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Studio monitors are loudspeakers specifically designed for audio production applications, such as recording studios, filmmaking, television studios, radio studios and project or home studios, where accurate audio reproduction is crucial, whereas reference monitors are loudspeakers generally used to gauge what a recording will sound like on consumer-grade speakers. Among audio engineers, the term ''monitor'' implies that the speaker is designed to produce relatively flat (linear) phase and frequency responses. In other words, it exhibits minimal emphasis or de-emphasis of particular frequencies, the loudspeaker gives an accurate reproduction of the tonal qualities of the source audio ("uncolored" or "transparent" are synonyms), and there will be no relative phase shift of particular frequencies—meaning no distortion in sound-stage perspective for stereo recordings. Beyond stereo sound-stage requirements, a linear phase response helps impulse response remain true to source without encountering "smearing". An unqualified reference to a ''monitor'' often refers to a ''near-field'' (compact or close-field) design. This is a speaker small enough to sit on a stand or desk in proximity to the listener, so that most of the sound that the listener hears is coming directly from the speaker, rather than reflecting off of walls and ceilings (and thus picking up coloration and reverberation from the room). Also, studio monitors are made in a more physically robust manner than home hi-fi loudspeakers; whereas home hi-fi loudspeakers often only have to reproduce compressed commercial recordings, studio monitors have to cope with the high volumes and sudden sound bursts that may happen in the studio when playing back unmastered mixes. ==Uses== Broadcasting and recording organisations employ audio engineers who use loudspeakers to assess the aesthetic merits of the programme and to tailor the balance by audio mixing and mastering to achieve the desired end result. Loudspeakers are also required at various points in the chain to enable engineers to ensure that the programme is reasonably free from technical defects, such as audible distortion or background noise.〔("The Development of High-Quality Monitoring Loudspeakers: A Review of Progress" ) (Expanded Version of I.EoE. Paper Read on 23rd April 1958). Report No. L-041 (1958/31), The British Broadcasting Corporation〕 The engineer may mix programming that will sound pleasing on the widest range of playback systems (i.e. high-end audio, low quality radios in clock radios and "boom boxes", in club PA systems, in a car stereo or a home stereo). While conservative broadcasters like the BBC generally believe in using monitors of "the highest practicable standard of performance", some may argue that monitoring should be carried out with loudspeakers of mediocre technical quality to be representative of the systems end-users are likely to be listening with; or that some technical defects are apparent only with high-grade reproducing equipment and therefore can be ignored.〔 However, as a public broadcaster dealing with a lot of live material, the BBC's criteria for studio monitors view is that they should be "as free as possible from avoidable defects". It is argued that real life low-grade sound systems are so different that it would be impossible to compensate for the characteristics of every type of system available; technical faults must not be apparent to even a minority of listeners while remaining undetected by the operating staff. It is further argued that, because of technical progress in the science of sound transmission, equipment in the studio originating the programme should have a higher standard of performance than the equipment employed in reproducing it, since the former has a longer life.〔 In fact, most professional audio production studios have several sets of monitors spanning the range of playback systems in the market. This may include a sampling of large speakers as may be used in movie theatres, hi-fi style speakers, car speakers, portable music systems, PC speakers and consumer-grade headphones. Amplification: Studio monitors may be "active" (including one or more internal power amplifier(s)), or passive (these require an external power amplifier). Active models are usually bi-amplified, which means that the input sound signal is divided into two parts by an active crossover for low and high frequency components. Both parts are amplified using separate low- and high-frequency amplifiers, and then the low-frequency part is routed to a woofer and the high-frequency part is routed to a tweeter or horn. Bi-amplification is done so that a cleaner overall sound reproduction can be obtained, since signals are easier to process before power amplification. Consumer loudspeakers may or may not have these various design goals. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Studio monitor」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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