Monitors for tiny home studio

[andymcbain]

Thanks for the extensive reply, much appreciated! The point is I am primarily looking for monitors to be (I read this all the time ) brutally honest, or at least as brutally honest as possible for my budget. My D770 cans are engaging enough, when I record and mix my music on it and listen to it it makes me feel like the next William Orbit, Brian Eno, Dr Dre or Butch Vig (or name any super producer), however if I then play it in the car or on my laptop speakers it sounds like shite. I am reading Mike Senior’s book about mixing and want to learn how to do it, but applying the lessons learned with D770 cans only has not improved my mixes yet. I do not make any EDM or bass-heavy stuff, it’s merely rock and 80’s pop (guilty pleasure). And my monitor does not need to sound pleasant, I would be happy if I can get a mix on it that survives the big “car audio test”.
I do have space to put some 5” monitors in, larger would be overkill I suppose.

I would recommend something totally different than, but it's little out of your budget (and you would need an amp, because they are passive, but nothing crazy pricey, some second hand 50 bucks vintage Yamaha AX-500 and similar would be enough), pair of Auratone's 5C's (original re-issued ones, not Avantone one's) would help you immensely with your mixes translation, better than anything else for that money.
https://www.thomann.de/intl/auratone_5c ... lassic.htm

I was going to suggest a used Active Avantone Mixcube but thought it might take things a little out of "hobby" territory. I just got one and I can vouch for how useful it is. Like a mix genuinely seems to translate well if it sounds good on the cube - so long as you've checked the subs and extreme top on another system.

[Passing Bye]

I was going to suggest a used Active Avantone Mixcube but thought it might take things a little out of "hobby" territory.

Yeah exactly, but when he stated his main concern is translation and getting honest feedback from the source, it's hard to not recommend them.

Original (and re-issued) Auratone's are really great speakers on their own (Avantone, Behringer and etc. versions doesn't have same fidelity), many see them as mainly grot boxes (def. Slang for a small, low-quality studio monitor used to verify the integrity of a mix and to simulate playback on consumer devices such as televisions, radios, and boom boxes.) and many use just one for checking mono, but they are quite revealing and useful in stereo too, some folks even prefer them more than NS10's.

[LocalTrack19]

I was going to suggest a used Active Avantone Mixcube but thought it might take things a little out of "hobby" territory.

Yeah exactly, but when he stated his main concern is translation and getting honest feedback from the source, it's hard to not recommend them.

Original (and re-issued) Auratone's are really great speakers on their own (Avantone, Behringer and etc. versions doesn't have same fidelity), many see them as mainly grot boxes (def. Slang for a small, low-quality studio monitor used to verify the integrity of a mix and to simulate playback on consumer devices such as televisions, radios, and boom boxes.) and many use just one for checking mono, but they are quite revealing and useful in stereo too, some folks even prefer them more than NS10's.

Are the re-issued ones as good as the original ones? I recall reading somewhere that the time-issues were more hi-fi and less revealing. And are there other examples besides the NS10s and Auratones that have the reputation of being terrible grot boxes which are good for referencing?

[Passing Bye]

Are the re-issued ones as good as the original ones? I recall reading somewhere that the time-issues were more hi-fi and less revealing. And are there other examples besides the NS10s and Auratones that have the reputation of being terrible grot boxes which are good for referencing?

Yes, same company is making them again, Avantone's aren't really a 1:1 copy, it's their approximation that ended up sounding different and Behringer ones are sounding different too, some folks use Fostex 6301 also, others have found some other actual consumer grot boxes too, I don't see Auratone's as horrible sounding tho.

[Passing Bye]

Maybe this can address your problem?
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-pro ... -more.html

[LocalTrack19]

Maybe this can address your problem?
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-pro ... -more.html

I have installed the trial version of Sonarworks Reference for my Beyers, to be really honest I did not really hear much difference but maybe I am not using it right yet. I am going to buy an Avantone MixCube, connect it to one channel and then bounce my mix in mono in my DAW. Let’s see if that makes my mixes better

[quincy]

I'm also looking at buying some budget monitors. I'm just a hobbyist and I'm not even likely to release my music but still want to improve and enjoy the experience more. I figure I don't want to spend a lot of money so I've done a fair bit of research and the iLoud micro monitors always seem to have very positive reviews. The Presonus Eris series also seem to be almost universally well-reviewed and people say they are amazing for the money. I can pick up a pair of Eris 3.5 for about £80 here in the UK and at that price it's not a lot of risk.

The way I see it is that I'll start cheap-but-decent and if I want to spend more money in the future then I can upgrade to something better like KRK etc. I'm not a great believer in buying very expensive stuff to get going - it's a learning curve and we all know you can get good "budget" stuff if you shop carefully and do the research.

What I will also add is that I agree wholeheartedly about referencing your own tracks against other material that you like the sound of. I recently made some drum and bass which I then A/B listened against some professionally-produced tunes from artists that I love and it helped me loads to realise which parts were too loud or quiet, which frequencies were too harsh etc. It's not an exact science but it can point you in the right direction.

[Passing Bye]

Maybe this can address your problem?
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-pro ... -more.html

I have installed the trial version of Sonarworks Reference for my Beyers, to be really honest I did not really hear much difference but maybe I am not using it right yet. I am going to buy an Avantone MixCube, connect it to one channel and then bounce my mix in mono in my DAW. Let’s see if that makes my mixes better

This Slate headphone thing have different approach tho, it simulates whole environment, it only works with their headphone tho, check that out, there's tons of people who are blown away by it.

Behringer C50A is cheaper than MixCube's and not any worse for that purpose.

[Passing Bye]

I'm also looking at buying some budget monitors. I'm just a hobbyist and I'm not even likely to release my music but still want to improve and enjoy the experience more. I figure I don't want to spend a lot of money so I've done a fair bit of research and the iLoud micro monitors always seem to have very positive reviews. The Presonus Eris series also seem to be almost universally well-reviewed and people say they are amazing for the money. I can pick up a pair of Eris 3.5 for about £80 here in the UK and at that price it's not a lot of risk.

The way I see it is that I'll start cheap-but-decent and if I want to spend more money in the future then I can upgrade to something better like KRK etc. I'm not a great believer in buying very expensive stuff to get going - it's a learning curve and we all know you can get good "budget" stuff if you shop carefully and do the research.

Well, there's middle ground between not buying most cheapest or really expensive, Eris 3.5 are not falling in that middle ground tho and KRK's are in same league as Eris, Eris 3.5 have no bass, at least get something with 5" woofer, there's plenty of good choices.

[-Yaz-]

I'm also using the iLoud mini monitors for my overseas studio setup and they're brilliant for the cash with far more low end than I was expecting. I use DT770 250 Ohm alongside these as well.

[roman.i]

it is 2m by 2.5m, under a pitched roof (going up from 1.40m to 3.5m).

If walls and roof made of lite material, the smaller size is not a big issue. Sound waves can go through. Although, you can't get a wide stereo image in a small space.

Placing my monitors against the wall is the only option, and I understood that rear-ported monitors are not a good idea.

It's irrelevant. Just don't block the port completely.

I do my recording over my Beyerdynamic D770 250 ohm headphones which are great. However, I would also like to have monitors for reference, as my mixes severely suffer from the “It falls apart in the car” issue.

Don't mix in headphones, use monitors. Headphones for checking.

What monitors do you recommend? Price range up to approx 300,- (like I said: it’s just a hobby).

For the music you make, Yamaha HS 5 is a good candidate.
I assume you already have an external audio interface with volume control, because monitors don't have a volume control knob.
Also, you need stands for them, don't put them as is on the table.

[El°HYM]

Also keep in Mind that Soundwaves need to travel a certain Amount to complete their Cycle. The deeper the frequency, the longer it needs to reach its full cycle. So lets say a Sinewave doesnt have enough space in your room, it will directly reflect back from the walls. With that said, you might not want to place the Speaker directly into a corner, or near a wall, but leave a certain amount of space/air in between, maybe like 20 Inches or something. Then you also need around 60 Inches in between the speakers, so you have a 'tiny' sweetspot in front of your Desk/Mixer etc.- So you dont really have many options here, with placing the speakers and also in choosing the right ones, which should be the smallest you can get that have a decent sound to monitor on (the ones mentioned are already fine here) plus adding some good Headphones like the Beyerdynamic, Audio Technica, Sennheiser or similar.

[andymcbain]

Maybe this can address your problem?
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-pro ... -more.html

I have installed the trial version of Sonarworks Reference for my Beyers, to be really honest I did not really hear much difference but maybe I am not using it right yet. I am going to buy an Avantone MixCube, connect it to one channel and then bounce my mix in mono in my DAW. Let’s see if that makes my mixes better

I had a "Y" cable made up which takes a stereo feed from a spare pair of outputs on my audio interface and sums them to mono using a resistor. That way I've always got a mono feed going to the mixcube without having to do anything in software, which makes my workflow more straightforward. Don't know where you're based but John at http://orchid-electronics.co.uk/ had one made up and shipped to me in two days

[andymcbain]

This Slate headphone thing have different approach tho, it simulates whole environment, it only works with their headphone tho, check that out, there's tons of people who are blown away by it.

Behringer C50A is cheaper than MixCube's and not any worse for that purpose.

I've heard great things about the Slate headphone / plugin combination from a mastering engineer friend who was part of the beta test team. It seems to do a good job of what it claims to do!

I considered the C50A over the Avantone though this review by Mike Senior put me off - https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/behringer-c5a-c50a ... I wouldn't normally take one person's word for it, but it was his book that convinced me to get a cube speaker in the first place

[Passing Bye]

I considered the C50A over the Avantone though this review by Mike Senior put me off - https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/behringer-c5a-c50a ... I wouldn't normally take one person's word for it, but it was his book that convinced me to get a cube speaker in the first place

For sure, but they cost almost the same as Auratone's and active ones are more expensive, knowing you don't need any fancy amp to run them, dunno, it adds up, think for the buck and purpose (using single one in mono) Behringer one can be more than useful.

This is interesting review also
https://www.amazona.de/comparison-revie ... nger-c50a/