KRK ROKIT 8 G3 8" Powered Studio Monitor

I'm definitely a fan of the KRK Rockit Studio Monitors!

I owned two sets of the KRK RP5 G1 series before. I sold my first set when i was about to go on a performance tour to another country and bought a same set after a couple of months there.

I remember using old passive studio monitors for a 20 song project. It was a full production of each song and deadline was short. Upon finishing the first two tracks, I submitted it to the client and on the spot they were rejected due to sound quality. I did another mix and again it did not pass. They waited for my third mix but I knew then that if that did not pass the qualities they're after, I will lose the contract. I called friends and did research and became interested with the KRKs, after all, Sony studios uses them. That same day my second mix was rejected, I got me a pair of KRK RP5s and worked on one song. It was heaven at first try as I could hear even the slightest nuisance and knew instantly what was wrong with my first mixes. The sound was clear, transparent without any additional colors which could interfere with my judgement. I've found "my studio monitor" at last!

The KRK RP5s worked well with most of my projects except for those which required mixing in the much lower frequencies like for RnB, Hip Hop and EDM genres, so I had to find another alternative to mix them; the KRK RP8s. Luckily, I had access to a friend's studio who had the  KRK RP8 so I was not obliged to buy a set. Like the KRK RP5, the RP8 worked liked a charm.

To cut this short, on my opinion, I think KRK  is at par with other studio monitors out there ten times its price. Now, I can't imagine working without them and they're a big factor why most of my mixes get approved even for the first they're heard.

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Now here is what the people from KRK have to say about the KRK Rokit 8 G3 Studio Monitors.

The KRK Rokit 8 G3 studio monitor gives you the amazing sound quality and accuracy that have made Rokits leaders in the industry for over a decade, plus a host of innovative features geared to meet the demands of today's most competitive producers and engineers. The Rokit 8 comes loaded with an innovative Class A/B amplifier pushing a composite woofer and a soft-dome tweeter, providing you with the high-headroom, low-distortion performance you need to really dive into your mix. Find out for yourself why KRK Rokit 8s are one of Sweetwater's most popular monitors.

KRK Rokit 8 G3 Active Nearfield Studio Monitor at a Glance:
Proprietary speaker combination delivers quality sound you can trust
High-performance custom amplifier provides essential tone control
Unique cabinet design ensures sonic accuracy and pristine stereo imaging
Proprietary speaker combination delivers quality sound you can trust
The most instantly recognizable thing about KRK monitors are those telltale yellow speakers. But there's far more to those speaker cones than their color. A combination of Kevlar and aramid fibers make the Rokit 8 G3 an incredible performer, delivering clear mids and tight bass. Add to that a soft-dome tweeter, and you'll get pristine highs extending all the way to 30kHz from your KRK Rokit 8 monitors.

High-performance custom amplifier provides essential tone control
One of the coolest upgrades KRK gave their Rokit 8 G3 studio monitors was a redesigned amplifier and active electronics system. For starters, this Class A/B amplifier delivers massive headroom and low distortion, keeping your audio clean and dropping your noise floor. In addition to that, Rokit 8s give you both high- and low-frequency controls, so you can tune your monitors to meet your environment.

Unique cabinet design ensures sonic accuracy and pristine stereo imaging
KRK's Rokit 8 G3, like the rest of the third-generation Rokit studio monitors, gains a lot from its unique speaker cabinet design. On the outside, the Rokit 8's radiused edges and proprietary waveguide provide a dramatically improved stereo image compared to standard square-edged cabinets. Internally, KRK designed the Rokit 8 to eliminate standing waves and other resonance issues, leaving you with pure, unadulterated sound.

KRK Rokit 8 G3 Active Nearfield Studio Monitor Features:
Versatile nearfield studio monitor that's great for any style of music
8" Kevlar/aramid composite woofer delivers clear mids and tight bass response
Soft-dome tweeter with proprietary waveguide provides smooth and lucid highs up to 30kHz
Active 2-way electronics provide high-headroom/low-noise amplification
High- and low-frequency controls let you contour your sound to your environment
Front-slotted bass port and resonant-free cabinet increase sonic clarity
Radiused edges and contoured front baffle provides clear sound and accurate stereo imaging
System optimized limiter prevents unexpected peaks from damaging speakers



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How To Manage Drum Overtones

At times, drum overtones can become a nightmare not only for the drummer but the whole band, sound engineer to the extent of the listening crowd as well. Although, overtones and sustain seem to go hand in hand, it can be annoying when there is too much but also makes your drum sound dull when totally killed. So, where to we draw the line? Here are Gig Warrior's tips on how to manage drum overtones to make life a bit easier.

Drums and drumming most times is subject to preference so it is hard to pinpoint what is really right or wrong because thereˊs almost none. Instead, drums can be judged by whatever sounds good or bad, but then again, subject to preference.

Usually, it is wise to dampen or lessen overtones as much as possible because the notes from these overtones actually messes with the whole mix to the point that a song being played could sound out of tune. There are three basic ways to dampen drum overtones: first is by using the drum key, second is by placing a ring damper and third is by using masking tape and tissue paper. Although one can also tackle experimenting with room acoustics which does work, for now we discuss what would be the basic and immediate ways a drummer can use.

With the drum key, you need to adjust the bottom sides first or opposite the skins that you hit, called resonant skins or snare side skin for the snare. It should be adjusted just tight enough so that it can still have flexibility to move or resonate. After that, you go on to the batter side and adjust it according to your preferred note. Now, when you hear and think that itˊs got an intrusive overtone, try tightening or loosening the resonant side until you hear the overtone become weaker without losing your desired note. After that, adjust only one lug on the batter side while hitting the drum. Slowly loosen that lug until you the overtone is gone or at least minimal. It is important that you adjust only one lug.

For the second option, you can buy a drum ring damper which is actually the same material as the drum skins cut like a donut. Dampers or drum rings are available in different sizes and usually it can solve drum overtone problems easily just by placing them on top of a drum. Although for some instances using dampers can become too much that it ruins the drumˊs natural sound, most times it works fine which is why as a drummer, I always bring dampers for the snare, tom 1, tom 2 and floor tom and use them depending on how the room acoustics affect the drum sound. This is a rule of thumb for drums or any music source for that matter: Same equipment and same players, set up at different rooms or venues equates to different sound each time.

Now letˊs go to what seems to be a more barbaric solution by using adhesive tapes and tissue paper. As crude as this may sound, this works on the same principle as the ring dampers that you can buy but actually more efficient. Yes, efficient because you actually have control of just how much damping you need to apply to achieve minimal overtone nuisance but enough sustain. Just make sure that your are using soft tissue and adhesive or masking tape that really sticks.

Although most times, our concern is to kill overtones, there are actually instances that we need them and some artists that want them. If one knows how to properly manage drum overtones, it can actually make the overall sound or mix better.

I, in particular, love drum overtones as long as they are in tune. Of course this would depend on the Key scale of a particular song you are performing so using overtones is best used inside the controlled environment of a recording studio but not recorded when playing multiple songs of different keys in a live performance. I actually started using overtones for recorded work by accident. I was on a studio session run and my drum track had this terrible overtone on the toms which was colliding with the other instruments. I was struggling to lessen the overtones without sacrificing natural sustain since the song seems to ask for it. Our sound engineer recommended that I tune the whole kit to a scale within the key of the song and I did so with reference to a keyboard. It was a tedious task since unlike a guitar where you only turn one knob to tune, a snare or tom would has 12 to 16 lugs. After more than an hour of tinkering and tuning the kit, we were ready so we did another take, but this time, we did not dampen the drums to kill the overtones and instead highlighted it. It was amazing! The drum-kit produced loud powerful notes with overtones which blended well with the mix. I was blown away and my perception of drum overtones totally changed after that.

Drum overtones can be a nightmare which you may want to kill but it can also be your friend; the key is knowing the difference and learning how to properly manage them.

What Does Frequency Response In Speakers Mean?

What Does Frequency Response In Speakers Mean?

Although a common for seasoned sound engineers and musicians, for newbies,  the term "frequency response" might be totally new. It simply indicates the dynamic range of sound frequencies a certain speaker is able to respond, operate on or produce. So if you see a speaker with a frequency response of 100 hertz to 17 khz, it indicates you that it can effectively accommodate and function with sound frequencies within that range.

So how important is knowing the proper frequency response to an engineer or musician? Although often disregarded, frequency response is of great importance not only for achieving good sound but also for the protection of your equipment. By knowing the frequency response of a speaker, you can know at what particular range you are most likely to make adjustments with when using an equalizer. A common mistake by those unfamiliar with frequency response is by adjusting frequencies beyond the speaker's range. This not only produces bad sound but can damage a speaker significantly. For example, by adding gain to 60 hertz using a speaker with only up 90 hertz frequency response on the lower range, not only do you produce colored sound or noise, but exposes the speaker to dangerous frequencies it can't handle which may damage it.

To cut this, short, before mixing, setting up a cross-over or using your system, know the frequency response of your speakers and equipment to get the best sound results and protect the equipment as well. Most speakers have this detail at the back so you can know it at a glance.