If you have started out recording with a simple home studio setup (like these ones under $300) then you may likely be using a pair of studio headphones for all of your tracking and monitoring needs. There is no shame or handicap in this, let me be clear.
In fact this is how I started out my recording career and it served me well! When you decide to incorporate a pair of studio monitors, however, let me give you 3 simple tips to help steer you clear of hype, myth, and money wasters!
1. Choose Monitors That “Fit” Your Room
Studio monitors come in many different sizes. Most of us will want a pair of “near-fields”, meaning they will be in close proximity to our listening position. Most near-field monitors are measured by the largest speaker cone size and come in a few different flavors. Most typically you see 5 to 8 inch speakers. What you need to figure out is which size of course.
Despite the obvious suggestion by some to get the biggest speaker you can afford for the purposes of better bass response, I say forget all that. Choose a speaker size that better matches the size of your control room. If you have a typical spare bedroom in a house or apartment then you likely don’t need anything bigger than a pair of 5 inch monitors. In fact, I mix on 5 inches in my own studio.
If however you are in a bigger control room of sorts (or a bigger basement studio let’s say) you might be better off pushing more air with 8 inch speakers. Of course there isn’t a rule on this, but you get the idea. Most of us will lean towards the 5 to 6 inch speakers in our home studios and be better off for it.
2. Choose Monitors That “Fit Your Budget
Now that you know what size speaker you need based on your room size, it’s time to consider the other non negotiable, budget. Unless you are foolish, you really shouldn’t spend more money than you can afford on any given piece of gear and that includes monitors.
If you have $700 to spend on speakers great. If you only have $300, fine. Just determine your budget (Hint: take a look at how much expendable money you have sitting around in your bank account, not your credit card limit), then get online and price out a pair of monitors in your needed size that falls in at that price. With so many great manufacturers producing great speakers at every price point, you don’t need to spend much time looking these days.
3. Choose Monitors And Then Don’t Look Back
My third tip may seem lame, but it’s vital. Once you’ve determined your size, budget, and have done some research, you should simply make your purchase and move on. Studio monitors, despite what people might claim, are not the end all be all of your recordings. YES, proper monitoring is key. Obviously we are discussing an auditory art form, so hearing your tracks well is key. But studio monitors are only one part of the equation.
Your room will color and change the sound coming out of your speakers. Your D/A converters will color and shape the sound coming out of your DAW and into your speakers. Your listening position in your room will color and shape how you hear what is coming out of your speakers. And add to all of that, each monitor speaker sounds different and is coloring and shaping your sound anyways. You get the idea.
You are not limited by your studio monitors. They are a tool and a means to an end. Grab a pair you can afford and just get to work.
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My name is Graham Cochrane and I'm the founder of The Recording Revolution, one of the world's most loved audio recording and mixing blogs with over 200,000 readers each month. 
Thanks for the great tips!
Using 5 inch speakers, is it worth adding a subwoofer for better bass listening and hence better mixing?
Entirely up to you. I don’t mix with a sub, never have.
Hi! If You are looking for new monitors or wondering how to improve your room sound, then I found great review – Sonarworks studio monitor test with 4 top brands shows how they performed and reveals the rooms acoustic problems. Definitely worth a look – http://sonarworks.com/2014/08/studio-monitor-test-2014-08/
GOD !!! i spend huge money with no cause. wish i could see your valuable posts a year before and not listening to those people. i got Rockit 6. which is actually way too much for my little room (66 sft). now i am having serious problems with controlling sounds. room is not well acoustic though. hey Graham can you tell me, i have two options in my KRK …called audio inputs ( unbalanced and balanced ). my question is what is the purpose between them. i am using balanced TRS. btw balanced has XLR too.
Nazim – TRS and XLR are both balanced cables. One just happens to be 1/4 inch connection and the other is a mic cable connection. Use balanced if you can. Less chance of noise.
Are you sponsored by them be honest?
Not sponsored by anybody. I just review products that I like and are affordable.
great site, great cause. finally, someone dealing with the real thing.
for us, techno-geek-musicians , it’s really wonderful to get some healthy proportions once again.
I must say, I also printed and read your e-book, and intend on using your advice further on.
thanks again.
Thanks for the tips, I was on the right track in my decision making..you just afirmed that!
Graham,
While this topic was specific about monitors, I saw your open statement about studio headphones. Can I inquire based on my 12 x 12 spare bedroom, I trying to narrow it down between semi-open or Circumaural headphones?
Thank you for your time!
Oscar
I like closed back headphones, but that’s just me.
Agreed. Closed back headphones are the way to go. Well then again, in my situation I do a lot of live mixing and while hearing the room sound is important you don’t want bleed when it’s time to put the headphones on!
Are beats studio 3 headphones good to record with.?
Lol no, do some reading on what your buying and compare specs. Just cause its expensive doesn’t mean its good. Beats like Bose are heavily eq”d and overpriced(even their”studio” models). They package cheaper components in neat packages and eq the crap outta them to get them sounding “good” then charge as much for them as the actual quality equipment they are pretending to be . People will disagree with me im sure but I think a lot more will agree, Beats and Bose should never be in a studio or used by anyone who takes their music mixing/listening seriously. Theres too many quality devices at half the cost to spend so much money for a cheap set of headphones with a big name on them.
Graham, great post. Agreed. I’d add, IMHO, that you should also pick a pair of monitors that sound good to you, personally. You’ll be spending quite a good deal of time recording/mixing with them so in addition to being acurate and made for the job at hand, they should also sound pleasing to your ear/tastes. If you can, best to audition some at a pro audio store. Bring a favorite CD that you’re familiar with sonically and ask to play it on different monitors in your price range till you find a pair that sound pleasing to you. Then when you get them back to your studio, start listening to a ton of your favorite music or mixes so you can begin to “learn”/get used to what your new monitors sound like in your setting. Will help to do that before you start mixing, should cut your frustration level down considerably.
Thanks Mark! That sounds necessary too..
Thanks Mark! That sounds necessary too.. 🙂
Hello Graham,
I purchased the s-dj05 and I put them in my spare bedroom.. I listened to stuff and was amazed. Now I changed my studio location to the other spare room, because it has no windows(except in the ceiling), and the sound is not so great anymore. I put my chair where my clap was the most muffled, because on other locations the reverb sounded really annoying.. Also I did not use mopads the first time, now I do. I put the mopads in a way so my speakers point up to my ears and also in the direction of my ears. Im thinking about putting my desk in the area where the reverb was annoying and treat it acoustically. I already have the aurelex sets. Now I’m still thinking about how to put my monitors.. I want to know what is the best way, but I cannot seem to find anything on the internet. Do you have any tips, a clue? Thank you
My post is not very clear about my frustration. The first time, when there was no professional set up, I enjoyed the sound because it was really 3 dimensional. Now it sounds flat in a way that it’s dead.. 🙁 or something
Hi Lenny,
I have a whole video tutorial dedicated to this topic. It’s called REthink Your Room http://www.REthinkYourRoom.com
Thanks Graham,
I purchased your video’s and watched them, set up a new setting. I have a couple of more questions. When you see the monitors in the mirror, don’t you have to check how far it goes and make your markings on the wall as big as the speaker reflection? So you can put the center of the foam pad on that spot in stead of putting it on the edge of when you started to see the speaker? And does it matter how far your head is turned? I wonder how accurate you have to be.
Would it be smart to close off an airvent/ceiling window with maybe cardboard and put a foam pad over it? Or does it not matter since I have a carpet floor?
It really does’t matter. Just put the treatment centered on that spot and you should be fine.
i Have Maudio AV40. My room is 10 x 8. And speakers are mounted to a wall. The problem is that the bass voice is resonating. i can not hear the bass guitar and kick sound properly without headphone. Help Plz…:(
I would take those speakers off the wall and put them on your desk on MoPads (from Auralex).
Thankoo…
How to arrange on desk…any special idea
Your video RETHINK MIXING has changed my life…Thnkoon so much
Thanks! I have a tutorial just on setting up your room (speakers, acoustics, etc) for mixing success: http://www.REthinkYourRoom.com
Thnkooo sooo sooo much…
Hi Graham! What can you say about REAPER?
Never used it.
Sorry that this is off the topic of studio monitors and also late, but I thought I’d chime in on this:
I’m a REAPER fan. I took Pro-Tools classes messed with some others like Cubase, etc. I like REAPER better for numerous reasons. If you are training to work at major studios, PT is a must only because that is the standard, but otherwise, as Graham would say, go with what flows best for you.
REAPER is a VERY light, unobtrusive software with what is possibly the best support available (both by the authors and the community). It is VERY configurable, adaptive and powerful. For me, it has the most logical flow of anything I’ve looked at, but that’s my opinion (and that of thousands of other REAPER users).
It is fully 64-bit (if your machine is), multi-platform and can be tailored to use multiple processor cores as you please to make the most of your machine. I’ve worked with a 50-track mix (50 recorded tracks, not just duplicates) and over 50 plugins on a 4-core machine. Again, it can be tailored to use your machine easy or take advantage of something very powerful. I’ve not personally used it with off-board DSP, though (like UA’s Apollo) – you’d have to ask whether it can do that in a forum if you need that much processing power.
Hope this is helpful. If you want to know more, there are great (and responsive) forums that can tell you way more than I can.
I just bought Rokit 6″ monitors for my home studio. (havn’t arrived yet) And am planning on writing some heavy electronic I.e Dubstep, trap ect. Will i still be able to get good mastering done without buying the KRK sub woofer? I bought 6″ thinking it would be a good middle ground for a small bedroom as well as hearing what i need to waay down in the low frequency’s without buying the sub… cause its expensive. Just wanted your opinion on that. thanks!
Call me crazy, but I master on Rockit 5s with no issues 😉
im sooo confused about buying my first monitors …im going for KRK rokit 8 .. but confused between KRK Rokit 8 or M-audio BX8 D2 or some other brands .. im building my home studio and i want an advice about monitors .thx .
Honestly, it doesn’t matter IMO. Either of those speakers are great. Just grab a pair and don’t look back. Learn the speakers in your room. That’s what matters!
Probably too late now for your purchase decision but I chose the KRKs over the BX8 (and the Mackies and Behringers) based on side-by-side comparison. The KRK tweeters are very nice because they don’t just mash the highs into a sizzle like most of the others – you can actually hear that highs are a range of frequencies from brightness through to air. At first I thought they sounded a bit dark until I figured out what was going on. One comparison I wasn’t able to do was the 8 vs the 6 and I suspect that if I was to choose today I would pick the 6 rather than the 8 for better mids.
the last video i see you with new monitors which are those ?
those are the one i am talking
new upgrade ???
They are a limited edition white version of the KRK Rockit 5s. Same speakers just different color 🙂
These are very useful tips written Graham. Just three years back I also fell in the trap of buying “best” and “big woofer sized” monitors. I didn’t realize at that time that I need small speakers for my bedroom so I ended up buying the Genelec 8040A monitors.
After some time I started to realise that Those monitors were not suitable for my room. The 6.5 woofer was just too much and i didnt even have enough space on my desk to keep them. At that point I started to regret so badly that why I ever bhought in the first place! But thanks God my brain started to function and to sold my Genelec 8040A and I managed to get95% of the money back which I had spent on them in buying them three years back.
Today Im sitting with the smaller Genelec 8020a which are a 4″ woofer sized monitors.
1. They fit perfectly into my room
2. Their portable
3. Their loudness and the bass response is more than enough for me (IMO)
4. No complains from the neighbours
5. Im satisfied with my mixes.
The most important part for me was the size of the monitors and ofcourse the budget. Now Im glad that I bhought the smaller monitors. I ended up paying 2/4 of the original price… They were on discount! 🙂
I remember when I had the genelecs 8040a, I gave $2300 dollars for them.
Now with the Genelec 8020, I paid $720. So this time the money was spent correctly.
I was left with $1580 and that money was spent on some room treatments, I bhought the Native Instrument’s Maschine and Im very glad that I’ve spent my money on the things which i need.
Now that I’ve learned my lesson, Im a happy home producer 😉
Glad the smaller speakers are working for you!
Hi! Good article 🙂 Also feel free to also check out our buying guide as to what to listen to when selecting monitors: http://en.audiofanzine.com/active-monitor/editorial/articles/comparing-monitor-speakers.html
Good tips there – especially having the same volume. One of my favourite test tracks is Every Breath You Take – good speakers let you hear the strings on Sting’s bass are round-wound. The only thing I’d add is to listen carefully to the highs to make sure you can differentiate brightness and air. If the highs have been made into a sizzling mess, you’ll never be able to EQ highs correctly.
Very nice, just the basics for those of us who are new to this kind of thing.
Graham,
i read your article and i just want to be sure before i make my purchase. my room is a 9ft x 14 ft with a 7.5 ft ceiling. i was stuck between the Yamaha hs50m or the hs80m (leaning towards the 80’s). i produce a range of music from jazz, hip hop to r n b. do you suggest i get the 5in or the 8in for the room size? after reading the article, it sounds like i can get the 50’s and do fine.
appreciate your wisdom bro, GOD BLESS!
“Just buy some and don’t look back.” That’s great advice. I’m going crazy picking out monitors. All reviews seem to contradict each other and they all seem to boast similar features. There are always snobby people saying that certain monitors suck and recommend their $800 units instead. Tough to get an unbiased opinion these days.
Hi what do you think about 4 inch monitors? Can I get a good mix with those?
What particular product are you looking at? It is possible to mix on just about anything except maybe laptop speakers but just because it is possible, it might not be easy. Certainly you would have to listen to your mixes on other systems to be sure they are translating. Sizzly tweeters can be an issue but with small ported cabinets a lumpy bass response can really mess with your mix.
Samson media one 4a? Any thoughts
Well, here’s the Sound On Sound review and their impressions are what I would expect for such a small speaker: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jun08/articles/samsonmediaone4a.htm
You would definitely need an alternative reference for the low-end. The porting (inevitably for a small cabinet) means you would need to be careful mixing and EQing and not commit to anything in the bass without checking on at least one alternative. Obviously you’ll have no idea what the deep bass is doing.
Without trying a pair myself I couldn’t say for definite, but with care you could probably get a good mix with these. There seem to be some happy users posting reviews. The SOS suggestion of plugging the ports with cotton wool seems a sensible idea.
Hey Graham!
Was planning on buying some studio monitors really soon, and i am on a real strict budget :P.
I was looking around on sweet water for some affordable monitors and found the Presonus Eris E4.5’s http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/ErisE4.5/ . Do you think these will do? Or would you suggest that I wait it out, mix with headphones and save some money for better monitors?
I actually have the ERIS 8s and they are fantastic. I think you’ll get great results with those. Not as much bass response, but they will be clear and well balanced.
So, I am considering buying some monitors, probably some Krk Rokit G3’s but I don’t know what size my room can handle. My room is 11 feet by 11 feet. Is that big enough for 6 inch speakers or is a better option to buy the five inches and maybe a subwoofer? Thanks.
Yep. The 6 inch speaker is a great choice.
Hi Graham I know this is quite a late post but I need a person which has great success on music for next topic… I already bought a decent pair of rokit 5″ but struggle with low end I want to ADD either 8″es or sub woofer…… I know my room is not that big for sub woofer but afraid 8″es might over excite the treble which is enough
Hi Ryan,
Yes I actually moved to an 8 inch speaker last year simply for low end. Most speakers have a high end attenuator so you can tame those frequencies if they get out of line.
Graham, didn’t you say in the article to not go for bigger speakers just for low end? I’m confused now.
Hello Graham!
What are your thoughts on 3″ monitors, such as the Mackie CR3 (for a very small studio)?
Hard to hear low end, but that’s about it. If you can spring for at least a 5 inch speaker I’d do it.
Hey Graham,
Some great advice you have there.
I bought some monitors and am trying to not look back. However, I did this twice and have 2 pairs; it’s difficult to not look back when I have the option of returning either one of them.
Tannoy Reveal 402
M-Audio BX-8 D2
I first got the 4″ set and they sound great. Missing low end as expected but these take up much less space.
I did then get the 8″ set to see how much difference having the deeper bass frequencies make when listening to some reference tracks I know well. I was now very easily able to discern tracks that had tight bass and muddy bass: all these tracks previously came across as having tight bass. The highs do seem a bit harsh though…
My mixing environment is constrained to a 4′ wall of an untreated living room. The room itself is 20’x14′, but I only have the small 4′ wide area to place all my equipment.
That being said, which set would you go with?
I usually say no to bigger speakers like the 8 inches in such a small space. But I wouldn’t mix on something smaller than 5 inches for my main pair.
In general, though there are significant advantages in mixing on monitors rather than a headset. You get multi-dimensional spacial information that isn’t available with a headset and with today’s bi-amplified monitors – even in the low price ranges – it’s hard to beat their accuracy with a headset (except on the extreme lows). A Pro-Tools instructor pointed some of that out to me years ago and I was so glad I moved to mixing on monitors – instant improvement…
After listening to numerous monitors (including some RKRs) I chose the Mackie MR5 Mk2, and found through numerous frequency sweeps (and then using tracks I’m used to) that if the high and low gain settings on the back are set right, they can be surprisingly accurate from about 120Hz and up, both spectrally and spacially.
The one thing I miss, though is that some mixers get very interesting low frequency information around 20~50Hz that makes a literal “feel” to portions of the music and and these 5″ monitors completely miss those subtleties. I turn to my best Sennheiser headset to evaluate that part, but miss it when I’m mixing on the 5″ monitors.
Then again, if that 20Hz information were always there, it would lead to ear fatigue much sooner and many of these small 5″ monitors are great at minimizing ear fatigue (especially if you remember to keep the dB relatively low during the parts of mixing where you really don’t need it turned up). That fatigue reduction aspect of small monitors is great….
Hi there, i have a pair of Yamaha MS20S monitors bought new in 1989. They have 12cm main cones with ‘active servo’ technology and a front facing port. I have 3 synths connected by a small mixer and my room is 10x10ft. They sound pretty good to me. But not sure if newer 5-6 inch monitors are significantly better – I’d appreciate your thoughts / advice.
If they sound good to you and you can mix on them, why change?
Thanks, I’m not especially looking to change as theydo sound good a medium to highish volume, albeit without the bass response in my Audio Technica ATHM50 headphones. Just wondering if the latest technology has improved since then for 5 inch monitors, or 6 inch, which will just fit my desk.
I am just starting out and have been following your advise,I have the prosonus studio one
I’m into Quartet and need some advise on mixing.
1. four Singers
2.piano
3.Base guitar
4.Lead Guitar
5.Rythm Guitar
6.Steel guitar
7. Drums
What type or size of audio box should I purchase should it be rack mount or can I hook up a Berringer PA Mixing Board or a Peavey Pv6 mixer with phantom power, this is all new to me
can you tell me where I can get a book on this or a DVD instruction.I have been reading all of your in put But would like to record the group I’m with any help will be appreciated
Russ
Russell,
I’m a fan of the Tascam US-1800. 8 XLR (with phantom) and 6 line inputs plus digital and MIDI with USB interface and multiple outputs that are configurable. Amazingly clean pres for the price and can do 96KHz/24bit on all inputs. If you like this idea, look for it at somewhere like GC or MF who will exchange it for free if you get a bad one. Then if you buy one, check out every input and output for good function before you keep it. (I got a bad one and had to return it, but the replacement is good and it is a LOT of good clean function for the buck.)
If this is of interest and price is important to you like it is to me, look for sales. It will sometimes be as high as $400, but I got mine at $150 by waiting for the right deal. $200 sales are found more often. Also, if you get one of these, I recommend the ASIO4ALL driver if you don’t already have a better ASIO. (I’m on Win7x64, so I don’t know how it does on MAC.)
If you DI most of your guitars and put limited mics on your drums, you might be able to record most or the whole group at once, which is nice, and if you limit bleed between mics, you can then come back and touch up individual parts.
There are many great interfaces, but I’ve just never seen another with so much capability in this price range.
Hope this is helpful…
Tnx for the tips on choose a monitor.
Pls am trying to setup my bedroom private studio strictly for mixing and mastering bt am nt boxedup.
So I was considering a BX5 D2 , can it serve?
Hi Graham, just a quick bit of advise if you don’t mind me nipping your head.
I work at the moment in a room approx 10 x 12 foot with 7 ft ceiling.
I used to own a pair of Tapco s8 monitors which I got mainly for DJ use with deep house music.
I’ve learned over the years that they were just infact loud and boomy and like most would benefit from smaller monitors.
I’m currently more into production side of things and I’m wondering what you would advise between say the Genelec 8240’s or the smaller 8230’s and maybe the 7230 8 inch sub.
Would the latter still enable me to crank it up and immerse myself at times or would it be too thin?
I’m no expert I’m just thinking that the latter may be the better option and enable me to use the matched sub for the times I needed to hear and feel the low end properly?
Thanks for your help in advance and great website, keep up the good work 🙂
Smaller 5 inch speakers would probably suit your room better. I don’t work with a sub so I can’t comment on that.
Graham
I have been using my (Mac) laptop .
I have found a package deal with a Apple Computer with everything
including software for home studio Recording feel i would not be upgrading
from one software package to anther as for example Presonus One to PreSonus Producer
and now Presonus has and are coming out with preSonus3.
and would like your feed back on this
Russ
Studio One is a great program. I have it. My buddy Joe Gilder uses it exclusively now.
Hi Graham..nice article. I have a 10 * 8 size room where I am going to do the Acoustics. I got some suggestions on Studio monitors for the room . Of the following, can you pls recommend which one would be best for my room of this size?
My options are : Yamaha HS5 / HS7 / HS8 / HS80 / Yamaha MSP5 / MSP7/ Or any other better option if you can recommend? Thanks.
I would go with some 5 inch speakers.
Thanks for all the great advice, Graham.
The more projects I am taking on for musicians and the more time i’m sitting behind my monitors, I am thinking of upgrading to a better pair for the long haul. I’m using a budget set of Fostex 4″ now, and they have worked out ok, but have no adjustments. Being as I have never compared them to anything better, it is hard to say what I can or cannot hear on them.
You have owned both the Rokits and the Eris, which is what I’m between right now. Are you leaning towards one or the other? Also, do you believe that the 8″ would be more detrimental than the 5″ if I were setting up a room approximately 11×9 or can they be tamed to work well in a small room, while giving me a usable option in the case I can have a larger room down the road?
Thanks!
Brandon
Recently read this article about setting up your home studio monitors. Give it a read, some great advice http://sonarworks.com/2014/08/studio-monitor-test-2014-08/
Hey. I got 10x13x7.5 room. We basically have lots of books that we need to put somethere and they are staying in the room. Unfortunately the desk is placed against the 13 wall with a books all over the wall. But it’s centered and all. I actually dig it this way. I am thinking of getting a pair of Yamaha’s HS7’s. 6.5 inch speakers, is that okay? Thanks.
Book shelves are great for acoustic treatment.
Thank you, Graham! I ended up buyng a pair of HS8’s for 450 euros. They sound spectacular in our room. Must be the wood and the books. 🙂
hey Graham. I searched every website about room size vs speakers size but i didn’t
find that available my room. every one say different things. finally i found the blog and you.
My room size 14 x 10 ft. So is 6inch enough for me? or 8 inch?
Sincerely..
by the way it is for production edm not recording. please help
Thanks for the article Graham. It could not come at a better time, Quick question. I am buying new monitor speakers before the year is out, the reason why I have not gotten them yet, it’s because I am not sure whether to get (KRK G3) 5″ or 6″. My room is L 14′ X W 8′ – H 9′, do you think I should go for the 6″? Thanks again.
Nice guide you wrote here, but you forgot the most important thing about loudspeakers…. the sound. It’s always good to listen to all monitors you are interested in, and choose those that sound most natural to your ears.
I am tracking and mixing in literally a walk-in closet. I have 5″ Alesis speakers, but I am wondering if they might be too big for a room that is only 5ft by 5ft? Should I think about something more along the lines of a 3″ speaker like a Mackie CR3 or something similar?
Hi, Graham, thanks for this article and for your YouTube channel. It’s really thoughtful!
I was thinking about 6.5″ Focal alpha monitors, but now I think I’ll buy 5″ model, because in close future my home studio will based in 9 sqare meters room. But there is still question: how do you think, is 5″ monitors only (without subw) enough to extreme metal styles like death metal etc?
Thanks and sorry for not a very good English.
It feels like sound problem solved on your blog.
Am thinking of diverting from accountancy to sound engineering. And would need a pro advice.
Am ready to buy all materials needed.
Please Assist me.
Thanks.
Hey my budget is max 250€ i have 3. monitors in mind which shlould i choose ??
1. Alesis Elevate 5 130€
2. Fluid Audio C5 160€
3. Swissonic Asm5 180 € or Swissonic Asm7 240€
My studio room is 1200 sqr feets which is 24×50 with 7 feets high ceiling.
I will use them for mixing monitors, and I can’t make up my mind on what to buy.
I am looking at the Presonus Eris E66, Presonus Spectre S8 and the KRK Rokit RP10-3 G3.
Which one should I go with, I am afraid of buying something that I pick for saving money and end up having to resell them?
I’ve recorded, mixed, mastered, etc. a few songs for my band and I think they’ve turned out pretty good. Word is getting out and some other bands in the area are asking if I would be interested in recording their songs. I am.
Currently I have a pair of “M-Audio Studiophile AV 40” monitors I use in a home office (12ft-17ft). To get a good mix, I usually start with closed back headphones, then listen on my monitors. The ultimate test is to listen in my car because I drive two hours a day and I “know” how songs are supposed to sound in my car.
Here is my question. Do you think I would benefit by upgrading my home monitors? It would be nice if I could trust a mix created one place rather than having to bounce around to 3 different systems. I could probably spend about $500 on an upgrade. I’m just not sure if that would be a substantial improvement or if I should just save the money and keep doing what I’m doing.
For sure going with a 5inch or 6 inch speaker would give you better bass response – but keep in mind, no matter what speaker you buy you will still have to learn what it sounds like in your room. No speaker gives you the 100% truth.
My children were requiring NHTSA Temp Importation MV Box 7 HS-7 Form this month and located a website that hosts lots of form templates . If people want NHTSA Temp Importation MV Box 7 HS-7 Form too , here’s
http://goo.gl/Tm6gVz.Hey Graham,
Been following you for awhile and appreciate all that you do, respect! Now my room is 12.5’X14.5′ and properly treated, Traps, absorption, diffusion & ceiling treatment. Upgrading monitoring. Currently have first gen Alesis M1 Active with 6″ woofer. I do mainly christian HipHop, Rap & Rythm & Praise as we call it, I’m looking for more low end extension without it becoming over bearing. Looking at the Presonus Sceptre S8 & still matbe a sub for referencing/listening back. Overkill? Thanks, Blessed brother!
They might be. I’ve had 8 inch speakers before – twice – and have gone back to 6 inch speakers.
Hey Graham,
My room is 15ft X 12ft and well acoustic treated. I do metal music. Between KRK rokit6 and Yamaha hs50, which one should I select?
i got krk 6 (G3) and honestly….they are muddy, and they almost boost lows. At all they are good for listening….less for accurate mixes. I’m thinkin about move to mackie mr Mk3, hs7, jbl or equator (these are more expensive but surely the best). Btw rockit6 got basses (up to 38-40hz) hs50 hasn’t… It depends from the genre and the target of your mixes… pop? edm, hip hop? I think yamaha are more balanced and “clear”. U’ll mix voice better. Krk are overrated. As listened on sonicsenseproaudio they are worst than yamaha and jbl too (5′ comparison). Have a nice week!
Hi Graham, nice article! I agree with you on the “no looking back” point. Choosing your pair of monitors is obviously important, but as you say, its not the only factor to take into account. The room will probably color the sound and some acoustic treatment can also help. In my site for Spanish speaking home studio owners, I recommend that they get the monitors that fit their needs and budget, and then learn to listen to them until you know them accurately. That’s all you need! Here is my little guide to the best studio monitors for 2016: http://tuhomestudio.com/mejores-monitores-de-estudio-2016/ Enjoy!
Would it cause a problem to use one Krk rokit 6″ G3 & one 6″ G2? Will this cause some sort of electrical problem or anything or will this work & sound ok?
Hi David,
The main problem this could cause is that you will likely be listening with an imbalance between your monitors. Of course, using equal monitors in a an untreated room can cause the same problem. I would encourage you, though, to try to have matched monitors to not make things more complicated.
Can you mix on them – yes, you definitely can. Depending on how they differ, though, it might make it more difficult to get a balanced mix. You might also get great results – it’s just hard to tell.
As Graham has said – the most important thing is knowing the setup you have and knowing it well. You might have to compensate for monitor limitations to get mixes to translate well to other sources, but if you master that with a given setup, it doesn’t matter so much what that setup is. Even Andrew Scheps has mixed projects on a headset that you can buy for $100 – but Andrew KNOWS that headset and has vast experience with mixing. That’s what matters…
Hi Graham!
Can 4 inch monitors be enough for mixing and mastering in a home studio?
I’ve found examples when they do a good job, and they get good reviews, like the Tannoy 402:
Thanks a mil!
I haven’t listened to the Tannoy 402, but I can offer some food for thought:
A 5″ speaker has almost 50% more surface area than a 4″ speaker. This is a significant advantage for accurately producing lower frequencies.
If you are ready to invest the cost of a Tannoy 402, note that the Mackie and KRK 5″ studio monitors really don’t cost that much more and don’t take up a lot more space than the Tannoy 402.
If you already have the 402s, by all means, learn their sound, use reference tracks a lot and mix on them, but if you have not yet invested, I personally believe that 5″ near field monitors are likely to give you a better representation of the low end than 4″ will and could save you the pain of finding out that the low end has problems later when you play your mix back on other sources.
I use 5″ near field monitors for most of my mix and then use a headset that can produce very low frequencies with much greater accuracy as a check on that range. I find the 5″ monitors to be a good compromise between lack of low end and enough low end to cause more ear fatigue when mixing for periods of time. Larger monitors, particularly in the near field, can tend to cause ear fatigue faster, so I see it as a balance of those factors.
Thanks Walt for your extended and accurate answer!
In the meantime, I have purchased a pair of KRK 5″s, so I believe I made the right decision, and thank you for confirming it!
Now, it’s time for dwelling on the headphone choice! :-))
Hi Greg,
I think you’ll really be glad you invested in some trusted monitors that don’t break the bank.
This is a bit off the subject of this blog, but here are some headphone notes since you are in this stage of setting up:
Graham uses and recommends the KRK KNS8400 in the $150 range.
In the $100 range:
Andrew Scheps works on the Sony MDR 7506 and talks about them on this page:
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/andrew-scheps-lecture
Also in the $100 range, the Sennheiser HD 280 PRO is respected in many studios and this is what I go to for checking out the low end and other things that you want to look for with a headset.
Closed back headphones in general are good for isolation, both for you as the mixer if you are in an environment that is not silent and isolated, and for recording when spill is a problem.
Most of all, learn the equipment you have – play a lot of reference tracks through them so you know what music should sound like from that particular source. The more time you spend listening to well engineered music with a given monitoring source, the better you’ll understand what a mix needs when listening through that source.
Hope this is helpful and happy mixing!
Thanks again, Walt!
My room is about 10×12. Which size monitors are best for this size?
I would try 5inch speakers
Hey Graham,
My room is 20 square meter, that means 215 square foot.
I got KRK Rockit 6 Monitors and KRK 10s Subwoofer.
What you think mate about that case?
Thank you in advance
I think that’s perfect for the room.
My room size is 10 x 10 x 10 feet.. How many monitors Do I need of 5 inch, one or two ?
You’ll want two monitors, one for the left and one for the right.
Will Bluetooth speakers like JBL Flip2 etc can be used for monitoring?? please help….
Hello I was thinking of getting my first set of monitors. I have a small room which has a 14′ Length, 10′ Width and 7′ 9″ Height. No acoustic treatment, with wood ceiling and carpet floor.
Would like to know if I should get a 5″ or 6″ speaker for the size my room?
I was thinking of getting the Presonus Eris Series Monitors because of the asy to dial in acoustic space tuning options.
Specifically looking at the the Eris E5 5″ monitors. However would a Presonus Eris 44 with Dual 4.5″ speakers or Presonus Eris Dual 6.5″ speakers be a better option than the Presonus Eris E5 5″ monitors? Or other advice welcomed.
Thank you
AJ
I don’t think it will make a HUGE difference if you go 5 or 6 inch. Just know you get a bit more bass response on the 6 inch.
You will not get more bass response, you will get lower frequencies. This is a good thing, though even a 6″ monitor is too small to reveal many low end pitfalls that often need to be addressed. You can’t mix what you can’t hear, and on 6″ monitors you can’t hear much of the low end in your mix.
Are 3 inch Studio Monitors too small? Like the Mackie CR3, which are at the top in most purchased on Amazon.
I was thinking between Rokit 5 ($299) and Mackie CR3 ($99)… it`s a huge price difference I know.
You CANNOT mix what you cannot hear!
You do in fact want studio monitors that can reveal the most frequency range. This, more times the not, means ones with bigger woofers. A 5″ monitor cannot produce enough low end to reveal problematic low frequencies and thus your mixes will suffer.
You are correct Eddie. Room size makes no difference. I appreciate Graham’s contribution to home recording, but he’s mistaken about monitors. First you need a really well treated rooms.. or your monitors don’t matter at all. Second, as you said, you can’t mix what you can’t hear. I don’t think any 5″ monitors go low enough in the frequency range to reveal enough low end/sub base to accurately mix. As a second set, 5″;s can work, especially helpful for mixing vocals. If anyone doubt what I’m saying, go to Gearsluts and ask around. There are world known gold record producers and mix engineers there who will tell you room size makes no difference, and 5″ monitors are too small.
Awww, a very informative article you have here. I bought the Yamaha HS5 a few months ago and I’m very happy with the sound quality and performance on the low frequencies. I ordered this studio monitor because I found this article: https://globaldjsguide.com/the-best-studio-monitor-speakers-for-home-recording/. I was between HS and Rokit6 by KRK. How would you compare these two monitor speakers? Did I make a good choice for my home studio?
Thank you!!
Great choice. Yamaha have been making monitors for years and the NS10s are some of the most famously used ones out there.
Graham I followed all your advice for a start out home studio and you were not wrong. Thank you much! From Focusrite Scarlet to the headphones, all good. This year I thought I would get some studio monitors.
I thought I would buy a birthday Christmas gift. Went to Amazon, found KRK RoKit RP5 G3 Stealth Edition Monitor – Studio 5″. I am a retired hobbyist. I saw the photo of one speaker, but I just assumed they were sold in twos and the price was for two —- because all music is in STEREO! When the shipment arrived I found out I bought one speaker. According to the seller many people buy one speaker, probably because they think like I do and/or were mislead by the ad. Question: Can I mix sufficiently using this one speaker? Do people do that? If you could weigh in I would appreciate it.
Thanks again for your youtube help and advice of the past. TXT
I would definitely get a second one so you can mix in stereo.
Are 3 inch Studio Monitors too small? Like the Mackie CR3, which are at the top in most purchased on Amazon.
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great article post