ATC SCM 45 Pro Monitors: 2 Years Later. Still the Gold Standard?
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- Опубліковано 4 вер 2024
- In this video, I share my experience with the ATC SCM 45 studio monitors and how they have transformed my audio production workflow. From the early days of using Adam A7's to the challenges I faced with other monitors, I found solace in the SCM 45s. These three-way monitors offer a powerful and accurate sound reproduction, with no DSP and solid engineering. Join me as I discuss their reliability, the unique ATC ethos, and the correlation I discovered between what I hear in my studio and other playback systems. If you're looking for well-built, reliable studio monitors, the ATC SCM 45s are definitely worth considering. Subscribe to my channel for more audio-related content and let's continue the conversation!
#audiogear #gearreview #musictech #hifi #atc #1073
Love the little behind the scene stuff Alec! Those ATCs look lovely indeed.
Thanks so much Simon! :)
I had no idea you started on Adam A7s... I have been using A7s for the last 16 years and finally upgraded to the ATC SCM25a Mk IIs and I cannot believe how much better my mixes are coming out. I had a huge shootout with barefoots, Hedds, Focals and Genelecs.... and I also really loved the utter lack of DSP gimmicks, class D, and who knows where the drivers come from. ATC does it all just right.
I would love some 45s but they just wont fit in my tiny 11x12 room. But someday I will definitely have the 45s as well as these 25s.
Those SCM25a MKII’s are wicked!! :D heard them a couple weeks back. Congrats on your purchase.
@@alecbrits Thank you sir. :)
Have you tried the Telegrapher gorillas by any chance ?
Speakers - single most important piece of equipment. So important to get speakers that you can trust what you hear.
Agreed! :)
Room is at least 50% of the sound. At least.
Ok so finally got a chance to see the exterior of the cabin. I always thought the cabin was in the woods somewhere in the Swiss Alps….But its in a warehouse thing? So cool . Love your videos. Keep on keeping on
Thanks so much! :)
My goal - ATC 45’s
Reality - Barefoot 01’s
Budget - HS8’s
Love ATC’s, just wish they weren’t so expensive it was like achieving success when you get them😂
Agreed! :) they are pricey, but likely my last set of monitors.
...and thank you for the good reviews. It is also fun to hear an natural English speaker. I can understand everything :)
Thank you so much. :)
Great stuff Alec!! 👍
ATC scm25 Mk1 user since more than a decade..!
No need to upgrade.. :)
They are not cheap, but I got them used for a great price..
so if I divide the price I paid for the years I got them, I basically paid them about 30$ per month or about 340$ per year..
and they’re still going strong!
I did just bought spare tweeters, for the peace of mind.
Buy once but good! You will save a LOT of money in the long run (while working faster and enjoying a different level of quality).
Totally agree! :)
Hey Alec, ATC is the absolutely top brand of all monitors out there in my opinion... I have the ATC SCM 20 ASL and they are awesome: Very punchy, super real, super translation. Good for small rooms...They are so expensive but there is nothing better in the world - except bigger ATCs for sure. You should also test the Audeze LCD-X: The Headphone sounds a bit as you would hear a ATC Box directly on your ear. Because the LCD-X has no distortion and that is why ATC is so good: No distortion at the bass driver... You can hear a distortion free bass and that is the whole trick plus the very detailed mid tweater and the highs - also on the Audeze everything is there except in the high mids they are lacking! My further advice is to check out the rme adi-2-pro as a dac. The ADI-2-Pro is very neutral and has no distortion... You could maybe get one to check them out with your ATCs. I love my ATCs now a bit more with the ADI 2 pro! But: In the last two months I only heard music on the headphones: They are so damn good. It is unbelievable. Regarding your good acoustics you maybe not need a good headphone... but...I guess you want one... Ok. Bye!
I’d love to hear and spend time with the Audeze in the future. :) thanks for the kind words!
@@alecbrits now problem. Yes you should try those phones. The rme is just a thing that makes everything 3 or 5 percent better. The headphone is a 30 percent thing better…
Well done Alec, you really know your stuff😊
Thank you so much! :)
Great video nice to see you out of studio as well 👍
Thank you so much! :D
I also have the ATC SCM45a and for me, they're my favorites. Are they the only monitor that will get the job done? Definitely not. But am I super happy I bought them? Absolutely.
Congratulations on your purchase. :) fully agree.
Great vid Alec. ATC's are nice. I like Strauss too. I pretty much always need a sub just to make sure of that really low bottom.
Thanks! :) yeah, that makes sense.
my dream monitor
It’s a great sounding pair for sure!
Just love your vids. Great stuff. Enjoy you day bro. Cheers
Thank you so much Anthony! :)
45 user here, still love them. Have had them for about 2 years now and I'd never swap them for another brands speaker in the same price range, I'll keep them until I can afford a 20-30k plus pair, probably ATC too.
Agreed! :)
Those ATCs of yours certainly sound great Alec. I like the new style of video. More coffee shots please !
Thank you so much! :) will keep working on it.
I am on Genelec Monitors, but I have definitely heard about these and will pick up as another main pair at some point
Gebelec are great too. :) let me know if you do try a set of ATC’s in the future.
I’m still in love with my 45s. I’ve got 25s in my other room and I’ve done great mixes on both but there’s something about the wide tall and deep sound field of the 45s that makes mixing easy (especially when paired with a sub).
That said I haven’t mixed on ATCs larger speakers and I am curious
That’s a great combo to have in your space! :)
I use the Atcs and honestly for a while i was disappointed. The bass extention wasn't enough to be full without a sub. But after a while of getting used to them i realized they translate the best for mixing. Im still going tot get a sub but if your doing primary music production i wouldn't get these. They are not exciting at the top or bottom but they really do give you the honest truth in what matters for mixing
Yeah! :) they will not blow you away, but they will make your mixes translate.
SCM 25A and a sub when needed on a foot switch
😊
Great combo! :D
I’m REALLY looking forward to my first pair of monitors. I just bought a house with an excellent space for a studio. Moved in last month. Up til now, I’ve only been working on Neuman NDH30s. I wish I could afford the ATCs, but alas I cannot.
What do you think of Focal? I was looking at their Trio 6.
Congratulations on your home purchase! :) I’ve not spent much time with Focals sadly.
Great review!
Thank you so much! :)
You will laugh, but i do my final mix on a set of logitech speakers with a sub, its pretty much like checking out your mix in car without having to go into a car, They reveal when the gtrs have too much 3-4k as well as it shows if my low end is too boomy or lacking. My only revisions would be level changes like bring up or down the vocals which is a taste thing. Crazy how we use what we use :) But i would like to get ATCs someday
That’s ace! :) I still find it funny that I spend so much time on my tiny little radio here.
Alex, so what are you carrying in your left arm for most of the video? Lunch, Snare drum, a puppy or a
speaker?
It’s my phone to film. :) I do wish it was lunch or a puppy though. That would be a great addition to a days work here.
😂😂
I imagine if you are trying to 'fill' the room you become more reliant on the sound more with the room which adds anothe layer to be mindful of when doing m&m that translates to average playback device. Probably if you do m&m on these without filling the room, you'll get better results. But perhaps you are looking for more joy than work itself or idk
I like being able to fill the room when tracking, and to have it accurate when quiet. :) these do both very well.
I am a filmmaker who cares more about sound than 98% of filmmakers. And after these strikes Im going fully independent, and was wondering do I need to create a space for the ATC SCM100ASLs or would the 45s be okay. I have heard as a filmmaker I will still need a sub with both, but just wanted to know others opinions or experiences. Thank you so much
I would assume the 45’s would be ample with a sub, there are several great composers out there with the 45’s as their mains. :)
I see you have the Audient console. In your honest opinion are the preamps on the console same as what they have in their ID series Audio interface
I’ve not tried the ID interfaces as of yet. :)
Hey man, happy you to see you get those beauties in the cabin! :) I'm looking at the footprint 01s. I'm curious what other speakers did you compare the barefoots to in this huge shoot out and what did you love so much more about the 01s that smoked the competition?
And how would you say the 01s midrange and low end compare to the ATC SCM 45s?
Thanks and take care
The lowend for the size on the footprints is really quite impressive to be honest. The midrange and highend is where the ATC's shone and felt so much easier to mix with. A few people tend to prefer having subs for the ATC's but as I got used to the tone of them, I have not really felt the need to go down that road. The other speakers in the shootout were the ATC SCm 20a's, and the Quested V2108's.
Appreciate you taking the time to reply, thanks! Wow, those were some high end speakers in the shootout. I have Genelec 8040bs, and wanted some more low end, so I was set on the footprint 01. I had a chance to demo a pair in my small studio. I measured it with Sonarworks, and I was surprised to find that the Genelecs were much more linear compared to the barefoots prior to calibrating (even my KRK Rokit 8 gen2 measured better in my room). I know the directivity of the 01s isn't the best. But the sound was good after calibrating. The Genelecs seemed to be harsher and thinner compared to the barefoots. The barefoots have a much more clear low end and are less fatiguing. Should such measurement results be a concern? Or would you recommend some other speaker with better mids and highs similar to ATC? I would really appreciate your advice. Thanks once again and take care! @@alecbrits
Dynaudio BM6a Originals and Hedd Type 07 mk2.....
That’s what I got for now....
Next....Mastering Headphones!
Nice combo! :)
I use PSI A25m and Geithain 901k as the mains in the studio. No dsp in speakers. Ever. Latency plus whatever converters you invested in won't be heard ever if speakers have a forced AD/DA stage. Also you never have an analogue signal path if you have AD/DA in speakers. I guess you don't do any electronica hence ATC. I don't bother with small monitors anymore. Can't do sub 40hz without compression or huge power draw. Even the PSI A25's are a little bit on the smaller side for me. But then, I don't mix. It's all production. The PSI have amazing phase coherency though. It has to be heard to be believed. You'd think you have a coaxial speaker on your hands. Never tried ATCs but at this level it's all probably just a preference thing. I like really big speakers because of how effortless everything is, the low power draw, and ergonomics. Can be anywhere in the room pretty much and have the same experience. The sweet spot is the whole room with big speakers. And you never have to drive them loud to get that big sound experience. But the downsides are, well, obvious I guess.
Some really good points there! :) thank you for sharing.
Did you heard Genelec The Ones? I've got the 8361a
I have not spent much time with the genelecs in my studio, but I have in a couple of the studios around town. :)
Your my man
Thanks Kevin! :)
Hey ! Been eying the 25s for a while, got a small room (3,5 meters x 3,5m). My only doubt is do they go low enough ? Don’t want to deal with a sub and need to hear down until around 35hz. Tried some focal trios, they went down but the medium didn’t feel right. Thanks !
I love the 25’s. They would be a Perfect fit for my room at home. :) if you get the chance to try them, and then get used to them, you may find them a good fit.
Thanks !
anyone using real monitors like this still like using Hs-5`s haha. maybe its just me but I always check the hs5 because it translates better then any other monitor Ive used for the mid high range, crazy for such a cheap speaker... I think it being more around the 1k boost instead of the 3.15K boost on ns10s works better for todays systems like iPhones and airpods
Nice! :) thanks for the input.
Hi Alec!, what did you think about the ATC SCM20ASL Pro mk2? thank you.
They are great monitors, so much so that I would not mind them in my home studio setup. :) they were not strong enough for my control room sadly.
@@alecbrits Thank you!
PSi is the way !
It’s one of the ways for sure! :)
Hi! I ask you a genuine advice. If i have big money to spend up to 10k and i have treatment done and high level mic and preamp, my question is. Would you invest them in monitors or ad and da converters??
Monitors. :)
I own a pair of passive SCM40's MkI and unfortunately, unlike the SCM45's you can't fit their new tweeter inside... I think those woofers are the same on the 40's, except there's only one.
Ah, for the ones that want the ATC sound for cheap, buy those passive MkI's, you get them for 1 500€ a pair, used. Though you'll have to watch for the hellish ferrofluid tweeter, it dies (the ferrofluid dries over the years and you can't do anything to prevent this), you get a brand new pair from ATC for 200€. Though, they are not the best tweeters ever, in fact I think the quality is damn low compared to their inhouse Mid and Bass, but you get most of it.
Thanks for the advise Thomas! :) them 40’s look interesting to me.
Hey boss just wondering would you rather save up for a u67 or go straight for an u87? Is there much of a difference?
Hey Matt! Thanks for the comment. Tough choice, I think both are great mics, I don’t have a new U87, mine is from the 70’s do I cannot comment on how the new ones sound. The U67 is my all rounder, love it on acoustics, adore it on a lot of vocalists and it nails drum over heads. U87 is usually a more forward in the upper midrange, extended in the top end.
Hope that helps!
Did you ever tried the Geithain ME 901 speakers?
Not yet! :) they look incredible, and I’ve heard really good things about them.
I heard they have loud self-noise floor
Do you feel like you have to compensate for not having a sub? Or are you able to mix low end effectively without one?
I feel like I’m able to mix without one at the moment, perhaps in the future my needs will change, but for now, it’s working very well in this room. :)
I'm a simple man: if there's ATCs, I can work 😀
Same here! :)
Well hello blogger Alec :) I see you're getting bored of just the studio shots:)
Makes it feel a little engaging I think. :) do you enjoy the format?
@@alecbrits I personally like the studio only, minimal editing kind of thing, or less jumpy editing I should say
The logical break for a guy running a digital studio telling us that some how the limited analog electronics in these monitors is some how preferable to a digital crossover solution is laughable. It looks like ATC is maybe 5 - 8 years behind the state of the art in speaker design at this point.
Thanks for your input. :)
Yeah they’re just junk at this point 😂
I'm curious in the studio space you're in. It looks as though you've built a small inside of a warehouse. Is this right?
What kind of walls did you build? What dimensions did you use?
The hobby acoustician in me wants to know!
Ah, from the freeze frame montage it looks like 2x6 walls with Knauf mineral wool insulation and a floated floor.
5/8" drywall on the exterior?
And of course we've all seen the OSB interior sheathing.
That’s it! :) also there are two walls. With a 100mm gap between them.
@@alecbrits Ah, yeah, I noticed the wall was very thick. Two doors?
@@helmanfrow indeed. :) two doors with drop seals.
@@alecbrits A man after my own heart.
Gold standard for you, I didn’t care for them, I prefer the SCM25
Everyone has their preferences. :) the SCM25’s are awesome.
Alec, do you use a sub?
I don’t :) not currently anyway, perhaps in the future.
@@alecbrits really sounds like you don't need it. The low end on your mixes translate superbly. Was just curious.Thanks much for answering!
Sounds like you're mixing way too loud. Protect your ears.
Thanks for the feedback. :)
Don’t appreciate the ‘click-bait’ thumbnail. Tacky
Thanks for your input. :)
I own and have used Quested H108 for 35 years now. People often aske me what monitors I use to get my mixes so right. Well, the H108's. Yes, I would like to buy ATC's, but they are just 50% too expensive. Thing is, I discovered what components are used, and then you understand that the profit on these speakers are ridiculous...
Quested speakers are great. :) I’m not too sure on the whole cost of running a company, so I can’t comment on the price of a monitor. Components often tell a small part of the cost of manufacture, but rarely the whole thing.