Tips for Active Monitors

[AllAboutMusic]

Hey experienced folks

I am kind of fed up with using my looper to get me the background tracks to play along, since the practice room doesn’t have an audio I am considering some active studio monitors. I had a look at Presonus Eris that also come with BT.

does anybody have some experience with studio monitors to share by any chance?

[Stevebol]

I had the small Presonus and didn't like them at all.
I don't have much experience with monitors but the M-audio BX 5's would be bottom of the barrel flat response monitors. I like them.
A step up would be the JBL 8" 308's.

The BX 5's can crank but I thought the JBL's had a more detailed sound.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Hey experienced folks

I am kind of fed up with using my looper to get me the background tracks to play along, since the practice room doesn’t have an audio I am considering some active studio monitors. I had a look at Presonus Eris that also come with BT.

does anybody have d St one experience with studio monitors to share by any chance?

There are multiple models of Presonus monitors. The E4.5s without BT are the ones I've heard and I think I'd be happy with them. They're transparent and seemed accurate enough to me when I checked them out. I thought they were a bit bass shy, so I'd probably add a good small subwoofer if I had a pair of them. I'm a big fan of the small JBLs and have 2 pairs of 305s. I also have 2 pairs of Edifier 1280s that I bought for casual listening in one of our bedrooms. But they're so good that I use them as secondary monitors to give me an idea of how my recordings will sound through a typical home system.

After 35+ years of using Rogers LS3/5a passive monitors with various tube amps as part of an analog recording studio setup, I went all digital for recording about 5 years ago and bought powered monitors (first gen JBL 305s) to be driven directly by DACs. I love them so much that I bought a second pair and set up a 4 channel monitoring system. I'd replace them with the same today if anything went wrong. They do not have BT - they're pure analog powered monitors. I think the low end is much fuller and deeper than the Presonus 4.5s, but I've never heard their larger systems so I can't comment on how much fuller the bass is from Presonus models with 5" or larger woofers.

[ccroft]

Kali LP6. Bought on the advice of a friend who owns a commercial studio. Best sound system I ever owned.

[fep]

I'm happy with my LP8's these and the LP6s get great reviews which is why I got them, and they're a small company with direct attention from the owner, I call and talked to one of the owners.

I'm curious about your idea of creating backing tracks for practice. If it's just for practice, there is that ireal-pro app that creates backing tracks that is inexpensive.

[0zoro]

I admit I have not done a comparison check but rather bought a pair of KRK RP5. They offer a very good sound source, fit well in to the space I have available, and the white makes them less visually conspicuous.

[AllAboutMusic]

I'm happy with my LP8's these and the LP6s get great reviews which is why I got them, and they're a small company with direct attention from the owner, I call and talked to one of the owners.

I'm curious about your idea of creating backing tracks for practice. If it's just for practice, there is that ireal-pro app that creates backing tracks that is inexpensive.

hey fep

we share the same surname. I will look into the Kalis, thanks for the tip. My intended use is for playing the backing tracks from a digital device use iReal Pro of GarageBand or BIAB. So I am using not producing these, I may have expressed myself not explicit enough. For no audio yet in my practice room I usually load backing tracks to the looper. The device is Limited to wav and has some struggle to manage bigger files. Hence, I‘d like to use some active monitors where I feel I could be more flexible and quicker.

JazzOn

[Esport]

When my HR624 Mackies finally bit the dust, recently, I ordered a pair of Adam t7v to replace them. They’re quite good! Better imaging than the Mackies and a sweeter top end.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

My intended use is for playing the backing tracks from a digital device use iReal Pro of GarageBand or BIAB.

Reading this, I think you may be using the term “monitor” to mean small powered speaker rather than a true studio monitor. For playing backing tracks from your iPhone, you’d probably be very happy with a pair of BT enabled speakers like the Edifier 1280DBs. They’re less expensive than most of the monitors discussed here and they sound great. The 1280DBs also has a subwoofer output if you want to add one.

[fep]

Reading this, I think you may be using the term “monitor” to mean small powered speaker rather than a true studio monitor. For playing backing tracks from your iPhone, you’d probably be very happy with a pair of BT enabled speakers like the Edifier 1280DBs. They’re less expensive than most of the monitors discussed here and they sound great. The 1280DBs also has a subwoofer output if you want to add one.

But, if you think you may record your own tracks someday, studio monitors are what you'd want for that.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

But, if you think you may record your own tracks someday, studio monitors are what you'd want for that.

Not necessarily - if the only thing you plan to do with them is play rhythm tracks for practicing, you may be better off with good basic speakers. Your statement that "[m]y intended use is for playing the backing tracks from a digital device use iReal Pro of GarageBand or BIAB" suggests that you'd be using Garage Band on your iPhone to record these. If so, you won't be using the speakers as actual monitors anyway.

True monitors are somewhat more critical and will let you hear more subtle nuances of effects, post-processing etc in your recordings. But if you'll only be laying down backing tracks for practice, you'll do it in one take and use them as you made them. And if you'll be recording them with GB on your iPhone, you won't be using real time monitoring anyway. Playing over tracks from good powered speakers like those Edifiers will sound fine, and the BT will let you play them directly from your iPhone (which, from your posts so far, seems to be what you plan to do).

The only BT monitors discussed so far are the Presonus E4.5s, and I think the Edifiers sound significantly better for general listening. They definitely have more and better bass. The Presonus may be a bit better for midrange clarity, but speakers like the Edifiers, the equivalent BT Audioengines (which are excellent speakers but are a bit more expensive than the Edifiers) and many others in that range have good BT and are more pleasant for general music listening.

Even if you decide to record your own backing tracks on your computer, you'd need to add a DAC to appreciate the value of true monitors. If you plug the audio output of your computer directly into powered monitors, the sound quality will not be good enough to hear the difference unless you have a particularly good sound card.

[emanresu]

Get a beautiful set of speakers. Fat, luscious and with good heavy kick. Instead flat studio monitors.

[maxiim]

presonus & jbl are not bad speakers, they‘re cheap and will get the job done, but be sure to get the 5“ or even better the 7“ speaker for more depth and bass

[AllAboutMusic]

Thanks folks for all the input. I considered the speaker solution, too, and put my KEF Q50 on a small denon amp there. I didn’t like the cable constraining me, but maybe I just get a Bluetooth toggle and give it ago again.