Studio Monitor Question

[tekki]

It's actually pretty common practice to have a sub paired with your nearfields. If course they need to be properly calibrated, but it's not crazy talk. LOTS of production facilities do this. This is especially true since many studios have pushed to get surround capability (which includes a sub).

With regular production mixing and mastering for home hifi sets, it still a no no to use subs. With surround I can imagine, but still... All audio engineers I know and talk to frequently say that a sub causes their mixes to have strange anomalities in the bass.

[darrel855]

With regular production mixing and mastering for home hifi sets, it still a no no to use subs. With surround I can imagine, but still... All audio engineers I know and talk to frequently say that a sub causes their mixes to have strange anomalities in the bass.

Subs can definitely screw a mix . I try to only use my sub if I'm mixing down a track and a/bing it against something similar .

I've found putting a spectral analyzer on the master channel really helps me with leveling things out much more than a sub will . But if I'm mixing down and click on the sub and some of the low frequencies don't sit well together I'll know I need to retune my kick or bass so it's all tidy .

[tekki]

I've found putting a spectral analyzer on the master channel really helps me with leveling things out much more than a sub will .

True that! Spectrals for the win!

[steveboyett]

Too much of any frequency no matter where it occurs is a bad idea when mixing. That's not a sub's fault, it's the fault of whoever is dialing in the room sound. I'll argue in favor of the sub at around 80 Hz (very generally speaking) at low volume. It's just there to help you hear and adjust the relative volume levels and color of the subsonic frequencies, especially if you are recording DJ mixes. I'm not talking about slammin' party bass to flap yer pantz, I'm talking about hearing the presence of a frequency and a volume in the music that two-ways won't deliver to you (though I exempt HR824s, which continue to amaze me). But to each his own.

[tekki]

Must be spoiled with Mackie HR624s down here.

[Phorte]

for an average sized room, instead of looking at a sub, you should be looking at proper room acoustics and treating it.

[steveboyett]

Subsonics are an important presence in dance music. Accurate monitoring almost by definition requires reproducing the full sonic spectrum. To reproduce subsonic frequencies used in dance music requires a subwoofer. If you want to hear how loud subsonics are in a track relative to the other frequencies, and how loud that track's sub tones are relative to other tracks' sub tones (exactly as you do every other frequency), you need a subwoofer that has been properly placed and dialed in, in a room that has been properly treated. This can be anywhere from heavy curtains and foam to laughably expensive double-ply dead-space panels and expert engineering.

[cmcpress]

Subsonics are an important presence in dance music. Accurate monitoring almost by definition requires reproducing the full sonic spectrum. To reproduce subsonic frequencies used in dance music requires a subwoofer. If you want to hear how loud subsonics are in a track relative to the other frequencies, and how loud that track's sub tones are relative to other tracks' sub tones (exactly as you do every other frequency), you need a subwoofer that has been properly placed and dialed in, in a room that has been properly treated. This can be anywhere from heavy curtains and foam to laughably expensive double-ply dead-space panels and expert engineering.

+1

It's impossible to get a decent bottom end on a track without being able to hear it properly. I use Genelec 8040's which have a very strong bass end, but still trail off below about 80hz. Genelec even do a package of two nearfields and a small sub.

For mixing DNB, house music or breakbeat you need to be able to hear that whoomp off the bassdrum and the sub frequencies otherwise you risk overcooking the bass end whilst overcompensating.

Again, room acoustics make a massive impact too.

As an aside, Living in rented accomodation i can't treat my mixing room so i'm having to put up with all kinds of artifacts. Strongly considering getting the ARC Room correction system but i'm dubious as to how good it *really* is... anyone tried it out?

[tekki]

Okay here goes once more.

You want a sub for lower frequencies. Completely omitting the fact that you will blow up low frequencies with a sub, thus rendering it less powerfull in your endmix?

[BentoSan]

Okay here goes once more.

You want a sub for lower frequencies. Completely omitting the fact that you will blow up low frequencies with a sub, thus rendering it less powerfull in your endmix?

They just said very clearly it doesnt blow out the frequencies if set correctly... they are also very correct

Edit: that said you dont need a sub, theres heaps of producers putting out dance music that dont use them(for instance i know for a fact that Noisia wasnt using one pre 2005 and they produce drum and bass!), if your monitors have a big enough cone and are high a quality enough to be putting out really low frequencies you can get away with not having one.