Studio monitor - an acoustic system (loudspeaker in acoustic design) of small power with an ideally smooth frequency response , used in professional recording in the studio to control instrument balance, performance (during recording), and the quality of the mixed signal.
Designed to faithfully reflect the sound of recorded material. It is worth adding that studio monitors do not choose the beauty of sound - first of all, monitors should identify the maximum number of features and recording defects. Studio audio monitors can also be called an “ideal” speaker system. Given the perfectly clear and even sound of studio monitors, they can be used to write and listen to any type and genre of music , that is, they must be universal.
The phrase “studio monitor” can also be abbreviated as a studio video monitor , which is used to control image quality or both sound and image in a studio video editing environment.
Requirements
The main indicators of the quality of a studio monitor are: linearity of the frequency response and phase response , the width of the range of transmitted frequencies , power. The most important requirement for a studio monitor is to reproduce the sound as it is, with maximum accuracy, without any color or distortion. The good sound of a studio monitor is not in the coloring of the sound, but in the most honest transmission of sound without “embellishment”.
Varieties
According to the studio standard, there are three types of monitoring: near, middle and far field. The near field is monitors with a power not exceeding 100 W, the diameter of the speaker is up to 8 inches . Located at a distance of up to 1.5 meters from the sound engineer . Middle and far field - used in professional studios, studio monitors are located at a considerable distance and have more power.
It is the near-field studio monitors that are common in home and semi-professional studios. Their price is low, power allows you to work without interfering with your neighbors, but the quality of sound transmission is high. Studio monitors are active (with a built-in power amplifier ), and passive (an external amplifier is used). Some sound engineers believe that there should be nothing besides wood and speakers in the speaker casing, while others prefer two in one. The sound quality of active studio monitors may not differ from passive, but usually higher (due to the active division of frequencies, the manufacturer coordinated the speaker-amplifier bundles and the absence of long speaker cables).
The diameter of the speaker affects the range of low frequencies that it can transmit. The frequency range of the studio monitor is also important, it should be on average from 51 Hz to 22 kHz. It is worth paying attention to the linearity of the frequency response (AFC), the more evenly the better.
Links
- The difference between studio monitors and home speakers // hifinews.ru
- How to choose studio monitors // tonystudio.ru