Is it worth it to go cheap on studio monitors?

[Kostyam]

https://www.xlr8r.com/features/2016/03/ ... n-bradley/ . Cheap monitors, not treated the room. Perhaps this is a matter of habit. I have seen a few such examples (sorry for my english)

Read the article.
He records all his tracks down to channel stems and then mixes them down in his friends professional studio to make a proper pre-master, sorry to spoil the illusion that gave you hope....

Yes, but most of the work he is doing at home on this equipment. And, as you know, if the material is initially crappy, then later in the studio to do good is not... my еnglish is bad, but I think you know what I mean

[Mattias]

https://www.xlr8r.com/features/2016/03/ ... n-bradley/ . Cheap monitors, not treated the room. Perhaps this is a matter of habit. I have seen a few such examples (sorry for my english)

No problem with your english but....

I listen to them twice and then I take them to a friend’s studio with the single audio tracks to do a proper mix-down. He is a mastering engineer and has a good monitoring system, so I make a proper pre-master and then send it off to mastering.

You'll probably be surprised how many people are actually doing the above.

[Lost to the Void]

https://www.xlr8r.com/features/2016/03/ ... n-bradley/ . Cheap monitors, not treated the room. Perhaps this is a matter of habit. I have seen a few such examples (sorry for my english)

Read the article.
He records all his tracks down to channel stems and then mixes them down in his friends professional studio to make a proper pre-master, sorry to spoil the illusion that gave you hope....

Yes, but most of the work he is doing at home on this equipment. And, as you know, if the material is initially crappy, then later in the studio to do good is not... my еnglish is bad, but I think you know what I mean

Not strictly true, I've done client mix jobs where I have literally taken their poor shitty GM midi sounds and badly recorded vocals and using studio cleverness made it sound huge.

You can, with a good amount of skill in the studio, literally turn shit in to gold.
Maybe not gold. Shit into silver for sure.

[SFBM]

Not strictly true, I've done client mix jobs where I have literally taken their poor shitty GM midi sounds and badly recorded vocals and using studio cleverness made it sound huge.

You can, with a good amount of skill in the studio, literally turn shit in to gold.
Maybe not gold. Shit into silver for sure.

Interestingly enough, this is a (hilarious) scene from Alexander Jodorowsky's movie "The Holy Mountain". Something to do with Alchemy though, I believe.

But definitely a true point there. You can turn shit into gold with the right materials and right knowledge - but it certainly helps you a lot more if you improve the source material first!

[Mattias]

Alexander Jodorowsky's movie "The Holy Mountain".

I love that movie, hahah.

[Kuchta]

I'm going to step up and play the Cnut and say: It's not worth going cheap on anything. Ever.

Save up, then get the very best you can of anything. Never compromise.

Sure, we all have a budget, but pushing the budget as much as you can to get the very best you can afford at the time will always be worth it, no matter what you are purchasing.

Buying a cheap pair of monitors now will leave you with a sub-standard product that will be worth all of nothing on eBay in a few years. Spend a little more, in the region of what 'Lost In The Void' is suggesting and in a few years they will still have value and so if you end up on the bread line, or luckily enough to be in a position to want to upgrade, you can chop your existing monitors in and get a decent chunk back in return.

Buy cheap - Pay twice. It's a fact that is nowhere more relevant than in audio tech purchasing circles.

[Mattias]

Fully agreed.

[TimBuys]

For a long time I was thinking of buying my first analog synthesizer but at this moment I am working with +/- 100 euro speakers. To be fair when I purchased them it was a huge upgrade from the speakers I had before. I probably should invest my money in great speakers first.

[Hades]

For a long time I was thinking of buying my first analog synthesizer but at this moment I am working with +/- 100 euro speakers. To be fair when I purchased them it was a huge upgrade from the speakers I had before. I probably should invest my money in great speakers first.

honestly, yes.

If my monitors would break down tomorrow and I'd have no money left at all,
I'd sell pretty much all of my vintage synths except for maybe 1 or 2,
if that would mean I'd be able to buy my monitors again.

[Lost to the Void]

Yeah I don't get it.
People will easily blow a grand or more on a synth, yet get all shy when it comes to monitors, the things that actually make the sound, and the most important thing in the studio.

[Mattias]

Same with mixers. They buy expensive modular racks and run it through super budget sound degrading crap electronics. Weird world.

[Hades]

Same with mixers. They buy expensive modular racks and run it through super budget sound degrading crap electronics. Weird world.

hah,
definitely learned that one when I changed my old cheap soundcraft mixer for my current Midas mixer...
Should have done that years earlier.

[blnn]

The more money you spend... the more you will be sure forever, no more doubts about "sound quality".

One must have a VERY VERY VERY strong personality to feel good when having a mid range (talking about price, not "quality") equipment in the studio, and be enough satisfied/sure...

So, no doubts when you spend a big amount, the more big, the more safe.

[Hades]

The more money you spend... the more you will be sure forever, no more doubts about "sound quality".

One must have a VERY VERY VERY strong personality to feel good when having a mid range (talking about price, not "quality") equipment in the studio, and be enough satisfied/sure...

So, no doubts when you spend a big amount, the more big, the more safe.

that is, if your room acoustics are ok,
otherwise it don't matter how much money you throw at the whole thing...

[Monreal]

5 years ago I bought ROKIT 5 for production and bedroom DJing. I'd say back then it was pretty much the entry level monitors (just like my interface Scarlett 2i2) that I know of.

I think I got used to it's sound and acoustics of my room after all those years.

[Lost to the Void]

Getting used to not hearing a true and clear sound still means you are not hearing a true and clear sound.

[blnn]

The more money you spend... the more you will be sure forever, no more doubts about "sound quality".

One must have a VERY VERY VERY strong personality to feel good when having a mid range (talking about price, not "quality") equipment in the studio, and be enough satisfied/sure...

So, no doubts when you spend a big amount, the more big, the more safe.

that is, if your room acoustics are ok,
otherwise it don't matter how much money you throw at the whole thing...

Believe me, also in that situation in the room, if you spent a lot of money... you feel safer...

[Monreal]

Getting used to not hearing a true and clear sound still means you are not hearing a true and clear sound.

I mean not all of us trying to achieve a crystal clear sound but I see what you're saying.

Though I have to say my true sound and your true sound don't have to be the same exact sound, I believe these sort of "limitations" help a producer to be able to develop some sort of unique sound.

[Mattias]

Actually that is more like a false self-comfort, no offense man.

[Lost to the Void]

Getting used to not hearing a true and clear sound still means you are not hearing a true and clear sound.

I mean not all of us trying to achieve a crystal clear sound but I see what you're saying.

Though I have to say my true sound and your true sound don't have to be the same exact sound, I believe these sort of "limitations" help a producer to be able to develop some sort of unique sound.

That merely demonstrates a lack of understanding of what production is.
A true sound means you can be confident that your sound will translate accurately to many different systems from a shitty little 1k club rig up to a 100k superclub. Regardless of it being the dirtiest noise music or the cleanest pop music.