Reference Monitors

In the world of technology, time moves faster than even dog years. The Event TR6 monitors were released five years ago and are still on the market despite cripplingly old technological age.  

Gearwire's Bob DiFazio joins us once again from Skybox Studios' control room. Bob shows us the three different sets of monitors used at Skybox to get different perspectives on the mix in order to get the best mix possible.  

Avantone's new Active MixCubes, self-powered versions of their mini-reference monitors, are now available. These portable bad boys give you the straight dope on how your mix will sound coming through an average listener's system.  

Allen Sides takes us through Ocean Way Recording to give us a sneak peek at prototypes of their new HR-2A monitors a few days before they showed the monitors at NAMM. These things are beasts.  

Samson's StudioDock monitors combine the convenience of desktop monitors with some higher grade components usually fitted for studio monitors. And like every product made in the iPod era, it's got a dock.  

Did you know that Gary Kasperov recently lost a fourteen hour chess match to a 5.1 networked set of Dynaudio Air nearfield monitors? OK, that didn't happen, but the Air 12 is still the most intelligent monitor on the market.  

M-Audio's been thinking a lot about studio monitoring, and with the new Studiophile Q40 headphones as well as the BX5a Deluxe and BX8a Deluxe studio monitors, expect to see and hear more M-Audio monitoring equipment in home studios around you.  

When walking around a room, sound from a speaker changes, but when you're monitoring on headphones, the sound is constant. That's not the case with beyerdynamic's Headzone. The Headzone simulates an actual room, with changes in acoustic quality that track your movements.  

Bill Holland turns the Behringer B2031A Truth Active Monitors around and explains the controls, showing how to effectively use these monitors with your home studio.  

If you don't know what Linkwitz-Riley Filters and Active Crossover Networks are or what they do, you'd benefit from checking this video out. Bill tests the merits of Behringer and also tests the weight of the monitors. Watch as he lifts one over his head.  

Did you ever wish that your monitors were also a USB interface? Me neither, but Alesis did it anyway with the M1Active 320 USB. It is an inventive concept that makes things simpler at a basic level.  

Crosstalk 35 is here in its entirety, and Bill, Britton, and Drew expand upon their Crosstalk 34 musings on modeling and go beyond.

Crosstalk 34 saw some not-so-nice things being said about amp modeling software,...  

The Crosstalk Crew moves into a discussion about ear fatigue and monitoring. It's important to note that ear fatigue will distort your perception of the mix just as limiting your monitoring options will.

Check...  

In studio monitoring is a tricky process that requires the use of everything from high end Genelec Speakers to consumer grade computer speakers for Mike Waxman of Purgatory Studios. It is essential to get a true accurate...  

KRK systems new VXT series monitors, the VXT4 and VXT6 have just been given some protection with the release of KRK rugged protective grills. The metal grills are designed specifically for these VXT speakers and guard...  

Though we didn't have a chance to get over to the Genelec booth at AES, the monitoring giants were doing more than sitting quietly at the convention with their introduction of the SE DSP Monitoring System. The SE stands...  

IK Multimedia's ARC - Advanced Room Corrections - software promises to do everything short of physically redesigning your studio to improve your monitoring system. The combination of speakers and room acoustics have traditionally...  

Mackie introduces something new at AES that will be a treat for the ears - the HR624mk2 and HR824mk2 studio monitors. With a sleek, new redesign, the HR series gets a boost to sound more accurate with a new aluminum baffle...  

Blue Sky has released EXO 2.1, an accurate, full range, desktop monitoring system that includes a very convenient remote control and connection hub. Consider the EXO 2.1 a "Mini-Me" for larger Blue Sky systems that appear...  

In addition to their GigaStudio IV, Tascam's introduction of their new VL-A series monitors also goes down at AES. Tascam's Jim Bailey introduces us to the new series which comes in 4", 5", or 8" options and works very...  

The Monitor Station provides talk-back, speaker switching, input source switching and four extra loud headphone amplifiers. Three sets of inputs and three sets of outputs provide plenty of communication support between...  

ADAM Audio's S7A MK2 is not only a main monitor for medium to large sized control rooms, it's also Adam Audio's main model - their ultimate monitor. It was introduced to the convention-going public at AES in New York City.

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Furman is featuring their latest headphone monitoring system, the HDS-16/HRM-16 at AES. The HDS-16/HRM-16 is comprised of two components that allow musicians to individualize their headphone or monitor mixes on stage.

Mastering has long been regarded as some what of a mystical or even dark art among sound engineers. Even the best mixer might not be able to produce a decent master. There are whole studios devoted strictly to mastering,...  

The JBL LSR4328p reference monitors may not appear to be as exciting as a soft synth or DAW, but these monitors have some hidden tricks that DJ Puzzle walks through in this video. Here, DJ Puzzle takes us through the...  

The engineers ATC (Acoustic Transducer Company) have advanced the drive unit technology used in their SCM16A active nearfield monitors. The new drive unit technology serves to solve the compromise between the pros and...  

Acclaimed mixer Jeff Juliano used to rely on Yamaha NS10's to monitor his mixers until he heard those same mixes through Blue Sky's Sky System One 5.1 Configuration monitoring system. Juliano has mixed for such artists...  

Hosa Technology's Cue 5 is the first all-digital monitoring system designed specifically for the desktop recordist. The Cue 5 system's Binary Drive extends the user's all-digital signal path to include the onboard speaker...  

Gearwire's Rob Warmowski got a bug in his bonnet a couple weeks ago to find an excuse to hang out at one of Chicago's not-so-well-kept secrets, the illustrious American Science and Surplus. If you like to tinker, and build,...  

The Sub2100 from ADAM Audio was on display at the 122nd AES Convention in Vienna, Austria. This was the newest product that ADAM had at the show and Klaus Heinz was nice enough to give us an overview on it.

First...