thanks to andychap.........add the amps

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mikeinminnesota
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat May 13, 2006 4:26 pm

Post by mikeinminnesota » Mon May 22, 2006 2:37 am

many thanks to andychap for the reply to my last post....this will be filed in the keep section and used in the future

new question as i develop my studio:
instead of an actual made for computor amp and speakers....can I plug in to a quality stereo reciever or even a PA amp? I assume a PC sound setup is just an amp and speakers anyway and I will want some hefty amps. probably more likely a PA amplifier since I have little use for a radio tuner.


andychap
Posts: 685
Joined: Wed Aug 27, 2003 7:26 pm
Location: UK

Post by andychap » Mon May 22, 2006 10:56 am

You can plug your soundcard into absolutely anything with a line in.

A reasonable quality stereo will always be better than computer speaker systems although as you progress through the audio world you will want something that gives you a more accurate reflection of what your music actually sounds like.

A stereo will colour your audio by accentuating certain frequenies that add to listening pleasure. If your stereo has a graphic equalizer then leave the settings flat across the middle and make sure there are no "loudness" or "bass" boost features turned on. This will give you the most accurate reflection of your audio.

Eventually you will realise there is still a bit of colouring in you mix and then it will be time to by some proper monitors, probably nearfield monitors. These are designed to be placed in or around your computer/mixing area so they are fairly close to you, hence the term nearfield. You can get passive (needing to be connected to an amp) or active (the amp is built into the actual speakers) monitors.

They aren't cheap things so put a lot of thought into what you buy and try as many models as you can.

Remember when you first listen to your music on proper monitors it will sound awfull. It's very disheartening after you have spent hours getting the perfect mix with your stereo but that's the idea, the monitors will show you the problem areas in your mix. Once you can get a good sound coming out of your monitors you know it will sound good on anything.

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