decent, inexpensive home studio monitors

VinnyIuspa

VinnyIuspa

Nov 12, 2013
344
232
4,551
North Jersey
#1
My band is in the process of recording an album. We are recording the instruments ourselves then getting it mixed and mastered by an engineer. Even so, I want to make sure that whilst recording the guitars and bass at my place we have a clear idea of how it sounds. I also may want to try my hand at doing a bit of mixing. I'm using an i5 mac mini running logic. I have an Apogee duet (the ipad version) as my interface. Right now I'm using these crumby alesis monitors that have zero headroom.

I'm looking for a good pair of monitors that won't break the bank. Max budget would be around $200-$300. Any suggestions? Style is metal/hard rock. Not sure if that would affect anyone's suggestions.
 
#2
The Tannoy reveals are pretty nice. So are the JBL's (but most reviews I have heard, producers prefer the Tannoys). As far as style, studio monitors are designed to be uncolored, so, if designed properly, no brand should perform better than another in a particular style.
 
#5
The monitors are going to be up against a wall, so I shouldn't have to worry about too much bass loss. How do you think the Tannoy reveal 402's compare to the JBL lsr305 speakers? Those seem to get a lot of good things said about them, and they're not too pricey either.
 
#7
The size of the cone may make a bit of difference in the bass response (though it may not). Other than that, most producers or home engineers, as far as I have heard, like the Tannoys. A few I watch on YouTube have even switched to the Tannoys from the JBLs. To me, the Reveals seem a bit smoother and have a more open treble. Both sound good, though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VinnyIuspa
#8
lexington125 said:
Reveal 402? Is that a new model - my old reveals had no model # other than "Reveal" ? Later, they became known as the passive version, when Tannoy added active versions.
Click to expand...
not sure when they were released, but when I googled tannoy reveal monitors I found a few different models available. The 402s have 4 inch cones and are the least expensive. They also have 502s with 5 inch cones and 802s with 8 inch cones. I've got my eyes on the 402s cuz they're the cheapest and most compact for my small space.
 
#11
I use KRK Rokkit 5's. I paid $300 for the pair. They sound really good for most stuff and instrumentation is pretty clear. They're fairly neutral but only go down to 35hz so you're not going to get a super deep sounding mix. For comparison, I think a low E on a bass is around 40hz and a low B is around 30hz (I'm sure someone here will chime in how wrong I am) so these won't do a 5 string too well. If you drop tune, there could be problems.

My current setup is an Akai EIE into a windows machine with last year's intel i7. My bass goes through a Raven Labs preamp, guitars go through a 5watt Fender champ, and vocals and acoustic instruments go through a couple of Rode mics I own.

Don't really have a way to record drums well but I also don't own a drum kit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back