Recording - March 2014 - 72

Hey, Monitors Are People Too!

Guest editorial by MARTY PETERS
Several weeks back, I had a chance
to visit a friend's newly constructed
home studio. Okay, when I say "constructed", I actually mean a section of
his basement not dedicated to the
washer/dryer, along with a fairly vintage treadmill.
Now as weird as it might seem, this
sort of thing excites me. As many of
you know, I have authored Recording
Magazine's Readers' Tapes review column for the past sixteen plus years
(long enough ago for submissions to
actually come in on tapes!), and home/

friends, those little boxes that let us hear and evaluate the fruits of our labors.
(Think I'm going overboard? Check page 64 of this issue. Guilty... twice!)
Now we're a passionate lot here at Recording, dedicated to helping each of our
readers navigate through the heady maze that brings that passion to fruition. So
imagine trying to discern details and pass along advice on a track when there is
absolutely no information about the mix position or monitors!
Was there a sub involved? Did the speakers have 6" woofers or 8"? Rear ported? Front ported? Not ported? Oh, and how close to the wall? Were the speakers
on stands or sitting on your desk? Have you checked your room, measuring for the
sweet spots, do you cross-reference with other listening sources, such as a boom
box or computer speakers? These are just a few of the issues that absolutely
affect your outcome and our ability to help you make better recordings. Think it
doesn't matter? It MATTERS.
Now we have experienced a sea change in our industry over the past two
decades, with advancements simply too numerous to list. It is rare indeed these
days to hear anyone mention grease pencils, splicing tape, "tails out" or any of
the other myriad terms that used to be commonplace vernacular in home and
commercial facilities alike. But at the risk of being the "Hey you kids, get off of
my lawn" guy, I have to point out that monitors are not one of the items that have
been put out to pasture!
Over the years I have waged what some may view as a personal crusade to right
this egregious wrong, I have hinted, needled, prodded, scolded and ever so gently
guilted you offenders out there, and with each new gear list I read, I wait eagerly for my reward in the form of real monitoring enlightenment that will guide my
advice. Nope, nyet, nada, pick a language, it ain't happenin'. Surely the majority
of you are using them-special exemption to the "what with the new baby and
all, I've gotta use headphones" crowd-or how else would the work get done?

Imagine trying to discern details and pass along advice on a track
when there is absolutely no information about the mix position or monitors!
project studios are my bag. Our Senior
Editor, my dear friend Lorenz Rychner,
calls me a "guerrilla" recordist, a
descriptor I wear with honor. Show me
a barn, converted chicken coop or
mobile home (my specialty) and I'll
make you a record there, with a smile
on my face.
So what does all of this have to do
with monitors? Well, we're gettin'
there. Those of you who have followed
my column have probably sussed out
by now that I have several "hot button"
issues with respect to submissions.
Overcompression annoys me, lo-fi
recordings often confuse me, but nothing, I repeat, nothing gets me up on my
soapbox faster than the lack of attention given to monitors!
Throughout the years I have read the
most detailed descriptions of readers'
gear lists and tracking/mixing/mastering procedures, from string and pick
gauges straight on though to types of
chairs in the control room (not kidding!). And yet, in ever more disturbing
numbers, the single most important
tool in the entire operation is nowhere
to be found. Not in the gear list, not in
the tracking description, just not.
Period. I'm talking about monitors,
72

RECORDING March 2014

More importantly, for every new microphone or plug-in, there is an equally
exciting advancement in monitor technology. We truly are in a golden age in
terms of the tools at our disposal. Good quality gear has never been as abundant
or affordable, a fact which in many ways is the foundation of the incredible
growth witnessed in the home/project studio revolution.
Back in my day (here's where I hitch up my pants) monitors were a big darn
deal. Heck, a lot of times they were just darn big! Unlike in today's "how cheap
how fast" environment, potential clients expected and inspected your studio's gear
list prior to committing, and your monitors were definitely a big part of the scenario. Strange as it seems today, monitors themselves often achieved fame or at
least important reputations, the prime examples being the Yamaha NS10 and the
Auratone. Ironically these two speakers were valued not for their pristine sound
but rather just the opposite, making them a perfect tool to judge "real world" listening environments. It wasn't uncommon to find rather heated studio debates
between the Tannoy vs. JBL vs. UREI guys, not unlike the Chevy/Dodge/Ford
truck rivalries that still rage today. Trust me when I tell you they were every bit
as argued over as, and way more important than, the Kardashians.
And this, my friends, is indeed where the problem lies. Unfortunately for our
rectangular friends, outside of the high-end audiophile world, when it comes to
sex appeal they rank only slightly higher than mic stands. Monitors should be fascinating to you, yes, even sexy-if you care about your music.
I say the time has come to show monitors some love. After all, you can't mix what
you can't hear, and unless you are one of the unfortunate people hearing voices in
their head, monitors are required! What will it take to finally drive home the fact
that world class gear means nothing if you're listening through crappy speakers?
As for me, I am proposing that the day I wrote this piece, December 21, be
declared National Bring a Monitor To Work Day. Who's with me?!
Marty Peters (peters@recordingmag.com) has been reviewing reader submissions for
our Readers' Tapes column for over sixteen years. And he's not exaggerating; fewer than
one third of all submissions tell us what monitors were used for tracking and mixing.

Recording - March 2014

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