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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 21, 2022 10:56:41 GMT -6
I've always used a 27" iMac. I'm planning to get a Mac Mini when the MKII version with the M1 chip is released sometime later this year. That leaves me with the need for a monitor. I have a spare 30" TV I can use to monitor temporarily. I sit around 5' from the 27 "monitor. I get maybe 6" -12" closer for fine editing in Logic, but I also expand the track I'm editing a bit to a comfortable size for detailed editing like volume automation in Logic.
I've always wanted a bigger monitor. I'm interested to know which size would work best overall. I'm thinking somewhere between 30" and 40". I feel that anything larger, and I'd be looking left and right all the time which I believe would tire the eyes, especially after a 3-4 hours straight mixing session. I could be wrong though, because I've never used a really big monitor like 50".
I have plenty of time to figure this out. Also, I'll be moving to a new space, so that may dictate my options. But in the meantime, I figure why not start now and see what the folks here at real gear suggest.
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Post by svart on Feb 21, 2022 10:57:55 GMT -6
32" 2k is optimal for me at about 2ft away.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 21, 2022 11:01:55 GMT -6
Thanks Svart. I'll be further back most of the time. If 32" is good from 2', I'd guess 40" would be good at 4'-5' back.
Funny, I was just thinking of you because of the converters you made. I'd love a Dangerous Music 2 bus +, but it's too expensive for me right now. I wondered if one of those vey cool Pro-Ject DAC's can be used with an Apollo.
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Post by svart on Feb 21, 2022 12:33:53 GMT -6
Thanks Svart. I'll be further back most of the time. If 32" is good from 2', I'd guess 40" would be good at 4'-5' back. Funny, I was just thinking of you because of the converters you made. I'd love a Dangerous Music 2 bus +, but it's too expensive for me right now. I wondered if one of those vey cool Pro-Ject DAC's can be used with an Apollo. I don't see why not if your Apollo has a spdif out and the dac has spdif input. |
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 21, 2022 14:58:17 GMT -6
Thanks, I'll check into it. I just posted at your old Converter post someone revived.
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on Feb 22, 2022 19:16:35 GMT -6
Strong rumours apple will release 3 new monitors soon: likely pricy though.
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Post by mattbroiler on Feb 22, 2022 19:18:24 GMT -6
also using a 32" 2K Samsung monitor here and it works great
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 22, 2022 21:19:25 GMT -6
I'm sure Apple's will be great, but after buying one of the new Mac Mini's, I'll look for the best value in a 32"-40" monitor by another company. Still haven't gotten any suggestions data on how to pick the best size. I sit between 4' and 5' back. I'd prefer to be able to see the entire screen without having to scroll my eyes too far too often which tires them quickly.
I doubt Apple will make anything for less than $1499. I'd bet the top of the line version will be $3,000 or more.
I looked around and it seems the largest size UHD monitors are 32" unless it's a curved "gaming" monitor, whatever that is.
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Post by Bat Lanyard on Feb 22, 2022 22:22:41 GMT -6
I've mentioned it before and posted a pic of how I have it setup, but the Apple Thunderbolt displays are brilliant. You can get them used cheap although I haven't searched them up in a long time. Get a VESA adapter and bolt a wall mount to your desktop and you're in business.
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on Feb 23, 2022 0:38:55 GMT -6
When I got my used m1, it came with a 34 inch curved monitor. The curve is towards you so theoretically this makes images in the far left and right clearer as the front of the screen is more aimed towards your line of sight. It’s hdmi like my other 27 inch monitor so my resolution is the same on each.
A higher than hdmi monitor will have more detail, but how much you appreciate that will be a function of the screen design, lighting , your eyes , distance to the monitor and the resolution settings you select.
Go down to a big box and check out the tvs by size, get your monitoring distance away and see what you think, also back away another foot or two.
For me with logic I like two not huge monitors 27-34, it’s easy to separate the mixer and the edit windows and to have each on its own monitor and to set it up as one big desktop so you can scroll right across both monitors. This configuration saves with your session so they open this way too. I prefer the monitors stacked vertically rather than side by side.
If having the monitors 3-4 feet away works for you an hdmi may be fine and is cheaper, but smaller 4k monitors go on sale all the time too and they do have more detail but the visual precision is a function of the screen design, so as you look at different monitors establish what technology you are looking at so you will know what you prefer.
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Post by askomiko on Feb 23, 2022 5:06:13 GMT -6
I'm less than 3 feet from two 27" 4K monitors. Size wise it's a bit too much, regarding head movement and such, but I like the amount of space anyways. Specially while editing videos, the second screen is almost mandatory. One bigass 60" screen far away between the speakers would be better soundwise, I'm definitely getting unwanted reflections from these.
Also no way I'd go back to 1080 monitors, 4K is the way.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 23, 2022 8:31:58 GMT -6
To recap so far: 4k, not 1080, check around in case one of Apple's Thunderbolt monitors shows up cheap. Check at stores to see what size works best from the distance I usually sit. Consider using 2 monitors.
Would one big screen (40"-50") be better for sound than two 27" monitors?
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Post by M57 on Feb 23, 2022 8:41:22 GMT -6
Why not save some money and use the iMac as a monitor? ..or are you planning to use it as a second monitor. Using two big screens was a game-changer for me.
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Post by kcatthedog on Feb 23, 2022 9:00:49 GMT -6
Check out the 4k and see what you think, depending on how far away it is, you may change the resolution , which can effect the clarity of the image, so where this matter is things like reading lettering /numbers, if that matters to you for audio or do you really use your ears ?
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 23, 2022 15:14:22 GMT -6
Oh, I read numbers like crazy. Some people think .02 db does nothing, but sometimes in context, it changes the balance and focus of something. In editing it's important to match edit levels and that's done by numbers.
M57, I was figuring I'd use the iMac for personal stuff and have a separate system just for music. That might not work though, I go back and forth between personal things and work projects all the time.. Will have to wait and see. maybe the iMac will be my "2nd monitor"..
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Post by svart on Feb 23, 2022 15:24:39 GMT -6
A higher than hdmi monitor will have more detail Can you elaborate on this? HDMI is a transmission standard, not a resolution.. |
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Post by svart on Feb 23, 2022 15:47:31 GMT -6
I'm sure Apple's will be great, but after buying one of the new Mac Mini's, I'll look for the best value in a 32"-40" monitor by another company. Still haven't gotten any suggestions data on how to pick the best size. I sit between 4' and 5' back. I'd prefer to be able to see the entire screen without having to scroll my eyes too far too often which tires them quickly. I doubt Apple will make anything for less than $1499. I'd bet the top of the line version will be $3,000 or more. I looked around and it seems the largest size UHD monitors are 32" unless it's a curved "gaming" monitor, whatever that is. There's various "TV viewing distance" calculators that take into account viewing angles, screen sizes and resolution on the internet. These may or may not be great for monitors though. Else, a better way to do it might be by pixel pitch using a calculator to judge how screen size and resolution affect pixel size. If you know you like a 24" monitor up close, then you can figure out the pixel pitch and adjust the screen size to match the pixel pitch at a different resolution. Say you have a 24" monitor that is HD (1920x1080) which means the pixel pitch is 0.011" with a screen area of 1.71sqft. A 32" monitor at 2K (2560x1440) would have the same pixel pitch at 0.011" but would have a screen area of 3.04sqft, or a little less than double. A 42" screen at cinema 4K (3840x2160) would have almost the same pixel pitch at 0.01" but would have 5.23sqft of screen area. Now, that's all considering that the screen is at the same viewing distance. I don't have calculations for distance vs. viewability, but knowing these numbers above, if you took a monitor that you use regularly and moved it further away to the point where you could no longer read it easily, you would know that a larger, higher resolution monitor would have roughly the same pixel pitch at that distance and would be similarly unreadable. For example, if your hypothetical 24" HD screen above was barely readable at 3ft away, then you know that the hypothetical 42" 4K screen from above would also be barely readable at that distance since the pixel pitch is roughly the same. A 42" 2K monitor would have pixels about 1.5x larger which would elude to being able to place it 1.5x farther away and have the same readability. Unless of course you used a non-native resolution on the screen to make it more legible, but then you just lost the benefit of having a higher resolution screen. screensize.me/ |
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Post by kcatthedog on Feb 23, 2022 17:30:08 GMT -6
A higher than hdmi monitor will have more detail Can you elaborate on this? HDMI is a transmission standard, not a resolution.. My bad, I meant to say resolution ie 1080 which was the normal resolution for hdmi vs say 4k. Good catch, thx! |
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Post by svart on Feb 23, 2022 17:35:12 GMT -6
Can you elaborate on this? HDMI is a transmission standard, not a resolution.. My bad, I meant to say resolution ie 1080 which was the normal resolution for hdmi vs say 4k. Good catch, thx! HDMI supports all resolutions from 480p to 4k. |
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Post by kcatthedog on Feb 23, 2022 17:39:57 GMT -6
Thx, thought it stopped at 1080.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 23, 2022 20:11:36 GMT -6
There are some newer versions of HDMI, but I have no idea what the differences are between the earlier versions and the current ones.
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Post by the other mark williams on Feb 24, 2022 15:45:12 GMT -6
I'm sure Apple's will be great, but after buying one of the new Mac Mini's, I'll look for the best value in a 32"-40" monitor by another company. Still haven't gotten any suggestions data on how to pick the best size. I sit between 4' and 5' back. I'd prefer to be able to see the entire screen without having to scroll my eyes too far too often which tires them quickly. I doubt Apple will make anything for less than $1499. I'd bet the top of the line version will be $3,000 or more. I looked around and it seems the largest size UHD monitors are 32" unless it's a curved "gaming" monitor, whatever that is. 5 feet is a pretty long way to sit from a monitor - you'd want it to be quite a big size to sit that far away, Martin. I use a 32" LG monitor at almost exactly 3 feet away, and I frequently wish I could pull it closer when doing certain edits. (And admittedly, I wish I could push it farther away sometimes, too.) I'm thinking about getting a VESA arm as mentioned earlier (or was that in the other current monitor thread?) I encourage you to think about how your room will work as a system - whether once you've landed somewhere new, or what your realistic room vision is for that next spot. Where I'm going with this is that if you put your computer monitor in between your audio monitors, you've only got as much space as you have between your listening position and one of your speakers if you observe the equilateral triangle idea. With my current room size, I really only have enough space between my KH310s for a max 32"-34" computer monitor. I'd love to be able to increase that, but it won't be a reality in my current space. Knowing that you're likely looking at a smaller setup for awhile longer (in other words, not a big room with mid- or far-fields) I tend to say go as big as will fit between your audio monitors given your listening position measurements, unless there's a specific reason not to. |
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Post by Bat Lanyard on Feb 24, 2022 16:36:24 GMT -6
I basically used the same approach the other mark williams is discussing: approach it from what you want the room to do. I rebuilt my desk and lowered it with the idea of getting the monitor down lower and angled back. Helps to be a cabinet maker, lol, but I'm sure you can come up with an approach that'll work with your space. Totally agree with Mark though if you can get the monitor closer you can go smaller which IMHO matters. 27" is all I've needed for several years now with it in front of me instead of going to the wall. Many different approaches though! |
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Post by the other mark williams on Feb 24, 2022 22:38:08 GMT -6
I basically used the same approach the other mark williams is discussing: approach it from what you want the room to do. I rebuilt my desk and lowered it with the idea of getting the monitor down lower and angled back. Helps to be a cabinet maker, lol, but I'm sure you can come up with an approach that'll work with your space. Totally agree with Mark though if you can get the monitor closer you can go smaller which IMHO matters. 27" is all I've needed for several years now with it in front of me instead of going to the wall. Many different approaches though! I love the lower, angled back computer monitor approach. It makes so much more sense to me in a studio (if no LFAC). Unfortunately, I am not a cabinetmaker or anything close to it, so I’ve never been able to pull it off.  But that’s a great way to work, for sure. |
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 24, 2022 22:38:51 GMT -6
Thanks guys. My iMac is 27". I do move up a little for serious edits, but mainly stay back. I've been estimating distance so far, but you guys inspired me to measure. It turns out my eyes are 3' from the 27" monitor.
Once I get into a new space I'll see where I land, but it's looking like a 32" monitor might just be good enough. Maybe 37", but when I looked around for second hand monitors, 32" seemed to be the largest screen size for a true monitor. I'm sure they come in larger sizes, but that seems to be the point where the price goes up exponentially as the screen size gets bigger.
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