I didn't know where else to post this thread, soI thought I would try here. Its off base from Gretsch for sure. I am looking into buying some studio monitors to use for home recording. I am sure that lots of you have done recordings, and was wondering if I could solicit some advice on what to get. I broke the bank when I got a MAc to record with, so my budget is low. I have seen a number of pairs for sale starting at 150 M Audio, Samsons, but not sure how lousy or good they are for the price. Can I get reasonably accurate sounding monitors for under 200?

Thanks, and if there is a better place to post this here, let me know.

look for a used pair of Yamaha NS10'ms. They're stunning monitors, reasonally priced (used) and you can get plenty of spares of something blows.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/YAMAHA-NS-10M-STUDIO-MONITORS-MATCHED-PAIR-/140626605596?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item20bdffb61c

You won't get anything better for that knd of money.

All the best, and good luck

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/649811-REG/Cakewalk_RJA_MA_15DCW_MA_15D_4_30W_2_Way.html
these are very nice for the money, once you get them tweaked, they are very honest and accessible, with controls on the face

Thanks guys, that was fast. I am looking into both of them.

If you have the room and the money, those yamahas are studio standards

I truly love the KRK rockit series. If you have a nice amp you can pick up a pair of passive 6's. But I (and hundreds of studios world wide) strongly suggest the self powered models. Even the 5's will provide you an extremely accurate near field mix

Here in the states you are going to have a hard time finding NS10's since Yamaha stopped making them in 2001. So anybody who has them are not going to give them up unless they want top dollar. Besides they are not powered speakers so you would need a decent reference amp to power them.

You can get a pair of powered monitor (the speakers and amp are in one unit) to save yourself some room and some cash. I use a pair of Sansom Rubicon R5A's and they do the job just fine.

Whatever you get, it is important to remember to mix at a very low volume. You will discover how better your mixes will be.

And unless you are planning to re-create Abby Road, Olympic, or Electric Ladyland studios, stick with a budget. Just because every studio has NS10's it does not always mean that is the standard. Lots of engineers bring their own near fields for mixing because they know how those particular speakers sound. Most of the time those NS10's are there for show. Not all of the time, just most of the time.

I would take a look at these:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AV40/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MA15D/
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MediaOne5/

These are my fisrt monitors, I'm just getting started recording and have no idea what i'm doing, so I'm probably not the best judge of monitors.

They seem to be at close out prices and get good reviews, and I had a $100 gift card so i brought them home:

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Mackie-MR5-Reference-Monitor-Pair-361178-i1743038.gc?source=

NS-10m's were kind of a "devil you know" scenario in most studios. Nobody really enjoyed mixing on them but they were somewhat consistent, so no matter what glamorous mains were in there at least you could switch to something you were familiar with when moving between rooms/studios. I always found ear fatigue with the 10m's to be a big factor too.

I spent some time with a set of these recently on a gig and was pleasantly surprised http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/BX5D2/ A bit out of the budget but maybe used?

You will really need to go listen to some of the options with reference material you supply. They don't have to be the world's greatest monitors if they tell you what you need to know and you learn them. I mix for a living on Blue Sky's but ultimately the final balance decisions are made on the poopy speakers in my cheap Samsung LCD tv. :)

Good luck with your quest!

being new to this, it all helps, so thanks. I have recorded many things in the past, but that was years ago, on tape. yes, at one time people used tape, with all its glorious hiss. I still have the process in my head, how I want to track it, levels, balancing, etc, but I need to get over this digital curve of Protools. After finally getting my Mac, its difficult to explain to the powers that be, AKA wife, that I now need to spend even more money to get it just right. Then after i am done, she says "Thats still sounds like Poopies!" SO the device here is great, and I am shopping flea bay and such, and will take a ride today to Guitar center and best buy, to see if they have these suggestions there, and give them a listen. I just need to remember to bring my mask, and water pistol.

+ 1 On the KRK Rokit series.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/649811-REG/Cakewalk_RJA_MA_15DCW_MA_15D_4_30W_2_Way.html
these are very nice for the money, once you get them tweaked, they are very honest and accessible, with controls on the face

These are what I have as well. Of course not the world's best monitors, but good bang for the buck. It's not like I'm mixing Dark Side of the Moon or anything :)

Just in case you haven't purchased yet and you're still doing reviews - I use Mackie TH15's, these have a 15" woofer. The TH12 is a smaller woofer but same wattage. Th12 goes for like 300bucks new. Spend an additional 50 and get the 15".

A friend of mine has a Yamaha msr250. He told me great things about that monitor. It has nice freq. response and sounds great. Obviously Yamaha's will be more expensive.

Through a friend of a friend, i got a pair of Mackie HR624's. New they are about 6 bills a piece, but I paid 200 for the pair. Not having a lot to compare them too, they seem to work well, and are considerably loud! It made a huge difference in mixing. Either my headphones are poopie, or the speakers are good. Now to figure out how to properly use protools, and how to get a recording of the Brain I just got, up here. Babystets!
Thanks for all the help guys!

I love my little JBL Control 2P's

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/Control2PS/

Hey Freddy, having a good pair of headphones is a real must, allowing you to work late when The Power That Be wants her beauty sleep and of course for overdubbing.

I cant recomment Sennheisers enough having used the HD600 for some years now.

Hope all is now going well in StudioFreddy

I think Noizemaker hits the nail on the head regarding Yamaha NS10. Yes, they did become something of an industry standard — just as long as you realise that they tend not to be an 'easy' listen — which is perfectly intentional. They are certainly very analytical — you'll hear everything. Just don't expect a nice smooth hi-fi sound.

Ideally, if you can, it's good to listen to your mixes on two or three sets of different speakers — say NS10s to hear every detail, then cheapo 'car' speakers and also some decent hi-fi speakers. Cover every base!

For inexpensive 'do-it-all' monitors I've tended to go to Alesis. They do both passive and active designs. The active (built-in amp) M1 Active Mk11 units are very good, IMO — detailed, fairly neutral, but not difficult to listen to. You'll find them all over eBay. This is what they look like:

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ALESIS-M1-ACTIVE-MKII-Studio-monitors-MK-2-MONITOR-ONE-MK2-/330634372411?pt=UK_ConElec_SpeakersPASystems_RL&hash=item4cfb58253b#ht_500wt_1086

If you already have a decent hi-fi amp, there's a passive version that'll cost less.

Alesis also has the 520 and 520 ranges of active monitors. I've no experience of these, but I've no reason to think they won't do a reasonable job.

I am sure your right about the headphones. Good luck to me explaining why I now need headphones, after I got the speakers, after the hot rod, after the baseman, after........

I also noticed you were right in listening to different sources. The mix, or any other recording I have for that matter, sounds differently depending on where its played. Minivan sounds a lot different than my monitor speakers, which sounds different from my home stereo. Does anyone still use the word stereo for a home system?

IDoes anyone still use the word stereo for a home system?

Yes, without exception. I also still say "rolling" when recording with a DAW or "sound speed" on set....even when printing to a camera. Some things (like tubes) I just can't let go of.:)

The car stereo test is a time honored way of checking mixes. Amazing what they can show you, though you need to have reference material that you are intimate with to get a baseline. Remember that radio stations do their own processing to define "their sound" and level things out so what you hear there can be misleading.

In the UK, the BBC seems to heavily compress modern recordings that have already had most of the life (if they ever had any!) squeezed out of them during mastering.

It must be my age. My type of sound is a Blue Note vinyl album recorded by Rudy Van Gelder, which no doubt used compression but in a way that allowed the music to breathe. Set the controls to the 'Academy Curve' and away we go.

I am sure your right about the headphones. Good luck to me explaining why I now need headphones, after I got the speakers, after the hot rod, after the baseman, after........

I also noticed you were right in listening to different sources. The mix, or any other recording I have for that matter, sounds differently depending on where its played. Minivan sounds a lot different than my monitor speakers, which sounds different from my home stereo. Does anyone still use the word stereo for a home system?

Don't go crazy with the headphones

Get these: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506/

They have been the industry standard for over 25 years.

Nick - Indeed a good pair of headphones are important, especially when the Wife needs to sleep and NOT forgetting the kids! I have a pair of Sennheisers I got recently, HD280 I think. I haven't tried them yet but bought them with the intention of tweaking my POD X3 and Boss GT10 late at night, it seems that's the only time I actually get these days because of work.

http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/pict/120777775620_1.jpg

Don't mix with headphones. Those Mackies are very good, honest representation, I spent a grand ona pair of Dynaudios and I still check the mix "in the car" before finalizing.

Don't go crazy with the headphones

Get these: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MDR7506/

They have been the industry standard for over 25 years.

Thanks, seem reasonable. I will check them out!