More stupid questions

[Window-Licker]

Okay, ive trying to figure out basic costs for a home studio type setup, ive been looking at sound cards, i have a few mics, cables etc.

Im looking into buying a new amp and then building an isolation box for the cab to sit in so i can record at loud volumes.

Im just unsure now about monitors, do propper monitor speakers make much difference? at the moment i am using a creative labs 2.1 set, very small speakers but they sound good (well, for gaming atleast), i have the option to connect through my surround sound amp if needs be, just wondering if its worth paying out for purpose built speakers, i was mainly looking at some of the m-audio range, around £99-170 ish they have a couple of powered 5" and 8" sets.

[aisuru]

dedicated reference monitors do make a difference for mixing. the Creative ones will have a lot of colouration, designed to make the music sound good, which may not be present on other speakers. idealy, studio monitors should have very little colouration, and have a very flat frequency response. that way you can tailor the levels to sound decent on all systems.

[TwilightOdyssey]

You can mix on anything you know really well. The problems, however are twofold:

1. You really need something with a lot of resolution, because there may be artifacts that are getting lost by lower resolution loudspeakers. Also, loudspeakers designed to 'sound nice' generally have a false EQ curve and weird resonances that make it difficult to mix accurately.

2. If you have bright speakers, for example, your mixes will probably sound dull when played on a speaker with flatter response.

The way around this is to play your mix on as many different systems as possible. However, careful recording and mixing can get you 90% of the way there. If you're not mixing for commercial purposes, you should be fine.

[TwilightOdyssey]

By the way, your question isn't stupid at all! In fact, this is one of the more important threads active at the moment, imo.

[38thBeatle]

Something I would add ( and it depends upon your space available) is to allocate listening space- you could put your moniters there. It can give you space to sit and listen to what you have recorded. If you are recording for hours at the console a move to a different part of the room and you will be amazed at what you hear. Also, as Ben (TO) touched upon, some speakers tend to flatter a sound and the point of getting decent monitors is to enable you to hear a wider spectrum of sound.

[aisuru]

i find the best way to test a mix is to burn it to a CD, then go and play it on as many different types of system as you can. small portables, bigger Hi-fis, in cars. they all sound different, and they'll all give you an idea of how your mix sounds in the real world. this will help you get to know your mixing speakers as well.

keep a good pair of headphones handy too, they'll provide a lot of detail if used correctly.

many pro studios have two or more sets of monitors for reference, so keep the Creative ones handy if you choose to replace them, they'll still be usefull for comparison tests.

[TwilightOdyssey]

Another thing to do, as well, is to MAKE SURE you listen back to your mix in mono!