Silly Question about speakers

AlanD

Hi,

ok, this is probably a stupid question....but...

could I use my Sony stereo system in place of monitors. It has a great set of speakers with excellent clarity, so I'm just wondering if I could plug in an audio interface in to my stereo.

cornbb

Its certainly physically possible once you have the right leads/inputs, although its generally not the done thing! Although having said that Four Tet did release several albums that were monitored on an old Sony hifi.

unclebill98

If it sounds good to you why not. Sure is that not what most people will be listening to you album on! Not ideal, but it'll make do.

PaulBrewer

You certainly can!..........However.....

A lot of Hi Fi speakers are hyped at the top and bottom frequencies ( Bum + Tiss we call it!) and bit like the effect a Loudness button has .
This can be nice to listen to but difficult to mix on.

For example if you Hi-Fi has a big boost on the low end (as often smaller hi-fi speakers have to make thme sound 'Bigger') then when you're mixing your natural inclination may be to be a bit bass light to make stuff sound 'right' on the Hi-Fi.
Lower end powered monitors often have the same traits in my experience. (sub a grand as a guide)

I sometimes find that when a customer tries something hi-end monitorwise, having only experienced lower end stuff, they find the experience difficult as the Pro speakers are now letting them know what's actually going on.... as opposed to what they thought was going on!

Similarly I know one Pop Producer (Kylie etc) who had a big pair of monitors that were hyped to death.... so when the management or record company came in for a listen they were impressed! Sometimes hyping is desireable..

And don't get me started on what I consider half a monitoring system- The room and speaker placement....

AlanD

you know, these weren't the answers I was expecting! So I'm pleasantly surprised.

I was fully expecting a full and resounding no.

So great...I think I'll give it a go. It would mean I could spend a little more now on an audio interface which I think will be more important. I'm not going releasing any albums any time soon, so the shortcomings of using my stereo could be forgiven for now. I reckon for what I need to record, the sound quality should be adequate.

Thanks guys.

PaulBrewer

Cool- give it a go, we won't laugh!

Another good mixing trick that even the Big Dawgs use is to mix while referencing to a CD you know and like and has the same sort of vibe as your track (taking it that there is such a thing!!)

Also spend a few bob on a good pair of pro headphones. Invaluable in times of indecision and they'll also make tracking more enjoyable.

squibs

And check your mix on a number of other systems - from the crappy to the audiophile. This is probably the best way to see how your setup is colouring the sound. i.e if your system has massive bass boost, you'll probably end up producing a bass light mix.

As a general rule, bypass your bass boost and eq (or use the flat eq setting). Everything will sound less impressive, but it will be a flatter and more accurate sound, giving you a better chance of a mix that will reproduce well on all systems. You'll probably learn to prefer the flat sound in time - and it should be less tiring on the ears.

AlanD

I can bypass most of the dynamic effects that the system puts on sound like the bass stuff.

Have just tried flattening out the eq settings and seems to do the trick.

Thanks lads....can't wait to give it a try