Buying your first Studio Monitor? Here’s what you should know

Getting serious about your music? The first thing you’ll notice is that your headphones and computer speakers are just not measuring up to the task. This is when you must take the leap from pure headphone mixing and music creation to using studio reference monitors. 

To make good music, it is important to hear every little nuance of it. And that translates to getting a pair of real studio speakers online. Luckily, there are many good models available for beginners that are suited to different tastes, requirements, and budgets. Picking the right studio monitors can be a challenge as several factors require consideration. We have summarized a few tips for choosing your first pair and achieve great results without breaking the bank. 

Budget

Let’s begin with the obvious concern – the budget! How much you should invest in your monitors depends on what you’re trying to accomplish. Professional monitors are not cheap for the reason that they are specifically engineered to be neutral sound sources with flat frequency response. That said, most home recordists start out from the $300-500 range and achieve good results. If you’re on a tight budget, opt for the Fluid Audio Classic Series online that features great-sounding monitors under $200. As far as a maximum goes, the sky is the limit with some pairs going for tens of thousands! 

Active or Passive?

The majority of monitors produced today are active, which means that they come with built-in, powered amplifiers. Just plug in your monitors into your audio interface and you are good to go! Passive monitors are quite antiquated as they require a separate amplifier, a solution that can end up costing more money. And you find a solution like this mostly in large studios. Home studio producers almost invariably opt for powered monitors since this technology has become the norm. 

Connectivity

Balanced inputs like XLR and TRS are the hallmark of every good professional monitor. Though your specific requirement will depend on the outputs of your audio interface, situation-specific cable adaptors are readily available. However, you must consider upgrading your interface if it does not have balanced outputs as unbalanced lines tend to pick up noise from other equipment. 

Speaker Power

It’s always better to have monitors with more power as it helps to deliver a greater dynamic range in the songs you are mixing. Higher wattage means a higher dynamic range implying that you have more to mix with and more headroom. That said, you must be cautious while using powerful monitors and try not to drive them to full capacity, as you will experience elements of clipping and distortion. Driving the monitors too hard makes you lose the more delicate elements of the track, making the final mix sound bass-heavy or top-heavy. Advised mixing level is 82-85db 

Placement 

There is no place for ambiguity here! Just go by the thumb rule – place your pair of studio monitors in a way that they form an equilateral triangle with your head when you are seated in your mix position. Simply put, place them so that they’re as far away from you as they are from each other. This arrangement results in the most accurate frequency response and clearest stereo image. And try to keep it as far away from corners or back walls, as this creates bass build-up.