[EDIT – Looks like model listed below is discontinued. Ebay might be your best bet – or this similar model]
Many of us have been brainwashed into thinking you can “buy” your way to a better mix.
We find it hard to accept that the surest path to a better mix is getting a better understanding of EQ, compression, and balance and then using a few simple hacks like mixing in mono and referencing pro recordings. None of which costs you any money.
I think we simply enjoy spending money on things and love living as if we are one purchase away from happiness. But I digress.
Via Steve Bowbrick Flickr
If You’re Going To Spend Money
But if you’re looking to improve your mixes and you think gear can solve your problems, forget about all the gear you WERE going to buy and instead grab $99 and buy this one thing.
It is so simple, so foolproof, that you can’t help but get better mixes by using it. Honestly, I use it on every mix and without a doubt my mixes are better for it.
OK, enough build up. Here it is.
My trusty Behringer Behritone speaker.
Literally this is a copycat of the old school Auratone cube speakers that you see in so many studios around the world. In concept it is simply a midrange heavy, bass and top end light speaker. But it is mix changing if you use it.
Exposing Your Mix’s Midrange
For better or worse, the Behritone (or any speaker like it) exposes your midrange. And that’s a good thing.
Really good studio monitors can give you nice bass and top end response, but even with all that clarity they can hide what’s happening in the mids. And the mids is where all the action is. It’s where a mix is won or lost.
When I mix, I spend a good chunk of time on my main monitors. But the moment I think I have a good mix going, I flip over to my Behritone.
Instantly two things happen: I’m in mono (since it’s literally one speaker) and my ears perk up as my mix’s midrange is shown in a different (more naked) light.
This is where I tend to notice guitars, keys, and vocals that have “scary” frequencies jumping out. I can quickly and easily correct those tracks with some subtle EQ and when I flip back to my regular monitors they still sound just as great. But now I know they will sound great everywhere else.
Waking Up Your Ears
In general, it’s a good idea to have some alternative speaker(s) to reference your mix on simply for the fact that our ears (clever as God designed them) can and will adapt to whatever they are hearing, meaning you lose perspective on how your mix really sounds.
The moment you flip over to your little mono box, your ears “wake up” and reset in a way. It’s like you are hearing your mix fresh again, and that can help you identify weak areas of the track that you hadn’t noticed before.
If you never have these “ah ha” moments in the mix, then you never get the chance to correct the issues (masking, harsh frequencies, etc) and therefore you’ll churn out an inferior mix.
A simple mono, mid range speaker like the Behritone can be the difference maker. Not bad for a $99 investment.
Get Your Mono Box And Get Back To Work
Do you NEED to buy the Behritone like I did? No.
Do you NEED to spend $99 on your mono midrange speaker? Of course not. I say spend as little as you can.
The point is this: if you’re going to spend money on gear in your studio, specifically in the hopes of getting better mixes, then do yourself a favor and invest in your own version of the “mono box”.
It’s a boring, and anti-climactic purchase, but it works.
And isn’t that what you want after all?
P.S. If you currently use a mono type speaker to reference in mixing, share here below what specific speaker you use and how much it cost. Might give everyone some options!
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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. 
..so, only one is ‘needed’, right? – How does the setting looks like then?
I keep my main Monitors on the left and the right, connected to the audiointerface of my computer.
where will the Behritone go then? And since I have only 2 audio outputs on my interface – do I have always unplugg the main monitors and plug Behritone in? Or is there an easier setup?
Thanks in advance!
..it seems that a Studio Monitor Controller would be the answer to one of my questions, right?
Any suggestions for a Studio Monitor Controller? 🙂
The Behringer Minimon MON800 is a fantastic and cheap controller. When I bought it, I was expecting to replace it with something more expensive pretty quickly, but it has stuck around in my studio for years because it does its job and covers all the bases for a home studio. I guess that fits in with the lessons on this site.
Thanks for your reply!
I recommend this.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=443225&gclid=CjwKEAjw5ZKiBRDhqa-Yjcml9kYSJABia-Rnqk0JBKlUHDPdRESrB-BCRyW7nQfsLo-gMWVDmevaKRoCTsHw_wcB&is=REG&Q=&A=details
I use Presonus Monitor Station and it is really helpful and reliable tool.
Try some of the SM ProAudio M-Patch series. It’s the cheapest monitor controller I guess. I don’t have one, but I’ve got some stuff of this Australian company and it works great. It’ll also allows you to switch to mono on your main speakers.
Have a look at Mackie Big Knob, it’s one of the future proof things with several monitor switches and talkback and – the big knob for output control. Not cheap though…
One. When I only had a two input interface I bought a stereo to mono plug. I simply plugged the Beritone into the headphone out on the interface. Hosa makes the cord. Years ago Radio Shack would have had it too. LOL
“plugged the Beritone into the headphone out on the interface”
that’s an idea! will try that. if it works – no need to buy an extra studio monitor controller 🙂
thanks for the hint!
Dave, plugging the Beritone into the headphone out is perfectly fine as long as your interface has a mono button that will send a mono signal to the speaker. If it doesn’t have a mono button, then don’t do it.
I have an Avantone Mixcube, and it’s great (but costly). I just set mine on top of my left monitor. It doesn’t really matter where you put it as long as you get direct sound from it.
What do you mean that you plugged this mono speaker into a headphone jack? Isn’t the headphone jack wired in stereo? Or is your interface headphone amp actually smart enough to switch its headphone jack to mono if it’s a mono plug that’s plugged into it? (For real?)
This could be a bit of a tricky problem, I’d say, because what is needed is a little *mixer* which will take the L and R signals from the mix, and combine them into one mono mix which can be sent to this speaker. I don’t see how it can be done “passively” using just plugs and/or stereo-splitter-cords. Suggestions anyone for getting both L and R signals to come into mono?
Three resistors can be soldered together to make a passive mixer. I’m sure Google would find you some examples.
…Mike.
Yall most interfaces have a switch inside the output jacks such that if there’s nothing plugged into the right speaker a mono signal will be sent to the left one
I guaranty you’ll have the perfect mono output on your audio interface for the type of set-up Graham is writing about here – your headphone output jack. 🙂
Hello,
I use this box too and I agree that give You new perspective how is your mix translate to the world. In essence this box give You nasty sound, but focused on most occupied mid range freq. And I did some research about this kind of speakers and this is best possibility in price/quality range.
What about ns10? also things like the focusrite VRM or the ARC II that can virtually emulate other speakers like the ns10 so that you don’t have to buy another set of speakers
Anybody have a link to a waterfall plot for this speaker?
If not would anyone with one be willing to measure one?
It’s not a comment, but Mike Senior at SOS did a pretty comprehensive review of these a couple years back. http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/feb12/articles/behringer-c5a-c50a.htm I ended up getting an Avantone MixCube based on this review, simply because the better quality from it would be reflected over multiple mixes since it would be used on every mix.
I used the Avantones which are more expensive, but basically for the same purpose. You can knock several iterations off your mixes once you start using these. I like having two of them, but you can always flip it to Mono to hear that perspective.
Excellent article on this solution to a better mix. I use the Roland CM-30 Cube, very versatile and at a cost of 219.00. I have that running from my Mac Pro lap top, headphone output 1/8 jack and into the Roland 1/8 input,The main studio monitors are connected to the interface’s. Anyway, once I have a mix liking to my hears, I switch over the playback engine (in Protools) and listen to what Graham is explaining. It’s a must to me. (go back and change the mid’s or what ever in the mix. Bottom line….if it sounds good on this mono speaker, 90% of the time it pretty much right on..Ps. The reason for the Roland is because I also can plug a headphone/buds right into the front of the unit…Cheers!
Several years ago, like Dinosaur David, I bought a pair of Avantones mix cubes. A lot more pricy I know but still one of my best purchases. Using them in stereo and mono is amazing. What may sound good on my ADAM’S comes back sounding great after a session on them.
I use an old smallish car shelf speaker and find it works really well.I use redline monitor and AKG 701 phones most of the time and find my mixes sound pretty good whatever I play them on.
I have one Avantone Mixcube connected to my Presonus Monitorstation on which i can switch to Mono with a button. This helps me greatly judge not only the midrange, but also if the vocals stick out too much or they ‘re too loud.
I use the ARC 2 to simulate boomboxes and laptop speakers. You can do mono or Mid/Side. I always reference the laptop speakers, as I have found that way too many people use their laptop speakers for their first listen of my tracks. I usually finalize my vocal volume using the laptop speaker simulator.
Why did you use a Nintendo 3DS picture in the blog?
xoxo
Honestly didn’t realize it at the time – but in reality I have a few Nintendo products in my studio at all times. So maybe it was my subconscious 🙂
i saved up for NS-10M Studios about 11 years ago. and have used them on every mixdown since that day. its the NS-10 that you see in every studio shot. they are taxing on the ears when listened for long times. Even can give me ear aches the next day if i am mixing down for a lot of hours. From there i play my mixes on the crappiest of speakers, the ol boombox in my garagae, to the nicest ones in my car with bass. The motto is “if it sounds good on NS10s then it’ll sound good on anything”. Its not a great sounding speaker by any means. But to get your mix balanced out. They are priceless
I just use an Auratone impulse over the master channel
I grabbed a discarded 8″ sub-woofer out of a waste bin a while back. A little snipping and soldering removed the built-in cross-over. Powered with a 20-year-old (or more) Realistic amplifier (anyone remember Radio Shack’s old electronics brand?). And voila, a mid-range heavy mono speaker that cost me nothing. Works like a charm.
Oh ya. You can read more about it here: My Crappy Mono Speaker
Since I’m still using PT8 (and using the MBox2) I don’t have any flexibility in adding more speakers… so what I’ve done is, on my master bus, I insert the stock Pro Tools EQ (which has an “Auratone” preset) then I insert a “stereo widener” plugin and dial it back to “mono” – and I bypass them.
So, whenever I want to mix through an “Auratone,” I just un-bypass the plugins!
Graham, You should really look into getting a Behringer endorsement!
Haha. No kidding.
I use a pair of AC-powered Yamaha DM-1 desktop speakers; they’re ultra-rugged for travel and accept a 1/4″ input. Since there are two, I added the free Brainworx’ BX_Solo VST to my DAW (Tracktion) so I can monitor Mid, Side, stereo or summed mono. They’re incredibly loud for their 6.5″ X 5″ size, so I can monitor at decibel levels similar to my big main monitor speakers.
I use a pair of old JVC rear surround speakers. I can’t imagine them being very good for that which explains why they were in the pawn shop for a tenner. When I’m mastering, after a general balancing of high v. mid v. low on the mains I switch to these for the first round of corrective EQ – definitely a time saver.
Curious…..where do you place this speaker? Im assuming your screen monitor is directly in front of you. Do you place it off to the side??
Hey it’s only 1 *mono* monitor. There’s no “sweetspot” for mono, so it can be placed anywhere in front of you, either to the left, middle or right, just make sure there’s no obstacles between it and your ear 🙂
MMM
I’ve done both. In my new studio the only space for it is right in front of me.
In response to your question: “Curious…..where do you place this speaker? Im assuming your screen monitor is directly in front of you. Do you place it off to the side??”
My desk has a hutch. I know it’s bad to have speakers in an enclosed area. I have acoustic foam chunks tucked all around the area and it doesn’t really sound boxy at all. Also even though it would even still sound better out in the open, I’ve learned to rely on mixing along reference tracks so it’s not really an issue. Plus the mono speaker is on a foam pad sort of slightly angled down to my ears.
Great post, Graham! I purchased a pair of these a year ago. It really was one of my best purchases. If I can tame the mids and define my bass and kick on these, especially in mono, I know my mixes will sound pretty good on just about anything.
Conceptually, I use a similar “alternate” pair of reference speakers, the Alesis M1 Active 320 USB reference monitors. I picked them up for 80 bucks after one of your posts about the importance of mid-range.
I have these, my JBL mains and a cheap pair of computer speakers hooked up to the Behringer MiniMON (which I picked up on Amazon for 30 bucks). The beauty of this unit is it allows me to switch between all three speaker sets AND press the mono button to hear any set in mono.
The Alesis are very mid-heavy and yes, leave my tracks naked and exposed. I honestly didn’t start using the mono button on the Behringer until seeing your post on the importance of mixing in mono. Two great tips from the Recording Revolution that have become an important part of my mix down process. The biggest difference between this $110 purchase vs. the Behringer cube is two additional options – choosing between 3 different monitor solutions and being able to apply mono to each as needed.
But it all started with your great tips. Thanks, Graham!
I spent a lot more than what a lot of people spend for their first monitors.
I love my Yamaha HS80s and I feel no need to ever upgrade again, since they are amazingly flat. I spent $450 on these two because they were said to be an amazing investment. You get your mixes (or masters, since I have the plug ins and the skills to master music that is ready for radio play) to sound good on these speakers, they sound amazing pretty much everywhere else. Like the NS10s, the same applies here.
One note is you shouldn’t EQ on speakers as much as you should on closed back headphones. I’ve saved myself from over EQing a mix because of my headphones.
+1 for the Avantone Mixcubes. One of the best purchases I’ve made. This technique is so effective…it just works!
Yep, central mono mixing is hard, but great!! – It took me a while to get use to but worth it. My monitoring list – got some old school Auratones for mono, NS-10’s for general mixing, Presonus ERIS 8 (with Additional Subs) for just watching the low end and when i’m on the road i use the VRM box and have a pair of Sony MDR-7506 (This is one of the best things i’ve purchased! I love these headphones!!)
I love my Sony MDR-7506 headphones too. They’re not close to flat so I wouldn’t think of mixing on them (I’m not a fan of headphone mixes at the best of times but on the 7506s the low mids are too masked by the hyped bass to make accurate decisions) but for checking what’s happening in the low-end of a mix they’re essential. If something has too much bass those cans shine a huge spotlight on it and if something is lacking depth it stands out too. I suspect they’re designed for spoken-word situations rather than music.
I have the Behritone, but confess I don’t use it as much as I should because I have to wire the mono patch and get behind my interface and switch back and forth. Perhaps I should start hooking it up and using it.
A cool trick that I use seeing as I don’t have an auratone speaker is to put an EQ on my master fader and load up an auratone preset, chuck my mix into mono and listen to all my harsh frequencies. Quite often I’ll start balancing my mix through this setup and it’s given me some pretty good results.
Hi, what do you mean by an “auratone preset” for your EQ? I assume this means using high and low pass filters to truncate the frequency range to, say, 150 hz – 8khz? I was actually wondering if dialling in such a lo-fi setting via EQ would do the same as buying a low-fi monitor…
Sorry, I meant up to 18 khz…. or to emulate a Beritone on a decent reference monitors, why not us eq to dial in its 90 hz to 17 khz range? I’m not dissing the idea of these “grotboxes”; rather I’m trying to see if I can’t get the same effect without spending more. (I’ve already spent loads)
lingyai, there are many more benefits of single driver speakers than just the limited EQ and harsh sound. Mike Senior from Sound on Sound pretty much hits the nail on the head. If you’re still interested, I strongly recommend reading what he has to say.
How would I connect one speaker to an Apollo Twin and then monitor in mono? I use Studio One as my DAW. The Twin has monitor L and R outs and 2 other line outs. Any insight would be much appreciated!
Thanks!
I’m using Apollo as well but with the SPL2Control to switch between monitors. greetz
Does anybody here us a a radial mc3 for their monitor switching? I’ve been thinking about getting one of these. I’ve read some mixed reviews.
nexis
How would one go about running this speaker in Mono?
Good deal at 100$ plus shipping & taxes. But I would recommend 2, placed just as carefully as you place your monitors wrt to your seating position. You can move around the room as you listen if you like. But if you’re sitting in your sweet spot, the mono should come straight at you, really centered, as it should on your regular monitors. Speaking of which, you can also bus all your tracks to one last channel before output, and most DAW should allow you to toggle it mono/stereo – and there you can EQ it to simulate the Auratone/Avantone/Behritone cubes.
I’ve been wanting a set of those for quite a while now, after reading Mike Senior’s book – but I found them all too expensive wrt to this setup I just described. The Behritones were regular $150. Two would make $300 + shipping & taxes (& in my case, duty service charge), i.e. close to $400.
I bought a Behritone after reading Mike Senior’s “Mixing Secrets.” Yes, a great investment. Like Graham says, you’re exposing the mid-range and balancing it. Don’t go in and try to make the Behritone sound great.
I switch between my main monitors, little PC speakers, and the Behriton, however, I switch to mono on my main and PC speakers too.
https://soundcloud.com/jmasno5
I have 2 for stereo monitoring and I recommend them over the avantone nice glossy finish and helps my mixes greatly.
I’ve had great luck using the Focusrite VRM switching through the various models of speakers it emulates, and I believe it can be had for less than the Behringer.
I use the Yamaha NS-10m speakers, which I bought on Ebay for around 300-400 dollars. They don’t only show pure honesty, when playing back my mix, but they sound great as stereo speakers as well, because it just sounds real. By real, I mean for example, that it feels like the electric guitars, are inside the speaker, it just feels alive.
I use one Aventone, also, and I love it. If the Behringer had been around at the time I bought it I probably would have bought that instead. I also use the Behringer Minimon to control my monitors, and I use the matching headphone amp (I can’t remember the name right now). I’ve been using them both for years and have never had a problem with them.
Graham says mix in mono, Chris Lord-Alge says don’t worry about mono…I’m confused?
google chris L-A and the 1st thing you learn about him is that he is… ” known for his use of dynamic range compression in both hardware and software plug-in versions.” And if you look at the roster of artists he’s engineered or mixed (very successfully to the ears of many), you’ll see much use of a thick layered sound.
To decide who to believe, put one of these tracks (one with lot of power chords & heavy synths) in your DAW as a reference track, and toggle it from mono to stereo. You’ll hear a vast difference. What works in stereo sounds really crushed & squashed in mono. Do the same exercise with, say, a classic jazz record. Not the same at all.
+1 Behringer Minimon. And I still use the cheap mono cube I started with. You don’t need a professional monitor for mono; you want to hear how your mixes will sound on cheap speakers… (My fave used to be the editing speaker on a Studer B67 tape machine… :^) Thing sounded amazing… )
I use a Pyle Pro PCB3 Mini Cube Speaker ($23 per PAIR) with a Lepai LP-2020A+ Class-T Hi-Fi Audio Amplifier ($20!). The amp has switchable bass & treble controls, and a little extra of each works nicely. I thought I’d replace them, but the setup still works flawlessly and I’m used to it.
Monitor switching, mono speaker and amp–with a spare speaker–all for $125, plus shipping.
Thanks Graham, I bought the speaker but have a question – there’s one plug per type out of the speaker and my audio interface has 2, a left and a right, do I need to get a Y Splitter ? I’ve tried using the headphone hole in my audio interface and also tried either a left or a right in the outs of my audio interface but a strange thing happens – when I pan my mono kick full left it has a much different tone to panning full right, this is weird right ? Is this the solution:
http://www.amazon.com/Rapco-XLR-Splitter-Cable-Connectors/dp/B006X7XM9K
Yeah, I use a Y – TRS cable
Why is this necessary? Couldn’t I just put my mix in Mono in my DAW & run a 1/4″ from my headphone out into the single speaker?
i use a y trs cable and i am getting a out of phase sound. what i did is connect the ts to the left and right from the interface and then connect the trs to the monitor
That’s because the TRS input is for a balanced mono input. A number of other things wrong here. Y cables should not be used for merging or mixing signals because it is often bad for outputs to be joined together. Even if the outputs are designed to withstand it, the signal is compromised. The other problem is the point of the single speaker in this context is that it should not be full range so the KRK isn’t suitable.
To mix two signals you should use a mixer. If you can solder, a few resistors can be easily connected to make a passive mixer that can fit inside a jack plug for this kind of use, Google it.
…Mike.
I cracked the code!
I had been doing the same thing and it gave me weird results. This is because the Behritone speaker receives a balanced mono signal through TRS (+ and -). This means that the speaker flips the polarity of one of the signals so that they reinforce while removing noise. The headphone port on an interface produces an unbalanced stereo signal through TRS( L and R). So… when going from headphone port to the Behritone, you’ll get the L minus the R which will leave you with no center channel and only the wide stereo mix. Basically it’ll sound like crap. So you’ll need to sum to mono in your DAW, and send that mix out of a balanced output on your interface via TRS.
BOOM!
Graham, is this a necessary expense if I want to achieve better mixes or can this be done without spending anymore money? I can’t afford to throw another Franklin on studio gear at this point. Would referencing the mix on multiple systems, like my car stereo and the boom box accomplish the same goal? I already have those paid for.
check my comment above. You can probably do it within your DAW, bussing to a final aux before master output, then EQ out the highs & lows to taste.
PS. the cube principal here is NOT the same as having cheapo reference speakers, as implied in an earlier post.
I like the idea, Phil. I will definitely add this extra step to my mixing process. I have Mackie HR624’s as my main monitors, which are not ideal because of the low end resonance created by the passive resonators, but I can always put LP and HP on my main bus just to focus on the mids. Thanks.
You’re welcome, Russ.
Not necessary, no. But very helpful.
If you arent making money from music, dont bother.
I use Yamaha HS80M as my main monitors. They have a beautiful, nearly flat frequency curve so if I make something sound good on those, I’m sure it’s going to sound great on other, “frequency enhancing” monitors, like many of the KRK brand. In addition, I’m a fan of my single Avantone reference monitor. Just like the Behritone, it also focuses on the midrange and is a great substitute for the old “Terrortone”.
For anyone wondering how to hook up your mono speaker and considering a “Y” Splitter –
***read and heed***
http://www.rane.com/note109.html (Why Not Wye)
Avantone mixcube! I only bought 1 for mixing in mono and it’s right in front of me between my Rockits. Great little speaker. Expensive though. Makes a huge difference. Great article, Grahm.
http://www.dv247.com/studio-equipment/avantone-active-mixcube-powered-full-range-mini-reference-monitors–49754
I know its going against “the cheaper, the better” motto, but I have the Avantone Mixcubes. I started with a Mono Box. But, after seeing how valuable it was to the mix, I got its pair and now I have the stereo pair. I still listen in Mono via my PreSonus Monitor Station, within the Mono feature.
The way I connected my MixCube when it was a MonoBox, I bought a Balanced “Y-Cable” (Male Stereo, Female Mono). I tested for phase correlation and it worked just fine. My reasoning, when you hear music at a store or locations where there’s no true stereo field; I believe the music is being produced in stereo, but thru a Mono Speaker. So that’s what I tried to recreate in my Monitor Station, however, there’s always the Mono Button if you have any doubts.
I like my_crappy_mono_speaker! I was doing a fun song for co-workers…fully expecting them to listen to headphones on their phones or off the internet. I was horrified to hear my mix BLASTING on an iphone speaker. oh dear. However, I usually mix on 7506 headphones, and check on my stereo. I had been listening to early beatles albums and wondering how when i hear them on AM radio on a crap little speaker, they sound great (part of it is what my mind is thinking its hearing), so
I thought I would mix the song on an AM radio speaker (non powered portable speakers you would get at kmart). It took some doing. but…it sure paid off. You could hear the words, yet not too loud, i hate vocals mixed up front!. so If i am doing a non serious song, I will be listening on the crap speakers. 🙂
Many comments above seem to say that mixing in mono with Auratone/Avantone/Behringer speaker(s), is the same as mixing in mono with crappy speakers. It’s not. The results as well as the objectives are different. To see why, download a copy of Mike Senior’s Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio.
To have your usual monitors to do (almost) the same job as the A/A/B, see my earlier comment. Only difference is the A/A/B have no crossovers – an important aspect in Senior’s opinion, but if your monitor tweeters kick in at around 10k, just EQ it out.
Just to clarify: my reference speaker systems are not crappy. The car stereo is pretty good, so is the Sony boom box, as well as Apple EarPods. I would not call them crappy by any means, but they are nevertheless the music listening systems that the overwhelming percentage of the population is ultimately using. If I can make my mixes sound good on those, I know I don’t need anymore referencing. If anything, I could borrow my friend’s Roland Cube for a quick listen.
Sorry Russ – but I didn’t mean to target you in particular. Lot of comments seem to imply that typical smaller consumer style speakers can do the same job as those cubes.
My take is that those cubes are necessary to “clearly” hear & focus on what is going on in the mids. Is one thing masking the other? Is everything distinct enough ? Is there too much happening at that very beat ? e.g. a piano triad sounds much better when not banged out at exactly the same instant, specially along something else, etc.. So it gets you thinking about the space in your arrangement. That’s why I said earlier it’s important to listen to the cube type in your sweet spot, where both ears are equally solicited (but that doesn’t prevent you from turning your head from time to time or moving around the room).
Consumer style speakers, high or low end, are important for referencing, and which you typically do further down the road. You can reference with earbuds as well as a 2.1 or 5.1 setup. It all helps. In fact, I’d say, reference with everything you want, but try to include a 2.1 or 5.1 in there. There are so many subwoofers out there in listening land.
For the commenters with the NS10s, it’s not the same thing as using a cube speaker or equivalent. The cubes lack highs as well as the lows (unlike the painfully bright Yamahas). The cubes let you focus on the fundamental frequencies of the main instruments to clean up the midrange and the harmonics of the bass instruments to improve translation.
I just ordered a Behritone C5A.
I’ve been looking into getting a single mono avantone for a while, but I need to upgrade my main near fields and didn’t want to use too much money on the avantone.
Anyone got any suggestions on studio monitors under £600? (i’m from England)
Also, Graham, I was wondering if I sent you a couple of mixes if you would maybe critique them? give me some feedback?
Let me know,
Thank you!
I’m not Graham, but I’ve asked him this before and unfortunately he is too busy to do this for everyone. There is a bonus in his REthink Mixing series if you pay a little extra, he would critique one of your mixes. It is also an option in JumpStart Plus series. He also does custom coaching:
http://www.jumpstartyourmix.com/sp/30517-order
http://www.rethinkmixing.com/sp/30980-order
http://grahamcochrane.com/training/
You’re welcome, Graham 😉
Hi Dan – I’m a big fan of KRK Rokits and now the new PreSonus ERIS monitors
I could slap myself for not having had that idea myself. Because on the one hand I heard so many miraculous comments on the Auratone and the mono magic simply because in any of the known studios they are using ONE Auratone in mono simply because the other one is broken (no joke). I blindly ordered one Behritone for myself.
And there is another benefit that I want to share that is free of charge for me. Since my current setup is limited to 6 outs because I am running the Steinberg UR44 together with Cubase which is a perfect match and solved my latency problems, because the UR44 contains an amp simulation onboard and a reverb. (Thats why my RME Fireface is idle in the rack with all its fancy ins and outs), I was having problems with my different monitors. And I only connected two.
So what is the benefit? My main monitors are still connected in stereo. But when I opened a new MONO control room speaker set I realized that 6 outs is more than I need, when I connect all my alternative speaker sets in MONO instead of stereo. So now I will enjoy the following alternatives with only 6 outs:
Stereo main monitors
Mono Behritone (coming soon 🙂
Mono crap ipad speaker (extrasmall)
Mono PA speaker with giant bass (rumble control)
Mono car hifi speaker
running and checking the car stereo, running and checking the hifi stereo, all that is history
Thx Graham
hi, I built myself a pair of these. Scrap plywood and10 euro for the speakers from maplins.
I,m well impressed. Here is the web page http://amazingdiy.wordpress.com/2012/05/05/davetone-mixcubes/
While I do not switch over to a mono speaker, I do switch over to a more “real world” sounding speaker system when mixing/mastering. I use speakers that are mid heavy, and very weak on the bottom, so it emulates what most people will hear when played back through their phones, computers, pads etc. I use some very inexpensive Roland Micro Monitor MA-6 powered speakers. I feel these are great for comparison, and while not in mono they do provide a clear view of the mid range, as well as those “ah ha” moments, and I feel these get the same results as what Graham is trying to express. Mono is a good idea, but I think the main idea is just to hear the mids more, and to get a perspective on real world listener experience.
hey graham thanks… if i have a pair of ns10, is this good for me too? can the ns10 do the job?
NS10s are very bright so they’re not for this application. For this you are looking for a speaker that’s all mids and weak on highs and lows. Basically the focus is on controlling the fundamental frequencies of the higher instruments to cut mid-range mud, and ensuring enough presence frequencies of the bass instruments for them to cut through.
…Mike.
that means, this speaker would be an asst to me as well?
Hey Graham,
I have been following your website for quite a while and I have to say thanks for it, really useful.
I have a question about behritones, I have read that the C50a version is way better in terms of material and the frequency response is way wider than the C5a version, and the difference in the price is nearly $10. Do you think is worth to buy the C50a? or it doesn’t really matter.
Thanks!!
Haven’t used it so I can’t say.
I went with the C50a instead of the C5a due to some pretty harsh criticisms of the C5a in the SOS article. It’s still REALLY limited in frequency range though better than the C5a. I now find a things: (1) I spend a LOT more time mixing to the mono C50a as it’s all about the midrange and *balance,* which mono and midrange let you examine in spades; (2) With a single mono speaker, unlike my studio monitors in mono, I can get real depth in the mix. There have been more than a couple times I forget to add panning and had to go back after closing a mix session. Indeed, with a balanced sound, depth, and balance, things sound really good without stereo. Records for about 60 years were all in mono (including the Beatles) and we all found them fine. So now: (1) I pan less – which is a good thing, (2) my LF tones are no longer muffled messes since they have to translate to the C50a and still be clear and (3) my balance is better much faster. I can see why this was a game changer in major studios – it really is money very well spent. And it takes less time than burning a CD, running out to the garage, hearing what you don’t like on the car radio, fixing it [rinse and repeat]…..
hey i have a single krk monitor and a pair of ns10s. i would like to use this idea and use the krk as my mono reference. the problem i have is when i buy the trs y cable, it plays out of phase when the left and right is sent to the trs input on the krk. the only way it sound good is if i take out either the left or right. what can i do to solve this. pleas!!!!
For what it’s worth, in a forum post on the Behritone, Martin Walker, the editor of Sound on Sound, says he’s used something much cheaper for the same purpose: the Altec Lansing IMT227, $15 on Amazon.com
What a great ! I took your advice and purchased a Behritone from Sweetwater.
It instantly improved my mix! Got it sounding good in mono and when I switched over to stereo I made a couple of fader adjustment and BOOM!
Money in my pocket please pay me now lol.
Thanks Graham for the share.
DMosley
Nice!
Aaaaahh! How do I simply hook up this speaker to my audio interface?
You should be able to use a single mono cable from one of the mono outputs of the interface, then route your signal from the DAW to come out of that single output.
I have tried and tried. I see the audio working on the output track but it’s not getting to the speaker. The speaker does work. Yes, it’s turned on.
Peace
Not sure what’s happening here since I cant’ see your setup. I use a shody Y cable method from my stereo outputs into the back of this speaker but only plug it in partially. 🙂
I did it!
I finally got my MONO speaker hooked up and going properly. I had the right idea, it’s just that I found out my recording interface had turned off some of its outputs, so I had to go into the interface control settings and reboot.
The solution is:
Just hook up a single TS cable from you mono speaker to one output on your interface (for me that was output 6). Then in your DAW insert an I/O plugin on your mix buss or output fader and select in the I/O plugin what output you want it to route to (in my case output 6). Whenever you want to hear your mix in mono on a crappy speaker just un-bypass that plugin and turn your main monitors down. Super easy. To hear your mix on main monitors in full awesomeness then bypass the plugin.
Peace
I just bought this speaker today. I am at my day job and can’t wait to go home and hook it up. Graham you mentioned you use a Y connector from your stereo outputs to a single 1/4″ to the back of the speaker…BUT YOU ONLY PUT IT IN HALF WAY? Is this correct?
Thank you,
Don Hamer
Sad – but correct 🙂
Would it be the sama result if I put a mono graphic eq to my mix bus, and dialed in a repliikki of behritones frequency responce curve? 99 bucks saved, and probably easier to toggle on.
Sorry for the funny words, my tablet thinks I’m trying to speak finnish.
Not really because it’s the same speakers. It can help, sure, but if you have a different speaker with a different curve it will wake up your ears better. And that’s the goal.
Hey Graham,
I could definitely throw down $99 for a Behritone sometime in the near future, but I want to run an alternative by you. For every mix I do, after my final limiting and dithering on my master fader, I put bx_solo (free) and PT’s 7-band EQ on the Aurotone preset (default plugin), but with -20dB output, effectively turning each plugin’s bypass into a mono switch and a dim/mids-only switch.
I’ve been happy with the results I’ve gotten out of this (even though my headphones are still a bit too forgiving), but I’m curious how you feel that compares to having a real separate speaker.
Thanks!
-Christian
I am currently looking for a home studio set of speakers, (just on time i guess) is it a good option to go with a 3 way speaker? Or get a “nice” pear of monitors and one $99 speaker for mono and switching between them.
I’d start with a pair of monitors (KRK Rokit 5s or something similar). They are your bread and butter. Then the headphones. Then the mono speaker.
They are making Auratones again. So I picked one up. I noticed in a Greg Wells video that in his studio on each side of his video monitor, he has 2 mix cubes (not sure what brand). I tend to stay away from ported monitors.
Graham Cochrane
I’m not posting this link to promote the plug-in (even thought it’s pretty cool).. you can see within the first few seconds of the vid what speakers are sitting on each side of the video monitor.
https://youtu.be/klj8mR7aN88
Avantone
How does one set this “extra” speaker up with an existing L/R output interface and 2 main speakers? (more specefic: Focusrite scarlett 2i2 & 2x KRK Rokit 6)
You could simply use a mono cable out of the L of one open set of outputs and make sure your mix is in mono before you switch to that speaker. Or you can use a Y cable.
I use Klein & Hummel O300D 2 auratones and 2 Triple P pyramids + mono speaker I built ( ScanSpeak 10F/8414G10). I tried the behringer and all I can say is I would rather stick my head in acid…. horrible untrustworthy speaker with no real definition and a very sloppy low mid range.
The Avantone is great for this type of work but please save your money and dont buy the behringer.
Anybody compared the the C5A with the newer C50A?
The latter are 50$ more expensive (at least in my area) and have a wider frequency range:
The C50A go from 90 Hz to 17 kHz.
The C5A from 150 Hz to 15 kHz.
Are those extra lo & hi ranges going to make any appreciable difference (for the purpose of using this speaker)?
What do you think Graham?
If I purchased two of these for aesthetic value and used my presonus central station to listen in mono would that still serve the same purpose? I’m a semi beginner when it comes to audio engineering…
Yep!
I’m looking for my first set of studio monitors, I finally decided they will be the Yamaha HS5. But, it is a good idea to buy this behringer speaker first as my main mixing monitor? I read in a Graham’s post that a pro audio engineer actually uses his avantones to mix like 90% of the time or something like that. What do you think?
I’m new at all this. Looking at monitor controllers, there are active and passive. I’m using active monitors, so do I get an active or passive controller?
It doesn’t matter really. Your speakers don’t care which kind of controller they go into.
Great input, looks like Behringer has discontinued both of their “Grot” boxes now … boo. The Avantone MixingCube is slightly more but will work in the same function. Here’s a link on BHP. https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=867116&gclid=CPuCjpKFgM8CFVQ6gQodTXEAcw&is=REG&ap=y&c3api=1876%2C92051678042%2C&Q=&A=details
Now to decide and be lazy and just put a gain control in my channel strip so I can switch to mono in my DAW and run the grot through a heaphone out on my Saffire Pro or invest in a monitor switch. Any technical reason to spend the cash on a switch Graham?
I appreciate Your innsights and generosity Graham 🙂
I want to invest in a cube bur There seem to be a few good ones out there . Are their differences subtle or big I wonder then , or does it depend on what style of music one is mixing in . And maybe one of them is more flexible and versatile if one is mixing in many styles like Myself ? stand between bying a used auratone 5c ( they are probably old buy now but maybe this doesn’t matter ?) , a behringer c5a , c50a or the new avantone active mix cubes( they are much more expensive but robust) . What are your opinions on style flexability or the differences on these cubes ?
Thanx for any opinions and comments ! 🙂
I have one question: is it better to have only one monitor or a couple of it sending mono track from the daw?
Either can work
Because of lack of space for a third pair of “lowest cost” speakers i’ve fetched a pair of old Yamaha NS10 and a even older 80ies Crown D-75 75W amp to drive it. I use them as my second pair (beside my main Adam A7x+Sub), because the high bandwidth main monitors trick my ears after hours of working – it is easy to get out of the spectrum ballpark / balance with them, while anything sounds/translates “fantastic” in my room…
Crazy to see how this mid range focus really helps to develope a interoperable and interplatform-translating mix and even to optimize the stereo panorama / stage. Not at least: They help refreshing and “reset” fatigued ears.
Hello from DC! I can’t seem to find this cube for $99 on the Internet? Can someone help?
Awesome article Graham, love my behritone, thanks to you my friend, all the best from La Paz Bolivia South America