Monitor Recommendations

by **smash** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:36 pm

Need Studio Monitors for a new edit suite at work.

Content is getting created every week, not mastered, and is getting played in a variety of locations, from small halls, to a large 2000 seat auditorium through a line array, at 100db.
It is also getting broadcast on the web.

There are two types of content.

a) Short 2-3 minute infomercial style clips.
b) Cinematic style trailers

Basically I need something that is going to translate well across the board ( !!!)
Has relatively good bottom end
Can handle relatively high SPL's for referencing.

Everything is compressed pretty heavily, that's the way the client wants it.

Money is an issue, so can't spend more than I need too. Person paying was expecting to pay a few hundred...

Suggestions?

__________________
Simon "Smash" Ashby
I really need some new monitors

by **Chinagraf** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:51 pm

I'd suggest asking the person paying to find some more money. :) You're going to be struggling to get anything with decent bottom end for a few hundred. A sub alone will cost more than that.

by **waitup** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:56 pm

I use the Yamaha HS80m monitors a lot, and I think overall for a very cheap monitor they translate quite well. They can go very loud and the bottom end is fairly solid and true. I don't know if everyone will agree with me on this, but I've become used to working on them, and they work for me.

For more bottom end you could add the matching sub.

Nick.

by **musikwerks** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 12:58 pm

Mix it in the auditorium. You will never get any accuracy mixing on nearfield monitors in a 2m x 2m room if your goal is to make it sound good in a 2000 seat venue. It's why feature films are mixed in full sized theatres.

by **smash** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:18 pm

I'd suggest asking the person paying to find some more money. :) You're going to be struggling to get anything with decent bottom end for a few hundred. A sub alone will cost more than that.

I didn't mean to say that I was expecting to pay a few hundred, realistically I'm expecting to pay a few $K, but $2k will be a stretch for the client, $5k wont happen.
It is more an unwillingness to spend, then an absolute lack of funds.

Mix it in the auditorium. You will never get any accuracy mixing on nearfield monitors in a 2m x 2m room if your goal is to make it sound good in a 2000 seat venue.

Can possibly QC stuff in the audi, but we can't "mix" in there, just cause of how much work we have coming through, the are a few college classes in there, and generally we don't have time to wait.

Also thinking about mixing in the Cntrl room, it is bigger and somewhat acoustically treated.

by **musikwerks** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:22 pm

You'll never be able to get it sounding "right" in the control room either if your end goal is to get sounding "right" in the auditorium. Completely different spaces. Plus you're trying to mix on nearfields to second guess what it will sound like on a line array with 24 boxes and 6 subs. It's physics.

by **smash** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:30 pm

You'll never be able to get it sounding "right" in the control room either if your end goal is to get sounding "right" in the auditorium.

I'd settle for better... At the moment there is a single JBL with a busted tweeter...

by **Kurt** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:42 pm

I thought that was kind of the point of monitors, if it sounds 'right' on them it should translate pretty well to anything else. Why would people spend lots of money on them if it was still all guesswork?

musikwerks wrote:You'll never be able to get it sounding "right" in the control room either if your end goal is to get sounding "right" in the auditorium. Completely different spaces. Plus you're trying to mix on nearfields to second guess what it will sound like on a line array with 24 boxes and 6 subs. It's physics.

by **Gian** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:43 pm

smash wrote:
You'll never be able to get it sounding "right" in the control room either if your end goal is to get sounding "right" in the auditorium.

I'd settle for better... At the moment there is a single JBL with a busted tweeter...

Ok, how about a pair of ADAM A7. They are about $1700 street price. Sound corp has them at their site, and ebay for $1749 (including postage)

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Adam-A7-Studio-M ... 286.c0.m14

regards

by **musikwerks** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:45 pm

Kurt, you need to see/hear this PA to understand it. Sub $2k monitors will never re-produce what an Adamson line array does in a 180 degree wide auditorium.

by **Kurt** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:46 pm

In the ghetto...

If you're serious than virtually anything will be better, even be!@#$%^&!

smash wrote:I'd settle for better... At the moment there is a single JBL with a busted tweeter...

by **Kurt** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:50 pm

I know it won't sound the same, but if you know what the array sounds like it shouldn't be too hard to allow for differences once you're familiar with the monitors.

Get them to set up another array in a purpose built room that no-one else needs to use ;) I'll let you set up the second array in the pub I do sound at, as long as I can use it friday/saturday nights. All yours the rest of the week. The commute to Canberra might suck though....

musikwerks wrote:Kurt, you need to see/hear this PA to understand it. Sub $2k monitors will never re-produce what an Adamson line array does in a 180 degree wide auditorium.

by **smash** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:53 pm

if you know what the array sounds like it

Depends where in the room you are standing... 4 J's - none happen to be pointing at FOH....

by **musikwerks** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 1:56 pm

Yes, there is that little issue.... FOH is in a dead spot. Kudo's to the install team. *shakes head*

by **smash** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:00 pm

Meanwhile the lighting desk get the full brunt of one of the towers.

And Subs.

It's actually quite impressive.

__________________
Simon "Smash" Ashby

by **smash** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:22 pm

As a complete aside...

Has anyone been outside today?

I just emerged from the cave, having been here since early this morning, and had no idea how warm it is.

_-_--_-_--__-_-__-_---
Simon "Smash" Ashby
When I'm sad, I stop being sad, and be awesome instead.

by **SteveL** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 3:24 pm

waitup wrote:I use the Yamaha HS80m monitors a lot, and I think overall for a very cheap monitor they translate quite well. They can go very loud and the bottom end is fairly solid and true. I don't know if everyone will agree with me on this, but I've become used to working on them, and they work for me.

For more bottom end you could add the matching sub.

Nick.

I use the HS80ms as well and agree they would be hard to beat for the money as a cheap pair of 8" monitors if the person paying wants to keep it cheap. Lots of dip switches on the rear to help tune to the room too.

by **vanderlae** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:14 pm

I bought new monitors recently. I tried everything, Adam A7, Genelec, Yamahas, you name it. I need something to translate cinematic style score work plus whatever is was needed for TVC etc and various other avenues.

I auditioned everything using a recent classical-style mix I'd done and ended up buying Focal Solo 6 monitors. To me they sounded just lovely, but not coloured, no holes, peaks, just nice translation. They will set you back a few thousand.

The runner up to these were the Focal CM65. You will be able to pick them up for around $1900-$2100 and they sounded very very good and much better than the Adam A7 in direct comparison. If I didn't have the budget for the higher end Focals I bought I would have purchased the 65's. There was a write up on these in Sound On Sound a few months ago. Check it out. Praised them and I heard why. Adam A7's were third in the running and it took me about an hour of critical listening to actually decide between them and Focals (both models) and both were excellent but in the end Focals were less hyper or something and clearly had better bass translation/response/extension. I didn't want to hear anything that I didn't put in it myself. As should be the case.

Give them a try, at least.

Cheers

by **heathen** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 5:27 pm

Event asp 8's, they have a chunky bottom and good midrange and highs, around 2 grand so not too bad.

by **Gian** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 6:33 pm

anguswoodhead wrote:Another vote here for the cheaper Focals - serious monitor.
http://www.awave.com.au/index.php?manuf ... 23a84b9ca7
That's retail pricing but I'm sure Lewis will be happy to give you a good deal.
Can't recommend them highly enough. :D

Most cheaper monitors on the market are just crap IMHO. :cry:

Turramurra music has them for $1599 for the 50s
http://www.turramusic.com.au/Pages/Cata ... ?CIID=2789

and $2299 for the 65s
http://www.turramusic.com.au/Pages/Cata ... ?CIID=2790

by **wez** » Thu Sep 17, 2009 7:44 pm

Gian wrote:Ok, how about a pair of ADAM A7.

ewww. just my opinion of course.

but ewww. ick. no. not sure what anyone sees in those things. no real bottom end for a start.

have a look at the PMC TB2S+. Dynaudio should also be on your list.

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