Monitors for House Music

[b_karv]

Hi Everyone,

I am currently spending a bit of money on upgrading my studio. One thing I am spending much of my money is purchasing new Monitors. I am currently in between the Adam A7's, HR824's and dynaudio BM5's or maybe the BM6a's.

Now I have heard great reviews about each one and to tell you the truth I am sort of stuck in deciding which monitor to get. I mainly compose in the house genre or rather music that are more bass driven so I guess I am looking at a monitor with good bass response without needing to fork out extra cash for a subwoofer. Moroever I will be treating my room with bass traps etc.

Anyway, if people out there who have used any of these monitors can give some advice or maybe suggest some other monitors I would be very grateful as I don't know which way to go

Also I have heard rumours that even though Adam A7's have great clarity they are actually harder to mix on. For anyone owning these, is this true? Also what are the bass response like on them?

Again THANK YOU

Kind Regards,

Karv

[lblstudio]

I've got the 824s and don't hate them. The bass response is pretty good. I don't typically mix the same type of music you are describing, but I think these monitors would do just fine for you. I haven't heard the new version of the 824s, but mine are about three years old and I haven't replaced them yet.

[alexstringer]

I love my HR824's, they are amazing. They go pretty low in the bass and have a pleasing listening. I also DJmix with them, i can't tell you nicest thing about how good they are for Electronic music ...

[b_karv]

Thanks for that. One thing that I like about and read about the HR824's is the bass.

By any chance do you know of any electronic artist's that have used them for tracks? Also Are your rooms treated accoustically? ie do you have bass traps installed?

[alexstringer]

I don't think the room, the treatment nor the monitors are responsible for a good mix. YOUR EARS are!

[Plec]

Originally Posted by b_karv

Thanks for that. One thing that I like about and read about the HR824's is the bass.

By any chance do you know of any electronic artist's that have used them for tracks? Also Are your rooms treated accoustically? ie do you have bass traps installed?

Check my "myspace" and website.

[Getafix]

I also produce bass heavy music & i've owned the Dynaudio BM5A's & now own BM6A's..

I would highly recommend the BM6A's, the mixes translate beautifully onto other systems & the bottom end is tight & controlled..I think the BM5A's were a little 'hi-fi' in comparison..

[b_karv]

S-cube do you have any mixes you have done on the BM6a's that I can listen too? As I am very much leaning towards a pair of them.


Plec thanks for the mixes. Listening them through my headphones and sounds really good so far. Will check them out on my mates Adam A7's to see what they are like on them. I guess you are using the HR824's? How long have you been using them till you really knew how your monitors translated? PS Love the breakdown of Soul Heaven

Also any thought on the Yamaha NS10m?

[Getafix]

You can stream some tracks here, don't really know if you'll dig this type of music ..

They stream at 64 kbps, not the best but you'll get an idea..

Get-a-fix Psy Trance mp3 Streams

Don't bother with the last 7 tracks as they're all quite old & written before i owned the Dynaudio's..

[backplay]

I've used the HR824's for a long time to mix techno & house.
At first the bass does sound nice, but if you play the mix in a club you notice that the mix actually lacks bass! Mid range isn't that great either. The mixes where done in a verry good room.

True the years i've used alot of "low end" monitors like Tannoy, M-audio BX8a & BX5a. And they all sucked, except the mid responce of the BX5a was verry good.

Now i'm using the Yamaha HS80M and these where a godsend gift to me.
Now the mixes don't have to be checked 3 times in a club to get the mix wright.
Compared my mixes that where done on the HR824 and i notice faults that the HR824's diden't reveal.

That said, monitors is a verry personal choise!

[b_karv]

Hey s-cube thanks for that. Listened to A-z on myspace. Also got my mate to listen to them on his Adam A7's he said the bass sounds pretty good. Out of interest is your room treated with bass traps etc? As I noticed a pic on your myspace of your studio it didn't seem like it and if that is case that pretty impressive you get a sound like that. Do you reference alot?

[Getafix]

Those pics on myspace are pretty old. I have purchased some rockwool slabs but i will set them up in my new studio which i'm going to build now that i'm finally moving back home..

Before i got the Dynaudio BM6A's i had a lot of trouble getting my mixes to translate well on to different systems..

After spending some time with the BM6A you learn how a good mix sounds on them. Now i find it very easy to get mixes to translate well, the bottom end especially. I can only imagine it will be a lot better once i've set up bass traps..

So yeah, BM6A's are a very good choice for bass heavy music..

[b_karv]

Hey matey thanks for the reply. I have now come to the decision to buy a pair of BM6a MK II. Now I am wandering if you know if there is a big difference between the MKII and the originals?

Cheers
Karv

[Getafix]

I have no experience with the MKII's but i remember reading a post here on gearslutz where a representative from the company mentioned that the parts used in the MKII's are not as good as the one's in the originals..

If i'm not mistaken they also have a smaller cabin & woofer but i guess overall the sound must be almost the same.

They probably just cut some corners to bring some costs down..I think you won't regret your decision!

[beingmf]

Originally Posted by alexstringer

...and have a pleasing listening. ...

That is exactly - like some others already mentioned - what is really the annoying weak spot about those Mackies. For home listening: great! For mixing: no way! Bass is blurred, top end is weak weak weak.
So go for some Dynaudios or bigger Tannoys!

[andrea19837]

2.1 ns 10 + 10" sub down to 35 hz, good room. stop. if you want more color Tannoy.

[Dream Send]

Have you checked the M-Audio EX66 Monitors? Sound like they might be your golden ticket.

[1945MF]

Monitor for House Music try KRK V8 series 2 .. I use them a lot for house , electro , tribal genre..

[miqer]

adam a7 will give you amazing mid and high... but the amount off kick drum/bass to put in your mix is harder to tell on it. P33a are better for that... but about 2000 euro for a pair...

m.

[junya-eskimo]

Originally Posted by s-cube

I also produce bass heavy music & i've owned the Dynaudio BM5A's & now own BM6A's..

I would highly recommend the BM6A's, the mixes translate beautifully onto other systems & the bottom end is tight & controlled..I think the BM5A's were a little 'hi-fi' in comparison..

I agree...I used the HR824's for about 5 years , then i had enough of them because the bass was great but the mix DOES NOT translate well in other rooms, dance floors and studios...

With the Mackie's i found i was building my tracks on frequencies that was not there when i played the tracks out...Now i have the Dynaudio Bm6A's.

They are great...To the point, they let you hear exactly what you track sounds like without giving you the sensation of being on a dance floor..

In the end you have to remember , a good studio monitor is not suposed to be enjoyed like a club sound system, But to play back the raw frequencies so you can make them pretty and they will sound great on an ACTUAL dance floor..

Thats what i think and believe anyway...

I say go with the BM6A or the ADAMS depending on your ears..

Jun

[makele]

I've used Mackie HR824 and have to agree that they don't translate
well. I'm a big fan of Genelec monitors for Dance music.

[Getafix]

Offtopic:

Love your music Junya, i'm a big fan!

[Synaesthesia]

Originally Posted by junya-eskimo

I agree...I used the HR824's for about 5 years , then i had enough of them because the bass was great but the mix DOES NOT translate well in other rooms, dance floors and studios...

With the Mackie's i found i was building my tracks on frequencies that was not there when i played the tracks out...Now i have the Dynaudio Bm6A's.

They are great...To the point, they let you hear exactly what you track sounds like without giving you the sensation of being on a dance floor..

In the end you have to remember , a good studio monitor is not suposed to be enjoyed like a club sound system, But to play back the raw frequencies so you can make them pretty and they will sound great on an ACTUAL dance floor..

Thats what i think and believe anyway...

I say go with the BM6A or the ADAMS depending on your ears..

Jun

Hey Junya, besides the 3 years old of the topic, i wanted to ask you why you picked Dynaudio over Adams.

I working on m-audio cheap monitors(a mistake) and after hardwork i know how to use them but the mixes dont translate as i think to other systems(my car specially).

Its not my ears since the following:
A month ago i went a pro studio in the south of mexico from a formal audio engineer from Berklee, he uses some Adams there.
So we where listening a bunch of his tracks from britney spears to hip hop to acoustic, and then it came the time for one of my trance tracks.
I was amazed that actually my "bedroom mix" with shitty monitors didn't make that bad in the Adams. But the good thing is that it became pretty clear to me the problem with volumes of some elements, and the sweet of some really nice frequencies in the mid range, that i have never found on my cheap monitors, and that are the ones that gives the character to psytrance bass.
So im pretty sure im getting pro monitors soon, but plz tell me why you choose
Dynaudio against Adams
have you tried the focal solo 6be

Toni

--- getafix: congratulations with the nice evolution of your tracks after using dynaudio.

[GoesToEleven]

Originally Posted by lblstudio

I've got the 824s and don't hate them. The bass response is pretty good. I don't typically mix the same type of music you are describing, but I think these monitors would do just fine for you. I haven't heard the new version of the 824s, but mine are about three years old and I haven't replaced them yet.

I had the 824s and could never get the low end usable. Particularly for bass-heavy music, I would say 'avoid'.

[Synaesthesia]

Well i have 2 months with a new pair of bm6a mk2 and all i can say is that they are really GOOD.

At first listen I thought they lacked bass but then the magic started to happens; because I realized that my frequency canvas on the mid and high section was very detailed.
They are not meant to sound "cool" but to reveal ALL the frequencies like all good monitors are made for. (though that is cool sound for me)

This pair really accomplishes that work. I checked against Adams A7, another pair of great monitors, but i thought A7 were too bright.

From the first week i had them in my small studio. I made 3 tracks and they instantly sound better than the past tracks i made in shitty maudio bx8a (full of bass, lacking mids and blury highs), not to much effort since i was not guessing, it was all there and i made with joy and confidence my decisions.

The very first day, I made some A/B tests with the bx8a, and i was surprised when i found that i could listen to 1db increments easily, when mixing instruments. I switched to an eq to perform surgical operations with a very high 20 q and 3db cut over drum samples i designed, I could tell easily where the frequency was at every point without visual feedback. I checked other commercial tracks and i could tell whenever a compressor was abused, if volumes were not pleasant, reverbs, if the kick(mid hi freq) could be improved. It was like a new world for me.

Translation is even better with bm6as
I have 2 sound systems for commercial reference. 1 in my car and 1 in my home.
I must say that i had some issues with the bass but once i understood the bm6as, all was there. And even when i had some problems with the bass the track sound like what i listened in the studio.

Before i bought bm6a i also tried yamaha hs50 from a friend, and they are good cheap monitors with good translation. Hs50 helped me realize that the bx8a were indeed very bad monitors, since they are nearly at the same price.
But the bm6a are heaven for me.

Sorry for my english
Hope this helps for someone else.

FYI--I am oriented to trance/psytrance, but now, that i can listen to all the delicious frequencies, i am also making tech house, ambient, minimal and all that enjoyable pieces of electronic music.