Location Recording with one Monitor?

[hduncan]

I was thinking that maybe, to save cost and have less gear to lug around, that I could invest in a single, really nice, monitor.

This way, I can get a better idea of how good the tone of say, the guitar is, without having to setup a stereo pair of speakers that I have to carry around.

With just one, I would hear a pretty accurate version of what I am recording, instead of guessing like I have had to do with headphones..

What say you?

[John Willett]

I take a pair of K+H O110D monitors with me in a custom padded bag for easy transportation.

[LX3]

Interesting idea.

One of the big advantages of monitors over headphones is being able to impress the client by letting them hear some playback... which would be hard with just one.

The other issue is that instruments that we're used to hearing panned centre in a pair of speakers tend to sound entirely different when reproduced by a single speaker. So you may find yourself applying too much eq or playing with mic positioning more than you need to, in an effort to get it to "sound right".

Just a thought.

I don't have much problem carrying two speakers around, but then mine are small and easy to deal with. I'm all for anything that reduces my setup/teardown time (though you wouldn't think so if you saw the amount of junk I take to a gig).

[hduncan]

Thanks Paul, the idea was mostly to double my monitor budget while making teardown faster, basically.

[d_fu]

Want small speakers that sound good? Try these...

[Gerax]

Originally Posted by d_fu

Want small speakers that sound good? Try these...

Mmmmm...reaaaally interesting...Can you expand a bit on how they actually sound?

[d_fu]

Originally Posted by Gerax

Mmmmm...reaaaally interesting...Can you expand a bit on how they actually sound?

To my ears: Very neutral/linear, i.e. no trace of mid-range overexposure or tinniness...
Plenty of bass, I might even consider lowering the 100Hz range a bit on location.
Nice spaciousness, too. Pleasant, yet detailed.

Unbeatable at the price, but I'd still think they sound good if the price was higher. They are great fun on electronic music, too (stuff on iTunes radio).

Here's a review.

Daniel

[hduncan]

Like I said, I am more interested in one, single, high quality speaker instead of two. I will be recording on location and then retiring to my home studio for mixing purposes where I have acoustic treatment and a proper listening setup.

So for no other reason than having less to carry around with me, one speaker would be beneficial, but the biggest advantage is that, if I have a $1000.00 budget, I can put all of that money into one speaker versus splitting it and getting the quality of a 2 $500.00 speakers...

see what I mean?

I am really asking if anyone sees any flaws in my idea... Many people recommend mixing in Mono anyways- and this would be as true mono as you can get!

[David Rick]

Heck, if I only cared about mono, I'd just monitor on headphones. The reason I lug two speakers out on location is because I need to be able to check the stereo imaging. For that, headphones just don't cut it.

David L. Rick
Seventh String Recording

[hduncan]

Haha, why would you use stereo headphones to listen to something in mono???

The single speaker is the best/most accurate/truest way to listen to mono, because that's exactly what it is..

Again- the reason for a single speaker is to have the benefits of a pair of high quality, flat, reference monitors but half the price (since only getting one) The important part is hearing the proper tone, headphones dont represent the spectrum as well and as flat as reference monitors, from my research...

[Remoteness]

As long as I'm not mixing, and only tracking I have used a single monitor with great success.
It's positioned similar to how a typical monitor engineer would set it up.

[Barnabas]

Originally Posted by Remoteness

As long as I'm not mixing, and only tracking I have used a single monitor with great success.
It's positioned similar to how a typical monitor engineer would set it up.

Exactly! I have two monitors mounted in racks to make them portable. When I'm recording a multi-track, I usually bring just one (unless I'm trying to impress the client). If I'm doing a live mix to tape or mix for video, then I have to have two.

My traveling speakers are the same as my studio speakers. This keeps my ears from getting confused.

[hduncan]

So I'm not crazy and this is an actual technique that other people use! Sweeeet...

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by DarkEcho

So I'm not crazy and this is an actual technique that other people use! Sweeeet...

Well, I only can speak for myself.

When recording via our portable rigs I usually bring a pair of speakers, but I have done the single monitor routine plenty of times.

It works well as a way to monitor the input source while tracking.