Do the monitors even matter in an untreated room? Debating JBL 305P MkII vs PreSonus Eris 4.5 or 3.5

[BONES]

So you had one pair of speakers. I think my new Genelecs are the 8th set of dedicated studio monitors I've had over the years. Of course, before active studio monitors were a thing, I used half-a-dozen different hi-fi set-ups for all my musical work and I never bothered with any of the technical aspects of anything, yet somehow I managed to put decent music back then.

The reality is that for people in our situation, who are making music in our homes, always the same set-up, one we have spent years getting used to, that absolutely none of it matters, even slightly. Use whatever seakers you like the sound of, put them wherever you like and by the time you're ready to finish a mix or do some mastering, you'll understand how the sound in your studio space translates to the wider world. THe emphasis on good moitring comes from decdes past, where people went into a studio to record and needed reliablel monitoring so they coudl be confident they could get what they wanted without having to spend time learnign how th eacoustics of the room worked. That's why a really average pair of speakers, Yamaha's NS-10s, became so ubiquitous, depsite their flaws. They were small, portable and a producer could take their pair to a studio and know what they needed to hear from them. So eventually every studio had their own pair so producers didn't have to bring theirs with them. But they were really ordinary speakers, originally designed as bookshelf speakers for domestic use, where they got bad reviews. But becaus eeveryone knew how to work with them, they became de rigeur for years. What made them so universal applies to all of us, too - you don't need perfect acoustics, you just need to understand your sound.

[El°HYM]

So you had one pair of speakers.

Yepp! In these Days I prefer to telepathically connect to my DAC via Bluetooth for that sophisticated, lossless & Audiophile Feel.

[ON BEATS]

you don't need perfect acoustics, you just need to understand your sound.

topic closed.

[chk071]

I totally agree, to be honest. Some people are obsessed with optimizations, and forget that human senses are very adaptive.

If I wanted to be mean, I would say that there's probably a shortcoming in that regard with the people who think they have to build the most acoustically perfect studio.

[ON BEATS]

I would say that there's probably a shortcoming in that regard with the people who think they have to build the most acoustically perfect studio.

der kerl hat recht

[ramseysounds]

I’ve had the same one pair of speakers for the last maybe 12 years (mackie 624 mk1). Coupled with sonarworks I know exactly how my music sounds.

[ON BEATS]

I’ve had the same one pair of speakers for the last maybe 12 years (mackie 624 mk1). Coupled with sonarworks I know exactly how my music sounds.

show us da ting nuh

(let's hear one of your tunes please)

[ramseysounds]

Check my profile for soundcloud link

[tehlord]

Monitor speakers make a huge difference, even in a terrible room.

It's arguably easier to adjust your ears to a bad room than it is to a pair of crap monitors, although the law of diminishing returns applies here with gusto.

In a small room I would recommend using a smaller set of better speakers that are closer to your head. It's the 'wrong' way to mix using speakers, but you'll negate more of the room that way.

I've owned dozens of pairs of monitor speakers ranging from £100 to £4k in a terrible untreated room and a relatively well treated room that I'm in now, and whilst I wouldn't like to go back to the untreated room, I'd still rather mix in that with a pair of Dynaudio's than use Rokits in the treated room.

[Hink]

I’ve had the same one pair of speakers for the last maybe 12 years (mackie 624 mk1). Coupled with sonarworks I know exactly how my music sounds.

I have said this for years, once you get monitors and have used them for a while dont change em. I have a pair of passive Tannoy Proto J's I won in a sales contest at MARs music in 1999, I know them, I am accustom to them, why would I change for something better and when would it reach actually reach the better point for me?

[BONES]

Exactly!!

[_leras]

I’ve had the same one pair of speakers for the last maybe 12 years (mackie 624 mk1). Coupled with sonarworks I know exactly how my music sounds.

I have said this for years, once you get monitors and have used them for a while dont change em. I have a pair of passive Tannoy Proto J's I won in a sales contest at MARs music in 1999, I know them, I am accustom to them, why would I change for something better and when would it reach actually reach the better point for me?

getting to 'know' your speakers is of course a thing - but it's not the only thing. by a long way.

different speakers work differntly in different rooms and volumes - this is hard to plan for...

better speakers can have a better frequency response for sure - and the aim is an accurate sound that is pleasant to listen to, that you can also enjoy listening to music

a lesser discussed aspect is the 'responsiveness'. a fast responding speaker will give slightly crispier/punchier sound to the same audio. this can be really helpful when trying to focus on transients, bass clashing, using compressors. a less dynamic, flabby speaker can just give more mushy sound and you may not know what you are missing.

so really - you don't know what you're missing, unless you know what you are missing.

swap out those Proto J for some K + H 210s. You'd probably have your mind and ears blown. You'd rediscover music that you have listened to lots before.

it would reach the 'better' point immediately, and you get used to them just as quickly as how much music you could listen to on them.

just sayin'

[Hink]

no thank you, I am quite fine where I am at...I am not looking to be blown away and accuracy to me has nothing tro do with making it sound pleasant to listen to in the mixing stage. I am mixing, I am mixing by frequency and in fact I do a lot of my mixing in mono and trust me mono doesnt sound pleasant. You're right that different speakers work different in other rooms and volumes...but swapping out monitors wont change that.

If it aint broke, dont fix it...just sayin

[BONES]

different speakers work differntly in different rooms and volumes - this is hard to plan for...

No, it isn't. Firstly, how many different places do you work in? Most of us have just one studio space we use all the time. Secondly, the differences are generally minor and very easy to adjust to.

so really - you don't know what you're missing, unless you know what you are missing.

Of course you do because you have headphones and you can listen in the car and through your home hi-fi and any number of other sources you know at least as well as your studio monitors. If you're worried about transients, put a brickwall limiter on your master.

swap out those Proto J for some K + H 210s. You'd probably have your mind and ears blown. You'd rediscover music that you have listened to lots before.

Not at all likely, I'm afraid. Good music works anywhere and Tannoy have been getting it right longer than anyone.

[_leras]

If it aint broke, dont fix it...just sayin

Of course. If happy then it's fine.

But I really do think it's possible to get a pleasant and enjoyable listening experience and also get better sound quality, in accuracy, detail and dynamics.

Definitely people should listen to as much music as possible on their monitors.