about to pick up monitors, lil help please

[lyricalcharms]

whoo hoo :D , i have $2,000 to spend, and its all going to audio gear to finish up my studio.

first off the bat... nearfield (active) monitors. i was thinking Fostex PM2. but i've read that they are better for monitoring in larger rooms. i cant say my studio is in a "large" room. then there's the thought of Event TR8XL, which ive read about on here a few times. but ive also started to consider the cheaper costing M-Audio BX-5s. Not that money is the factor, but i was thinking bout spending around $700.

anyways i do both audio for video work as well as music production(mostly hiphop, but not limited to), i am very comfortable with doing the work, but when it comes to gear i need a little help coming back down from fantasy to reality and actually pick what will work the best for my needs. By all means please offer any suggestions, realizations and any info to help me choose and spend my money wisely. Thank you for your time guys. :cool:

[michaelhoddy]

Pick up some used Mackie HR824's. They a league better than anything you've listed, and I've seen quite a few pairs on Sweetwater's own Trading Post going for $800 for the pair.

If I had to go new in that price range, it would probably be the active Tannoy Reveals.

[djui5]

You could pick up a pair of HR824's for around $1300 new. My personal favorite monitors.

[lyricalcharms]

yea the thought crossed my mind, I've mixed with them, but i've always been told that the Mackie HR824's has emphasized bass, infact i even noticed that while doing my mixes back in college. so i've shrugged away from those... sorry didnt mean to turn down the idea. any suggestions on the ones i have mentioned?

[GibsonL6S]

m-audio bx-8's here love um for 4 bills

[danhazer]

but i've always been told that the Mackie HR824's has emphasized bass

People say that, but it isn't correct. If the 824's bass response sounds hyped, then they have not been set up correctly. Honestly, the 824 is the best powered speaker in its price range. My mixes always translate favorably when I mix on mine, much more so than when I was using Yamaha NS-10's. Heck, those were just plain bad sounding. I've been through 5 sets of monitors and the 824 has been the best, by far. Once my ear adjusted to them, my mixes started translating very, very nicely.

[lyricalcharms]

when i mixed Mackie HR824's it was in college, they had them set up in one of the major studios, and in 2 of the DAW stations. i do agree they sound good. but i still do remember the hyped bass responce... but then again it could be from the studio, or work stations. i just imagined that the people knew what they were doing, since they were teaching it... but there is the old saying
"those who can do, do. those who cant do, teach. and those who teach, teach at _______."
but ill give them another chance, and take a look...listen. thank you for the info though. im not trying to make this sound like a negative responce, i always appreaciate peoples opinions.

any more comments on monitors, like the ones i mentioned?

[djui5]

Originally posted by danhazer
People say that, but it isn't correct. If the 824's bass response sounds hyped, then they have not been set up correctly. Honestly, the 824 is the best powered speaker in its price range. My mixes always translate favorably

You're right about the settings. Everytime I go into a room where they have the 824's...I have to adjust them because the bass is too loud. There's settings on the back for the bass rolloff..and most people have it set to 32HZ or whatever the lowest setting is. I like it at 47Hz. This gives good tight bass response and just the right amount. Set the high end to 0 or flat. There's a boost or cut for the high end...flat is really accurate. I'm sure when you were in college the just took the monitors out of the box and threw them on a shelf and plugged them in..but proper set-up can produce very pleasing results. I've used quite a bit of the high end monitors, even the Genelic 1030's that everyone on the planet uses and I love the 824's. They translate very well and are pleasing to my ears. Then again...everyone's ears are different. Women's hearing prefers silk tweeters..while men prefer titanuim (this is a general statement and don't apply to everyone...no stereotyping comments please). I do know that the Genelic 1030A's are used quite a lot...you should look into those, also the Event Studio Precision 8's are good monitors, as are the Adam P11-A and the KRK V8

[djui5]

P.S.
The NS-10's are suppost to sound like crap. That's the idea...and why they are used in so many studios, just about every one on the planet. I've done quite a bit of recording and mixing on them. If you can get a good mix on the ns-10's..then it will sound great anywhere. They're good for monitoring while tracking vocals and getting a good rough mix volume wise. I like to get levels on the ns-10's, then switch to something like the 824's to adjust reverbs and delays and automation. Just my thoughts.

[danhazer]

I agree that the NS-10 is supposed to sound bad. It is a fault finding monitor. I found them excellent for detecting harsh high frequencies in vocal data. However, I was always getting fatigue when I mixed with them. So after about a year with them I got the 824s. Initially, I thought I could keep the NS-10's as a second set for referencing, but after a few weeks with the 824's, I found that the NS-10 had become superfluous. In other words, the 824's were telling me everything I needed to know and with good sound to boot.

Thanks,

Dan

[djui5]

Glad to hear that you found what you needed. That's awesome. I agree with you about the ear fatigue from the ns-10, so I usually use two pairs of monitors..sometimes three if the room has mains also. But the 824's as I've said before are my fav's also.