Fix Your Studio Pt. 2: Hearing is Believing

MONITORING!

No one is a bigger gearslut than me. I'm always trying to keep my gear acquisition syndrome at bay. I know I'm not alone in this. When something needs to be improved in your studio, the first thought is often to buy some new and relatively useless (b/c you can't use it properly, or you just plain don't need it) piece of gear.

The problem is often no more complex than what you hear, and where you hear it. Let me break it down...everyone wants those expensive monitors...to mount in their bedroom. The fact of the matter is most domestic residences are pretty much the opposite of the kind of construction you'd want for a studio. They're square, right angles for days, and unavoidable standing waves. Modes. It's nasty, nasty stuff.

The point being that it's almost impossible to work with audio when what you're hearing isn't exactly what's there. You'll have problems with your mixes translating always. Unfortunately, this is in my opinion the hardest part of trying to create a professional studio from the ground up - sound treatment is expensive. There are plenty of resources on the internet about how to make your own bass traps (vital for small, square rooms!), diffusors, etc.

It's also important to set up your monitors in an equilateral triangle at ear level in relation to your listening position. This ensures proper stereo imaging and frequency recognition.
I'm going to say it again. It's really, really hard to work with audio when what you're hearing in the room isn't exactly what the real audio actually is. You either have to fix your studio, or learn your monitors and your room very well in order to compensate for the deficiencies of the monitoring environment.