iLoud Precision studio monitors are being used in more and more studios across the globe and we're always interested to learn how they are working out.
Acclaimed producer and session musician George Shilling (Blur, James Brown, Steve Winwood) is so impressed by his pair of Precision 5s that he reached out to share his experience with them at Manor Gardens Studio in the UK.
Clearly, a lot of thought and clever design has gone into developing the iLoud Precisions, and they sound great.
"These little things are astonishingly good. I've sometimes had other (sometimes far more expensive) nearfields which I've found I rarely use in practice. I would usually find myself switching back to the huge main monitors after a minute or two of feeling a bit baffled!
But the IK Multimedia iLoud Precision 5s are just fantastic to work with, for EQing, mixing, and listening on.
The monitors very quickly gave me complete confidence when making mix adjustments.
"The stereo imaging is just superb, you can very easily pinpoint panning positions. Any mix tweaks translate astonishingly well to my main monitors and elsewhere. The ARC calibration makes a huge difference. It's quick to set up with the groovy little included microphone and brings everything into focus in a less-than-perfect room.
"The ability to tweak the contour to taste is fabulous - I generally want to warm things a touch up by backing off the top end, and I always like to hear a bit of extra low end - the bass response is extraordinary for such small boxes.
I've got the iLoud Precision 5s, the smallest ones, and they have no right to achieve such a great low end for such little boxes.
You can close your eyes and quite easily imagine you're listening to huge studio monitors!
"Comfort mode is great for long listening sessions when you don't want to wear out your ears with the crisp-sounding Precision mode – and it's more forgiving when you want to play stuff to a client. They can indeed be extremely (i)Loud and chuck out plenty of level when you want to give it some beans.
The adjustments on the backs of the speakers get you set up quickly, but there's loads more you can do in the excellent X-MONITOR software.
Everyone has differing tastes, but with such tweakable settings, you can tailor these to any preference.
"I still haven't even fully explored all the options where they can simulate other monitors – there are loads of presets. But it's great to have the little remote control for switching between setups. They even come with little isolation feet. And the build quality is impeccable."
About the artist
George Shilling and has worked with major acts such as Blur, Mary. J Blige, Teenage Fanclub, James Brown, Primal Scream, Mike Oldfield, Yazz, The Corrs, Stevie Winwood, Texas, Rhythms Del Mundo, and many more.
George learned his skills at the renowned Royal College of Music in London and aside from his own studios, he also runs sessions at Abbey Road, Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios and MGS.
Available now in black or white for all 3 configurations — 2-way 5" or 6.5", and 2 x 5" MTM — these handcrafted works of sonic art deliver an unprecedented level of sonic detail with unique DSP-based features, including over 20 precise profiles of iconic studio monitors to instantly A/B your mixes.
Learn more about iLoud Precision HERE.
iLoud Precision