Spent $400 on a pair of studio monitors that sounded awful in my untreated room

Picked up a set of KRK Rokits back in 2021 thinking they'd fix my mixes. Turned out they just made everything sound bass heavy and muddy. Kept second guessing my tracks for months. Ended up selling them for half what I paid and grabbed some cheap headphones instead. My mixes actually translate better now. Anyone else fall for the 'you need monitors' trap early on?

2 comments

2 Comments

umabailey4d ago

I read something the other day about how a lot of people think they need monitors before they even fix their room. That must be what happened to me too. My bedroom has thin walls and no treatment at all, so the bass was just bouncing everywhere. Makes total sense now why my mixes sounded so off. Headphones really do help you focus on the details without fighting the room. Honestly, I wish I saw that article before I dropped all that cash.

taylor3053d ago

Yeah @umabailey that "focus on the details without fighting the room" part is exactly it. It's crazy how many hobbies have this hidden cost where the gear gets all the hype but the space you use it in matters just as much. I see the same thing happen with people buying expensive gaming chairs but sitting in a loud messy room with bad lighting, or dropping cash on a fancy stove but having no ventilation. Everybody wants the flashy upgrade first because it's easy to buy, but fixing the actual environment is boring and takes work. Monitors are great once you have a treated room, but for most of us starting out in a bedroom or apartment, decent headphones might actually teach you more about what you're hearing.