MSP Professional Studio Monitors

(Click to enlarge) Yamaha's "STUDIO" series monitors have been designed with serious monitoring in mind. Emphasis is on reference-quality reproduction precision that lets you hear sonic details, rather than flattering sound. They carry on in the tradition of the venerable NS10M STUDIO monitor speaker, which was the definitive near-field speaker monitor in an overwhelming majority of professional studios throughout the world for many years from the 80s onward. But technology has evolved dramatically right throughout the audio chain, and speakers must follow suit. The new top-of-the-line MSP7 STUDIO Powered Monitor Speaker is capable of delivering consistent quality and performance that you can rely on in modern production environments that handle any combination of digital and analog sources as well as stereo and surround formats.

(Click to enlarge) Yamaha's "STUDIO" series monitors have been designed with serious monitoring in mind. Emphasis is on reference-quality reproduction precision that lets you hear sonic details, rather than flattering sound. They carry on in the tradition of the venerable NS10M STUDIO monitor speaker, which was the definitive near-field speaker monitor in an overwhelming majority of professional studios throughout the world for many years from the 80s onward. But technology has evolved dramatically right throughout the audio chain, and speakers must follow suit. The new top-of-the-line MSP7 STUDIO Powered Monitor Speaker is capable of delivering consistent quality and performance that you can rely on in modern production environments that handle any combination of digital and analog sources as well as stereo and surround formats.

Wood can be good, but synthetic materials have advanced to the point where they offer some overwhelming advantages. In addition to the fact that enclosures materials can be created with ideal density and resonance characteristics, they can be molded to almost any shape with precise tolerances. Where wood cabinets have glued joints that interrupt the continuity of the enclosure, the thickwalled MSP7 STUDIO cabinet is molded in one piece, resulting in smooth acoustic transfer throughout the entire enclosure for superior reproduction precision. One-piece molding also makes it possible to produce the large-radius rounded baffle corners that help to maintain a natural wavefront and minimize diffraction for a smoother, more uniform polar response, as shown in the accompanying plots. Internal tweeter mounting also boosts high-frequency performance by eliminating spurious resonance from the tweeter frame. Click on the images above to enlarge

Wood can be good, but synthetic materials have advanced to the point where they offer some overwhelming advantages. In addition to the fact that enclosures materials can be created with ideal density and resonance characteristics, they can be molded to almost any shape with precise tolerances. Where wood cabinets have glued joints that interrupt the continuity of the enclosure, the thickwalled MSP7 STUDIO cabinet is molded in one piece, resulting in smooth acoustic transfer throughout the entire enclosure for superior reproduction precision. One-piece molding also makes it possible to produce the large-radius rounded baffle corners that help to maintain a natural wavefront and minimize diffraction for a smoother, more uniform polar response, as shown in the accompanying plots. Internal tweeter mounting also boosts high-frequency performance by eliminating spurious resonance from the tweeter frame. Click on above images to enlarge

For both stereo and surround mixing your position in relation to the main front speakers – the "sweet spot" as it's often called – should be one apex of an equilateral triangle. In other words your distance from either speaker should be the same as the distance between the two speakers. The speakers should also be "toed in" to the corresponding 60° angle so that the drivers are aimed directly at the listening position. The height of the speakers should be such that the tweeters are roughly aligned with your ears (this is because high frequencies are the most directional).

Even if you don't plan to set up a surround system, adding a subwoofer can be a real advantage for stereo mixing. If you can't hear the extreme low end there's not much you can do to make it sound great. The extended bass response provided by a good subwoofer can indeed help you to improve the overall quality of your mixes. The location of your subwoofer is not as critical as the main speakers, because frequencies below around 200 Hz – the region your subwoofer will be working in – aren't directional. To say it another way, the ear can't locate the source of such low frequencies, so in theory the subwoofer can be placed anywhere in the room. In reality it's a good idea to place the subwoofer on the floor somewhere between the main front speakers at the same distance from the listening position as the main speakers, but it doesn't have to be dead center.

(Click to enlarge) According to the ITU (International Telecommunications Union) specifications for 5.1 surround setup, the main front speakers are positioned in the 60° equilateral triangle relationship to the listening position described earlier, and the rear speakers should be located at the same distance from the listening position, but at an angle of between 100° and 120°, as shown in the diagram above. The center speaker should be placed precisely midway between the main front speakers, at the same distance from the listening position as the other speakers (which means that ideally it will be a bit behind the main left and right speakers).