any advice on studio monitors?

[jinsel]

KRK V6's!!!
KRK V6's!!!
KRK V6's!!!
KRK V6's!!!
KRK V6's!!!
That's the best for your price range.

[Digi9000000]

The bottom line is, you should never buy any monitors without listening to them. It doesn't really matter what you mix on once you get familiar with them. Thousands of great albums have been mixed on Yamaha NS-10s, which don't sound "good" by any stretch of the imagination, but on the other hand, many engineers are familiar with their sound sound after years of experience with them. For your budget, I like the Alesis M1 Actives, they sound good in middle volume ranges, but not quiet or overly loud, and you can find them for around $600, maybe a little less used. The KRKs also sound pretty good, but they're a little mid-heavy and some people think they sound "boxy". No one on a budget can really afford genelecs. They sound great, but for my ears they are "hyped," they make everything sound better, which is not the real point, unless you are used to their sound, and then it's fine.
Which brings up a secondary point... you should analyze what your clients or customers will be listening on. Obviously, for feature films you want the best monitors you can get, 400-600 monitors probably won't do. But for consumer music, I have done touch-up mixes monitoring audio through a set of AKG 240 headphones and a boombox. It's really a matter of personal taste. Jsut takle 2 or 3 CDs to the pro audio shop and see which ones let you hear the most about the mixes on the commerical CDs, and which ones seem most comfortable. (But don't play the CDs through the Genelecs, or you'll be selling your other gear to buy them.)

[DJ Burt]

I'm with Digi9000000. I use the Alesis M1s are they are a peachy pair. However, the best thing you can do (something I am surprised at to not have cropped up here) is to mount whatever speakers you do get onto a pair of quality speaker stands. Get a set of Ultimate Stands, fill them with lead shot or sand and mount the spikes on the bottom. Result? Tight-as-you-like bottom and perfect isolation. Check - www.ultimatesupport.com

Dj

[Studio Dweller]

I tend to disagree with the idea that Genelecs are too flattering or that they make everything sound better. I have the 1030a's and I find that they put the mix under a microscope and if there are any problems, the Genelecs put them right in your face. Many times if I walk away from a mix unhappy about a thing or two, I never end up hearing those problems on other speakers. I feel that the Genelecs make you work harder by being so revealing. I would rather have it that way than the other way around.

No monitor is perfect and just like with microphones or any other piece of gear, what works well for one person, may not for another. Your mileage may vary.

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Larry Bentley
Cellar Dweller Productions
www.cellardweller.com

[Transducr]

hmmm...i know this is way off the budget portion, but has anyone else used B&W Matrix 805s? they're hi-fi speakers, but i tracked on them for 24 hours straight at studio recently and it was amazing how accurate, pleasing and non-fatiguing they were. everything we did translated well into the outside world....they use them at Abbey Road, i'm told......anyone else used them?

[Ray Fabi]

Am I the only one who is working with the M&K's ? I think they sound way (and I mean way-better) than the BM-15A. We A B'ed them, and the Dynaudio just sounded dull and uninteresting compared to the Miller speakers. The detail of the M&K's was astonishing!They certainly can be Dolby approved, it is my belief that's what Phantom Menace was mixed on in Skywalker 5.1 surround studio. (I was told???) Anyways, putting James Taylor last (Grammy Award for best sound) CD on for comparison, and a bunch of Sheffiled and other good recordings just was so obvious for us. I also have mixed three episodes of a series I am working on, and the results are very convincing.

My 2 cents

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Ray Fabi
Ton of Bricks Studios Montreal
514-990-2713

[AUDIOSFX]

Arkadius.. I have to agree HR824's are great and I have compared them to Genelec monitors..I am using 5 of them equal amplitude equal freq response w/ or without a tannoy sub... Untill mackie comes up with a sub...They are not that expensive..it would be worth saving a few more bucks and get a pair...