Studio Monitor Guide

Many home or project studios are not built with acoustics in mind. Because of this, they often encounter room modes, or resonances caused by sound reflections, which can greatly affect what you’re hearing.

Smaller studios typically use nearfield studio monitors, which are compact and focused. Larger studios may For this reason, smaller studios typically use nearfield studio monitors, which provide a focused sweet spot to help prevent unwanted reflections. Many nearfield speakers also include EQs and DSP for optimizing the frequency response in small spaces.

Tailor-made for small listening spaces, nearfield monitors are designed to sit a few feet from the listener, usually on top of or behind a console or desk. Additionally, most nearfield speakers are active and use a single or bi-amped system to help keep size and cost down.

Medium-sized rooms can be difficult to equip and often face the same issues as small and large studios. If the speakers are too big, they can cause bass build-up and room modes. If the speakers are too small, you may not have even coverage throughout the listening space.

Often, the best solution for medium-sized studios is a midfield monitor, like those available from ATC Loudspeakers, Barefoot Sound, Focal, and Neumann. Midfield studio monitors are larger than nearfield speakers, but smaller than farfield speakers, and typically sit a few feet behind the mixing console or recording desk.

Most midfield monitors use a 3-way design, although some use a 2-way design with a large woofer for additional low-end. Depending on the size of your mixing room, you may also use a subwoofer for low-end extension.

While larger studios are free from many issues that smaller studios experience, they have their struggles. Generally, the biggest issue is finding speakers that are loud enough to provide ample coverage throughout the entire control room.

Much like medium-sized studios, it’s generally best to use midfield monitors (or nearfield monitors with a sub) for mixing in large studios. Many engineers also use small reference speakers like Yamaha NS-10s or Auratone 5C Super Sound Cubes to hear how mixes translate to commercial speakers.

Thanks to their size, large studios can also accommodate farfield monitors, or main monitors as they are also called. These massively powerful speakers are typically mounted 10 to 20 feet behind the console. Farfield monitors are great for testing how mixes translate to larger systems in clubs and venues, as well as impressing clients and label reps.

When it comes to monitoring, post-production houses face unique challenges. Unlike music production studios and live sound reproduction, which generally work with stereo playback systems, most post-production houses use far more monitors.

From traditional 5.1 or 7.1 Surround Sound setups to immersive 7.1.4 or 9.1.2 Dolby Atmos systems, Vintage King has what you need to get the job done. Check out our wide selection of immersive monitoring bundles, including industry-leading solutions from Genelec, Neumann, and more.

When building out your immersive mixing rig, there are many factors to consider, including room dimensions, speaker placement and mounting, acoustic treatment, monitor management solutions, and more. Don’t worry, our expert team of Audio Consultants can walk you through the entire process.

Establishments like bars, restaurants, music venues, schools, and houses of worship rely on PA systems for their audio needs. Choosing the right PA system depends on your venue, and whether it’s used for music, speech, or other audio.

PA systems come in a wide range of designs to suit different venues. Just like studio monitors, PA speakers can use active and passive speaker designs. Many large venues use passive line arrays with thousands of watts of power, while smaller coffee shops may use active speakers with just a couple hundred watts.

Venues with live music performances may need to invest in stage monitors for performers. Stage monitors also come in active and passive designs, and are often bi-amplified for improved fidelity on stage. Larger venues sometimes supplement PA speakers with subwoofers, which can enhance the experience with powerful bass frequencies.

PA systems are much more than just speakers, though. You may also need power amps, wall mounts, speaker stands, cables, and other hardware to complete your rig. Contact our team of live sound experts to ensure your next show is a success.