Originally Posted By: 2bSolo

1)I found an internet post on the best studio headphones for less than $500. One of the recommendations was the Samson SR850 (I think they call them semi-open). I found them on Amazon for $30. I listened to a Tears for Fears CD with them. The bass was more defined and a little louder than it is on my monitors. The highs were present and clear without any shrillness.



Under $500? Yep $30 is well under that. BTW, I use some $30 Yamaha cans.

OK ... so you need to understand this aspect.

The speakers are likely doing a fairly decent job on the bass...low end. When you listen to the bass on the speakers, you have several factors in play. The largest and most important is the room. The size of the room, dimensions, ceiling height, furnishings, sound treatment or not, floor and wall materials and coverings, all factor in. Also, speaker placement in the room. Are they against a wall or on a pedestal. So many variables go into this equation. And..... the sum total of all those things affect the quality of the sound you end up hearing. Also.... the size of the cones, and the power delivered to them factor in as well as any sub you might or might not have.

With cans, you eliminate ALL of that and have only the ability of the cones in the cans, and their design, as a factor.


I notice a big difference in the clarity of the speakers in my studio vs the cheap cans I use. I have mixed a number of tunes exclusively on the cans. They are like ear candy.


I will also add this. For those of us with home studios and on a limited budget......There is a software/hardware combination called ARC. Advanced Room Correction system by IK Multimedia. Essentially, you install and run the software on your DAW with a calibrated mic (the hardware part) according to the instructions. It analyzes your room across the audible frequency spectrum. It then sets up a preset EQ for your room ( or several). Correcting for the most obvious deficiencies at the listening point. It then delivers a "corrected" playback mix to your speakers giving you a "flat and true" representation of the mix. It takes you room out of the equation as much as is possible. You can then mix to the point that it sounds good..... then when you finish, you shut off the plugin and export the mix as a full bodied mix. Check it out here: https://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/arc2/

I have it and .... well, I need to take the time to re-calibrate it to my new studio. It was working on my other studio but since I moved, I haven't set it back up. Need to do that. It really makes things easier.


Quote:
Thanks to Kent at PG, I finally got a VST working. It is the Ample Bass P Lite II (free version). The sound isn't bad, but I noticed a lot of popping noises when I played it back solo.

Since I use a lot of midi bass, even with RT's, I need a bass guitar (not synth bass) virtual instrument. The Sample Tank 61 in HQ synths is OK but I would like a few more options for sound. Does anyone have any recommendations that cost less than $100?


regarding a good midi bass... Native instruments has some nice specific ones. You really can't go too far wrong with NI synths and samples. I have a number of their products and have always been satisfied. They have a free player that works with some of their samples. You should check for compatibility when buying sample packs. I have found through the years that while the free stuff is, well....., free, often you get what you pay for. So if you're looking a realistic bass sound, don't be afraid to buy something nice. You won't regret it.
I like to use the stuff that comes in the Cakewalk Sonar package. There's a nice Ricko type sound that's clean, full, and has nice low end without sounding synthy. I have moved to almost 100% use of samples over oscillator generated sounds. The difference is like day and night. Samples rule.

Anyway, just wanted to put my 2 cents into this

Last edited by Guitarhacker; 10/29/18 03:59 AM.
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