4 ms·

There still are... I have seen a couple of studios recently on Gearslutz that only have NS10

by timc3 9y ago

SwellJoe 9y ago
Sure, every old piece of equipment has somebody that loves it. But, the number of high-end studios (the kind working on records any of us may have heard on the radio) with NS10 speakers, even in a secondary role, is vanishingly small these days. I used to know engineers who kept a set in the trunk of their car, "just in case" the studio didn't have any when they got there (it was their "source of truth", that allowed them to get their bearings in a room even if they used the regular speakers in the studio for most of the work), but even they weren't doing that as far back as ten years ago. These speakers still have a small cult following based on the strength of the brand during their reign, but it makes little sense to pay "vintage" equipment prices for them when you can buy better new speakers for a similar or lower price. Speakers don't get better with age. Regardless of the continuing existence of these speakers in active roles I am wildly skeptical that the person I'm responding to sees them "all the time". Unless they keep going to the same old studio that hasn't been upgraded since 1989 and having the same conversation with the owner every time. That'd be weird.
- baldfat 9y ago
  But I am talking about people in small studios. Since around 1998 or so the recording studio was revolutionized and 90% of studios are very small one bedroom or basement size spaces. My "all the time" is going from the late 1980s to 2007. Though I still see people with only NS10. There was a studio in my city 2 blocks away. NS10 were on the wall and was the primary ears for the mixing.
  - SwellJoe 9y ago
    Ah, you should say something along the lines of, "I used to see this all the time" to clarify that it's in the distant past. It's pretty rare to find NS10s in active studios today, in my experience (which is much more limited than in the past, but even when I was working professionally in the field two decades ago, the NS10 was on its way out among the thought leaders in the industry). They were a reliable workhorse that had a good run and helped make a lot of great records, but they aren't really relevant today. I worked on them a lot in the 90s, and I don't think they sounded like a brown paper bag, but I can see how one would prefer a more modern design (I've never owned or wanted to own a pair). But, they had their positive aspects.

There still are... I have seen a couple of studios recently on Gearslutz that only have NS10

by timc3 9y ago

There still are... I have seen a couple of studios recently on Gearslutz that only have NS10

Sure, every old piece of equipment has somebody that loves it. But, the number of high-end studios (the kind working on records any of us may have heard on the radio) with NS10 speakers, even in a secondary role, is vanishingly small these days. I used to know engineers who kept a set in the trunk of their car, "just in case" the studio didn't have any when they got there (it was their "source of truth", that allowed them to get their bearings in a room even if they used the regular speakers in the studio for most of the work), but even they weren't doing that as far back as ten years ago. These speakers still have a small cult following based on the strength of the brand during their reign, but it makes little sense to pay "vintage" equipment prices for them when you can buy better new speakers for a similar or lower price. Speakers don't get better with age. Regardless of the continuing existence of these speakers in active roles I am wildly skeptical that the person I'm responding to sees them "all the time". Unless they keep going to the same old studio that hasn't been upgraded since 1989 and having the same conversation with the owner every time. That'd be weird.

baldfat 9y ago
But I am talking about people in small studios. Since around 1998 or so the recording studio was revolutionized and 90% of studios are very small one bedroom or basement size spaces. My "all the time" is going from the late 1980s to 2007. Though I still see people with only NS10. There was a studio in my city 2 blocks away. NS10 were on the wall and was the primary ears for the mixing.
- SwellJoe 9y ago
  Ah, you should say something along the lines of, "I used to see this all the time" to clarify that it's in the distant past. It's pretty rare to find NS10s in active studios today, in my experience (which is much more limited than in the past, but even when I was working professionally in the field two decades ago, the NS10 was on its way out among the thought leaders in the industry). They were a reliable workhorse that had a good run and helped make a lot of great records, but they aren't really relevant today. I worked on them a lot in the 90s, and I don't think they sounded like a brown paper bag, but I can see how one would prefer a more modern design (I've never owned or wanted to own a pair). But, they had their positive aspects.