Studio monitors are special speakers that used in recording studios. They are not the same as regular stereo speakers used with most surround or stereo entertainment systems and I'll explain why and what these monitors are used for.
Studio Monitors Explained
Studio monitors are special speakers used in recording studios. There are usually two monitors in a recording studio and one is for the left and one on the right. The thing that makes studio monitors special is the flat sound they produce which does not put any emphasis on a specific frequency to give you a more accurate representation of your mix.
A stereo loud speaker that you would find on most entertainment systems usually has additional bass or high end giving priority to a specific range of frequencies which makes them inaccurate tools to mix music tracks with. Normal speakers are still used in recording studios as reference speakers but it is recommended that you use studio monitors to do your mix to ensure everything is mixed correctly.
HOW TO CHOOSE YOUR MONITORS
I wish I had an easy answer for you here but the only way you can decide is to listen to them yourself. If you can not get to a store and listen to the monitors in person then you are in luck because I will now show you what I am using and some of the popular studio monitors available.
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK AT STUDIO MONITORS
On the front of a monitor you will usually see a large speaker and a smaller speaker to handle the range of frequencies the speaker is capable of producing. A good set of monitors will have connections on the back for your sound source such as an amplifier or audio interface.
I use Mackie 4" Monitors in my studio and I am happy with them. A good feature of these monitors is that you can swap them from side to side and select what side the main speaker is on with a switch on the back. I can also control the volume level of the monitors or turn them off directory from one of the front panels making these monitors easy to use when recording vocals or microphone instruments when I do not want any sound to come form them.
Other Monitors You Can Buy
If you watch a lot of YouTube videos you will see there are a lot of people using the popular KRK monitors such as the KRK Rokit 5 Monitors because they are good quality monitors that are still affordable for most enthusiastic home recording artists. There is a lot of choice and the best way to decide is to listen to them yourself and see what you think but the monitors mentioned in this article are more than sufficient to get your started if you can not make up your mind.
Here are some other options for you to browse if you wish to explore the many studio monitors available before you go ahead and purchase them.