I’d like to use my
monitors with both my audio interface and a CD player, because I want
to A/B my recordings against my CD collection. However, I don’t want to
constantly be plugging things in and out, so what would be a good way
to route multiple signals to the speakers? Do I need a mixing desk? I
don’t want to have to turn my computer on every time I want to listen
to a CD, so routing through the DAW won’t work for me. I’m planning to
get powered monitors, but would it be better to use passive monitors
instead, and then use an amp with multiple inputs? I’m looking at a
total budget of £250 for the switcher and the monitors.
A couple of options to investigate for monitor control are SM Pro’s M-Patch 2 and Samson’s C-Control.
Via SOS web site
ASOS
contributor Mike Senior replies:
Getting a hi-fi amp with multiple
inputs would solve the switching problem, but not in the optimal way for
studio work. For a start, a hi-fi amp’s connections will almost
always be unbalanced, where balanced connections would be preferable,
and it’s also unlikely that the amp controls will include other studio
monitoring facilities such as mono summing and speaker switching, both
of which will be useful to you as you progress with your mixing
technique.
Using a small mixer for the
switching tasks would also work, and you might find it useful to have
the mixer’s other facilities for recording, cue-mixing, or talkback
purposes. You can also usually find a way to implement mono summing and
speaker switching on a small mixer using its pan controls and aux
sends. However, that wouldn’t be particularly elegant for long-term use
and the inevitably more involved signal-path electronics are more likely
to degrade the sound, especially with gear at the bargain end of the
market.
I would therefore suggest you look to a
separate entry-level monitor controller. There are a couple of
straightforward contenders well within your price range, such as SM
Pro’s M-Patch 2 and Samson’s C-Control, both of which will, currently,
set you back around £100 in the UK. Both include mono summing and allow
you to switch between sources and destinations. Where they differ is
that the M-Patch 2 opts for an arguably more transparent passive signal
path, while the C-Control uses active circuitry to provide additional
cue-mixing and talkback facilities. We reviewed them back in December
2006 and September 2003, respectively, and you can read those reviews
for yourself in the SOS article archives by going towww.soundonsound.com/sos/sep03/articles/samsonc.htm and www.soundonsound.com/sos/dec06/articles/smprompatch.htm.
However,
if you’re not entirely happy with your computer’s audio interface, you
might also want to consider TC Electronic’s new Desktop Konnekt 6 as an
alternative, as this provides the required monitoring controls, along
with TC Electronic’s audio quality and a mic preamp for recording. We reviewed this in the October 2008 issue, which you can find by going to www.soundonsound.com/sos/oct08/articles/desktopkonnekt6.htm.
Whatever
route you take, you’ll still have more than half your budget left for
monitoring. For what it’s worth, in your position I’d actually avoid
speakers entirely, and get a top-of-the-range pair of open-backed
headphones instead. My personal favourite — Beyerdynamic DT880 Pros —
seem to be available for around £180 in the UK at the moment. I think
you’d be able to mix far better on those than on any similarly priced
stereo monitor system, not least because I imagine you’re probably
working in a domestic environment without any real acoustic treatment.
No comments:
Post a Comment