The monitoring chain is arguably the most important part of anyone’s set up. There is a phrase in manufacturing that goes, “You can’t make what you can’t measure”. The same is true for audio; you can’t judge what you can’t hear. When you are mixing you have a couple dynamics that can come into play, monitors, D/A (digital to analog) conversion, and your room. Monitors are all a bit different, and in most cases you get what you pay for. Spending money on a quality pair of monitors could be the best bang for your buck over time. Many mixers and engineers are using brands like Adam, Dynaudio, Genelec, Klein and Hummel, Proac, Quested, Tannoy, and cult classics like Yamaha NS10’s. It’s true that having the best monitors in the world will not make you a great mixer, but with ear training overtime, it is a skill you can develop. In any case you want monitors that can relay the aural truth to you. Every decision you make in your studio is based on what you are hearing, and it all travels through your D/A to your monitors.
Digital to Analog conversion is a widely debated audio beast. I will say that I have had the opportunity to hear what a simple modification from a company like Black Lion Audio can do for your recordings and monitoring. Companies like this can get mid grade market items like Maudio, Motu, and some Digidesign interfaces sounding quite nice, and majorly improve their stock performances. Obviously brands like Apogee, Mytek, Lavry, and Cranesong to name a few have superb conversion and sound great out of the box. If you do a lot of outboard processing or serious mix sessions, good conversion will go along way. This section is basically to make you aware of the options out there, and not necessarily take you deep into the mysterious tunnel of conversion.
Small studio rooms can be a problem for everyone, but some acoustical room treatment can be the cure for some of the issues. Most small rooms have a resonant frequency of 60-80hz depending on the size and shape of the room. Putting bass traps in all corners of your room from the ceiling down will give your room more accurate bass response. Companies like Real Traps and Auralex both offer some decent products for acoustical issues. Creating a dead control wall behind your monitors can also help a correct image in a small room. Using diffusers or other products at the first reflection points, ceiling, and back wall, will give your room a much larger sound, and keep unwanted high and mid frequency reflections to a minimum. How much should you add? More is always better in smaller rooms, but as your budget allows consider the most problematic areas first and address them. Be aware that you can be mixing to the frequency response of your room and not necessarily your music. If you plan on creating music for the long term, the better your room and monitors, the better chance you’ll give yourself to hear, improve, and complete your goals.