Studio Monitors…
We did tons of research and tried out as many monitors as we could so we could find the best currently available at each price point. Regardless of your budget, you can’t go wrong with getting any of the monitors listed here, but of course the higher the price the better the quality.
(Keep in mind, you need an audio interface to connect your studio monitors to your computer).
Why studio monitors compared to normal speakers?
Studio monitors have a flat frequency response. This means that they won’t add their own ‘colour’ to the sound (which all commercial speakers do). When producing and mixing music, you must be able to hear everything you’re doing with utmost accuracy, meaning the speakers won’t be producing “extra bass’ to make the music more appealing to the audience. Whilst a lot of monitors will be advertised as having a flat frequency response, few have a truly flat frequency response and the ones listed here are as close as you can get for the price points!
Wide frequency response. Good studio monitors reproduce as much of the audible frequency range humans are capable of hearing as possible. For example, normal computer or commercial speakers won’t cut it because they won’t reproduce the very low frequencies that are crucial to producing any popular music. Even if they sound ‘Bassy’ that doesn’t actually mean they reproduce frequencies bellow 60Hz, which you need to be able to hear when mixing music.
Studio monitors introduce much lower distortion levels than consumer speakers, meaning that even if you drive the speaker input hard (increase the volume a lot) you will still hear a clear, accurate representation of the mix.
Natural stereo soundstage! This means that the perception of an instrument being further to the left, right, back or front in a production will actually come through the speakers, and it’ll sound as though it’s an actual musician placed at different positions on a stage playing their instrument. Of course, where in the soundstage they are positioned will be determined by you during the production and mixing process.
Important:
All monitors listed here (except the cheapest one which is intended as a DJ speaker rather than a studio monitor) have a frequency response that extends low enough to accurately represent the demanding low-end of modern music. This takes away the need for a sub-woofer which can cause big sound problems in a studio that is not properly acoustically treated. Be careful if you see reviews in other websites. Make sure the monitors have a wide enough frequency response, especially if you produce music with an emphasis on bass like most electronic music.
Top Picks
We have done extensive research and personally tried out most of the equipment to list the top choices for you at the best prices we could find. This is the best gear currently available. With higher prices comes better quality, but you won’t go wrong with any of these choices for their price point.
Pioneer DM-40 Active Monitor Speakers – £129
JBL LSR305 Active Studio Monitors with Free Stands (Pair) £239
JBL LSR308 Active Studio Monitors with Free Stands (Pair) £356
Yamaha HS8 with Free Stands and Cables (Pair) £491.00
Adam A7X Active Studio Monitors with Free Stands (Pair) £918.00
Adam A77X Pair with Free Stands £1,358.00
Neumann KH310A Active Studio Monitor (Pair) £2,644.00
Focal SM9 Monitors Bellow (Must buy both for pair)
Focal SM9 Active Studio Monitor (Left only) £2659.00
Focal SM9 Active Studio Monitor (Right only) £2659.00
Price Disclaimer: Please double check the price before buying as they frequency change, and this blog post may not list the most up to date prices!
About Soundflow Music Academy
We offer one to one audio engineering, music production & DJ courses. Taught by experienced and accredited tutors in studios utilising only top of the range equipment such as Pioneer CDJ 2000nxs2 and DJM900nxs2. Our goal is to provide the best possible music production and DJ tuition, as well as incredible real world opportunities for our students such as club gigs, label releases, industry meet ups and more.
Courses
If you want to learn how to DJ from scratch or simply hone your skills, you can enrol on the Intro to DJ or Complete DJ course. If you want to learn how to produce music at the highest standard, you can enrol on our Intro to Music Production, Music Production & Sound Engineering or the Mixing & Mastering courses!
A Soundflow Music Academy publication,
Written by Nikos Argalias
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