STUDIO MONITORS SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
Sweet spots T
hese days it is a very short step from buying that first guitar or digital piano to starting to record some
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There are some amazing little
boxes out there to fit the recording systems of the most modest bedroom set-up and some high quality speakers that can be had for just a few hundred quid as well.
sounds. But however easy it becomes to apply the label of ‘recording artist’ to one’s self, developing good ears remains something that only comes with time. Although the actual recording equipment, is so sophisticated and simultaneously user-friendly in these times, what the aspirants will want from dealers is the best advice about how to get that ever-elusive ‘transparent sound’. As with everything concerning the
studio, the sky is the limit, but there are some pretty amazing little boxes out there to fit the recording systems of the most modest bedroom set-up. What is more, there are some exceptionally high quality speakers out there that can be had for just a few hundred quid.
WHO YA GONNA CALL? When considering studio monitors, the first name on just about everybody’s lips is Genelec, although that is something of a recent phenomenon. A few years ago, the Finnish brand was strictly for the pros
WWW.MI-PRO.CO.UK
and priced way beyond what any casual project or home studio would consider. Today, however, Genelec has an
extremely attractive range of ‘budget’ monitors that make them accessible to the constraints of a muso’s pocket. The 8030A, which is the featured
product above, is the third smallest of the two-way range, with its price sitting at the upper levels of your average bedroom budget, but being very much an entry- level product for Genelec. The smallest of the two-way active
monitors is the 6010A, which is priced for a pair at the sub £400 mark. This little pack is aimed at computer or close- listening applications or for the travelling professional. While the speaker is only about five inches high, rest assured, a lot of Genelec quality and depth comes out of it.
Thanks to decades as the industry
standard reference monitor, the NS10M has made Yamaha one of the foremost names in studio monitoring. Whether in the home studio, pro studio or the education market you’re as likely to find a Yamaha monitor as any other brand.
As is the case across the studio sector, what was once the domain of the white-coated scientist, the all-important monitors are now almost as available as a £100 guitar. Andy Barrett positions himself dead centre to see what sounds good in the current market…
The NS10 has principally been replaced
by the HS series (of which the featured product in this article is the HS80M), which goes with the slogan ‘if your mix sounds good on these, then it will sound good anywhere’. The HS50M (two-way bass reflex, bi-amped, with a five-inch cone woofer and ¾-inch dome tweeter, 70-Watt, XLR and TRS jack inputs) is a step down from the 80 and is a great monitor for the home or small studio. These units retail for £149. The flagship Yamaha monitor is the
MSP series – designed by the original designer of the NS10. The MSP7 Studio woofer and tweeter units feature some important design innovations that contribute directly to improved sound quality. The 6.5-inch woofer, for example, features a specially treated polypropylene cone with low-damping rubber surrounds for a smooth response. Low-reflection high-rigidity die-cast magnesium baskets both maximise mechanical precision while minimising unwanted colouration. Having forged its name in the live
arena, it didn’t take Mackie long to make the move into studios. Back in the 90s, the
miPRO DECEMBER 2010 49
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