Mini Statements for mixing/mastering?

[Xander]

Hey,

I am planning another speaker build for summer. I built the sealed CJD RS150 MTMs (with Seas H1212 tweeters) a couple years ago, and love them. I began doing freelance recording and mixing a year ago and have been using these as my main monitors with great results. I use 4 IB15s to cover the low end.

So my main goal is to build a couple full-range (down to 30 Hz would be great, anything lower just a bonus) speakers to use as another pair of monitors, possibly taking the place of my RS 150MTMs as my primaries and moving those to my secondaries.

My current room is 13'x10'x8' ceilings with a decent amount of room treatment (16 2'x4'x2" fiberglass and rockwool panels used as bass traps and broadband absorbers). No diffusion as of now since the room is fairly small. My room is on the dead side, but it works out great for mixing. The accuracy in both soundstage and frequency response compared to before room treatment is just mind-blowing.

My current speakers are about 15" off of the front wall, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem with the Mini Statements, if I understand correctly. I can nudge another 3" if necessary.

I am sort of doing this for fun, since I finally got a full time job and can save up for it by summer. But I am also looking for something that is very accurate, voiced differently from my current speakers, and will be something that I can use for mixing, and in the future for mastering.

My budget is about $700 for the pair, but I am a bit flexible since I am planning a few months out.

So for those of you who have built the Mini Statements, do you think they will serve my purpose? Anything else out there that I am overlooking, or anything else I need to mention?

Thanks in advance!

[AdelaaR]

I am building the statements myself for what will be my home recording studio & home theater room.
I will be using the statements as main music and HT speakers although I don't think the statements will be suitable as studio monitors.
I may reconsider once I actually build them and listen to them though, but especially the statements with their transmission line midrange aren't designed to sound extremely accurate and flat and typical ... things actual studio monitors are build for.
The problem is that your mastered music may sound great on your statements but could just as well sound boring and dull on anything else.
The trick with studio monitors is that they tend to sound boring and dull by default and so if you can get it to sound good on monitors ... it will sound great on anything else
Again ... I may reconsider once I hear them ... but logic tells me a separate pair of active monitors will be more suited for the task.

[Xander]

I am building the statements myself for what will be my home recording studio & home theater room.
I will be using the statements as main music and HT speakers although I don't think the statements will be suitable as studio monitors.
I may reconsider once I actually build them and listen to them though, but especially the statements with their transmission line midrange aren't designed to sound extremely accurate and flat and typical ... things actual studio monitors are build for.
The problem is that your mastered music may sound great on your statements but could just as well sound boring and dull on anything else.
The trick with studio monitors is that they tend to sound boring and dull by default and so if you can get it to sound good on monitors ... it will sound great on anything else
Again ... I may reconsider once I hear them ... but logic tells me a separate pair of active monitors will be more suited for the task.

Yes, that is one thing I was wary about.

However, I am currently using my RS150 MTM's for mixing, which sound anything but crappy, and I get results that translate extremely well. Granted, I spent a couple years using them for listening to music and movies before I used them as monitors. And it took a few months to really learn them once I started mixing. But now I mix on them and check my mixes on heaphones which I am familiar with, along with some cheap commerical speakers (Energy C-100). When I brought my mix into a studio it translated perfectly onto the NS-10s, a pair of Adam A7x, and built-in custom KRKs (3-ways with dual 15s).

In my humble opinion it is all about learning the monitors and room. If you know how they affect the sound (or don't affect it), then you can listen through them instead of to them when mixing.

But you're probably right. If the midrange is too colored, it may be difficult to accurately hear what I am doing to the mix. Maybe I'm just too excited to build the statements

Does anyone have any other suggestions on full-range systems which would be as accurate as possible and in my price range of about $700/pair? I would prefer if they were voiced differently from my RS150 MTM's so I have a couple systems to listen on.

[AdelaaR]

Your opinion may be humble but nevertheless it sounds accurate to me
Know your stuff and especially treat your room.
My advice: get both the statements AND a pair of active monitors.
In my projected studio the idea is to have monitors pointing at my computer desk for doing the actual mixing and then have the big statements next to them to listen to from the sofa a few meters further. In this way one is able to hear both the clean sound while being concentrated and hear the beautiful sound while being relaxed.

[cjd]

Try zaph's site for options. Jon Marsh's portfolio of designs will also have some good options.

[Xander]

My advice: get both the statements AND a pair of active monitors.
In my projected studio the idea is to have monitors pointing at my computer desk for doing the actual mixing and then have the big statements next to them to listen to from the sofa a few meters further. In this way one is able to hear both the clean sound while being concentrated and hear the beautiful sound while being relaxed.

Sounds like a good idea. It would be nice to be able to listen on a beautiful-sounding system as a check. And of course it would be nice to have them just for listening pleasure.

I'll look around for something perhaps more accurate to build.

And thanks for the suggestions CJD, I'll look around there.

[Curt C]

I may reconsider once I actually build them and listen to them though, but especially the statements with their transmission line midrange aren't designed to sound extremely accurate and flat and typical ... things actual studio monitors are build for.
The problem is that your mastered music may sound great on your statements but could just as well sound boring and dull on anything else.
The trick with studio monitors is that they tend to sound boring and dull by default and so if you can get it to sound good on monitors ... it will sound great on anything else

By all means, hold on on your opinions until you've given the Statements a listen...

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s been my impression that most monitors are designed to be listened to in the nearfield. Their responses represent what Yahama or Mackie or whoever think will provide the best sound based on what they think the customer is listening to/on. -Or, in some cases, to mimic the timber of older equipment, (The JBL 4310, for instance) that the engineers were used to mixing with.
-I’m not a recording engineer, so feel free to educate me here..

The Statement series, when set up properly ARE accurate. That is, they provide a reasonably flat response. Many studio monitors, due to their small size are intentionally not voiced flat, but exhibit exaggerated upper bass to compensate for the ultimate lack of low end extension.

Due to the driver spacing on the Statements, I’d suggest they be no closer than 3 meters from the boards to allow the drivers to integrate properly. The Statement monitors might be a better choice if they need to be wall mounted and will integrate much closer, probably 1 meter is enough.

C

[Xander]

First of all, thanks for your insight. It is much appreciated ;x(

By all means, hold on on your opinions until you've given the Statements a listen...

Correct me if I’m wrong, but it’s been my impression that most monitors are designed to be listened to in the nearfield. Their responses represent what Yahama or Mackie or whoever think will provide the best sound based on what they think the customer is listening to/on. -Or, in some cases, to mimic the timber of older equipment, (The JBL 4310, for instance) that the engineers were used to mixing with.
-I’m not a recording engineer, so feel free to educate me here..

Very often that is the case. I have found that there are a few different "classes" of monitors, or at least that's how I think of it.

There are budget monitors that are really not much more than small, active home theater speakers.

Then there are monitors which are designed to sound like classic monitors, like you said. These are not really that accurate, but are often voiced a bit backwards from what sounds really good, so when you get your mix to sound pretty flat, the mix actually ends up being a little hyped. Not always a bad thing.

And last, there are higher-class monitors that are relatively accurate and have higher quality drivers and amplifiers. I would like a pair of these...but can't afford $1000 per speaker (at least).

The Statement series, when set up properly ARE accurate. That is, they provide a reasonably flat response. Many studio monitors, due to their small size are intentionally not voiced flat, but exhibit exaggerated upper bass to compensate for the ultimate lack of low end extension.

Due to the driver spacing on the Statements, I’d suggest they be no closer than 3 meters from the boards to allow the drivers to integrate properly. The Statement monitors might be a better choice if they need to be wall mounted and will integrate much closer, probably 1 meter is enough.

C

What did you mean by "3 meters from the boards"?

I was looking at the Mini Statements...not the full sized versions. I sit about 6' away from the monitors and they can be placed 18" from the wall. Would the 6' be enough with the driver configuration on the Minis?

[Silver1omo]

I remember Curt saying that the minis need 1.5m or ~5'. So I guess 6' or ~1.8m should be ok.

[AdelaaR]

Funny thing Curt ... when I punch in your coordinates with latitude and longitude on google maps ... it tells me you are standing next to the runway on the Lincoln municipal airport in Nebraska.

[impala454]

Perhaps the Statements Monitors with the near-wall XO would work well in this case?

[Xander]

Perhaps the Statements Monitors with the near-wall XO would work well in this case?

How so?

[impala454]

If you can push the monitors closer to the wall then they'd be closer to the proper listening distance.

[Silver1omo]

If he can keep 18" from the wall and 6' from the listening position should be good. If he needs to be closer or the speakers need to be closer to the wall, then I guess the monitors will be a better option.

[Xander]

If you can push the monitors closer to the wall then they'd be closer to the proper listening distance.

I stated that I can have them 18" from the wall and a 6' listening distance. As far as I know, that is acceptable for the Minis, so I assume that it would be more than enough for the Monitors.

Is there a reason I am overlooking that I would prefer the Monitors to the Minis?

I'm researching a few more designs at the moment...

[Curt C]

Funny thing Curt ... when I punch in your coordinates with latitude and longitude on google maps ... it tells me you are standing next to the runway on the Lincoln municipal airport in Nebraska.

That's my work address... :B

C