19 posts
I have been mixing with a pair of good headphones (Grado SR60) since a long while yet I now realise that people were right when they said "you should NOT mix with headphones". My guitar sound is very decent through headphones but when I listen to it through various speakers (other friends, car, etc) it really is shit! But still decent through other headphones and earphones! :-?
However, if your guitar sound is decent through speakers, it is even better with the headphones.
So I decided to stop insisting and buy a pair of M-audio AV-30. anyone who uses those? I guess Marco had them.
I use an Alesis RA300 amp and a pair of Alesis Monitor One MK2 speakers., oh yes and a graphic EQ that goes into the front end of the amp.
Hi Zonta,
now I'm mixing using headphones...my monitors are designed to be flat but to be honest thery're are TOO flat and mid-rangey!
What sounds good thru my monitors sounds really sharp and edgy thru any other equipment so I use them just to listen to the mp3's I have on the PC (with a "V" shaped EQ).
My monitors are the cheap Behringer Ms40. I've to say they've never had a problem aìfter 3 years of daily use but soundwise..mmm...probably there's something better.. ;D ;D
The headphones are AKG 240 Monitor. ..much, much better response than the behringer monitor cabs to my ears!
Ciao,
Marco
The trick (I have found) is to run a graphic eq into your flat reference amp and speakers and play a reference track and adjust the graphic eq so that the reference track sounds right and then leave your graphic eq at that setting. Then you mix your tracks through that setup and what pops out the other end should be on a par with a commercial track and playable on other systems with great effect.
Jon is basically adjusting for room fundamentals, which can be crucial.
I mix through KRK Rokits, Alesis M1actives, and Mackie HR824s, and track and check mixes with AKG 240s and Sony 7506.
I use a pair of Yamaha Powered monitors with a 5" speaker and a tweeter (MSP5's I think). When I mix with them I always get far too much bass, so I have a consumer boom box also hooked up to my DAW and I mix going back and forth between those. One of these days I will buy a a pair of KRK Rokit 8's which I have heard good things about for the money or a pair of Mackie 824's which are double the price but thought well of. I also have AKG 240's but I never mix using headphones. Sometimes I miss my old reference monitors from back in the analog days I forget the brand name but the model was called "Little Gold Monitors" they had a 12" woofer and a mid range horn and a tweeter, but they were not powered, so I had to use a power amp as well.
Zonta — Oct 06, 2011So I decided to stop insisting and buy a pair of M-audio AV-30. anyone who uses those? I guess Marco had them.
I'm using those exact speakers as well right now (they're great for the $ and I like that they're wood rather than plastic like too many in their price range), that and several different pairs of headphones (even a cheap pair of ipod "earbuds" that I take on runs, something revealing about them when they're jammed down your ear yet you can also hear some air coming through, lol). I'd like to someday pickup a great pair of legit monitors, the two local GC's always seem to have tons of them in used (does make you wonder if used ref. monitors are a poor gear purchase though).
I use KRK V4's - doesn't seem like they make them anymore, don't know what the current equivalent is in their lineup.
I have a pair of Roland KC100's that I use for loud monitoring, if needed.
if it sounds good on the KRK's AND the Rolands, it's probably a pretty good mix since the Roland's sound... well, to be generous, not as good.
I only use headphones (ancient, cheap Koss headphones) if I'm recording acoustic guitar.
Ok I bought the AV-30.
Mid and treble response is very well balanced and pleasing yet the bass response is a bit boomy which ends up with a sort of unnatural vibe. :(
Well... They cost 100 bucks so I am not complaining much. 8-)
Alesis M1 Actives
Of course I also have JBL Eon's that I use to hear backing tracks and for PA work so I can use those as a reality check (which usually reveals a lack of bass in my mixes).
Zonta — Oct 19, 2011Mid and treble response is very well balanced and pleasing yet the bass response is a bit boomy which ends up with a sort of unnatural vibe. :(
I feel silly for even suggesting it, but just in case, make sure you have the 'bass boost' switch (on the rear) turned OFF!
Yes Derek it is turned off since the first day. I know.
Don't you agree the bass response is too boomy which causes some unpleasant resonance.
Well, I dunno, I prolly use it in a different way so I would no longer notice something like that. I don't strictly listen to mixes on them 'after the fact', I mean I do (not to mention play games through 'em, listen to mp3's, etc), but the majority of the time I'm actually monitoring my amp/mic setup through them in real time...as in I have the cab and mic in another room (sound treated) so I play and record right at the desktop and actually use the AV30's as my 'cab.' Prolly not the right way to do it but it does help me nail my "finished tone" (what would sit well in a full mix) right from the get go. As an ill side effect though, my ears are shit for dialing in a raw 'amp in the room' sound for live/band use, lol! :o
Zonta — Oct 06, 2011 So I decided to stop insisting and buy a pair of M-audio AV-30. anyone who uses those? I guess Marco had them.
I also have a pair of M-audio AV-30's on my Laptop in the house. I use them to demo my mixes on a different computer and in a different room. I like the M-audio AV-30's but I have blown 2 sets of them while still under warantee. I also use them to play my BT's when doing my daily guitar rehearsals, and I guess I got a little too loud with those first 2 pair, but that was OK while still under warantee. Once the warantee was up I lowered my rehearsal volume. Anyways these M-audio AV-30's are very good speakers and are good for reference monitors as they seem flat enough for what they are, and for as cheap as they are. I think they sound better than my Yamahas which were three times the money.
Newly added Mackie HR624s to the studio... they are killer! Not as overwhelming as the 824s, and they sound very true.
I once had a pair of Tannoy Little Gold Monitors in my analog tape based studio. Man they were the truest reference monitors I ever used even to this day. They had a 12" woofer and a tweeter. At least the ones I had had the 12's in them.
However my friend has a pair of these http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BM5Amk2/ dynaudio in his Pro Tool HD studio, man the clarity of his system blew me away and those monitors had a lot to do with it too....
Gaudy little bastages, aren't they? :)
Anyone who really appreciates damn good sound should check these out. IMO, they are excellent.
http://www.amazon.com/Dynaudio-BM6A-Powered-Studio-Monitor/dp/B003OLN3LK/ref=pd_sim_sbs_MI_1
