Consumer Speakers for Reference?

[BigJunk]

Does anyone have consumer speakers hooked up to their rig for reference? I heard of Michael Brauer doing that and I'm wondering if anyone has a similar thing they do, and if so what speakers?

[PhatStax Drums]

I think just about everybody does it. I think Stax records (sure, I like their records, hence my handle on here, but like lots of stuff) would evaluate mixes through a juke box.

Lots of people use a car stereo as a test. The first thing you want to check (at least for me and you probably have similar experiences) is if the bass information is there, but not overpowering; the bass levels seem to be the most critical.

Any cheap speaker system will do, but the more sensitive it is to getting overloaded by bass information, the better, as long as it's not ridiculously so.

What is your intended audience? I think (not sure but I've just hear this) that for example, Motown put their mixes through a transistor radio, since that was largely their intended audience back then. That's why their drummers generally using an 18" bass drum was so cool, in addition to it just sounding so great, you can actually hear the bass drum on a 2" speaker (maybe).

I wonder if you're shooting for MP3 downloads, if you should send your mix through that, although heavy compression sounds so awful I wouldn't even bother.

It's more the speakers.

I use just what I have that's (relatively) cheap...a Bose Lifestyle table radio that seems to be pretty particular about improper bass levels, a Radio Shack miniature tuner/amp hooked up to those metal Radio Shack speakers, and my car stereo (Honda stock, nothing special about it).


I am not a full-time professional at this, many many others will have lots and lots more experience, but this is the general idea, I think.

Of course you still want to listen in the best mixing environment possible, as well, it should sound good in both situations. For that I'm not even qualified to pretend to be an online expert, like these forums tend to make people into that are not (like me on some subjects, at least...)

best

[TheGetDown]

ive started to cross-ref all my mixes on iPod earbud headphones, because now a days, 50% of listeners are probably going to be using those.

[MHB850]

Originally Posted by PhatStax Drums

I think just about everybody does it. I think Stax records (sure, I like their records, hence my handle on here, but like lots of stuff) would evaluate mixes through a juke box.

Lots of people use a car stereo as a test. The first thing you want to check (at least for me and you probably have similar experiences) is if the bass information is there, but not overpowering; the bass levels seem to be the most critical.

Any cheap speaker system will do, but the more sensitive it is to getting overloaded by bass information, the better, as long as it's not ridiculously so.

What is your intended audience? I think (not sure but I've just hear this) that for example, Motown put their mixes through a transistor radio, since that was largely their intended audience back then. That's why their drummers generally using an 18" bass drum was so cool, in addition to it just sounding so great, you can actually hear the bass drum on a 2" speaker (maybe).

I wonder if you're shooting for MP3 downloads, if you should send your mix through that, although heavy compression sounds so awful I wouldn't even bother.

It's more the speakers.

I use just what I have that's (relatively) cheap...a Bose Lifestyle table radio that seems to be pretty particular about improper bass levels, a Radio Shack miniature tuner/amp hooked up to those metal Radio Shack speakers, and my car stereo (Honda stock, nothing special about it).


I am not a full-time professional at this, many many others will have lots and lots more experience, but this is the general idea, I think.

Of course you still want to listen in the best mixing environment possible, as well, it should sound good in both situations. For that I'm not even qualified to pretend to be an online expert, like these forums tend to make people into that are not (like me on some subjects, at least...)

best

all that is good. I recently got myself a transmitter and an old radio station processor and I send potential singles to my radio. A&M studio had that set up for years. The band gets a good idea of how it's gonna sound on the radio.

Another cool thing i've been doing is broadcasting my mix via Nicecast. It opens up in itunes and you can do live streaming direct from your mix desk or PT. You have a choice of different settings from 128 to 320kbps at 48k. That's also a great way to hear your mix from the crappiest to a healthy sonics. Michael Brauer

[Dr Bob]

I check mixes through several speakers but the most useful seem to be my ancient beige Apple computer speakers. . .the old sort of tall two way ones. These cost like $125 bucks or something back in the day (late 80's ?) but they show up on EBay these days for $20 or so. Well built but small. Mixes that work on these work on most things. Great for checking bass and reverb settings. Kinda poor man's Auratones.

Bob Miller

[yoink]

Originally Posted by Dr Bob

I check mixes through several speakers but the most useful seem to be my ancient beige Apple computer speakers. . .the old sort of tall two way ones. These cost like $125 bucks or something back in the day (late 80's ?) but they show up on EBay these days for $20 or so. Well built but small. Mixes that work on these work on most things. Great for checking bass and reverb settings. Kinda poor man's Auratones.

Bob Miller

I too check my mixes in various places. In addition to monitors I use these sources consistently: THX certified Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 speakers and sub (as an example of what the average home satellites and sub setup would be with tons of very powerful bass available to skew the sound), my Subaru's sound system (I used to love listening to music in the car because it sounds so intimate there... but the Subie stock system is so bad it works even better for my testing purposes), my laptop's speakers because I realized that a lot of people sadly still use them to listen to music (although I don't understand why... I mean you paid THAT much for a computer, spend $30 on speakers).

And my favourite check is on my 11-year-old, came-free-with-my-first-dell-workstation, single driver, Altec Lansings (sans-sub) that have their power button epoxied into the on position because it stopped working properly. Because despite studio monitors, those speakers never lie and never tell the truth, being the perfect paradox.

Which reminds me of something Richard Feynman said once: "The paradox is a conflict between reality and your feeling of what reality ought to be." (please allow for some major amount of quantum error in the re-quoting.)

[Riddler]

Hi BigJunk,

I monitor on Rogers LS5/8s and JBL Control 28s. I regularly flick between the two systems as the Rogers are awesome speakers for hearing the tiny details, but I like to switch to the 28s to check that the bass is behaving correctly. Once I feel like the mix is pretty much there, I wander into the studio and listen over the studio speakers.

I've heard that Bob Clearmountain also rates those Apple speakers Dr Bob is talking about! BC also says that he randomly changes the level he monitors at throught doing a mix.

Tim.

[TheRockDoc]

I have a friend that still uses an old old pair of JBL L100's...

[Spy!]

I started with and still check my mixes on a pair of 20+ year-old Wharfedale Active Diamond bookshelf 'Hi Fi' speakers. Currently they sit atop my Event 20/20 passive monitors angled down courtesy of a set of Mopads used to separate them.

I also burn disks to play in my 'home' (this) computer which uses an on-board sound card into which are plugged a pair of Cambridge Sound Works computer speakers and the DVD player plugged into my TV. The CD player in my 'car' isn't working at the moment so I can't check anything in there until I get it fixed/replaced.

[ozraves]

I use a 2007 Toyota Camry. I used to use a 2002 Toyota Camry but it was stolen. So, now, I'm stuck with the 2007.

[threm]

I place my cell phone in front of one of my main monitors.
I call up the cell phone from the next room and mix from there with my wireless remote controller - in mono.












not really ..

[warhead]

I'm comfortable these days not having to check in the car, between the two pair of monitors I use I pretty much know what they're telling me in my space. The car is usually just next time I'm in it, I'll listen for a bit and see if I notice anything. More and more often though it's where I want it.

War