2 Cheap Monitors or 1 Expensive ?

[xFkx]

Hey !

I'm frustrated with mixing on my creative 2.1 system (especialy as the resoults are really shity).


I want to buy some studio monitors but i have limited founds. I can either buy a pair of Alesis m1 620... or.. I can dish out the cash for a single msp-5 or hs-50 unit.

Is it wise to mix on one monitor ? I'll intend to buy the second yamaha in a matter of a month or two but right now i would be stuck with one.


Your opinions ?

(Yes, i know this sounds really lame :zombie: )

 

[smy1]

Welllllll ...

Some people mix 50-80% of their mixtime in mono on one speaker, but nobody would ever mix a whole record etc. on a single speaker, since it usually is reproduced in stereo on two speakers.

What you *could* do, though, is try to pan on your creative 2.1 speakers and EQ/level on the single speaker.

Then again, I would just save up the money and buy two when you got enough dough.

OTOH, it could be a really interesting experience and you can probably learn a lot from the mono-mixing. You'd need a stereo-to-mono connection though ...

 

[xFkx]

What you *could* do, though, is try to pan on your creative 2.1 speakers and EQ/level on the single speaker.

Yeah, that was my idea too...

I wish i could wait and save up the money but the deadline on the project i'm working on is 2 weeks from now

 

[smy1]

Yeah, that was my idea too...

I wish i could wait and save up the money but the deadline on the project i'm working on is 2 weeks from now

Just make sure you are aware of the fact that mixing in mono does feel quite different from stereo. But if you get it sounding good there. It will sound great on your other speakers in stereo.

If you mix rock/metal, try the Cardinal Points Mixing approach where you basically pan every mono source either hard L, hard R or Center. Will translate really well in mono and makes mixes really wide and punchy. Doesn't always work, especially if you have a lot of stereo mics, but I use it very often and like it a lot. For more info go here:

http://recforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/t/13724/0/

 

[sparkyness]

I have to say that I'm a big Left-Centre-Right fan as well. Not everything ends up LCR (e.g. toms), but it's simplified my approach and I've achieved greater clarity in my mixes. The mono translation is much better. The place I interned at back in the day had an ancient desk in what we called the "grunge" room which only had pan switches for L-C-R instead of pan pots. A lot of creativity within limitations in those days

I use a single monitor for checking mono compatibility periodically but couldn't imagine working in mono all day. A lot of dudes do though....the old timers tend to have a single aurotone hanging about.

 

[Soundlurker]

Yeah, that was my idea too...

I wish i could wait and save up the money but the deadline on the project i'm working on is 2 weeks from now

Borrow some money or buy from a store that can break the price into monthly payments.

 

[nwright]

IMO, The MSP-5 or HS-50 is not much of a step up from the 620's. I'd just get the 620's.

 

[siegfried]

Why not to simply use "mono" switch in master fader? Or you could do this and turn one of your speakers off, right?

 

[xFkx]

Borrow some money or buy from a store that can break the price into monthly payments.

Wish i could, anywho.. i just went out and bought a single ns-80. I'll test run it in the evening

 

[Metaltastic]

(HS-80). And sweet, keep us informed!

 

[Genius Gone Insane]

Am I the only one perturbed by this thread?

 

[Dave1978]

Buy a set of cheap monitors. It allows you to work at least. And then save your money and get a pair of good monitors soon.

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

You can't come up with at least $200?

 

[DevilJaw]

yes, this forum is taking on too many "perturbed" threads. lol.

but if can't even come up with $200, why even try?

 

[xFkx]

I blew all my money on my guitar rig

Here's what i've got with mixing on the creative 2.1:

http://theaesthetic.neostrada.pl/ep_47_3.mp3

 

[Pot]

Buy a set of cheap monitors. It allows you to work at least. And then save your money and get a pair of good monitors soon.

Save money to invest...that´s what i and many did i´m sure

 

[Loren Littlejohn]

Holly fuck you can't even come up with $200?

I say to hell with the whole idea then until you can.

 

[xFkx]

Shit, finaly got my overdue paycheck, going to get the second hs-80 t'day.. woohoo.

 

[AdamWathan]

I don't really see the need to belittle the dude over his income, he just asked a question...

 

[cobhc]

I don't really see the need to belittle the dude over his income, he just asked a question...

Exactly. If the dude can't come up with the dough all at once, then leave him be. Some people have shitloads of bills and very little spare cash each month.