I have a set of iLoud Micro Monitors, they've served me well. I have limited space, but thinking I could move my desk forward and put some stands behind it to free some space up. Rooms not big either, so again smaller would be better for me, though I appreciate size will effect what I can hope for (I guess?).
iLoud Micro Monitor are struggling with the bass frequencies and the stereo imaging doesn't sound that accurate - When I record something and then check on my headphones (DT1770 or T1's), there's a big difference. Recordings will be guitar and also Synths and drum machines.
At the moment the ilouds get their signal from my Focusrite 2i2 (mk2)
££££ up to £600 max? do I need to go that far?
Comments
Focal also very good, although much larger than the Genelec’s.
Just seen iLoud now do a new MTM
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
Do you have any acoustic treatment?
Get another set of speakers and see if they do the same thing.
I have iLoud's here and they put out enough bass, although I don't mix on them I can do some design stuff on the Eurorack on them. My room is 6x4m and acoustically treated though.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I've got the eq set - Desk, HF flat, Bass -3db
Room is tiny, 3x3m at a push. ~No treatment - I wouldn't have a clue where to put any either?
They're not lacking in bass at all, if anything there's too much at times. But say I make a kick drum sound on Digitakt, I get something I'm happy with, then try headphones and it doesn't sound the same at all.
Excuse the mess!
Desk
Behind me:
wider view:
I think you should try and get your desk more centred on a wall, the wall to your left maybe?, but then you are also constrained by room dimensions.
At the moment, you will be hearing a lot of misbalanced signal, and a headphone mix will be more honest.
There are some basic rules for setting up a desk and monitors within a room, and I understand that we do not live in an ideal world, so we have to accept, and work within our limitations.
I only mix at home, and my own setup is far from perfect, I don't even have a dedicated space, but I have my I louds clamped to a fold away mobile desk, and I treat them as something more like headphones that are not on my head-if that makes sense.
I think they are great monitors, for the price, and for the form, but I wouldn't be spending money on anything much better at this stage.
In your case, I would give them another go, after I had tried to get a more ideal positioning sorted out. imagine you removed the white shelves, and rotated your desk 90 degrees to the left. With the door shut, you could be more centred on that wall, and you would get a truer stereo image. The I louds have mic stand sockets on their bases, so I would rig up something that could give them more isolation-maybe stands, or maybe some sort of brackets off the wall. This would allow the bass response to be heard more accurately, if I needed more below the 50 that they reproduce, I would try a small sub, but then the room acoustics would be much more important.
Some form of shelving unit could be built to create a more rectangular space, and ideally you want to be centred on a shorter wall.
Better speakers will be pretty much wasted in your existing space, and will simply exaggerate any shortcomings I am afraid.
Like I said, I am not an expert, but I have heard the difference a fairly good room makes, I checked my mixes at my Uni when I did a degree recently, I made a point of trying to understand how to relate my Headphone and I loud mixes compared to the Genelecs they had in the studio, it was an obvious difference, but I soon managed to make the allowances. I made my decisions based on a headphone mix, and the I louds just made it less tiring on the ears.
Good luck anyway.
Will see if I can have a shift about..... So limited for space unfortunately. Might be easier if I didn't have one of the kids drum sets and the other kids guitar in there - as well as my guitar and everything else. and I have to work in there too.....
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
They were set - (desk) Flat, HF flat, Bass -3db as I found the bass was over the top a little.
When they were on the desk they always seemed too low?
Now that desk is on the one wall i didn't photo. Drums have been shifted to the kids bedroom. Already sounding better. Need to get my ear tuned to it though.
If you have yours set -3db, there is definitely enough bass for your tastes. I think they go down to 50hz, which is plenty low enough for anything other than dance or club style music.
Obviously there are better speakers, but nothing much comes close at their price point, the revised V2 versions are twice the price and have some funky room tweaking going on.
It will take a while to adjust, but I think you have done the right thing, it is well worth listening to some known good mixes through them as much as you can-you should be able to hear if you are then missing some of the bass, but I doubt it.
The iLouds are really design to be on the desk hence the funky feet that point up at you. I have mine on my desk and the relevant switch on the back to desk and everything else on flat.
Remember, it's easier to criticise than create!
Are you guys finding they need pointing in towards you? or straight. They're only 74cm (centre to centre) apart from each other as they sit currently.
The funky little feet can fold flat, as some desks have platforms either side of the space for your screen. Your stands look fine to me-but you need to make sure there is no vibration, blu tack works.
Also if you aren't mixing for release then the practical considerations of how the room is set up, how big the room is and all the other stuff that is in there will override everything else.
In a perfect world you'd have a load of bass traps and corner traps up, the desk away from the wall, the window covered, speakers on stands and a listening position about 38% along the length of the room.
I wouldn't worry too much but also I don't think spending a load of cash on better monitors will make much of a tangible difference.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
https://soundcloud.com/bill-saunders
Many thanks! Much appreciated
Glenn Kuras (the owner) helped me out a lot when I built my studio in New Jersey, this was back in 2006 or so, I think GIK had just started.
I've used them for all my bass trapping materials in the current studio and I have a bunch of GOBOs and diffusers from them too.
Highly recommended.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com