Basic Studio Monitors - help
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  1. #1
    Tech Wizard
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    Default Basic Studio Monitors - help

    Hey Everyone

    I am lookin for some budget monitor speakers. So I thought i'd ask you lot for advice.

    They will mainly be used for music production of electro house/minimal techno

    They will be just for my mini studio, so no need to travel around.

    Would prefer them to be active, so I don't need to buy an amp.

    They will need to plug into a presonus firebox soundcard.

    The budget is around £200/$320 (2nd hand), from ebay or gumtree etc.

    I have seen some Alesis M1 620 & Monitor One that that price range, just wondering if I can get anything better for the money.

    I think even 2nd hand, Mackie's are out of my price range? posibbly get krk Rokit's?

    Have to stress that £200 is my limit as I also have to buy a mac & Logic for my course too.

    any advice, expereince/comparissions welcome, and thanks in advance!
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  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by liam.h View Post
    The budget is around £200/
    I'm going to assume you're in england. So my advice won't help you much, but i find the monitors over at turntablelab.com are awesome. They have great honest reviews from djs / producers.

    http://www.turntablelab.com/production_tools/94/148/

    might want to look around a bit on ebay, but this list is a good jumping off place...

    here's the pair of speakers i dig:


    M1 Active 520 Monitors (Pair) (this is a link to the ttl page)
    $199

    K E Y F E A T U R E S
    - ACTIVE: or self-powered. An amplifier is built into the monitors and they plug directly into your mixer or sound device
    - 2-way 75 watt active near-field reference monitors
    - 5" low frequency woofer for clear bass and midrange
    - 1" silk dome tweeter for clear highs without ear-fatiguing harshness
    - high-precision drivers offer lower distortion and smoother frequency response
    - acoustical waveguide for superior imaging with minimal diffraction
    - 1" thick front baffle virtually eliminates speaker resonance
    - magnetically shielded for close placement to video monitors in computer based music production studios
    - 1/4" TRS input with volume control
    - low frequency density switch for acoustic space adjustment of the monitors
    - rear port design provides deep bass extension and increased SPL
    - hi, mid, and low frequency EQ switches
    - top mounted, integrated power switch/clip light bar
    - voltage switchable between 100-120V and 220-240V
    - weight: 16 lbs each

    OVERVIEW
    Alesis has redesigned their famous M1 series of monitors, and introduced the 520 and 620 versions, featuring the same outstanding mix of performance and price point that has made the M1s a home & project studio mainstay for years.


    New improvements over the old Monitor Ones include three rear-mounted eq switches for controlling high, mid and bass response. There is also a new "acoustic space" switch which allows you to tailor the sound to the size of your control room. Other than that, these monitors continue the M1 tradition of unparalleled accuracy for this price range. They boast a very loud output with a bass response which is specifically tailored for artists working in bass-heavy situations (hip hop, house, techno, almost any dance music).


    Studio monitors are mainly used as a gauge for mixing recorded tracks, and the first thing people will tell you to look for when shopping for monitors is a flat response. The less "color" or distortion a monitor adds to your mix, the better a gauge it will be for how your tracks will actually sound outside of the studio. The main reason that the M1's have been so popular over the years is for their professional grade sound reproduction, heralded by nearly everyone as the flattest, best sounding monitors you can find anywhere near this price point.
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  3. #3
    Tech Mentor earwax's Avatar
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    got woodworking skillz. build your own...

    www.billfitzmaurice.com

    better sound for significantly less.

  4. #4
    Tech Mentor Julio's Avatar
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    Last edited by Julio; 10-23-2008 at 04:46 PM.
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  5. #5
    Tech Wizard
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    I have been looking at all these speakers, just would like someones opinion's on how they compare to each other? and any experience with each brand.
    please note, the Mackie MR8's & KRK RP8's are out of my price range. I did state my top limit is £200/$320. Even 2nd hand I doubt I could get them at that price.
    I might be able to afford the MR6's or RP6's. How do these compare to the Alesis?
    Current Top 3:
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    2. Light Year - Sex Education
    3. Simian Mobile Disco - Cruel Intentions (DJ Pierre Remix)

  6. #6
    Dr. Bento BentoSan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by earwax View Post
    got woodworking skillz. build your own...
    I agree there !

    Fatlimey is currently building his own setup, he would be an awesome resource to ask for links and advice if you chose to do this.

    Speaking of which(no pun intended), i think we need another thread about resources for people who want to put their own speakers together

  7. #7
    DJTT Ninja Mod tekki's Avatar
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    Looking at Julios recommendations, I would strongly advice in the following order:

    1.) Mackies MR8
    2.) KRK Rockits
    3.) Alesis M1
    4.) Behringer B2031A
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  8. #8
    Dr. Bento BentoSan's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by tekki View Post
    Loking at Julios recommendations, I would strongly advice in the following order:

    1.) Mackies MR8
    2.) KRK Rockits
    3.) Alesis M1
    4.) Behringer B2031A
    Tekki put me onto the MR8's i was a bit skeptical at first, but after a bit of research it was a pretty clear they were better than the KRK Rockits everyone harps on about(with good cause too) - id love to pick up a pair sometime for myself.

  9. #9
    Tech Mentor other1's Avatar
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    first,my main advice is to listen to the speakers u are going to buy, u need to find a pair of speakers that feel comfortable to your ears, so that u can use them for a long period, as an example; genelec 1030's where a standard in most studios and a lot of people would not use anything else for mixing/mastering, but I dont like the sound of them and cant stand the soundpicture they produce.
    so after a long time and listening to a lot of monitors i finaly seteld for a pair of Genelec 8030 and i have not looked back, they make everything sound "right" in my ears

    A friend of mine who has run a studio have a pair of KRK V6 at home and they are rly nice to, about the same as the G 8030.

    Another friend of mine who is a live sound engineer needed a pair of speakers at his workstation for testing audio equipment and he orderd a pair of BEHRINGER MS40 on chance, they r no reference monitors, but they sound suprisingy uncolored and could probably work fine for that kind of music, but give them a listen b4 u decide, and that is probaly the best advice i can give u, listen to speakers, listen listen listen.

    And as pointed out in an other forum, u might be better off with a pair of hifi speakers in that pricerange, there are loads of hifistuff that do a exelent job as well.

    To go further, u will be able to create a good mix in any speaker, but u will have to learn how that speaker sounds so u know its shortcommings and what the speaker tells u and what it hides.

    And take your music to a lot of places and listen to it in many different soundsystems, it will tell u alot about what u have done and how your stuff sounds.
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  10. #10
    Tech Mentor Julio's Avatar
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    I have owned the 4 of them. For my personal "taste" I like the MR8s.. though they have a natural "flat" sound. Though the bass is impressive. Sound is clear as none of the other set of speakers.

    KRKs are very close to them however I find the mids too subtle for my taste.. but again.. that's me.

    Alesis... I have used several sets throughout many years... they are OK.. but once you go a step higher in sound quality.. there's no coming back! Sorry Alesis.

    Behringher's - If there's nothing else you can afford.. these have powerful amps... sound is muddy for me...very deep tight bass as well as MR8s.. but sound is not very clear, especially when you crank them up.

    PLEASE keep in my this is my personal experience with these monitors in several room ambiances. I would still recommend the MR8s hands down! But as anyone that has a sincere judgment will tell you... go and listen to them... take your favorite CDs and test them with whatever your music style is.

    I advise against HiFi speakers.. but that would require another thread.
    Last edited by Julio; 10-24-2008 at 03:01 PM.
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