar?
I would be very greatful for any advice.

Many thanks

Rich
 
I personally find the Rockits to be very bass heavy and a little misleading when doing the mix. They are great but check them against others to hear the bass bump that is in there. Maybe go with the 6" version as well. I went with Yamaha ones (same price) because of the smoother bass response. Just go try a few and see what you like. If you are serious and looking for a permenant solution check out the Adam A7s at least.
 
A lot of folks here really like ( and swear by ) the Adam A7's ( or the new A7x's ) .... personally I didn't need that much volume, so I stepped down to the A5x's and really LOVE them .... Plenty loud enough for me sitting 4' to 5' feet away from them ( right in my face ) ....
 
This may be a bit more than you asked for, but.......




If possible, try to make sure your room is acoustically treated before you audition studio monitors. For critical listening, this can mean the difference between an accurate determination in your overall sound, or not. Treating your room can be inexpensive, especially if you do-it-yourself. I posted a DIY tutorial on how to make your own treatments, with locally sourced materials which can (in turn) help local small businesses. It's worth checking out:

How to make a Bass Trap Acoustic Panel (Tutorial) - YouTube


In addition, if you are on a small budget, consider buying pre-owned monitors that someone else may have outgrown, or no longer need. That way, you may be able to get a really good deal on speakers that are already burned in, and that retain their value should you decide to sell them later. Good sources for pre-owned monitors include the Classifieds section at Gearslutz (Gearslutz.com) I believe you must register to view the Classifieds on that particular forum. Ebay and Craigslist are other popular places to buy "pre-owned".

KRK monitors (especially pre-owned) can be a GREAT value. Some others to consider are: Dynaudio BM6a's, Mackie 824's, - if using a sub: Dynaudio BM5a's, Mackie 624's. There are many others, but these are monitors that I've used (among others) with my Axe II, and all of them have translated quite well. (see Phil O'Keefe's article on mix translation here: Getting your mixes to translate... [Archive] - Avid Audio Forums

Lastly, getting to "know" your monitors is something you should expect to do over a period of time. Very few rooms are acoustically identical (neither are 2 different sets of ears), and as such your listening experience will likely be different from anyone else's. Get to know what your speakers do by taking a mix of your music and playing it on a number of different audio devices (car stereo, boom box, laptop, ear buds, etc).

Martin Walker discusses some things to consider when monitoring in this Sound on Sound article: 20 Tips On Monitoring

Best of luck!
 
My personal favorites (for a relatively small room) are the Focal Solo 6 Be.
They're expensive but consider that as a lifetime investment.
For my use I only have a single monitor at home.If I want stereo I prefer headphones.
 
I picked up a pair of KRK Rokit 6" monitors from GC during one of their sales recently giving $75 off purchases of $399 or more.
They will no doubt have similar sales in next few weeks.

I like them. Good build quality, Balanced connections, have gain adjustments.
Seem accurate to my ears.

I also listened to the smaller ones and went with the 6".
 
I don't want to derail this thread too much, but I'm also very interested in the differences between the KRK 5s, 6s, and 8s. Seems like Axe users are getting great results out of all 3!

Eric
 
Hey thanks a lot for all your suggestions and advice I will have to try and check them out. At the moment I have pair of Fostex PMO4 nearfield monitors which I've had for a few years, they are not bad but they are starting to crackle and pop a lot and not sure if they will do the Axe FX II any justice.

Thanks again guys! I'm sure I'll be needing your technical advice in the near future.
 
I've had 2 sets of the Rokit 8's. I moved one set into the office for computer monitors. I mix and master with the newer set in the studio. I like them. They are really flat. I've heard the smaller ones and also thought they were kind of bassey. I get a decent mix (although after I think it's good, I'll knock it down to mp3 and put it on an ipod in the car - nothing beats a car to see if a mix will travel well - pardon the pun). My set up requires me to put one of the monitors in a corner - which stinks - but I've gotten used to it. Like diggi said, check your room. I think the room is more important than the monitors. My project studio is small, so without killing everything I'd get early reflections, standing waves, etc. from everything but the highest frequencies. (The room is also mostly rectangular - another reason to kill everything on the walls, floor and ceiling.) Like in the video diggi linked, I made my own traps. I used Owens Corning 703 2x4' panels. Bought 1x2" pine strips for the frame and burlap by the yard as it's really cheap and looks good (I think), to encase them. I made a bunch of gobos out of them (you can put a panel on the back of them to have a 2-sided gobo with absorbtion on one side and reflection on the other), and others I attached to the walls and ceiling. The insulation is kind of expensive, but if you look around and buy in bulk, you can get a good price.photo.jpgphoto1.jpg
 
Back
Top Bottom