Hey guys!

So I'm pretty much a novice with studio gear, I have been playing around with Fruity Loops since I was 15 on and off but the last 3 years since I was 20 I have started taking music production a bit more seriously and now I am looking into building myself a bit of a better bedroom studio.

My current set up isn't exactly amazing and I have no acoustic foam yet on the walls , although I have purchased some and it will be going up soon when I get round to it!

The one things that I am stuck with is studio monitors. I know this is one of the most argued questions that gets asked on a lot of forums, so I will put it in the easiest possible way I can to the most positive feedback and advice I can!

At the moment I have 2 KRK Rokit RP5 G3's and I do like them a lot but the problems I have been having with them recently has just put me off them now, so I am looking at upgrading to a set of Mackie MR6 MK3's. After reading a number of posts putting both side by side people say these are the monitors to get if your on a budget, so these will be the ones I will be purchasing.. BUT after also reading up a little more I have now got even more confused!

I have only just found out that there are sub woofers to go along side your studio monitors and reading more into it I have found more and more posts that go on to say when you use the smaller size monitors a sub is a must have.

So I have been looking into a number of subs and there is one that jumps out to me and it is the M-Audio SBX10. Reasons for me liking this one is it has a bypass foot peddle which for me is essential.

But here is where I get confused... Will I actually need one?
I produce dance music like Hard House, Hard Dance, Trance & Bounce (Donk) styles. I'm in rather a small bedroom which is why I have stuck to the smaller speakers, but again like I have said I'm a novice when it comes to equipment so really the question I am asking is this..

If I am purchasing the Mackie MR6 MK3's will I be better off purchasing a sub to go anlong with them? and if I do, does it matter if I go for a different brand of sub or not ?

Reason for me liking the M-Audio sub and it having the bypass peddle is I'm in a bed room in a family home.. I don't want to use the sub all the time just really when I come to mix down the track. So being able to turn it on and off is essential to me.

Any advice you guys could give me on if I need a sub and if so what kind etc would be amazing ! Apologises for going on but thought I would give as much information as possible to get the best possible answers I can !!

Thanks for taking the time to read this!

 

First of all, if i would choose a pair of monitors over the KRKs, Mackie MR6 MK3 would not be a big step over the KRKs. Is like you would buy a bike while you already own one. I don't say they're not good, but they can't be considered a step above your KRK Rokit RP5 G3's and you would just waste the money for a little more extention in the lower frequencies, that's all what the Mackies would bring to you compared to the monitors you already own.
If you want better accuracy, go with the new Yamaha HS8 which is the new version of the older HS80m and is more extended in the lows, but only if your room is spacious enough. If your room isn't big enough, then go with the 5" and a sub so you won't lose the mid frequencies due to the lows boomines emphasized by the walls.
You asked why would you need a sub. Well, in the critical listening situations, like mixing and mastering, hearing the lows is essential because, how you can make sure that everything is allright with your mix's lows when you can't actually hear it accurate enough? Is like you would paint something with muddy glasses on your eyes and expect to get a great picture as a result. A subwoofer can reproduce everything you need to hear in the bottom frequencies, so you can spot which elements in your mix are clashing in that area and etc.
Other alternatives to the Yamahas, are from a German company, the Esi Unik 05 coupled with the ESI Aktiv 10s subwoofer (both are great priced and won't break the bank, because they are sold as pairs). These are alot better than the Mackies MR solution in terms of accuracy. I own the Esi Aktiv 08 which is Esi's "budget" series and some Dynaudio BM5a, but believe me, i do really love the Aktivs, but the Unik is Esi's flagship class which is supposed to be even better. They're very accurate in terms of sound and when it comes to built quality, you can play bowling with them.
Check also the Presonus Eris series which are also new good stuff.
But for the price and subwoofer combo, i would go with Esi Unik 05 and Aktiv 10s sub.(they're made to fit together and they're very affordable for what they deliver). Unik 05 have ribbon tweeters, but don't believe the minority who told you that ribbon tweeters are not good for mixing/mastering. If it's not their taste, then that doesn't mean it won't fit other people's taste. There's so much artists/producers/engineers who use ribbon tweeters and they just purely love them.
You also asked about 3rd party subwoofers. Well, it's not a problem which subwoofer brand you use as long as you know how to calibrate your setup together.
Also keep in mind that any monitoring speakers can get the job done as long as you learn their sound. Also the "hearing taste" differs from guy to guy and your best bet would be to listen these speakers in a store and see which one you digg more.
P.S. sorry for my spelling mistakes, english is not my native language. Have a good one.

 

hello JJ,

If you want to upgrade the KRK's and from what I presume, have a limited budget...you may also consider the adam a7x, the a8x or the a77 with a small sub woofer like the Adam sub7 or sub8.
These monitors are near/mid field monitors that give a very accurate reference in your sound. The most important thing to anyone working with audio is that you have a very good picture of what you are doing and 'sculpting' in audio. These monitors make you work hard to make your production sound good and at the end of the day, you want your productions to sound decent no matter what you play them on.
These monitors give you a very straight reference and if your production sounds good on them, it will sound good anywhere you play it. DynAudio's are probably way over your budget and these Adam active speakers are a nice alternative if you want to have a good reference. Like Evorax mentioned, it's also a matter of taste and experience level in audio production. I've heard people say they think DynAudio sounds like crap....if you listen to their productions it's very unlikely there is a monitor on the market that can make such productions sound decent to start with, so there you go.
If you want to have a monitor that gives you an opportunity to grow as a producer the alternatives that both Evorax and myself mention are worth checking out...
Don't rush your decision, take your time and most of all if you have a chance....listen to them first.
good luck!

 

Well, i didn't pushed my suggestions too far like the price range you mentioned, because speakers like Adam A7X , A8X or A77X coupled with the sub7/sub8 are far more expensive and i thought he can't go that far due to his first purchasing idea (Mackie MR6 Mk3) and that's why i suggested him "budget-like" monitoring speakers. But yea', if he can go that far, he definetely can't go wrong with any of the ADAM series (except F series). Also EVEs are super great, i kinda like them more than ADAMs but it's a matter of taste. Anyway, if he really can go that far in the price range, he can't fail with any of these.

 

well Evorax, I think you made it very clear in your first reply: there's no use in swopping one bike for another if the quality isn't improved dramatically. That is a very good piece of advice to start with.
If this would mean that JJ would better wait to have the money for a decent monitor system then he'd be better off waiting for that. Otherwise he'll probably end up wanting a better set of monitors in less than a year anyways ;-)

 

That's absolutely right. If i would be him, i would wait even a whole full year to buy a decent pair of monitors.
I even want to upgrade my actual setup made up by Dynaudio BM5a, ESI Aktiv 08, Esi 10s sub and ATH-M50 headphones. I tested the EVE SC307 in the store along other brands and models and they sounded like a dream to me. I can't afford them yet because i have to move in another country, but i'll save money for them soon enough.

Compared to his actual KRKs, the ESI Unik which you can call them "budget-like" studio monitors, deliver alot more quality than you expect for the price. I worked for a year and a half on Adam A7x in the past and when ESI Unik got released, i checked the 8" model in the store and they sounded really close to the Adams (even better than their F series), which is a good thing. They will release a revision of the Unik this year, called Unik+ , i was impressed with the new features they added. I mentioned these speakers again, because if anyone is poor here and he wants accuracy,good sound and reliability, ESI monitors are more than a steal for the money they pay. I would even pick them over Yammahas, but some people would go with Yammies maybe for the brand reputation, but build quality wise, Esi are more reliable than the Yammies.

 

I actually forgot all about this post ! Thats for the advice after giving it a read through I have decided to stick with the KRKs for now get some room acoustics up and my lil studio area all set then I will look into getting better speakers!