cheap (but usable) monitors?

[megajoe]

Unnecessary background info (can be skipped): I've been engineering professionally out of school for three years now. I just moved to rural NW Missouri to take care of grandma for the rest of the year, before I move to Portland to freelance. Until now, I've always had the keys to a professional facility down the street. All I own for recording gear is a Powerbook G4, original Mbox, Logic Pro 7, two SM57s and pair of Sony headphones I bought for $20 when I was 14. The studio I was working at moved in December, and they still aren't quite done with the new facility, plus the move, etc etc... so I've been on a really tight budget until I get going on a few mixing projects (starting by July). Mixing in headphones will not cut it.

My question: Recommendations for a pair of sub-$100 powered monitors? I mix a lot of rap music. I read the tape op review on the Tascam VL-M3s, and those have sparked my interest. I'd also be interested in anything that hovers around that price range on the used market.

[Fletcher]

When I got a fancy flat screen TV that could do 1080p I got a little "5.1" system from "Best Buy" to go with it [it is a TV after all]. It was $249 for the ENTIRE thing ["tuner", 2x "main" speakers, 2x "surround" speakers with a sub].

I hooked the "tuner" to the speakers I had back in the days when I cared about having a home stereo [KEF 104/1 -- long out of production, but still damn good!!] and for grins took the little Yamaha "main" boxes to the studio.

I was amazed at how well the product translated in my car!!! Don't tell anyone, but I liked them better than the ADAM S-3A's I had at the time [and they couldn't have cost "sales tax" on those].

So... I don't know the model number for the "package"... but if you can find something along those lines... you just might be able to get to the promised land for short dollars.

Best of luck!!

Peace.

[Peterson Goodwyn]

That's awfully nice of you to take time out of your mid-20's life to take care of Grandma. I salute you.

Of course you can mix on headphones! It's not ideal, but Sufjan did it, and since you'll only be there for 6 months, why not spend that $100 on a pair of Grado's that you can learn and love forever instead of some cheap speakers you'll be putting in an untreated room and then trying to get rid of?

[megajoe]

Of course you can mix on headphones! It's not ideal, but Sufjan did it, and since you'll only be there for 6 months, why not spend that $100 on a pair of Grado's that you can learn and love forever instead of some cheap speakers you'll be putting in an untreated room and then trying to get rid of?

That's a pretty good idea, thanks! I didn't get past "i need monitors" in my thought process to think I could get a quality pair of headphones.

[Producer/Engineer]

Shure SRH-440 headphones are nearly flat and you can mix on them if you are in a pinch. Use em for tracking too. Very good cans.

[eeldip]

i feel like i can mix like 83% of the way on my grados.

if i sent off my mixes to someone else to back me up (vocals too low dude), i wouldn't feel bad doing a record on them.