Studio monitors are what makes your recordings. Most good studios have several sets in order to test their mix and mastering across a range of possible listening scenarios.
I visited Criteria (Miami Florida) in the early 70's and was amazed at what I saw. There were several sets of high $$$ monitors, and there was a large plywood box with a pair of 6 X 9 inch car speakers mounted in it. The engineer told me that he usually mastered at least two version of each recording, one to be played on vinyl through a home stereo, and the other for 8 track or cassette tape to be played in a car, hence the plywood box simulation of a typical 70's car stereo system.
I have also made most of my own monitor speakers, but I keep my original pair of Yamaha NS-10M Studio speakers for a reference. Everything, from an amp or preamp design, to a synthesizer module, to a recording I made of guitars, synths, and digital drums gets played and tweaked on the Yamaha's. Why, because I have had them for 20 years, and I know them. They are my reference by which all things are judged.
If you choose to make your own speakers, at least find a place where you can audition them under similar conditions with some known good monitors with the same (known) music.
The Criteria example was from a time before CD's, and the way most people hear music has changed a lot. Today one would need to test their mix mastering through some good speakers, a pair of computer monitors, and a set of ear buds. It would be a good idea to render your mix to MP3 as well as WAV and test both. Test the MP3's on a budget player through earbuds and a decent set of cans. Some MP3's on some players will mangle cymbals if they are loud enough into something that sounds like glass breaking. A little cut in the highs can fix that.
I recently bought a pair of these:
IK Multimedia | iLoud Micro Monitor — ultra-compact, high quality reference studio monitors
They are called "studio monitors" but look more like computer speakers. Their sound is much bigger than their size, and they go quite loud.
I am in the process of building a new music workstation and the iLouds would be the 4th pair of speakers. I'm not sure which will go where just yet since there is only room for 2 pair on the studio bench.
I have the Yamaha's, a pair of Cerwin Vega "typical" home theater speakers with a sub, the iLouds, and a pair of home built monitors which hold their own against the others and go louder than any of them when fed enough power. They will eat a 125 WPC tube amp cranked to the edge of clipping for hours, yet are only twice the size of the Yamahas.
I visited Criteria (Miami Florida) in the early 70's and was amazed at what I saw. There were several sets of high $$$ monitors, and there was a large plywood box with a pair of 6 X 9 inch car speakers mounted in it. The engineer told me that he usually mastered at least two version of each recording, one to be played on vinyl through a home stereo, and the other for 8 track or cassette tape to be played in a car, hence the plywood box simulation of a typical 70's car stereo system.
I have also made most of my own monitor speakers, but I keep my original pair of Yamaha NS-10M Studio speakers for a reference. Everything, from an amp or preamp design, to a synthesizer module, to a recording I made of guitars, synths, and digital drums gets played and tweaked on the Yamaha's. Why, because I have had them for 20 years, and I know them. They are my reference by which all things are judged.
If you choose to make your own speakers, at least find a place where you can audition them under similar conditions with some known good monitors with the same (known) music.
The Criteria example was from a time before CD's, and the way most people hear music has changed a lot. Today one would need to test their mix mastering through some good speakers, a pair of computer monitors, and a set of ear buds. It would be a good idea to render your mix to MP3 as well as WAV and test both. Test the MP3's on a budget player through earbuds and a decent set of cans. Some MP3's on some players will mangle cymbals if they are loud enough into something that sounds like glass breaking. A little cut in the highs can fix that.
I recently bought a pair of these:
IK Multimedia | iLoud Micro Monitor — ultra-compact, high quality reference studio monitors
They are called "studio monitors" but look more like computer speakers. Their sound is much bigger than their size, and they go quite loud.
I am in the process of building a new music workstation and the iLouds would be the 4th pair of speakers. I'm not sure which will go where just yet since there is only room for 2 pair on the studio bench.
I have the Yamaha's, a pair of Cerwin Vega "typical" home theater speakers with a sub, the iLouds, and a pair of home built monitors which hold their own against the others and go louder than any of them when fed enough power. They will eat a 125 WPC tube amp cranked to the edge of clipping for hours, yet are only twice the size of the Yamahas.
yes these Yamahas are quite popular monitors DIY can hardly beat them neither in lower price nor in better performance
which hifi speaker designer ? Anybody that knows how to countersink drivers in a baffle ?
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