heresy II's as reference monitors in the studio

[mattsculpt]

Any one had any experience with Heresy IIs in the recording studio?

Are they fairly flat? colored?

I'm replacing my current monitors and I have heard good things about the HII's

[Marvel]

Matt,

I have used JBL 4311s for years (someone on here says they are aweful in the midrange, but I respectfully disagree), and I find my HIIs are very close to them in balance, but the bass isn't quite at deep.

I don't know that I would use the HIIs to monitor, but have thought of trying some mixes with them to see how they compare to other monitors in the house. The dynamics are great ('cause of the horns). Usually, whatever I have mixed on the JBLs has played back well on most anything else I used for a comparison.

Flat? Colored? I think you get used to what you have and mine are easy to listen to for extended periods which is a plus.

Marvel

[Daddy Dee]

I don't have studio experience on which to draw, however did notice a few months ago on Ebay.... someone was selling some original Heresy's that the seller described as just taken out of service in Todd Rundgren's studio.

[sunnysal]

first of all, at best they could be mid-field monitors bordering on far field. second I have also had 4311s and heresey IIs in the same system (wow marvel we have the same stuff!) and in my experience the jbls are better suited to monitoring duties, the heresey sounding a bit blary on top. I would recommend against heresey as studio monitors. YMMV, etc. tony

[DrWho]

Unless you're very familiar with the heresy sound I wouldn't recommend using them as your main studio monitors...maybe as a second pair for reference purposes, but the lacking low-end and forward mid-range is going to make your mixes translate with exagerated bass and very laid back mids.

I would recommend listening to some of your previous recordings on as many different systems as possible and then finding a monitor that matches the common flaws in your mixing. For example, if your bass is exagerated in your mixes, then you want to find a monitor with slightly exagerated bass so that when you make it sound like you want in the studio, it will translate to not being exagerated everywhere else. I personally find that 90% of my time in the studio is spent making sure everything translates, and not so much actual tweaking of the sound (that's what creative mic techniques are for).

[Marvel]

Whatever you use, you have to be familiar with what other music sounds like on your system. You didn't think NS-10s were really a good speaker did you?

Tony,

I love the JBLs. It's funny you think the mids are forward on the HIIs. I think it is really a difference in bass rolloff and the higher sensitivity in the HIIs that make them seem that way (mostly). I find my HIIs to be pretty smooth. I would still use the JBLs over the HIIs though.

Marvel

[mattsculpt]

Thanks

Reading the consenus I get: close to JBL's but watch the mids

Thats great. I've got matching eq's and since I practically live in here, I'll be able to sort it out.

Quick is it day or night!

If you had to look you know what I mean

Thanks

[colterphoto1]

What DrWho said, I'd stay away from Heresy as my main monitors. Too many flaws.

Michael

[Duke Spinner]

NOOOOOOO ..!

i'd investigate Genelec, or Event , if what you really want is a "monitor" speaker

[Marvel]

Michael,

They all have flaws of some sort. Friends of mine who owned a studio close to me, had booked time for Styx. The studio used some huge EV monitors, the model of which I don't remember, and the band had never heard them or mixed on them. The studio borrowed my JBLs for them to A/B to get used to the EVs. They were a reference for them only in that they knew what their music sounded like on them.

Before anyone asks, I don't remember the album name, but it was mid '70s.

Marvel

Marvel

[ben.]

As long as the mix engineer and producer can "refer" to them with familiarity, any speaker can be a reference monitor. I've never heard Heresy, so I can't comment on the specifics of performance, but I'd imagine that they are fairly free of various distortions, though perhaps not the flattest frequency response. No big whup. Get to know your monitors, and anything is usable.

[colterphoto1]

Correct you all are, experience with the speakers is what matters most.

I do recall some interesting 'pure' electronic music recordings from 70's/early 80's where the artist/engineer stated the exact monitoring system used , so the listener could relive the exact experience as the artist intended. Being synthetic instruments that no one had any prior experience with, you would have no idea what sounded 'right' or 'natural' as in with a piano, violin, or vocal recording. Think it may have been one of the guys from Tangerine Dream.

Michael

[Klipschfoot]

I would imagine that, if you were looking for a "flat, uncolored" speaker, you probably do better with a good pair of JBL (monitors or domesticated versions of monitors) as they are more often used as studio monitors. In fact, 6moons used a pair of L100 to review the oft-mentioned Blueberry preamp. Just a thought.