|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
173.52.251.118
In Reply to: RE: John Atkinson - Studio Monitors vs Audiophile Speakers posted by Jeff Starr on June 15, 2016 at 12:39:07
>I'm asking for your opinion on this subject as you record and produce
>music. And as a reviewer who has tested many speakers.
This is an enormous subject, too big to discuss in this space, perhaps.
Studio monitors have to have a much higher dynamic range than is
necessary for a domestic design and often have a peaky output in the low
treble, to expose problems. I recently produced sessions where the
engineer's preferred speakers were Tannoy Little Reds with Mastering Lab
crossovers. These monitors were too bright for my tastes, but told the
engineer everything he needed to know. See fig.30 at the link below for
the responses of several professional monitors and compare with fig.27,
which shows the flattest-measuring speakers we had reviewed at the time
I wrote this article, in the summer of 1997.
>I also recall that you have used a variety of speakers over the years
>for your recordings. Is there any one constant for you, a set of
>headphones perhaps?
At the sessions, I exclusively use headphones: Sennheiser HD650s and
Audeze LCD-Xes. FOr mixing, editing, and mastering, I use the most
neutral speakers I have to hand, generally what I am reviewing, as well
as my 1978 pair of Rogers LS3/5a's.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
Follow Ups:
The studio where I used to assist had a common monitor setup: a pair of Yamaha NS-10Ms for most day-to-day work, a pair of big horns (JBL/Urei) built into the walls, and some little midrange-only cubes (in this case, the wonderful RORs.) They also had a pair of ProAC Studio 100s which were often used for mixing small ensemble/jazz recordings.
The Yammys *are* bright, and you do not want them in your living room. But they do let engineers quickly pick out any imperfections buried deep in the mix. The JBL/Urei's were pretty much for checking dynamics, as they had limited extension low or high, but they let you feel the kick drum in your chest. The little cubes were from the days of pocket transistor radios - mixes had to sound OK on those, so you needed a midrange-only monitor to check it.
Most engineers I know take a different approach from Waldrep, and are more in line with John's comments. Rather than "this is the best" and you should emulate it at home, they strive for sound in their studios that gives them the detail they need, and which they can reliably translate into what the customer will hear at home. In Waldrep's favor, though, are the big B&W monitors, which are in many studios and seem to be the one speaker line that successfully bridges the studio/home divide.
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
I like their coherency, imaging and, whatever their shortcomings, they remind me of music i have heard live and loved.
They are the speakers I have owned the longest and whose sonic character
I know the best.
John Atkinson
Editor, Stereophile
I wonder how those JBLs would sound in a home system?
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: