Why Should You Opt For Studio Monitors?

Studio monitors have created a revolution in the world of music producing. With the advancement of technology now you can achieve a level of professional audio reproduction formerly found only in professional studios. Now, it is much easier to produce market-ready material from what we commonly refer to as a ‘home studio’. Studio monitors available in today’s market offer a good level of accuracy, detail, and translation. Here are some whys and wherefores to keep in mind when shopping for your next pair:

•          Sound Quality:

When you listen to a possible candidate for your room, bring tracks you know well and listen to them carefully to see if the monitors are ‘hyping’ the sounds in any way. What you ideally want are studio monitors that are as ‘flat’ or ‘non-coloring’ as possible. This way, when you mix, they are not adding any color to your work. Using mixes you already know to test new  candidates makes it easy to tell if any are adding additional color.

•          Style of Projection:

You will see different driver layout designs such as the Fluid Audio coax bi-amplified FX-50/FX-80, or, 3-way systems, etc. and each of these will dictate the stereo field in ways that may be particularly good for your requirements so be sure to check out several different layouts to see which will fit your needs the best - remembering too that wherever you test them will likely be in a room that differs from your own. To help negate this dynamic, always position yourself so that your head is at one of three equidistant triangle points; the other two being the L/R tweeters on each studio monitor.

•          Amplifiers:

The best studio monitors are designed with integrated power amplifiers, that provide the power of specifically demanded monitor speakers. These are normally referred to a ‘bi-amped’ (when there are 2 drivers such as a woofer and tweeter) and ‘tri-amped’ (when there are 3 drivers. Having an amp dedicated to each driver means fewer intermodulation distortions which are the kind that sound like haze or fog in the mid-range - which makes mixing harder.

•          Ease of Installation:

Studio monitors are generally easy to install and normally require balanced cables like TRS/XLR. While cable quality can play a role in the sound, you don’t have to go for the most expensive cables you can find. Generally speaking, not the cheapest, and not the most expensive, but something in the middle should do the trick.

•     Pricing:  

Prices will vary widely which doesn’t mean expensive is better. The best way to choose is by using your ears. When you find a pair you know you can get results from, there’s no need to go for a higher-priced studio monitor.