How do you listen to GPO?

[fabiolcati]

It could be interesting to know how GPO users listen to their works while in progress and/or mixing it down through nearfield monitors, headphones, computer speakers and so on.

In fact, I noticed most speaker manufacturers advertise their products focusing on their strenghts in musical genres other than rendering of acoustic instruments / orchestral environments.

Best regards

- - -
Fabio

[Raymond62]

Initial: headphones. Used during the assembling of all tracks, including setting all sorts of CC's. When I am at the CC#1 stage - the stage where modwheel comes in - then I switch to monitors. Having put it to my satisfaction I switch back to headphones to make the overall balance. For applying the equalizing for the strings, I use the headphones and for the final control of it again back to monitors.

When all gives a satisfying sound then for the final output I use monitors, right before I make the output audio to wave. Just to be sure. Sometimes this leads to more correction made with monitors.

But I need other monitors, better than those Behringer Truth B2030A.

Raymond

[fabiolcati]

Thank you Raymond.

I will consider your advice about Behringers, since they were on my shopping list aside others.

May I ask you what your headphones are?

I'm looking to adopt AKG's 240. A good choice?

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Fabio

[BenNichols]

All serious work goes through my MSP7s. their sound is beautiful. I only work through headphones late at night (and then its only note input ready for mixing the next day) or if working on something over and over which i know is going to annoy people in my home!

[robh]

Thank you Raymond.

I will consider your advice about Behringers, since they were on my shopping list aside others.

May I ask you what your headphones are?

I'm looking to adopt AKG's 240. A good choice?

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FabioLast year I had to replace my headphones and after trying a few sets (including the AKG 240), the winner for me was Beyerdynamic DT770 PRO 250ohm.

My suggestion would be to bring a music CD you like to your local music instrument store and ask to try out several sets, using the CD you are familiar with to do some comparisons.

Rob

[LFO]

I prefer to go soup to nuts through monitors, mainly because headphones start to bother me pretty quickly. However, the family does not appreciate it. :) For putting together the piece I can do either headphones or monitors, it doesn't matter. However, I mix as much as possible with monitors and then test on headphones, the car stereo, home stereo, etc.

The AKG K240 headphones are a decent pair of mid range headphones. Just remember there are challenges for mixing with only headphones. Lots of people do it, but it takes time to learn how to.

-Kevin

[Michael_uk]

I do most of my preparation through headphones. When most of this is prepared I then use my studio monitors for final comparisons moving back and fro between those and headphones.

My headphones are the Beyerdynamic DT150 and my monitors are KRK VXT6 although I am now considering moving up to the VXT8.

[Raymond62]

Thank you Raymond.

I will consider your advice about Behringers, since they were on my shopping list aside others. May I ask you what your headphones are? I'm looking to adopt AKG's 240. A good choice?

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Fabio

The Behringers are weak on lows. DPDAN stated earlier that only good monitors (pricetag at least $1000,-) can do the job properly. The AKG 240 are reasonable, I have an old version AKG 240 K Studio. They are midrange.
Be aware that any headphone has a huge non-flat frequency response. Go to this website: http://www.headphone.com/

Greetings,

Raymond

[Doug Smith]

My computer speakers are cheap and I have no monitors (apartment building).

I have been very satisfied with my AKG 240DF phones, which I bought several years ago used on Ebay for about $25 (I was also satisfied with the price!).

The one issue is that they are high-impedance so they need to be amplified.

Here's a thread at an audio forum where they compare several different brands and models including the 240DF. Browse around that forum in the Studio Monitor section for lots of information on both headphones and speakers from audio experts and pros.

http://www.studio-central.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8469&hilit=akg+240df

[fabiolcati]

First, thank you to everybody. This is the most "symphonic" community I ever met.

All-1-- Yamahas, Behringers, KRKs... Am I wrong saying that - aside budget, roomy desktops and personal taste - working with a computer-generated orchestra doesn't require a particular kind of nearfield monitors, say, than the ones good for rock'n roll or techno?

All-2 -- Relatives seems to be a common issue, from apartment buildings to villas. If they are noisy as we are, in their words, with our GPOs, why don't THEY wear headphones?

Raymond -- I've found "headphone.com" very helpful. Are you, or anyone, aware if does an "affordableandtinynearfieldmonitors.com" also exists?

Have a nice day you all

PS. I apologize if sometimes my posting sounds too "dry" or direct. Consider I'm not english-speaking and the fact that I spot the forum in pauses from my workplace.

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Fabio

[sonata5920]

Gday Fabio,

You asked:

“All-1-- Yamahas, Behringers, KRKs... Am I wrong saying that - aside budget, roomy desktops and personal taste - working with a computer-generated orchestra doesn't require a particular kind of nearfield monitors, say, than the ones good for rock'n roll or techno?”

Yes, you are wrong.

If you want to produce quality sound, you need the proper tools. A low distortion frequency linear monitor system that covers the whole audio spectrum is important. Assuming that you are into orchestral music production, you need a set of well balanced speakers including a subwoofer, all with sufficient power handling capacity and suitable power amps.

If your music will only be played through headphones, than headphones is all you need, to monitor your music. The listening experience with headphones is very different to the listening experience with speakers.

Let us know what kind of music you wish to produce. It will be easier to give you advice.

Herbert

[ejr]

I have a pair of Genelec 1029A studio monitors, with the matching subwoofer. I do all my mixing using these, because they are better than any headphones or other monitors I own. They were reccommended to me by a movie soundman and editor. They cost a bundle, but I have never regretted it.

After I do a mix, I burn a CD-ROM to broadcast standards and check it on my home theatre system, which has a pair of Genelec 6020A home theater speakers. They are the equivalent of the 1029A speakers, except that they are not near field monitors. I don't have room for another subwoofer, but at least this way I can tell how my bass will sound on a good 2-speaker system.

If everything sounds okay on both these systems, I play the CD on my laptop, using Sony's consumer noise canceling headphones (with the noise canceling feature turned off) and/or on my car stereo. This simulates how the mix will sound on a cheap system with no subwoofer and the highes either punched up or rolled off.

If the same mix sounds okay in all these environments, I am reasonably sure that it will be acceptible on whatever equipment my intended target audience is using. I am writing for the musical theater. The final CD is intended to be a demo for potential producers. They could be listening to it on anything from the cheapest consumer CD-player or computer to home stereo systems that cost more than I can afford. I know that the playback speakers will effect the sound quite a bit. I just want to make sure that they can hear all the imporant details and get a general sense of the character of the music that is not dramatically different than what I intended.

I love the Genelecs, but they are quite expensive. If I play a CD on any other speakers (even those that I thought were very clean) after listening to it on the Genelecs, I can always hear some coloration in the other speakers that I don't like. I like the JBLs a lot, too. They do very nice work, even in the low end of their line. If couldn't afford the Genelecs, JBLs would have been my next choice.

[fabiolcati]

Yes, you're right, Herbert.

The answer is: classical, mostly orchestral.

I'm not a pro, just a poorly trained amateur.

In these days I'm sketching down the system of dreams. And as I'm suffering of insomnia, I dream a very little.

Notation and sequencing software (I will look forward to Notion 3), a good sound library (guess what?), a pair of tiny monitors as good as I can afford that fits the small desktop I work on. Maybe an external usb soundcard to improve outuput quality and a headphone to solve the relatives issue.

ejr, I received your message while typing this post. I'll take your suggestion in account.

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Fabio

[Raymond62]

Notation and sequencing software (I will look forward to Notion 3), a good sound library (guess what?), a pair of tiny monitors as good as I can afford that fits the small desktop I work on. Maybe an external usb soundcard to improve outuput quality and a headphone to solve the relatives issue.

USB and Firewire soundcards are good, but there is always some "extra" latency involved. When I did a search for a good soundcard system I went to several shops, did some intensive surfing on the net and ended up with an internal soundcard (PCI)!!!! Also, and that depends if you are working with 64 bits, be sure that the drivers of the soundcard are 64 bits too!!!

ARIA, GPO and some sequencer together are very demanding on CPU power, speed disk streaming, etc. so try to avoid unnecessary delays. Even on my system, Intel core Duo with 8 Gb RAM, I must set the buffers for SONAR very careful and the ASIO latency is a bit high (to avoid hicks and stutters)- with orchestral settings I mean (a lot of instruments).

Raymond