Studio monitor speakers are used in professional audio production environments. These pieces of equipment have enjoyed a steady rise in popularity in recent years. This has brought to the professional audio scene the varying numbers of monitor speakers available. These include mono, bi, and tri-amped speakers; sealed and ported cabinet speakers; and nearfield and midfield speakers.
With so many options, selecting the right studio monitor speakers is an important and critical step in making your music production experience a smooth one. To help guide you in selecting the best monitor speakers, here are a few tips you can follow:
1. Consider The Pricing
Cost is the main factor a buyer of a monitor speaker would reasonably consider before a purchase. The prices of monitor speakers range from a few hundred dollars to as high as thousands of dollars.
Many times, buyers are only looking to buy budget studio monitor speakers, partly due to the need to spend money on other production gear. The other part is that speaker quality or functionality is not primarily dependent on price as a major determinant.
Thus, carry out adequate research and due diligence when it comes to the functions you want in a speaker. Then, you can get a low-priced speaker that would do its job perfectly.
2. Buy Flat Speakers
If you are looking for some degree of precision in your speaker output, you should be looking to buy a flat speaker. Flatness in speakers is a relative topic because no speaker is flat in the real sense. However, some are closer to flatness than others. Speakers with built-in equalization frequency (EQ) can achieve near-flatness than those without it.
Speaker flatness guarantees that your speaker gives a neutral response anytime a sound is produced from it. Flat speaker sounds are great because they produce the raw sounds imputed to them without any extra twist. In combination with sound neutrality, monitor speakers must possess a satisfactory tonal balance. This can help people working as audio professionals not to have incessant needs to mix otherwise unnecessary aspects of an audio file until the balance is achieved.
3. Check The Listening Distance And Room Space Conditions
Nearfield monitor speakers are those that require a shorter listening range compared to midfield ones. Expectedly, nearfield monitor speakers are perfectly suited for small studio productions, while midfield speakers are for larger studios. This means larger rooms are proportionate to speaker sizes.
The acoustics of the room should also be considered before selecting a speaker. This is because if it is not critically weighed, it can mar audio production processes. For those genuinely interested in production quality, studio size is not the only variable to consider when selecting a speaker. Watch out for room resonances and reflectiveness while you’re in the process of selecting.
4. Find Out About The Frequency Response
The frequency response of a speaker relates directly to the bass response it produces. Satisfactory bass response is good for speaker sound. The low-frequency extension, sensitivity, and size are what determine a speaker’s bass response.
General rules that govern the interactions between the three determinants of a speaker’s bass response include the following:
- High bass levels and loud playback require a larger speaker size
- High bass levels and smaller sizes amount to a trade-off on playback volume
- Loud and small speakers mean lower bass levels.
Different designs are created to minimize the effect of these rules. All you need to do is to figure out what you need and make your decisions based on them. In-depth bass responses are not a fixed variable in monitor speakers for general category people. However, if your production requires a good bass level, you might do well to weigh the low-end variations that may affect your projects.
6. Check The Dynamic Range And Distortion
The drivers in speakers have different wattages. Conventionally, a speaker with more wattage will produce a more dynamic range, thus eliminating sound distortion. These speakers can produce clear and clean sounds.
This is an important consideration because a speaker with a wattage too low will not produce the expected sound quality. Here, the diaphragm will not be able to push and pull sufficiently. This then results in a dynamic range compression and distortion. You can sniff the details of this feature out on a manufacturer’s specs sheet.
Bottom Line
Studio monitor speakers are an important tool in your audio production. The effectiveness of a monitor speaker is determined significantly by what audio quality you will end up with after production and editing.
Considerations to make include pricing. It turns out you don’t need to go overboard with a budget before you can acquire a good monitor speaker. Inquire into other variables such as speaker flatness, the listening distance of the speakers, bass frequency response, the dynamic range and distortion, and the room space into which you will be placing the speaker.
