gum51820 Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 Hello, A total newb here to audio work. I've been reading up on mixing and came across the idea of having a central speaker with one cone focused on mid range frequencies for checking basic eq, frequency masking, compression?, phase shifts etc.. Then one would come across the NS-10 with toilet paper, Auratone 5C, its modern clones (including Auratone's own duplicate of it's 1985 version of the Auratone 5C, but with more range and hi-fi sound apparently). But I cannot justify paying hundreds of dollars for those types of speakers. In fact, there was a thread on this forum in 2013 that chuckled at how much the Auratone 5C were selling for even though they're not really relevant nowadays due to advancement in technology. I currently have a pair of powered Yorkville YSM1P monitors. I don't really want to always move a speaker to the center for mono checking and then to the side again for stereo, but I don't know what speaker would suffice for mono checks. The work will mostly deal with dialogue, ambient sound, maybe some voice overs and simple background music for now. Actual music mixes in the future. I'm looking to add a sub-woofer someday too. For audio interface / monitor controller, I have my eyes on Mackie Big Knob Plus, but I'm not sure if that's a suitable option Anyhow, could someone please offer some recommendations / knowledge on suitable speakers for mono checking and a suitable audio interface? Note: I know an untreated room is basically a no-go for sound mixing but, I don't really have the budget for that right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Constantin Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 Well, to be honest, without experience you may not be able to hear all those things you want to hear on a mono speaker, but without trying that experience won’t come on its own. Here‘s a thought: instead of the speaker, just move yourself to a speaker and put the mono mix there. It‘ll be a bit removed from the screen though. If you’re mixing to a movie you’ll need a center speaker eventually anyway. Probably best to get the same model as your other speakers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Steel Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 If you are wanting to check a stereo mix for phase compatibility, etc. then a simple mono sum capability should be sufficient and you would not need a separate speaker. This is a standard capability for most live and studio mixers I have used. The essence is that the monitor controller (or section on whatever mixer) sums L and R and applies the sum to both speakers whenever the mono function is engaged. So you have a mono mix, but it is coming out of two speakers and you get a "phantom center" image. I have never used the Big Knob but it has a mono button and I would expect that it has this capability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 You don't learn mixing by reading. You learn mixing by doing and listening, and listening and doing. Reading can give you things to try, but until you submerge yourself in the important part of the equation you won't learn the craft. Don't even ask questions until you've experienced enough to know specifically what to ask. For instance, the answer to this particular question is, "Use whatever you have," -- which is obvious to anyone who has learned how to listen. It's not uncommon for newbies to criticize what they consider to be smugness on the part of many working pros, but those beginners don't yet understand that the problem isn't in the answers -- it's in the questions. This isn't all directed at the O.P., but applies in general to an increasing roster of beginners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted March 5, 2020 Report Share Posted March 5, 2020 Most mixers have multiple speaker sets. One of my 'sets' is Auratones wired for mono. Most DAWs have a downmix preview option as well as scopes. Plenty of mono compatibility and scope plug-ins available as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gum51820 Posted March 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 6, 2020 21 hours ago, Constantin said: Well, to be honest, without experience you may not be able to hear all those things you want to hear on a mono speaker, but without trying that experience won’t come on its own. Thank you for understanding. Hopefully I'll obtain the skills to be able to pick out what I need to hear over time. 11 hours ago, Matthew Steel said: If you are wanting to check a stereo mix for phase compatibility, etc. then a simple mono sum capability should be sufficient and you would not need a separate speaker. This is a standard capability for most live and studio mixers I have used. The essence is that the monitor controller (or section on whatever mixer) sums L and R and applies the sum to both speakers whenever the mono function is engaged. So you have a mono mix, but it is coming out of two speakers and you get a "phantom center" image. I have never used the Big Knob but it has a mono button and I would expect that it has this capability. Thanks! Ya, I think I might just do that in the meantime. The Big Knob definitely can do that. Even if it can, daws can sum up everything before sending the audio out. 8 hours ago, John Blankenship said: You learn mixing by doing and listening, and listening and doing. Reading can give you things to try, but until you submerge yourself in the important part of the equation you won't learn the craft. Thanks, experience is definitely key! 6 hours ago, Rick Reineke said: Most mixers have multiple speaker sets. One of my 'sets' is Auratones wired for mono. Most DAWs have a downmix preview option as well as scopes. Plenty of mono compatibility and scope plug-ins available as well I definitely realized that when I was going through forums. Audio is really expensive to dip into. I'll get there slowly. In the meantime I'll probably resort to mono on phantom image or even scooting myself to one speaker..unless I can find a really good deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mano Posted March 6, 2020 Report Share Posted March 6, 2020 If you need something midrangy then the Ns10mm (the miniature ones) are very cheap used. I use them not in mono but in stereo in combination with other speakers or course. Still, you will have to learn how those speakers sound on good material and what to listen for, to be able to judge your own mixes, as with any other speaker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Reid Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 Avantone MixCube is a good option - powered, sealed box unit, it's not a faithful recreation of the Auratone, but does a great job of giving the listener a real focus on the midrange of whatever they're listening to. You can buy in pairs or singles. Build quality is good - I've been using one for the last four or so years, no complaints. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted July 5, 2020 Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 What playback situation are you modeling? A phone? Buds? Laptop? Big home theatre? Festival real movie theatre? A TV? Which one do you care about the most? My advice is to pick a speaker you like, that is a mainstream brand (like JBL etc) then learn how what you hear on it translates elsewhere. This takes some little time.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason Nightall Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 My music producing friends speak very highly of the Avantone Active MixCubes. I used to own the original NS10's and dislike them very much, very over rated in my opinion and didn't take long to give me ear fatigue. I personally use some cheap logitec speakers to reference a mix to give an idea of how it will sound to an end user. Also just listening to it off your phone on common earbud earphones will work too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Constantin Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 8 hours ago, Jason Nightall said: the original NS10's and dislike them very much, very over rated in my opinion I don’t think they were overrated at all, everyone pretty much knew that they sounded terrible, but that was the idea: if it sounds good here, it’ll sound good everywhere. And, since almost everyone had them, your mix would translate fairly well from one studio to the other studio Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 Neither the NS10 or the 5C Sound Cube were meant for your listening pleasure... at least the Auratone. The original Yamaha NS10 was sold as a consumer speaker as I recall. OTOH, the Auratone was specifically sold as a studio monitor and states on the back label, "Monitors for the real world" . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmRR Posted July 12, 2020 Report Share Posted July 12, 2020 Look at the used market for Wohler rack mount broadcast monitors, they’re usually pretty cheap. I have a 1RU and a 2RU, the 1RU is usually more revealing in comparison against my other 2 speaker sets. They have multiple input switching, and a phase meter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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