PC Monitors: Can I use my....

jblaven · #1 12-18-2002, 10:10 AM

digital Sony receiver with my Yamaha speakers as my monitors?

I think I read this was possible somewhere. Any ideas?

**Josh Ryan** · #2 12-18-2002, 10:27 AM

Are you looking for flat response for mixing/mastering? You may want to look at the specs for those items and see what they do to the sound. Most speakers have a hell of acurve built in, so mixing on them might be tough.

jblaven · #3 12-18-2002, 10:40 AM

Yeah, I guess I see what you are saying. The sound coming from the speakers might not be exactly as the recording?

How about using headphones as an alternative? At the moment I am looking for a low cost alternative to having to buy monitors. Can headphones serve as my monitors?

If so, what would you use if money was a concern.

**Josh Ryan** · #4 12-18-2002, 11:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by jblaven
Yeah, I guess I see what you are saying. The sound coming from the speakers might not be exactly as the recording?

How about using headphones as an alternative? At the moment I am looking for a low cost alternative to having to buy monitors. Can headphones serve as my monitors?

If so, what would you use if money was a concern.

I would use AKG 240M. Opinions vary widely on this, so I look around a bit. They sell for about $80.

merlin · #5 12-18-2002, 06:09 PM

I wouldnt use headphones for mixing. It gives u a false sense of the finalmix. *found out the hard way* Headphones blast the sound right into your ear drum and the frequency response and intensity is different.

Have monitors, even stereo speakers as most people will be playing the music through their home Hi-Fi's. Just come out of your sound card into a amp or stereo and run the speakers off that.

Merls

**Josh Ryan** · #6 12-18-2002, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by merlin
I wouldnt use headphones for mixing. It gives u a false sense of the finalmix. *found out the hard way* Headphones blast the sound right into your ear drum and the frequency response and intensity is different.

Have monitors, even stereo speakers as most people will be playing the music through their home Hi-Fi's. Just come out of your sound card into a amp or stereo and run the speakers off that.

Merls

I respectfully, but almost completely, disagree. I would much rather use flat response monitor headphones than regular stereo speakers. I find that mixing on a random pair of stereo speakers gives a person a very one sided perspective on a mix. I do agree that headphones are far from ideal.

Johnalex · #7 12-18-2002, 10:55 PM

The home stereo components will work but as previouly said they are not acurate. Most have biult in EQ and semi dynamic. The cheapest and best way to check the mix of yur recordings is to try it on severeal different devices, such as you car stereo, computer speakers, home stereo,hmm...that little alarm clock you have sitting around with the biult in CD player, with headphones. Just try different things and work on getting a sound that sounds good on them all..after all people don't listen to music with $400+ studio monitors.

**Josh Ryan** · #8 12-18-2002, 10:59 PM

check it with those things, but mix it with something flat, IMO.

Easy Money · #9 12-18-2002, 11:29 PM

I'm gonna have to agree with Blisshead on this one.

Mix it down with the flattest response you can get, then check the mix on everything else you can get your hands on. If it doesn't sound good overall, make notes and remix.

When I'm working in the studio, we mix down with the studio monitors (Mackie HR824's), but always check the mix with headphones, home stereo, car stereo, cheap jam box, etc.

I suppose, you could eventually get an equally good sound regardless of what you mix down on at first, but you're gonna save yourself a lot of work by mixing down with the least colored speakers you can get ahold of.

merlin · #10 12-19-2002, 02:52 AM

Idealy sure, mix with a flat response. But like i said, you'll get a kickass mix on your flat response monitors, take it over to a mates place and he'll go "man this sounds odd" I've seen/heard it before.

Most people live with the imperfection of average speakers, so, like many people said, i use a variety of setups to get that ultimate final mix. I use headphones to make sure nothing is too bassy, but apart from that, no way. The sound of headphones is so completely different from the sound coming out of the standard stereo in your living room.

But having said that, that is the way i do it, and have had good results. There is no wrong IMHO, Blisshead, the way you do it, probably has excellent results too. Its all personal and its all how peoples ears can adjust.

Me personally, dont like and cannot mix effectively through headphones, yet some can.

Merls

Oysterman · #11 12-19-2002, 04:38 AM

Headphones are wrong because you can't get proper stereo imaging with them. Levels on hard panned channels may turn out funny because of that. And you can't discover phase cancellation issues with them either.

Oysterman · #12 12-19-2002, 04:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by merlin
Idealy sure, mix with a flat response. But like i said, you'll get a kickass mix on your flat response monitors, take it over to a mates place and he'll go "man this sounds odd" I've seen/heard it before.

Then you must be using your monitors the wrong way. Or perhaps it doesn't sound as kickass as you'd thought first.

Quote:

Originally posted by Johnalex
after all people don't listen to music with $400+ studio monitors.

I do. All the time.

**Josh Ryan** · #13 12-19-2002, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Oysterman
Headphones are wrong because you can't get proper stereo imaging with them. Levels on hard panned channels may turn out funny because of that. And you can't discover phase cancellation issues with them either.

I know, I use software to cheat when mixing with headphones.