Choosing Studio Monitors: Basic Guide!

Studio monitors, also known as reference speakers, are a set of loud speakers designed for audio work such as music production, radio, TV, and film.

Note: This article will NOT be giving you any advice. Only sharing information. In the end, you can pick what's right for you. If you like the sound coming from the speakers, then it's the right speakers for you!

As a beat maker, you're going to want to have a set of speakers that will give you detail, clarity, and accuraracy when mixing! They are a must have if you want your mixes to translate well on to other systems.

When choosing studio monitors here are some basic features to look for.

Powered and Unpowered Monitors: A Powered monitor is a speaker that has its own internal power, or internal amp. An unpowered monitor needs an external source for power to get it turned on.



Passive and Active:
Similar to the one above, though it has a subtle difference. A passive monitor/s needs to be hook up to an external amplifier to get sound. It does well if you already have a mixer amplifier, and an overall less expensive option, but you'll have to deal with more lines and cables. Active monitors already have a built in amplification system so you won't have to hook it up to an external mixing amp.

Frequency Response:
Sound covers a wide range of frequencies that our ears can detect, ranging from 20 hz to 20,000 hz or 20khz. Generally divided into low, mid, and high frequencies, you'll want to keep these features in mind. For starting off on a steep budget, anywhere from 85hz-22khz is plenty for a lot of music. Though of course, you can go as long as 40hz-22khz if you want to spend more.

The frequency response must be flat across the entire spectrum. Meaning no boosting or cutting in certain areas. In other words, those home theatre systems that sound excellent for movies and games, may not be a wise option for producing and recording music. It will make some areas of your music sound interesting, but its not giving you a true accurate representation of how your mix will sound on other systems (i.e. your car, PA system, Ipod headphones).



Driver Size and Bi-Amplification:
The design of a typical studio monitor speaker is divided into 2 drivers; high-frequency & low-frequency. The high-frequency driver, a.k.a tweeter, reproduces sounds at higher frequencies. The low-frequency driver (woofer) producers frequencies at mid and lower levels. A bi-amplified design has both the woofer and the tweeter built with an amplifier. If you look at the picture on top, the tweeter speaker is the tiny one on top, while the woofer is the large one on the bottom.

When choosing speakers, you're going to find monitors that have a range 4"-8" drivers. Generally, larger drivers handle lower frequencies well, which may help if your into making hip hop beats. That sub-boomy feel your after may give you ideas to invest in a pair of monitors that have large drivers. If you're home studio has limited desktop space where you'll be producing music, then even 4" is more than enough. Especially if you have people living in the house who come knocking on your door when you blast your music.

Important note: bigger isn't always better!

Which brings me to the next point.

How To Position Them:
To get the most out of your studio monitors, you'll need to place them a certain way so that your hear the details and get a good image to hearing them. A basic way to get started is to set them up in what many call an "equalateral triangle". The picture below represents a basic diagram on studio monitor placement.

You also want to get your tweeters lined up with your ear. You can invest in a pair of speaker stands to get them lined up to your ears, but that can come later.

Which speakers will you need?
The type of studio monitors you will need largely depends on your setup, budget, your environment, and the type of music you will be making. Generally in a large setting where you're working in a professional recording studio, a set of large studio monitors will help tremendously if you're not sitting to close with more than one person in the room. But for beat makers, 4" woofers is still plenty!

For a decent pair of speakers you can start around the $150-$300 range, which by most "professional standards" is considered an "entry-level" set. This can be more than enough if you know which ones to choose.

P.S. If you want to get started making your own beats, then click here!