User Manual

2
A Brief Tutorial on Studio Monitors
Selecting the Right Speaker
The first big consideration when selecting studio
monitors is your mixing environment. Unfortunately, for
many project-studio owners, this can’t be easily changed.
How big is your room? If you’re mixing in a small room,
a studio monitor with an eight-inch woofer might
overpower the space. On the flip side, if you’re mixing in
a large room, you’ll want a bigger speaker so you can run
your monitor system more eciently.
How close are your neighbors? If you’re mixing in an
apartment, you may want to consider smaller speakers
that sound great at lower volumes like the Eris E5 or Eris
E44.
Once you’ve evaluated your listening environment, go
listen to some speakers at your local music store. Be sure
to take along a comprehensive assortment of well-mixed
recordings with which you’re familiar and that reflect
the type of music you’ll mix on your new monitor system.
Keep in mind that MP3s can sound brittle and harsh on
higher-fidelity speakers, so don’t use compressed files.
You should also keep in mind that the listening
environment in a music retailer is not always optimal. If
you think this might be the case, it may be a good idea
to rent two or three of the potential candidates and take
them for a test drive in your mix space before purchasing
your final selection.
The most important elements to listen for are:
Bass response. Is it tight and controlled or boomy
and poorly defined? A well-designed studio monitor
will deliver punchy, musical bass. If you can’t hear
the note, just “feel” it, it’s probably best to move on to
another option.
Mid-frequency response. This can be challenging
to hear because the notorious scooped “smiley
face” EQ that’s applied to nearly every consumer
speaker carves out the mids, so you may not be used
to hearing them. A well-designed studio monitor will
have an even midrange. This is important because
vocals and most instruments “live” in the midrange.
Make sure you can hear the attack of the snare
drum and that the vocals and guitars are vibrant and
present.
High-frequency response. Are the cymbals and hi-
hats crisp and shimmery? Or do they have a brittle
edge? A well-designed studio monitor will provide
crisp high end without harshness. You should also be
able to hear reverb tails and the “breath” in the vocal.
Linear frequency response. Do some instruments
seem more exaggerated than others? Does the
vocal seem to vanish as it navigates the notes in the
melody? A well-designed studio monitor will provide
a smooth, linear frequency curve throughout its
reproduction range. A monitor like this will ensure
that your mix will translate well from room to room
and speaker to speaker.
Stereo image. A well-designed studio monitor
will provide a wide stereo image. Close your eyes.
Can you hear the pan placement of the drums?
Can you “hear the room” in which the music was
recorded? The better the stereo imaging is on your
studio monitors, the easier it will be to separate the
components in your mix.
Finally, and most important, your personal taste will
always be the final determining factor. There is no right
or wrong answer. You may love the top end on a pair of
studio monitors and mix great records using them, while
someone else finds that same top end harsh and edgy.
Choose the monitors that work best for your room, the
musical genres you’ll work in, and the way you mix. Go
with what your ears tell you.