#1
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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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Yamaha Ll-16 Yamaha A3r vintage sunburst http://www.myspace.com/thepintofnoreturn Irish drinking songs in finnish |
#2
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Quote:
you will need Powered Speakers. |
#3
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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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Enjoy the Journey.... Kev... KevWind at Soundcloud KevWind at YouYube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...EZxkPKyieOTgRD System : Studio system Avid Carbon interface , PT Ultimate 2023.12 -Mid 2020 iMac 27" 3.8GHz 8-core i7 10th Gen ,, Ventura 13.2.1 Mobile MBP M1 Pro , PT Ultimate 2023.12 Sonoma 14.4 |
#4
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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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Jim 2023 Iris ND-200 maple/adi 2017 Circle Strings 00 bastogne walnut/sinker redwood 2015 Circle Strings Parlor shedua/western red cedar 2009 Bamburg JSB Signature Baritone macassar ebony/carpathian spruce 2004 Taylor XXX-RS indian rosewood/sitka spruce 1988 Martin D-16 mahogany/sitka spruce along with some electrics, zouks, dulcimers, and banjos. YouTube |
#5
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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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-Steve 1927 Martin 00-21 1986 Fender Strat 1987 Ibanez RG560 1988 Fender Fretless J Bass 1991 Washburn HB-35s 1995 Taylor 812ce 1996 Taylor 510c (custom) 1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition) 1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition) 1998 Taylor 912c (Custom) 2019 Fender Tele |
#6
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Thanks all.
I need to check these options, you really gave me something to think about.
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Yamaha Ll-16 Yamaha A3r vintage sunburst http://www.myspace.com/thepintofnoreturn Irish drinking songs in finnish |
#7
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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. |
#8
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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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#9
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I guess I'm going to go with the HS7, little bit better on the low end, 159 €/piece.
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Yamaha Ll-16 Yamaha A3r vintage sunburst http://www.myspace.com/thepintofnoreturn Irish drinking songs in finnish |
#10
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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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Chuck 2012 Carruth 12-fret 000 in Pernambuco and Adi 2010 Poling Sierra in Cuban Mahogany and Lutz 2015 Posch 13-fret 00 in Indian Rosewood and Adi Last edited by ChuckS; 03-14-2018 at 07:43 AM. |
#11
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Quote:
I'm sure you're going to be happy with them.
__________________
-Steve 1927 Martin 00-21 1986 Fender Strat 1987 Ibanez RG560 1988 Fender Fretless J Bass 1991 Washburn HB-35s 1995 Taylor 812ce 1996 Taylor 510c (custom) 1996 Taylor 422-R (Limited Edition) 1997 Taylor 810-WMB (Limited Edition) 1998 Taylor 912c (Custom) 2019 Fender Tele |
#12
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That's what I went with for my first "real" monitor purchase. Very, very happy.
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