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  #1  
Old 03-12-2018, 11:53 PM
Jkob Jkob is offline
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Default Need some advice with speakers

Hi.

I'm about to improve my recording area a bit and I need an ok pair of speakers. I've got Fast Track Pro and I'm a bit confused, do I need a pair of active or passive speakers or will they both work?
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Old 03-13-2018, 05:01 AM
JakeStone JakeStone is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkob View Post
Hi.

I'm about to improve my recording area a bit and I need an ok pair of speakers. I've got Fast Track Pro and I'm a bit confused, do I need a pair of active or passive speakers or will they both work?
If plugging directly into the Fast Track ..
you will need Powered Speakers.
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Old 03-13-2018, 08:15 AM
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KevWind KevWind is offline
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As Jake said the Fast Track by itself is only putting out a preamp level signal and will need to be amplified to power seperate speakers .

Which can be accomplished by either an outboard amp and passive speakers, or with simply active speakers (that come with their own built in amps)

The active speaker options is arguably the more economical particularly in the low to mid budget range

So first, establish a budget range you feel comfortable with then ask for suggestions or shop.
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Old 03-13-2018, 10:18 AM
jim1960 jim1960 is offline
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On the low end ($150-$200 each), the monitors I've heard get some praise are these:
JBL 305P MkII
Mackie MR624
Yamaha HS5
Mackie MR824

Keep in mind, however, monitors are a subjective thing. What sounds good to one person can sound inadequate to another.
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Old 03-13-2018, 12:24 PM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is offline
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I'd stick with powered monitors. Even the really high-end stuff is going mostly powered now (e.g. DynAudio, Genelec, Focal, et al). And that saves you the math of trying to optimize the amp with speaker's expected impedance & min/max power handling.

Not sure what your budget is, but Focal just came out with a series of really inexpensive reference monitors (inexpensive for them). They start at $299 each (so like $600 a pair). When you consider that their pro reference speakers are $1900 each, that's quite a deal. You can check them out here: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...studio-monitor

I really (really!) like DynAudio monitors, they have spatial imaging that is so precise & a super flat response...but their cheapest option is the Lyd 5, which comes in at $600 each. So not really a budget option. You can check those out here: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/det...-monitor-black

Of course the other models mentioned are being used in small project studios all over. Of those I probably lean towards the Yamahas...but that could be because of all those years of having NS10s as my 2nd set of monitors.

In the end you need to go with what you like that fits in your budget. Once you learn a set of speakers you can make good mixes on them. You'll just need some time to get comfortable with whatever you end up choosing.

Also keep i mind that the smaller speakers are not giving you any of the real low end. The Yamahas stop around 54Hz, the DynAudios cut off around 50Hz, and the Focal cut off around 45Hz.

All of those are low enough for guitar (low e on a guitar is around 83Hz) the low e on a bass guitar is around 42Hz. So even if you drop your low E to a C for alternate tunings, any of those monitors will be fine. It's just as you get to full bands or lower instruments that you will be "mixing blind" on the low notes.

Hope that arms you with some good info for your search.
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Old 03-13-2018, 02:00 PM
Jkob Jkob is offline
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Thanks all.

I need to check these options, you really gave me something to think about.
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Old 03-13-2018, 09:29 PM
Rudy4 Rudy4 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkob View Post
Hi.

I'm about to improve my recording area a bit and I need an ok pair of speakers. I've got Fast Track Pro and I'm a bit confused, do I need a pair of active or passive speakers or will they both work?
Do your homework.

I ended up purchasing a set of Presonus Eris 5 powered monitors. They were the best option in an actual desktop monitor and they are compact enough for my space but still have 5-1/4" drivers.

You'll also need a set of balanced 1/4" cables to connect your monitors to interface, but do check what you actually need. Most interfaces have a 1/4" balanced output option.
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Old 03-13-2018, 10:16 PM
David MacNeill David MacNeill is offline
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Plus 1 on the Yamaha HS5. Add the matching HS8S sub and you are rocking for well under a grand.
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Old 03-14-2018, 12:18 AM
Jkob Jkob is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David MacNeill View Post
Plus 1 on the Yamaha HS5. Add the matching HS8S sub and you are rocking for well under a grand.
I guess I'm going to go with the HS7, little bit better on the low end, 159 €/piece.
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Old 03-14-2018, 07:30 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkob View Post
I guess I'm going to go with the HS7, little bit better on the low end, 159 €/piece.
In my last purchase I ended up with monitors with 5.25" drivers. Initially I purchased a pair (different manufacturer) with 7" drivers but I returned them. They probably performed better at lower frequencies, but for my acoustic guitar use I didn't need that low end and the model with the smaller drivers seemed to be more articulate/precise and have better imaging. I was in the market for monitors in the range of $400/pair, so my experience of several years ago and my budget limit may not be relevant to you at this time. My advice would be to try to optimize the monitor characteristics against how they will typically be used.
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Old 03-14-2018, 05:16 PM
DupleMeter DupleMeter is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jkob View Post
I guess I'm going to go with the HS7, little bit better on the low end, 159 €/piece.
Those are great little nearfields. Take some time to listen to a lot of music that you're really familiar with and get to know them before you start mixing on them.

I'm sure you're going to be happy with them.
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  #12  
Old 03-14-2018, 05:40 PM
midwinter midwinter is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by David MacNeill View Post
Plus 1 on the Yamaha HS5. Add the matching HS8S sub and you are rocking for well under a grand.
That's what I went with for my first "real" monitor purchase. Very, very happy.
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