5.1 Studio Monitors
Florencia Abila
Ever since Altec Lansing introduced the Duplex 604 in 1944, mix engineers have relied on studio monitors to provide them with the accurate details needed to make critical mixing decisions. Studio monitors come in a variety of configurations with many different options. There are active studio monitors with built-in amplifiers and passive studio monitors that use external amplifiers, nearfield studio monitors with small low-frequency drivers and large studio monitors with multiple drivers for mid and low frequencies, and some studio monitors even include onboard DSP for acoustic management. Each style and configuration of studio monitor has its advantages.
Curious what the experiences are from people here. For use in a small studio space (bedroom sized) with volume levels between 80db - 90db, is there much benefit in using a Powercab vs a good set of studio monitors? Other than being able to use the speaker models in the Powercab of course. Is the Powercab worth the cost for this kind of use?
The answer really depends on what else you intend to do with the stuff, if anything... if none of the gear will ever leave the room, then get a decent pair of studio monitors and call it a day. However, if you intend to play elsewhere, and/or with other musicians, then the monitors won't help you much. It's also entirely possible that if you intend to do both, you might need more than one way to hear yourself... especially if you intend to do any home recording. You need a stereo set-up to do that properly, in which case just one Powercab won't cut it either. Needs and usage scenarios dictate the gear...
Try out the powercab before you buy it. I have a powercab 112 plus and I think it works great as an FRFR and for IR loading but I don't really like the speaker only option as much. This is where the Powercab is supposed to sound like an amp without any microphone simulation. It just sounds strange to me. I've used plenty of real amps and I prefer the sound of the FRFR or IR sims. They actually sound amazing and it's what I use with a live band.
You don't want a PA to be flat or to sound good. That's not its job. The role of a PA is to make it so you can hear the vocals and other quiet instruments over all of the other instruments that are already loud. If stage monitors had a flat frequency response, they would be terrible for the job. When I set up stage monitors, I actually cut out a lot of low frequencies because they are just going to suck up power without making the vocals easier to hear.
Unfortunately, you're right about cost. Like everything else in audio, the better stuff almost always costs more. And to power monitors that can really take your head off with vocals in front of a fairly loud band you probably want at least 500 Watts per channel. And feedback is always going to be a concern.
You can start with a single powered PA speaker to act as a monitor, you don't have to buy a huge system. The larger the band, the more speakers you potentially want to make sure everyone can hear. More speakers spread out and set to lower volume is better than a few speakers turned up really loud because you want to control reflections and dispersion to help prevent feedback. At the same time, how you arrange the speakers can create comb filtering which can actually encourage feedback.
If you invest in a pair of decent quality powered PA speakers, you will almost always have a good use for them. Even though they are usually marketed to be used as floor monitors, and they can do a decent job as floor monitors, PA speakers are never the best floor monitors. That's because PA speakers should have fairly wide dispersion and floor monitors should be very very tight.
For some reason the only speakers I've found that are designed to be dedicated floor monitors are all unpowered (except some very expensive ones). So I have two unpowered wedges, an amp that pushes about 500 watts per channel, and I also have an automatic feedback suppression unit with two channels. Many sound engineers hate automatic feedback suppression, but for the monitors I find it to be so valuable. I literally never worry about feedback.
Regarding feedback, one of the best things you can do to prevent it is to reduce reflections inside the practice space. Actual acoustic treatment is most effective at this, but putting rugs down on any hard floors and hanging drapes everywhere will help in a pinch. Large plate windows will be your worst enemy unless you can hang drapes in front of them.
Building a good monitor system is not easy. If you are gigging, it would be a good idea try get a business card or contact info from any mix engineers that you like, and perhaps ask them if they would come by and give you any advice.
It's more a question of the volume you put through them. Presumably it's only vox, as gtrs and bass should have their own amps. Sounds like the usual syndrome of drummers who can't/won't play quietly. It's actually a great achievement to be able to do that, and still groove. If it's a complete studio, it could have a drumming booth - what a boon!
However, with maybe only mics going through the studio monitors, it'll only be a problem for them at high volumes. They are designed to sound flat, so in fact they may sound worse than a full range p.a., but in a studio, room for maybe a dozen players, why would the volume need to be the same as it would at a 200 person gig?
hey so im looking to upgrade an amp speaker i was using at home for playing and recording.
Looking into FRFR seemed like a good option but i dont really gig so im looking into studio monitors but im unsure if they are able to take the QC when playing at room level or if they are at risk of being damaged or the sound distorted when playing (not playing back recordings)
Is there any experience or recommendation on this? if i cant play with the monitors id rather get a FRFR and use it as both, any thoughts?
thank you guys, i found the presonus eris 5 for quite cheap (about 90 dollars each) ill try them and see whats up, im mainly using them for my home studio so they dont need to be extremely loud but i hope they get reasonable sounds since ill use them for my pc as well just for overall entertainment.
if they suck ill invest in the headrush i think. i was just worried they wouldnt work well for me while playing but it seems they will work.
thank you all, if anyone else reading this has any suggestions or comments im happy to listen
Hi Guys, I wanted to know, if anyone has used fives as studio monitors? Do you guys think, we can use 2 Fives as left and right channels on a studio monitoring sound interface? I would also like to know, fi using 3..5 mm jack to connect to a computer to use 2 Fives as Studio monitor is okay vs. using a 6 mm.? As such Fives don't have a 6.4 mm jack....so I will have to use an adapter and I am fine with that as long as the sound quality does not get affected. Thanks.
Studio monitors are designed for studios; with a flatter response than HiFi speakers that are meant for a domestic listening environment, designed to sound a little warmer as is the preference for that market. All Sonos speakers fall in the latter category. The 5 will therefore not give you the studio monitor sound signature.
Here is a recording that I made of the sound. I used a simple USB microphone put in front of the speakers, so it fails to render the noise as loud as it can be when I sit in front of my monitors, therefore here is an amplified version (+ 20dB using Audacity).
The noise happens all the time, whether I play a sound or not. This noise is not constant, but very regular, and seems to be more present with the "CPU activity" of my computer (for example when I start a software, the noise is more present). The volume of the noise increases with the volume of the monitors, but not with the output volume of the audio interface.
When I use my laptop computer instead of my desktop (no other change in the equipment), the noise is completely gone, and the sound is perfect. This seems to indicate that the problem resides somewhere in my computer. I tried to use all the USB ports I have (front and back), tried other USB cables, all of this with no luck.When I use headphones on my audio interface, I don't have any scratch noise (even without noise reduction).
I thought that maybe there was some kind of electrical problem somewhere in my house setup, so I tried everything I could imagine, from using an other power plug, to plug my computer/my monitors/any combination in between on a uninterruptible power supply (plugged, or on battery). All of this made absolutely no change, the scratching noise is still the same.
Some other things you might try to confirm: try with your laptop again and try with the laptop on battery, try with the laptop plugged in with its charger, and try with the laptop charger plugged into the exact same outlet that the desktop is plugged into.
If the problem never happens on the laptop in any of those tests, then it might an internal problem on the desktop. If the problem does occur on the laptop when the laptop is plugged in anywhere, then it could be that the grounding issue is actual with a power strip or the outlets that the monitors are plugged into.
Also, as a second requirement: I would like to record myself, currently for practice purposes. With the cabinet I would have to get a mic (or two, depending on the cabinet). But that would also allow me record acoustic (I have a resonator guitar too).
Similar crossroad for me about a year ago.
Ended up settling on some decent monitors/ headphones, Scarlet 2i2 interface, Reaper, and S-Gear amp sim, which has incredible tones. Couple of mics and some other sundry stuff as well.
One huge plus is that everything in one place for practice/ playing makes it a highly efficient setup for me. More time practicing/ playing, less time fiddling about.
Am very happy with this setup.
Have an amp plug if I wanna play the electric away from the music room. Hardly use my amp anymore.