Are studio monitors more accurate than audiophile speakers?

[@GeraldGarcia]

I couldn’t hear him talk coz my iPad only goes down to 100Hz.

[@ob1keno227]

James Earl Jones has higher voice

[@riktascale4]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@AndyBHome]

I had to bring in a couple of subwoofers to hear Alex's responses.

[@69_MK]

@@AndyBHome loooooooooooooooool

[@manmeetsainii]

He’s seems to be really lazy to speak 😂😂

[@nevevibes982]

I think i need to attach a subwoofer to my cell phone just to hear him talk.

[@a.i.dimmer4616]

15 hz perhaps?lol

[@nevevibes982]

@@a.i.dimmer4616 lol

[@nevevibes982]

@Appoddigare haha

[@Nathan_Jay]

I'm using a 10" sub and I can barely make out what he's saying

[@kohnfutner9637]

Aye 🤣 he's making my subs do the roll of center channel

[@weeooh1]

Fascinating! This engineer really knows his stuff and explained it very well. Oh the irony, how the audio in the clip is not up to par, had to turn the volume up quite a bit to hear him speak.

[@wyup]

maybe at movies' reference level :-)

[@adjust.clinic]

It sounds perfect on studio monitors, though.

[@1337wafflezz]

@@adjust.clinic still very quiet though

[@eccentric363]

Dudes voice is amazing too

[@ProgRockKeys]

As an amateur musician / amateur recording engineer / quasi audiophile, I really appreciate the perspective Alex brings to your series of videos. When I was an aspiring recording musician back in the 70s, I was struck be the collision of realities reading stereophile, and then experiencing the recording sessions; nobody in the studio was ever caught saying, “turn up the transparency” on the bass guitar.

[@AndyBHome]

Yes the practicality that the studio technicians bring to a recording is so different from the often wildly impractical efforts that audiophiles undertake to get the sound to be "accurate." Still, the audiophiles are having fun. Studio staff are doing a job with much clearer goals.

[@380stroker]

Back in the acid dropping days.

[@tonyharrison2542]

Steve, I'm really enjoying your segments with Alex. They are so compelling and I find what he has to offer so informative, fascinating and valuable. Please continue this series.

[@SteveGuttenbergAudiophiliac]

Tony Harrison Thanks, we have two more coming up

[@skipacuff5104]

Steve Guttenberg Audiophiliac Excellent news! Thanks.

[@hifijohn]

Hes a human subwoofer.

[@rootbeer4888]

he kinda low its mostly vocal fry. Prolly your speakers lol

[@TheDecguy]

I enjoyed the interviews with Alex. As someone who had a small recording studio I laughed when Alex said sometimes certain studio monitors didn’t sound very good at all. I immediately looked up at my shelf filled with old studio monitors and saw my trusty Yamaha NS 10’s. Sometimes I still hook them up to listens for old times sake. Thanks for making laugh.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

Do you cover the tweeters with something?

[@20CycleMonger]

@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt Ears with hands? :-D (Rick Beato calls them the most boring sounding monitor)

[@adam872]

Haha, me too. The Auratones sound has always been "bad", but a good representation of certain types of system, just like the NS10's.

[@theothertoday]

I had to download this interview and then pitch it up in melodyne to understand this fella.

[@Krishanu]

lol

[@federfuchsCh]

thought about doing the same lol

[@ZeroFidelity]

LOVING this series! Well done, Alex and Steve!

[@johnsweda2999]

And you shouldn't leave yourself out of that I love yours

[@MajorHiFi]

Likewise!! Dope! Thanks, you two! Love the language Alex uses talking about this stuff :D

[@markphilpot4981]

I really like what Alex has to say and it makes a lot of sense to me. Having been involved in producing product for sale to fanatical listeners who are very serious about their gear, you want to know that your efforts are being appreciated and that your efforts make your customers happy. That is important Steve!

[@priyonjoni]

I want to sample this guy’s voice for a bassline. 808 kicks have never hit that deep.

[@sprobablycancr4457]

I would like to hear the finished bassline. ;:-)

[@jm-vq4cm]

Dude you should sell your voice to Hollywood for movie intros

[@iqi616]

It's important to remember that ALL speakers are filters (without exception regardless of price). The art of mixing and mastering is to create a recording that isn't spoilt by generally accepted reproduction systems. That interview is a great overview of best practices in the studio. Like he says the mids are where the music is. Highs and lows are icing, not cake.

[@crys_o]

I'm really enjoying this series. Would be very interesting to hear Alex's thoughts on the loudness wars and how streaming services have influenced the music recording process.

[@Darrylizer1]

In my experience it’s not the recording that has changed but the mixing and especially the mastering

[@bc527c]

Stellar acoustic treatment in this room (and sound), beautiful studio, smart, well educated and well spoken fellow. Well played.

[@NoEgg4u]

Wooden floors?

[@BlankBrain]

This shouts the need for equalization metadata and some DSP standards. If recording engineers are playing to the earbud crowd, it doen't bode well for high fidelity. It's now possible that the mix could be made for great full-range speakers, and include metadata to dynamically adjust for headphones and earbuds. There could also be data to talk directly to hearing aids to improve the experience for people with damaged hearing.

[@5adb0i]

BlankBrain or just mixes that sound good no matter how you listen to them? If it sounds good, it is good (to whoever is listening).

[@BlankBrain]

@@5adb0i That's the same argument as dumbing-down our schools so everyone is mediocre.

[@5adb0i]

BlankBrain I argue that if the mixing engineer and producers are actually worth their money, mixes will be made good enough to translate across any system. You don’t need any advanced and overpriced technology if you have the software (free and paid) to account for any calibration system (or lack thereof). Now I agree that the solution presented is possible but it’s not really viable if producers and mixing engineers can’t make good music. It’s not about dumbing down school for mediocrity, it’s about simplifying the process with the available technology. The simplest solution is to get better people on the tech side paying attention to their meters instead of whatever speaker system they spent their entire budget on instead of an acoustician consultation which can be way more than their budget. We don’t need more rules, we need to teach people to follow the bare minimum amount of rules to be create art.

[@basspig]

Dynamic compression is ruining recordings over the past 20 years. We need an un mastered mix for hi fi playback and the loud mix for earbuds.

[@NominalTopic]

That’s a great idea.👍🏼

[@seanmangan2769]

Thank you Alex for your honesty and experience.

[@pauo5397]

Next video you could talk about good microphones for podcasts, youtubes videos and so on. Be sure to investigate thoroughly.

[@ar_xiv]

I don't think that's his bag, like, at all

[@bbfoto7248]

Just get a Shure SM-7B. Great for voiceover, podcasts, KZbin videos, and one of the most versatile microphones in the studio as well.

[@jeremyhughes6485]

ATC in almost every high end studio for the past 30 years!

[@deevnn]

Another absolutely excellent peek into the fundamental origin of the music we listen to. The translation of live music through the recording process simply can’t be “accurately” represented given the limitations of the technology but will be adjusted to suit the sensibilities of the artist and recording engineers to hopefully be appreciated by the very diverse ears of consumers using their various playback devices. Fascinating

[@Magnum_Opus_Music]

Thats why i use vintage Auratone 5C speakers when mixing. Its all about the midrange,bass and highs are easy to set after the mids are good. All speakers sound different but the mids don't change that much in other speakers. And phasing issues is 1 of the big issues with speakers and its crossovers

[@x86FTW]

Audiophile channel talking studio monitors and they can't even get the audio level correct on this video. Ozone called, your fired.

[@meshplates]

I anticipated many of these comments about studio monitors in comments to your previous video that tried to say studio speakers and hifi speakers were different. As he says the goal is translational not informational. And as to there being a studio monitor sound, there is none. Large monitors with horns still exist: Tad, Augspurger, Westlake, Jbl, Kinoshita.

[@hireality]

Educational dialogue and presentation Steve and Alex, thank you. Now I have to watch the previous episodes and looking forward to the future ones.

[@GlassActivist]

ATC are consistently wonderful speakers. Great choice.

[@Individual_two]

Alex sounds like a good engineer to work with for artists. He has a patient demeanor.

[@TheMirolab]

Thanks for this!! As a home studio owner for 25 years, and an audiophile, I have 2 full range systems, and enjoy both audiophile speakers AND studio monitors. What I REALLY wanted to know though, is Steve's impression of listening to music in the control room, on those Amphions and ATCs. I can't believe you went all the way there and did not listen to some music!

[@Josec823]

I believe that at least he listens to other music as reference. That is standard studio practice.

[@RickRoberts_simplyrick]

Springsteen's "Born to Run" was mixed on the dash board of a Ford Maverick to sound good on the Friday night drive home from work in Cleveland Ohio...

[@scottkasper6378]

Specific

[@alb.1911]

ATC are absolutely stunning, in my opinion the only one that can replace my Tannoy maintaining the absolutely reference midrange performances and at the same time improving the base due to the three way design.

[@chrisulmer3925]

Excellent interview Steve! As an avid Hifi enthusiast, who's spent obnoxious amounts of time, effort and money on my systems, this is THE ONE context that I've always wondered the most about. One of your best ones ever!

[@countdebleauchamp]

Really informative, and fascinating as well. Speaking of listening from another room, all of my high-end systems, especially my Rogers ls3/5a system I had up until about 1981 (although not my best system, all told) had an uncanny ability to sound like a live performance playing in the adjacent room. Even non-audiophiles would notice it and comment.

[@markphilpot4981]

This guy is respectable in my book Steve. He comes across as open and honest and I personally hope and wish him well! Good interview, highly informative and learned something which is always good!👍🏻

[@vicverdi9402]

"The more things change, the more they remain the same!".. "Perfection is a road not a destination".. Once again there's only subjective judgements and compromises all along the way .. from the recording process through the design and listening of playback systems. As in most qualitative decisions in life, "beauty's in the eye of the beholder" and/or ... "one man's meat is another man's poison" ... lol ... As an audio enthusiast your only recourse is to find an acceptable combination of components that will allow a convincing fact-simile of true to life sound for the most number of your favorite recordings... whatever your idea of what true to life is.

[@giano6343]

Really one of the best videos I came over since I’m on KZbin

[@AXington]

Used to have a buddy who was a mixing engineer for a not so small studio in Atlanta. The studio had 2 sets of monitors, and he'd mix on one, then test his mixes on the other set, then on two pairs of "studio monitor headphones", ear buds, his car with a killer aftermarket system, his wife's car with a stock crap system, and a home-theater-in-a-box system.

[@chrisvinicombe9947]

Really enjoyed this interview thanks Steve

[@lotechgreg]

Awesome vid, LOVE'D hearing his views and methodology. Alex, you must be a pleasure to work with. Kudo's to you. Steve, we need more of this!!!!...............

[@ythagakure]

Great series. Keep up the amazing work. Very informative and transparent.

[@miguelbarrio]

The concept of a studio monitor is a “microscope” to see into the recording and get information is fascinating.

[@1337wafflezz]

that’s what IEMs and headphones should be for tbh. speakers should be to measure soundstage and imaging. But if you absolutely MUST hear something in a track? flat headphones are invaluable

[@denniseldridge2936]

It's all about calibrating the producer/engineer's *ears* to the speakers as much as anything. As long as the speakers are of high quality and as "neutral" as possible (whatever that means) it's up to the listener to tune his/her such that the recording and mix will achieve the desired outcome.

[@iopsyc15]

Measure the room and Control for it or build a better room (and control it) for studios or home. The room comes first, understand it (and modify approximately , and then build your Hifi, home theater, or studio. Then comes the audio candy...something about reflections...

[@IndySnowman]

I have found that listening level gradually increases in direct relation to the age of the engineer.

[@AmarDamani]

Its eerily quite, is it due to using enthusiast level shooting equipment in a professional grade studio room with virtually no echo/reverb ???

[@DarkPa1adin]

Wow! Great interview! Thanks Steve

[@honahwikeepa2115]

Thank you gentlemen. Love the detail guys. Amateur myself and wondering what to buy. Cheers from Sydney Australia.

[@jakobole]

I feel the same regarding revisions of a mix. When I'm satisfied, I'm pretty sure I'm in the ballpark, and usually the artist will ask for minor changes here and there, which I very very rarely disagree with.

[@thunderbird66613]

This man is sooo knowledgeable in music engineering. I sure could use him in my room. Those PMC's are sure becoming popular on youtube reviewers.

[@MajorHiFi]

Yes! Lots more young people and women at AES! To add to the conversation on that, I think the recruitment of bringing younger people in by Student Delegate Assembly is in big part a reason. I went to my first AES in 2013 (and have been going back yearly since) as a youngster (lol even more of a youngster than I am) and learned a lot from my elders there, as well as got to go to commercial studios and hear gear and communicate with the other professionals there-- keeping up with the language. It helped me see/hear the standard for what I should be aiming for and keep me up to date on the tech.

[@empruiksma8746]

Steve Guttenberg Could you do a video about the sonical difference between studio/pro and audiophile cables?

[@BigHairyGuitars]

Do you know what model of acoustic panels are behind Alex?

[@uncleted3961]

The comments about this guy's voice are hilarious. His voice is really incredible, especially compared to Steve's super high voice

[@OGMeatball]

I had to run this thru a fruity distortion and 2 sausage fatteners just to hear my guy

[@DjR3aper]

sausage fattners

[@southport65]

wtf is a sausage fattener :/

[@hithere4289]

@@southport65 something that fattens your sausage

[@wildcat1065]

Pleased to see you have been in the same room as ATC active monitors Steve ! So, have you actually listened to them ? I have the 150 active anniversary towers at home and I am yet to hear a better speaker. They sound nothing like you would expect from studio monitors.

[@robclendenning2806]

Would also recommend PMC. Truly amazing and on par with ATC in many ways

[@geryweibel942]

ATCs are better. Best Midrange. Had both. PMC great, but not as neutral and insightful.

[@scottrobertson8275]

Excellent interview Steve

[@Freakeasy_chicago]

Agree on the multi speaker purposeful use. We use PMC 8-2s, Genelec 1032a's and Amphion One18s... props to the Analog Design BLACK BOX hg-2 in da house

[@Audiojunkk]

Excellent and useful video. Thank you for making this!

[@-nepherim]

The irony of an interview with a studio engineer, where the volume on the interviewee is too low is high with this one :)

[@alex-wk7mq]

i also like the hd600 more than the650.i owned the 650 and i have a 600 at the moment.

[@bassman4632]

Great interview 👍. Very interesting all of it.

[@donaldchisholm9931]

Great interview Steve!! I know a professional studio sound mixer who like Alex does not have a home stereo . I was kind of disappointed when I found this out. My way of thinking is what do they use as a reference ? Guess they just have to please the artist .

[@Josec823]

donald chisholm Probably their cars. Besides, ear fatigue is a real thing, so I understand that they do not listen to too much music at home and leave their ears rest.

[@r423fplip]

That's why dsp in active speaker's is so good. Plus dirac software will help make your speakers work in your room. The future for audio finally looks good.😀😀😀😀😀

[@jonathansturm4163]

I think _now_ is pretty good, never mind the future.

[@bbfoto7248]

@Dave G For mixing or just listening, playback systems with DSP are great. I'm actuality using a 8-in/12-out Dirac Live processor from miniDSP in my high-end car audio system now and the results are amazing. But DSP can be an issue when actually tracking the music (monitoring while recording) if the latency of the DSP is too high.which creates a delay compared to real time.

[@tonykazz2779]

Thank You for sharing this useful insight from this talented creator ! This is exactly why we all need a Channel like the Audiophiliac originating from the World's Capitol of all things Audio Hobby Tony in Venice Florida

[@LuisJacob366]

Vocal fry lesson? Well that said Hi end Monitors can reproduce every frequency you put on them. Audiophile speakers are more colored or limited In a sense. But all depends on source and amps cables etc

[@markyexley9440]

Steve - You should really try Amphion HiFi speakers. Handmade in Finland and sound wonderful.

[@johnsweda2999]

Would like you to ask him about compression and dynamics bad thing these days with engineers producers they use it like icing on a cake no no

[@kazpermusic]

What are those side acoustic panels called?

[@bobsykes]

Yes, Bob Katz book is amazing.

[@analogaudiorules1724]

I kinda disagree about them not being more "accurate" A good monitor, like a new and modern adam t5v is fairly accurate, especially in a treated room. If you use proper dsp correction, it'll only raise the bar higher, it will be fairly close to the source with little coloration, even a genelec monitor with their dsp correction is fantastic, their high end glm stuff is nothing to scoff at, that will be fairly accurate, especially in a treated room...

[@mateodeo9161]

No

[@ReflectedMiles]

The idea that (some) audiophiles have about actual professional monitors being designed for sound studio use have flatter response curves, are less colored, more transparent and accurate on the whole, and live in an environment specifically engineered for them to operate with those characteristics intact, is absolutely correct. While they do sound somewhat different based on a range of other factors (especially nearfield monitors, which I'm not including here), including the size and purpose of the studio they are in, if they are _not_ designed with the above criteria in mind then they aren't designed to present the recorded signal as accurately as possible to the engineers and others in the control room--i.e., it's a less-than-professional control room and aware producers, engineers, and musicians on the outside (maybe not in-house) are going to prefer other rooms that are more real with them about their results. I live near a large city that has two professional, fully-engineered recording studios designed and built to purpose from the ground up, and about a dozen pretenders (more semi-pro, somewhat engineered, less expensive, just laying down decent enough tracks). If we're talking about the latter types of facilities, their monitors and room results can be all over the place, but not at the former two facilities.

[@bradmiller2464]

Any audio engineer is the lubricant between the audience and the artist.One that does it right no one notices, but if it is done wrong everyone does and it destroys the illusion.

[@archangele1]

Many recordings I have have me wondering if the recording engineer may well have hearing loss due to listening to loud music.

[@hifiguy77]

What a great interview with such unique insight from an engineering perspective

[@iWhy_Music]

This ATC do not go to 20 hz and actualy any 3 way from ATC, even 15 inch woofer version goes around 30 hz, which is strange to me... like having a super expensive 15` sub for ~4000$(pair of 15` monitors 18 000-19 000$) that goes only to 30 hz, not around 20.

[@wenc8796]

I’ve been looking at acoustic panels for months and couldn’t find any that can stand up against the wall like the ones you have behind you. Can you please share what brands those are and where they can be purchased? Thank you! 🙏

[@kaislate]

They look like repurposed stanchion signs into acoustic treatments. Very easy to make as the only real challenge is thickening the frames although those don't look like they are. If you are going through the trouble (I use the word trouble, but it is pretty easy) there is really no reason not to go 4 inch thickness. It provides much more control especially in smaller environments. Grab some acoustic permeable material, proper rated Rockwool 4 inch thick as you don't have to cut as much and tailor up a frame. Done. Fraction of the cost of prebuilts. Unless you just have zero time whatsoever I would never buy prebuilts if you only want solid colored panels. For awesome quality prints on acoustic treatments check out psy acoustics. They do a good job and are competitive on price for the space of prebuilts.

[@EastMontana1]

Big Alex ! Just love to hear his voice 👍👍

[@Rowuk2024]

In the studios of old, the engineers said that the large monitors were not for the engineers, rather for the customers. The recording engineers also have to consider that their "ears" are their capital, listening at continued high volume is not a good recipe to protect that resource!

[@Smood47]

Steve you gotta play with mic levels. Maybe you can get some help from the guy you are interviewing ;)

[@DriverDude100]

Love ATC speakers!

[@edwardallenthree]

This morning, my headphone amps are in disarray, with things plugged in all wrong with the balanced headphones plugged into the unbalanced input with an adapter, equipment moved around, etc. Why? Because my 10 year old didn't want to listen to the Beoplay 6s which were plugged in and ready, and instead, she wanted to listen to the HD600s, and wasn't afraid to hit random buttons and try various adapters to get it to work (which, she did). Anyway, I thought of this video. Those cans will be hers someday.

[@jmlathion2909]

How can I judge the tone of audio components via some (not all) KZbin reviews? Just like I can recognize Steve’s voice in this series, however badly it is recorded.

[@snapascrew]

My dream setup: Meyer sound amie nearfields Barefoot micromain 27 nearfields PMC BB6 XBD-A mains with sub Single aurotone

[@geeforce3891]

Interesting video. But how can you go thro that interview without asking about the 4 big flat speakers in the background. Are they electrostatic? When does he use those?

[@TheVickersDoorter]

They also look like moveable acoustic panels.

[@geeforce3891]

@@TheVickersDoorter ah that's what they are. Pardon my ignorance. Thanks for the info.

[@MrCJHamill]

Excellent video and extremely well explained.

[@xFunnyFreemanx]

What are those on his wall and how were they acquired? They look like manufactured resonators 🤔

[@xFunnyFreemanx]

​@Andreas haha, of course! - my guess would be resonators to eliminate the SBIR and standing waves, given the design; I can't make out the print on the frames.

[@Krishanu]

Just added two extra knobs to the soundcard now I can hear the voice

[@donaldspaulding6973]

Yup! I got into audio because I kept hearing crappy CD recordings of orchestras and decided to make my own!

[@bbfoto7248]

@Donald Spauling Do you have a link to your recordings?

[@donaldspaulding6973]

@@bbfoto7248 Here's one I did last week facebook.com/piedmontsymphony/videos/344960016797789/

[@alessandrolucabianchi3433]

Interesting, thank you both! Which amp is using Alex to listen to his headphones?

[@RoaroftheTiger]

Alessandro, I believe Alex said, He's using a Grace.

[@r423fplip]

In digital photography you can calibrate your camera and monitor, you can make different models all the same. And now you can do the same with digital audio.

[@carlosoliveira-rc2xt]

Just not true. Not even in photography.

[@r423fplip]

@@carlosoliveira-rc2xt I calibrate my camera and also my monitor and printer. 😃😃😃😃

[@ericberger6966]

Please improve the volume of the videos by minimum 15 db in future. Actually the ads blow me away.

[@TheFradge7]

So what about the audiophile speaker?

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Keep it simple. Studio monitors are for checking a window of sound(s) on how that would sound in your home, car or radio. Studio monitor does not imply QUALITY, those Yamahas were terrible.

[@MrDudleytheCat]

What brand are those headphone holders ??

[@adambrown8867]

All that gear in that room probably cost more than my house.

[@timjacobs1299]

You have a great voice for audio anything

[@kohnfutner9637]

What artists / albums has he mastered?

[@avjake]

Sweeping generalizations like the title query seem so un-Guttenberg. Try a blind A-B comparison of the top ten sales leaders in both categories, then get back to us. (Alex's comments on what he needs from a monitor are right on point, IMO)

[@Lesterandsons]

Always important to listen to how pros work

[@atmosphericpressure3560]

Wow. He was very informative.

[@karltodd2518]

Studio engineer who's voice is the lowest octave range !! Barry white! or willard white ! watch out! The engineers are coming.

[@eug3nius]

What are those absorption panels?

[@emanuelsolsjo7348]

I don't understand the complaints regarding the volume? I'm watching this through my laptopspeakers at 42% volume and it's not low at all. And i can hear Alex perfectly fine.