Just added a third LG 29" monitor to the rig… Huge workflow improvement for 7.0.6… Here’s a picture…
Cool! Nice room set up as well.
Looks inviting.
I have 2 monitors side by side in front of me like your 3 and I’ve since ran a cable over to the 39" TV on the other side of the digital piano.
So I can use it as a 3rd for dragging VSTs over & out of the way, or the Mixer, now that I know how to undock it.
Alternatively, I can drag Cubase over to it & have it closer to me for recording while sitting at the piano instead.
I like your portability idea… Having monitors where needed to accommodate specific workflow requirements. At some point I hope we can throw screens around and render them anywhere on any convenient display surface.
Yeah - that would be great.
In my set up, it was time to update the TV, so it was sitting in the right place already.
But I decided to make sure that the new one would work with my graphics card options by checking the inputs before the purchase.
So basically from left to right I have:
My DAW computer station which holds my 2 - 18" flat screen monitors with a speaker on each side of them, a 61 keyboard, & the tower underneath.
Next to that is a Presonus 16.4.2 StudioLive mixer on a stand.
Next to that is my digital 88 key piano with a hardware sequencer & bunch of MIDI modules sitting on top of it with a 2nd set of smaller speakers sitting on the corners.
Finally, the TV on a 45 degree angle in the corner.
So yeah, it’s great to have it right near the piano as I can’t really see the other 2 monitors on the other side of the mixer behind the left speaker.
I don’t know if I could ever do without it now.
My stuff is in a large bedroom, instead of what looks like a much bigger room like your set up seems to be in.
that is one heck of a set up !!! 
Wow, you don’t just have many monitors, you also have many monitors 
Yeah, I guess I have a thing for monitors and monitors!! 
In my set-up I actually benefit from the off-axis response from the NS-10s because they are too bright to start with. I have not used the KRKs so I don’t really know how raising them will impact top end/imaging. Maybe one option is find some stands which can gimbal on the vertical axis so the KRKs can be pointed downwards a bit? I don’t think I could live with having to peer up at the displays… It would drive me crazy…
You don’t, it’s usually bloatware.
There might be some fancy stuff like an automatic rotation feature which rotates your picture when you rotate the screen. In general, if it works without you’re probably better off not installing it.
I wouldn’t want to look up to my screens either, so I’d look at options for positioning your monitors elsewhere.
To me it’s strikes me as odd that the computer screen has taken precedence over optimal speaker placement (unless like Steve, headphones are the primary playback devices)
After all, it’s what we hear that dictates what we produce! When setting up my 3 monitor setup I spent many days calculating and moving speakers and screens around to find the best spots for them. One thing that becomes very obvious is just how reflective large screen computer monitors are, even more so when the room is well treated. sitting at the focal point of three very large acoustic mirrors cannot be optimal in any scenario!!!
what about 100 ipad’s linked together ?
I know what you mean… I have spent much too much time tuning my room which is a losing proposition given its goofy dimensions - its too small, axial modes are spaced too far apart, ceiling is too low, length and width within a couple of feet and on and on… The Tube Traps do a reasonably good job but are far from a perfect solution. I must say that imaging is really great on the NS-10s and 4430s. The 809s are next to useless except for pointing out some useful midrange problems and the Mackies sound like stereo speakers. I could not mix on the Mackies if my life depended on it (at least in terms of where they are currently placed) and admittedly I have not spent too much time trying to get them usable so I should probably not pan them too badly as I am sure there are plenty of folks getting great sounds out of them. Thing is with display placement is that any diffraction and diffusion they create is pretty minor due to their proximity to the mix position. I have not done the math but I suspect that any phase problems they create (at least in terms of placement to the near fields) occur at pretty high frequencies and don’t do too much damage. Just a guess though…
It’s more reflection that diffraction, and I can’t see how three large flat reflective surfaces help with diffusion. It’s always a compromise anyway but it’s interesting to remove the computer monitors and listen, then put them back, or drape some heavy material over them. I mean would we really spend all that time and money on room treatment then build in three large flat bits of glass in a parabola right in front of the listing position and sit at it’s focal point!!! at least with a studio window we try to angle the surface, one for non parallel surfaces and two to not have a directly reflective surface pointing straight at you. the trend for bigger and bigger multiple computer monitors does create new problems for room design and also detracts from the ability to purely listen without distraction. It would be interesting to know the reflection/frequency functions of various computer monitors, I suspect their noticeable effects go well into the low mid bands at least?
Points taken… The diffusion effects would result from the display boundaries much like speaker cabinets themselves. I’m not sure how or how much this affects anything especially considering the relatively small ‘z’ of a computer display so maybe its a red herring. I did a couple of calculations and I think you are correct in terms of the extent to which mid band may be affected by so many panels placed in a parabola. If the monitors are placed around 20" from the listening position then phase problems will arise at around 700hz. I am wondering though if these surfaces qualify as first order reflectors as the user-facing part of the panel is getting its information from first order reflective surfaces rather than being first order reflectors themselves. I’m not sure… It would be interesting to know… The back of the display reflects information to the front wall which, if absorbent, should have minimal effects I think. I like your idea of draping and/or removing the panels altogether to see what the audible consequences are. Something for the weekend!
If you are getting uniform response around the room as you seem to be getting I imagine raising the speakers will not change the overall experience too much but I guess you’ll see.
Also… I have a correction to make… I was using the word ‘diffusion’ in my last post… I meant diffraction… Getting too damned old…
Ah, I was wondering why you kept going on about diffusion from a flat panel 
The effects of flat screen monitors will be far less noticeable in an untreated room due to almost all the surfaces being highly reflective.
Hey Steve,
Check out some of the studio design and construction sites (Gearslutz, John L Sayers)
If the desk is too small get speaker stands (usually you don’t want a huge desk anyway) - important is their orientation, and generally the video screens should not sit within the audio field. The video monitors can also be angled just as a studio window - key here however is to do a bit of vector analysis or ray-tracing from the speakers to see how they bounce off the monitors.
In regards to the switching powerbar, take care! A number of powered monitors have an anti-pop switching circuit (to avoid the speaker popping on powerup/down) built in. If you leave the speakers power switch on and power them with a separate switch - you may defeat this protection, which could affect your speaker performance (life) over time. If the speakers pop when you power them externally. then don’t use this method. Another possibility is to remove the amp cct from the speaker housing and mount it separately in a more optimal place.
My studio power switching>-
Nice… I want to record at your place… Actually, I just want to power up your place!