Are Pro Studio Speakers Any Good

[Jenette Bregantini]

Thelayout of speakers themselves is crucial too. A classic two-way speaker employs one woofer, dedicated to producing low frequencies, and a tweeter that kicks out high-mid and high frequencies. The signals are separated by a crossover filter which splits the input into low and high bands. In monitor designs at the cheaper end of the spectrum, this crossover point sits at a crucial midrange area, so many higher-end monitors feature three-way (or even four-way) designs that employ more speaker drivers, aiming to keep those key midrange frequencies free of crossovers and so are clearer.

Good monitoring is a crucial component of the mixing process, and you need to be able to hear your tracks in intricate detail to make the right decisions when applying EQ, compression, and any other technique to manipulate sound. So if you're serious about making great mixes, then you need a set of the best studio monitors in your setup.

In 2024, the choice for producers and mix engineers when it comes to studio monitors is positively paralyzing, so picking the right one for your use case can be tough. Lucky for you we've reviewed a myriad of monitoring systems here at MusicRadar, and we're here to help you make the best buying decision for your needs. We robustly test studio monitors by using them in a multitude of mixing, mastering, and monitoring scenarios, as well as running plenty of mix references through to put them through their paces. This allows us to get a great overview of how they perform in a variety of circumstances.

If you're not sure how to tell your woofers from your tweeters, then make sure to have a look at our in-depth buying advice section, which has loads of common questions answered by expert musicians and mixers here at MusicRadar. If you already know your frequency range from your frequency response, then keep scrolling for our top studio monitors available today.

From their famous Oxygen MIDI controllers, M-Track digital interfaces, and robust studio monitors, M-Audio is the go-to company for many budding producers looking for high-quality, affordable home studio products.

Sonically, the top-end is very well-tuned, while the HPS waveguide delivers a broad horizontal sweet spot. This contributes greatly to the overall imaging and separation, which is excellent. Although the cabinet is quite deep, front to back, the units feel compact.

If you've ever stepped foot inside the studio domain of an electronic music producer, the chances are you're familiar with the famous yellow speaker cones of KRK. The Rokit series - now in its fourth generation - is the Gibson-owned brand's affordable nearfield range, and has a selection of neat features which make it worthy of note.

For starters, the G4 range is among the first monitor series at this price bracket to include a graphic EQ function on the speaker itself. In-built digital signal processing (DSP) offers a suite of tools, including a room analyser, to ensure the speakers' output compensates the space you're mixing in for any dead zones or sonic blind spots you may be unwittingly harbouring.

Some of the most popular studio monitors around, the Yamaha HS5s are a great choice for mixing duties due to their reliably honest sound reproduction. They're incredible value for money and perfect for those who want to go down the route of mixing and producing music.

The famous story about the old Yamaha NS10 studio monitors, which these are based upon, was that they were chosen not because they sounded great, but because they didn't. The theory is that if you could mix a track to sound good on them, you could be confident it would sound good anywhere and the same applies to the HS5. They won't flatter your mixes in the slightest.

The Yamaha HS5 series are reference speakers that are built solely with mixing and monitoring in mind. There's no Bluetooth or graphic EQ, and room correction is basic at best. For sheer accuracy, however, they're hard to beat at this price range. Get your mix right on these and it'll sound fantastic anywhere.

Sonically, the top-end is very well tuned, while the HPS waveguide delivers a broad horizontal sweet spot. This contributes greatly to the overall imaging and separation, which is excellent. Although the cabinet is quite deep, front to back, the units feel compact.

One of our favourite features is the dip switches on the rear and the handy diagrams that go with them. Each shows a possible setup of the speakers, and the corresponding settings you should set the dip switches to, allowing you to get optimal sound whether you need to place them against a wall, up on speaker stands, or on a desktop.

The above studio monitors are the ones we recommend you spend your money on, but if for some reason you didn't find what you were looking for don't worry. We've reviewed countless pairs of studio monitors, so here's a selection of more monitors we've personally tested.

Studio monitors should reveal everything about your music in as truthful a way as possible. They should therefore have a completely flat frequency response, that is not coloured or enhanced in any area, so what you hear being played is the actual mix in all its glory. You can then make correct mix decisions based on this true response (reduce volume levels, or EQ certain parts, for example). If your studio monitors don't have a flat frequency response and are, say, enhanced at the bass end, you will hear too much bass so reduce it while mixing and your mixed track will sound bass light on any other playback system.

During our playback tests we also test speaker design elements like bass ports which reduce low end distortion, and the rigidity of the cabinets which can help deliver tight transients or, if less well constructed, more flabby playback responses.

if I want to sound like THAT speaker and cab and THAT amp maybe so. But then that is not what was asked by the OP. He asked about getting good tone through monitors. In my studio I use a Headrush 108 and a Behringer floor monitor barely audiable. I get great tone and a very amp like experience especially at the volume I am playing. Even my Mesa set to 5 watts gets LOUD attne volume necessary to make it work.

You will learn some useful things by singing through a powered PA top that is on its side in wedge configuration like a floor monitor. If you want to have some sense of singing live on stage with a decent PA, that is a good way to get the sense of it.

You won't get an accurate representation in your ears of how you will sound through a PA at an actual venue. You might be able to get some sense of that by recording yourself going through the speaker and listening back to the recording. All that said, in terms of tone, I suggest focusing on the best and most authentic tone from your voice and let the mix engineer worry about how it sounds through the PA. If you put a good sound into the mic, then a good sound is very likely to come out of the PA. If you don't put a good sound into the mic, there's no chance of a good sound coming from the PA.

Also I would not bother with running your voice through computer effects. Unless you're a touring pro working with a dedicated front-of-house engineer, you will have little to no control at all over the effects (if any) added by whoever is mixing your shows. And you shouldn't be thinking about that - you should be focused on performing.

If you really want vocal effects live that are not basic EQ, compression, etc., then you could look at getting a vocal effect processor that you would bring to shows. Do not even think about one of these unless you already own your own vocal mic. And I wouldn't play with vocal effects like this until you've already done a bunch of gigging. They can make things much more difficult for everyone and also make you sound much worse. When I was mixing at bars and small venues I had a few singers come in with such devices and in every case it would have been better for everyone if they'd just left it at home, or even never bought it in the first place.

Of course, trying to run at full live levels in a regular domestic room will have the mic squealing at you like some demented banshee. Even live you can't stand in front of the speakers unless you have some heavyweight feedback suppression running, or very tame levels.

There will be some latency if you go through a computer with software effects, but how much will depend on the interface itself & the software you run it through. My own interface is an old Line 6 UX2, which must be driven by a computer, but the interface itself has effects & a direct output that can avoid going through the computer at all, so is latency-free.

I have both in the studio, and would only use p.a. speakers (15" +horns) for singing through mics. Studio monitors may do the job, but are quite small in comparison, so wouldn't, in my opinion, hack the job. Just because they're (p.a.speakers) quite large doesn't mean they have to be cranked up loudly. They work very well as p.a. speakers with keys through as well, and can be restrained volume-wise (through a 150 w per side amp) to sensible levels, but opened up when necessary.

I have heard that studio speakers aim to give the flattest possible spectra, whilst hi-fi speakers aim to flatter the sound (i.e. alter the spectra to make any music sound perceptually good). Users therefore use the studio speakers while mixing to detect flaws in the track, and at home will use the hi-fi speakers for pleasure.

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