Help picking the right monitors/setting

[Motivfs]

So I've decided, after a year of just using my headphones, it's time to properly mix my music with monitors as well.

I'm looking for something small, but good quality, I have a very compact room, I live in a townhouse apartment so there really isn't much space to work around. My work holiday's are coming up and I plan to completely renovate my room (Along with a new studio desk). I have absolutely no budget for these monitors, after looking at the prices, something around $500-$1000 should do though. I don't want the woofer to be too big; as said before, I have a small room and would like the sound waves to develop properly, so small is better while I try to maintain quality.

Now what my ideal plan was, that if I do get a new desk, I will obviously, put them on the desk, however if I don't, and stay with my really small desk I'm using right now, I was thinking of making some custom pedestals to place the monitors on.

I've also heard people go against placing monitors facing at an angle (or in the corner of a room), which is what I plan to do, but if there is a reason for not doing it, I'd gladly like to know, I imagine it would have to do with phase cancellation, I could be wrong.

[Forza SoundFire]

What I found after buying a set of $1200 monitors (+ ISO Acoustics stands), is that the room does make more of an impact that I thought it would.
For example, I get peaks at 62Hz and 124Hz, the half wavelength and full wavelength of the height of my room, respectively.
I've had to do some DIY wave-breaking to get it sounding better.
Also, one of my monitors is closer to the wall than the other due to the fixed location of my desk, and even though I have forward firing bass ports, if you stick your head behind the monitor, you get a LOT of bass build up.
hmm.. also there's small things, like I can hear a slight ring of my audio bouncing off the hard walls of my en-suite.
Had to pad out and treat everything that niggles at me so. Expect to do the same...

I find, even though my room is fairly big, I don't often use my sub. it adds about 18Hz range, but I find I just don't need it most often.

[Motivfs]

I figured I might have to pad out my room, which is another reason I planned to give myself a ton of open time to do this all at once.

Looking at my room without any measurements right now, it looks to be 14' x 12' (Closet) x 14' x 14', so it's really, REALLY small. I also have a window right in front of me, I'm going to make sure the monitors face away from the window, I figure that would be the way to go.

Still, any suggestions of what monitors I should buy as well?

[the4thImpulse]

Still, any suggestions of what monitors I should buy as well?

Best thing to do is to go to a music store and listen to what they've got. I can give you some suggestions later when I'm back at my house but the best the to do is to listen to them yourself before buying.

I also second what fora said, your room makes a huge difference, bigger than you could imagine. I made some DIY panels and bass traps and my studio is noiceably different, even my friends and family can hear the difference acoustic treatment makes (it makes me want to acoustically treat my entire house).

[Motivfs]

Alright, I've been looking online for opinions right now, I might check out some retail stores around town tomorrow and test some out, I imagine the woofer size I'm looking for is around 4"-6" though.

From the looks of it, the Genelec 8030a doesn't look too bad, it seems to fit all my requirements for the most part. I've also been looking at the JBL LSR2325P, very affordable too, which can't hurt.

EDIT: Amazing, Long & McQuade has EVERYTHING I'm looking at right now, definitely going down there tomorrow to test some out.

[Forza SoundFire]

Genelec seems like a good choice if you've got a small room and big budget

[the4thImpulse]

Alright, I've been looking online for opinions right now, I might check out some retail stores around town tomorrow and test some out, I imagine the woofer size I'm looking for is around 4"-6" though.

Regards of room size you should strongly consider getting 8" drivers, I always feel like something is lacking when I listen to stuff on anything less.

[Motivfs]

I'm really sold on Genelic so far, that might change, but since you suggested an 8" driver, it looks as if the Genelec 8250A would be my best bet then.

I know lots of people get the KRK Rokits, are they actually any good? I'm personally looking for quality still. I understand you said to test them out, but I'd still like to take all opinions into consideration.

[the4thImpulse]

I know lots of people get the KRK Rokits, are they actually any good? I'm personally looking for quality still. I understand you said to test them out, but I'd still like to take all opinions into consideration.

Forget the KRK Rokits, their VXT models will be right at the top of your price range (I think the 6" is $1,000 for a pair at Tom Lee in Vancouver). They are the monitors on the top of my 'to buy' list when I inevitably upgrade what I got now.

Genelics are also very good, you wouldn't go wrong with those.

Have you been to the Tom Lee Music store? They have a secluded room full of studio monitors you can try out, bring an ipod or your phone and listen to well mixed music you personally know really well.

[Motivfs]

Have you been to the Tom Lee Music store? They have a secluded room full of studio monitors you can try out, bring an ipod or your phone and listen to well mixed music you personally know really well.

No, but I've heard of the one in Vancouver, and that it's huge. I've went to Long and McQuade out here in Richmond for my few musical gadgets I've picked up over time, in which they haven't disappointed, but I can definitely head down there and give it a go, I have a friend that goes there all the time for his Guitar gear, and he says the store is huge, 2 floors, and has everything you could dream of.

As for the KRK Rokits, I mean, if they are as good as people make them out to be, I wouldn't mind going over, I've always been a guy for quality over anything else, so if that's the case, I could definitely see myself purchasing them. Still, Genelic's don't look too bad, so if it's really not that big of a difference in terms of quality, I'll probably head in that direction.

I'm off work for the next couple of days, so maybe I'll head down and give it a shot, looks like if I buy them though I'll be cabbing home because I don't drive and 70lbs worth of monitors will be a pain in the ass to carry over from one city to another, haha. I honestly thought before posting this I'd be buying all my monitors online off the internet and shipping them in (Terrible mindset), I should REALLY look into things more rather than concluding so quickly

[Navron]

I have 2 JBL LSR2325P's and a JBL LSR2310SP sub. Absolutely love em.

The sub is very smooth and not very boomy (good for mixing), but can pack a huge punch when you crank the volume up (for when you want to play it loud).

[Motivfs]

I have 2 JBL LSR2325P's and a JBL LSR2310SP sub. Absolutely love em.

The sub is very smooth and not very boomy (good for mixing), but can pack a huge punch when you crank the volume up (for when you want to play it loud).

Yeah, if they're good for mixing, that's perfect, it's the pure aspect I want them for, using them for recreational use is nice, but I am targeting first and foremost a mixing efficient monitor.

Glad you hear the LSR2325P's are good though, one of the ones I was looking at, still yet to go to the music store to try them out, it will probably come during my holiday (2 weeks from now)

[Motivfs]

So I went to the music store to test some speakers out, they had the KRK Rokits in stock, and Genelics as well, but I tried out the KRK VXT's, and I loved them the second I tried them out..

They didn't have the VXT's in stock however, but I went with the wait and order them in, now to play the waiting game.

Next up is acoustic paneling & a proper studio desk.

The paneling I'll probably get from auralex & the desk I'll probably pick up from sweetwater.

[the4thImpulse]

So I went to the music store to test some speakers out, they had the KRK Rokits in stock, and Genelics as well, but I tried out the KRK VXT's, and I loved them the second I tried them out..

They didn't have the VXT's in stock however, but I went with the wait and order them in, now to play the waiting game.

Next up is acoustic paneling & a proper studio desk.

The paneling I'll probably get from auralex & the desk I'll probably pick up from sweetwater.

Nice! I like the VXTs as well and will likely pick up a pair in the next year or so (I've got synths to buy first).

I've made my own acoustic panels after months of acoustics research. It cost me under $150 to make eight 2'x4' panels at four inches thick. They are very effective, more so than aurlex (my college audio engineering studio used aurlex stuff, which I personally installed at my teachers recomendation). I can give you links to show you how to make panels and how room acoustics work if you want (PM me).

[HMage]

Why not post these links here?

[the4thImpulse]

Why not post these links here?

I didn't want to spend time digging around for these links if he wasn't interested, and I prefer a more personal approach for those especially interested in my techniques. I will post the links here now that I've got them in order, more or less.

If you want to know how I built my panels I'll only disclose that to people who are very interested in building them themselves.

Anway, links!
http://www.audio-issues.com/home-record ... z2TJRb63m3
http://www.recordingreview.com/blog/rec ... dont-work/
http://www.radford.edu/~shelm/acoustics ... #Broadband
http://www.ethanwiner.com/acoustics.htm ... 0absorbers
http://www.acoustic-panels.com.cn/acous ... tment.html
http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Silly-Sound ... id=2824235
http://www.realtraps.com/art_room-setup.htm

http://gikacoustics.com/articles/

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb06/a ... iosos.htm/
http://johnlsayers.com/Recmanual/index.htm

http://www.bobgolds.com/AbsorptionCoefficients.htm

[Motivfs]

So.. I got my VXT 6's in, and set them up with my monitor stands, of course, sadly, another problem has come up, from poor preparation on my part I would say.

I do NOT possess the cables required to hook my VXT's into my computer (soundcard), I was reading into it, and I see TLR jacks and XLR cables. I can see where I am suppose to plug them in at the back of my monitors, I'm a little confused as to how that's going to work.. But I'll hopefully find out sifting through the internet eventually.

I'm such a newbie at this..AHHH!!

Here's the jacks to my soundcard btw incase this helps at all.. Don't mind how dusty that is.. That would be what happens when you have cats in the house...

[the4thImpulse]

I'm such a newbie at this..AHHH!!

We've all been there before!


I highly recommend you consider buying a real audio production soundcard for better latency, the ability to record audio and midi in/outs among many other benefits.


Your VXTs have XLR and 1/4 Jacks (TRS (balanced)), technically all you need is two cable's to go from RCA (the computer end) to 1/4 (it'll be TS or unbalanced). Below is what you should be looking for

[Motivfs]

Awesome I'll head down to look for the cables tomorrow, I can't thank you enough 4th for the help you've given me, really appreciated!

EDIT: Just to clarify, the XLR cables, if I bought them, obviously 3-pin, would I need to get something more like this..? http://www.dv247.com/assets/products/37080_l.jpg

Or would the cables you posted suffice? I want as good of quality as I can get out of these speakers, so if there's something better, give me a shout! Thanks!

[Motivfs]

K, went with an XLR to TRS cable, bought a cheap quick-fix audio interface for the time being, works fine now!