The Case Against Cheapo "Gamer" Speakers in FCP
Sure! Sound Sticks LOOK groovy.....
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news - but these are the absolute WORST choice for studio audio monitors in a NLE video editing system.
Why? They will only work when connected to the Mac which (SURPRISE) is not the ideal output for monitoring audio from FCP.
In my world, audio speakers should be connected to the DV Deck/or DV Camcorder - NOT the Mac. (See my related article about system setup here >>>).
Even though you can use the built in audio port to monitor your audio, doesn't mean you should. ;-)
To be honest, I end up monitoring out of the built in from time to time. But as a rule it's not the best idea because you aren't monitoring the audio at its true quality. You see, when you set the audio output pref to "Built In", audio is down-sampled coming out of the built-in port from 48 kHz to 44.1 kHz (blech!). This alone may introduce some pops and crackles that not actually there! They are merely down-sampling errors. No worries, however that can drive you crazy when you hear a pop and don't see it in your waveform.
Sound Sticks oddly are connectable only by USB (which is weird enough as it is), so you are forced to use the built in audio port. USB 1 doesn't have a whole lot of bandwidth capability, so I suspect that is why you would hear
down-sampling errors. You can't connect the speakers to a DV Deck or DV Camcorder even if you wanted to monitor audio properly. I doon't know of any decks or cams that have USB ports.
Spend Your Money Where It Counts the Most: The Case For Studio Audio Monitors:
Using cheap studio audio monitors is a bad, bad idea. Usually, the cheaper a speaker is - the more "colored" the sound is. These speakers were not designed for video post-production - they were designed for 12 years olds for playing Quake III or the like. The sounds is polluted with overly heavy bass, etc. - hey, it's cool for explosions 'n stuff - but not for your video piece.
If you don't spend at least $300 on your speakers - you are shortchanging yourself and your clients. You are not hearing the true audio you should be. When purchasing speakers look for those with a "flat response". A Flat Response is the very reason that studio audio monitors cost what they do. Spend your money where it will do the most good.
Recall that your audio quality is at least as important as your video quality, if not more.
Sound Sticks? Altec Lansing? Well, these are about as far from a flat response speaker you can get! AVOID THEM!
Another thought about using built-in audio is that if you are using it, you are likely not monitoring your video on a dedicated NTSC monitor. Which is not the way to go about editing in the pro realm.
Do You Have Sound Sticks or some Game Boy Speakers?
First of all. Dump your speakers. Period. They're the worst. Get out the credit card and get yourself some decent flat response studio audio monitors. I'm sure Cutter-Talk or the fcpworld discussion board can give you some ideas for quality and for low cost. But yes, it's gonna cost you a good amount of dough. However, keep in mind that these speakers will last you for years. Have your accountant depreciate them over time and write ‘em off.
Make sure that you should hook these new speakers to your DV Deck or DV Camcorder so that you can monitor your TRUE 48 kHz audio, not some down-sampled garble coming from the long in the tooth Sound Sticks.
Audio Crackling with Sound Sticks?
Friday, May 26, 2006
