You may find that you prefer the way a different orientation sounds in your space, even if it’s not the one the manufacturer recommends. Whether or not the manufacturer recommends horizontal or vertical placement, you should always feel free to experiment. That is, they should form a mirror image of each other, with the tweeters on the outside. This is also true for MTM monitors like the Eris E44 and E66 when placed vertically. When orienting your studio monitors horizontally, they should form a mirror image of each other, with the tweeters on the outside. Some monitors, like the PreSonus Eris E5, E44, and E66, can be placed horizontally or vertically. Many studio monitors shouldn’t be placed horizontally, as horizontal placement can degrade the stereo image, so it’s important to read the monitors’ documentation. Whenever possible, avoid setting up you desk in a corner this will help prevent the bass buildups that naturally occur when two reflective surfaces meet. (We’ll get to those in a minute remember, these are just best practices.)Īn added bonus of putting some distance between your speakers and the walls is that it gives you easy access to the back of your rig, which is never a bad thing. This might not always be possible, and there are some ways to mitigate cramped mixing spaces. Eight to twelve inches will be adequate to prevent sound waves from hitting the wall and reflecting back to you, causing phase cancellation and other potentially harmful acoustic interactions.

Make sure that your speakers can be placed away from walls. Set up your desk so that your speakers are away from walls and corners. Your goal is to find the best configuration for your room and your needs. Remember that even best practices will not work in every mix environment. Once you have that set up, feel free to make changes as needed.

When followed, these should provide you with a good starting point for your mixing environment. Like all rules, there are exceptions and variations. In this article, we will take you through a few best practices. The first step is to pick the best possible arrangement for your workstation and speakers. Positioning your monitors and listening position is crucial to creating an accurate mixing environment.

Speaker placement calculator program