Update to my situation

[LaserWolf]

Hey all,
So I realize it's been awhile, you guys may remember me as one of the people asking about headphones and pro tools interfaces for a student. Over time I've built up a small but effective work station. I started with a pair of the ATH- M50 headphones. then a few months later I got a set of M-audio studo pro 3's. and then at the end of March I won a fast track usb in a sound design competition. I sold that interface and bought an mbox 2. So I am now happily running pro tools 8 with the Mbox. there's a couple issues, the biggest being that when listening to music with foobar through headphones on the m-box there is an annoying hiss when I have the volume turned up. but I'm working around it, and It's not a deal breaker because the mbox works great for what I got it for Pro Tools. Thanks to everyone here for all their help.

[LaserWolf]

Well it appears I spoke too soon. I turned in a project today that I had mixed on my setup in my dorm room and it translated absolutely horribly to the system in the classroom, so now, I'm in the market for a decent set of monitors. I'm looking to keep it below $500 and one of the options I was looking at was the KRK RP8 gen 2. I mostly do film stuff, and sound effects in my area of preference although I do do music editing and film mixing as well. I've been researching online for about 5 hours and I haven't been able to find anything conclusive, or even close to it. I really need everyone's help and I'll be eternally grateful for any advice you guys can give me as far as monitors. Oh, I'll be using them in an untreated space, both in my bedroom at home and in the dorms at school, so treating the room itself isn't really an option. I'm not sure exactly what size the room I'll be in next year is but I do know that it's fairly small (maybe 8x10x8 ish).

Thanks everyone.

[awakened]

yamaha hs50 pair and call it a day.

probably the best monitors under $500 for the pair (for a smaller room)


newegg has em for 169 a piece:

Newegg.com - YAMAHA HS50M 5" Monitor Speakers - Musical Instruments & Accessories

[XHipHop]

blue sky exo - the sub will help you if you're doing film stuff/sound effects, too.

[awakened]

Originally Posted by XHipHop

blue sky exo - the sub will help you if you're doing film stuff/sound effects, too.

good choice for stuff < 50Hz

[awakened]

Originally Posted by LaserWolf

so treating the room itself isn't really an option.

didn't see that. monitors wont do you much good if you don't control the reflections.

at least get some bass traps.

[stevens119]

Buy used Mackie HR-824's for film stuff.

[LaserWolf]

unfortunately the HR-824's are out of my price range. I've been doing some research on the hs-50's and I've got some more questions about them. First. I've read that though they translate well, they don't deliver the best frequency response. since I'm leaning toward film I'll be working with the equipment that the school provides in mind, and they've got some pretty high end stuff. so I guess my question really is, should I look more for monitors that translate or the flat frequency response. any other suggestions and comments are also greatly appreciated.

[awakened]

Originally Posted by LaserWolf

unfortunately the HR-824's are out of my price range. I've been doing some research on the hs-50's and I've got some more questions about them. First. I've read that though they translate well, they don't deliver the best frequency response. since I'm leaning toward film I'll be working with the equipment that the school provides in mind, and they've got some pretty high end stuff. so I guess my question really is, should I look more for monitors that translate or the flat frequency response. any other suggestions and comments are also greatly appreciated.

i originally said the hs-50m pair because i thought you may be looking to do music. the newer yamahas follow in the vain of the ns-10s (a standard).

but, if you are doing film work, i would recommend possibly getting something with a sub. i know that there can be a lot giong on down on that end, especially if you are doing some sort of ambient music.

i do mostly rock / metal, so they translate really well for me.


edit: forgot to mention, but you would still need to consider some kind of room treatment. if you have really bad reflections from the open walls, i think you'd be better off mixing on a boombox

[LaserWolf]

I've been looking and I think that I may be able to set up just some basic removable foam in my dorm room next year. it'll be a challenge but if it'll make that much of a difference then I'll give it a shot. I won't be composing music at all unless it's just for fun, what I focus on is dialogue editing, film mixing, and my specialization is sound effects.

Thanks all

[awakened]

Originally Posted by LaserWolf

I've been looking and I think that I may be able to set up just some basic removable foam in my dorm room next year. it'll be a challenge but if it'll make that much of a difference then I'll give it a shot. I won't be composing music at all unless it's just for fun, what I focus on is dialogue editing, film mixing, and my specialization is sound effects.

Thanks all

all "basic foam" will do is destroy your HF content.

bass traps wont be too noticeable man, or take up much room. why not email GIK acoustics and give them the specs for your room? they can tell you what you need and it wont cost an arm and a leg.

trust me dude, they wont mind. i used to live in a 2 BR with 3 other guys and they never said anything about the traps i had set up. they liked it because the "home theater system sounded better." yeahya

[LaserWolf]

Alright I'll look into some bass traps. with the assumption that I will be treating the room any other input on monitors?

[awakened]

i'd stick with the idea of getting a smaller system with a sub. even though most monitors have a frequency response down to 30Hz or 25Hz, you're never going to really hear it. just by checking the frequency response of the room, you will most likely have a roll-off starting at 125Hz.

what were the dimensions of the room again?

[LaserWolf]

I think the room will be about 8Lx10Wx8H ish I'm not positive though

[AnalogueRazor]

I'd try the Redline Monitor plugin, the demo lasts a good long time and the plugin is cheap as dirt (comes in RTAS).

I've used this a fair bit with some sennheiser hd280 cans, and it actually translates really well to studio control room situations, even with video stuff. It may be a much better choice for a dorm room upgrade, as room treatment would only be temporary. Plus for late-night work, headphones are really convenient. Just a thought...

[cosmodos]

Without room treatment, monitors are really going to be a waste.

But for $500, you could easily get some excellent headphones and an amp to power them. As headphones, they probably won't translate perfectly to speakers, but they'll be damn close, and a hell of a lot better than low-budget monitors in an untreated room. They're easily transportable from home to dorm and you won't bother anyone if you mix late into the night.

[LaserWolf]

I've already got some nice headphones, I've got the ATH M-50's and I'm running them from my mbox 2. the entire problem is that I need some monitors that will work well.

[merrybmb]

I was in the same pickle.....Had a few hundred bucks to spend on monitors....went to Banjo Center (right? that store with the red letters?) and tried 'em all in my price range....went with the KRK's (Rokit 5's) and some room treatment....M-Audio's sound like a hi-fi car system, and yamahas sound flat as hell. And i wanted a bit of life. I like Genelec's but I didn't have a grand at the time...a little life, but not as lifeless as an NS-10....Hope that helps....my advice, cheaper monitors, add room treatment, then listen to EVERY record you've loved the sound of a million times in that room on those speakers......then make all yer records sound like that!

[RTR]

Sell that shitty mbox 2 and get a 610..thats what I had to do, those things suck but this 610 sounds better than my 003!!

[awakened]

wish i could draw this for you...but there really is a lot to explain to get the right sound.

you would need to set up your monitors facing you at a 30 degree angle so that the sound crosses right behind your head.

then, you will need to take a mirror and have somebody move it along the wall so you can find your reflection points from each speaker. get some owens corning 703 and put 4" thick panels to the left, right, and the top (there will also be reflections coming to you from up above) where you find the reflection points. that should cover you at the nearfield, and then just put some absorption on the back wall to keep the sound from reflecting back up at you. i can get into null points and whatnot, but i think you could find a book on it for about $20.

owens corning 703 comes in panels of 2ft x 4ft x 2inches thick. you would need to double them up to achieve 4 inch panels. or you can go with the GIKs and save the hassle.

[LaserWolf]

I need pro tools because I need it for school, so I will be keeping the Mbox 2. I'm looking for suggestions and comments on monitors, not whether I should get rid of the mbox or buy better headphones or so on.

thank you

[LaserWolf]

Originally Posted by awakened

wish i could draw this for you...but there really is a lot to explain to get the right sound.

you would need to set up your monitors facing you at a 30 degree angle so that the sound crosses right behind your head.

then, you will need to take a mirror and have somebody move it along the wall so you can find your reflection points from each speaker. get some owens corning 703 and put 4" thick panels to the left, right, and the top (there will also be reflections coming to you from up above) where you find the reflection points. that should cover you at the nearfield, and then just put some absorption on the back wall to keep the sound from reflecting back up at you. i can get into null points and whatnot, but i think you could find a book on it for about $20.

owens corning 703 comes in panels of 2ft x 4ft x 2inches thick. you would need to double them up to achieve 4 inch panels. or you can go with the GIKs and save the hassle.

thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.

[awakened]

Originally Posted by LaserWolf

thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.

no prob man. only really scratched the surface of room treatment

[LaserWolf]

ok so I've done a bunch of research into both pricing and availability, and what I've come upon as the most viable option as far as quality, price, availability and bargain is this kit Buy KRK Complete KRK Monitor and Mic Package B | Powered Monitors | Musician's Friend

which includes the krk pr6 g2's and other stuff, I would then purchase a used sub. I was looking for the yamaha hs50's and while it would probably run the same for the monitors, the sub is pretty difficult to find for the same price as it would be for the krk sub. what do you guys think about the viability of this option?
Thanks for the help

[Weasel9992]

Skip the sub...it'll cause more problems than it's worth in a small, lightly treated room.

Frank