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Originally Posted by krushing. Originally Posted by whospilgrim. Now, find out what kind of inputs the monitors your getting take. That will determine what kind of splitter and cables you get. But a piece of advice: Down the road you will need to invest in a good interface like the motu or what have you. Especially if this becomes more than a hobby.
So I moved the crossover just a touch above that, down from the original Hz. Seems good for my setup with those satellites. Did a fresh ARC 2 correction and it improved the lower end of the clean signal. Much less correction required. Sounds like now you've got the sub as well-optimized—as well-matched to the satellites—as possible, for the most neutral response. Hopefully this'll make for an even more trustworthy monitoring environment, at least as far as the low end..
Hi Joe, thank you very much for this article. It's very useful and it really helped me set up my studio speakers. A couple of weeks ago, I bought a set of KRK Rokit 5 monitoring speakers since many review sites this was what made me decide on it http: These studio monitors sounded awful at first but after reading this article and following the suggestions it finally sounds better now.
However, the bass still sounds a bit too much, do you have any suggestions on how to fix it?
Hi Allan - I think the most likely way a 5" speaker would exhibit too much bass is if it's up against a room boundary wall, floor, or worst of all, corner. If that's the case, that'd be the first thing I'd try, moving them a couple of feet away from walls and floor.
If they were sitting on a resonant object something hollow, for example that could also over-emphasize bass. Of course you'll want to check that no tone controls are boosting the low end unintentionally. Any "Loudness" buttons should be off -- those are intended to compensate for quiet listening levels by strongly boosting bass, but they're notorious for overdoing it, and they should never be switched on for normal-level monitoring. And I assume you've checked the monitors with various commercial recordings as well as your own mixes.
Hopefully one of these might be a contributing factor to an overly-bassy response, and addressing that will restore a more even balance. The triangle is actually less optimal, it should and 'behind' the head not in front of, no? Thanks for writing this great article!
I don't understand the Fig. I don't see how the monitors are positioned differently to do away with those reflections shown in the top portion of the image? I also like how in your diagrams, there is no computer shown.
You're right, you can't tell from the picture.. Many monitors have different dispersion characteristics in the horizontal and vertical planes -- so a particular model might have wide horizontal dispersion to allow for a more inclusive listening area, but narrower vertical dispersion to avoid reflections, as pictured.
It sounds like you need to increase the input volume for your vocal mic. On the interface there should be a knob labelled Trim or Gain next to the mic input you're using. With the channel strip in record-ready mode red light flashing turn this up until the meter in that channel maxes out at around -6 dB and then record -- that should be plenty of level for your vocal. In playback the levels for the various channels should be set so that the level in the meter in the Master channel strip also tops out at around -6 to -3 dB from the top.
This whole 60' angle thing is hogwash. That's what is recommended for ideal rooms - basically an anechoic chamber. Is your studio an anechoic chamber? You can't just apply some theoretically ideal angle and get it right.
So, an 8-inch woofer, like those packed into our HS8 monitors, will be able to reproduce deeper bass down to 38Hz than a smaller 5-inch model in the range the HS5, which can reproduce sound accurately only down to 54Hz. If you absolute cannot afford, nor have the desk space for, larger studio monitors, you may wish to add a subwoofer down the line to help handle some of the lower frequencies based upon your cutoff point. Powered speakers are much more common in the home studio realm, and typically will not only come with their own clean power amplifier built into the system, but also some additional controls that passive speakers simply cannot or do not offer.
One of the benefits to a high-quality amp is that it will deliver consistently flat responses across the spectrum.
The HS Series is built using a dense and resilient MDF material, which is perfect for reference-quality playback due to its inherent ability to dampen acoustic response. Bottom line, the enclosure can be responsible for eliminating or at least helping to reduce acoustic issues, rattling, and problem-child resonances that lower-quality monitors may suffer from.
And lastly, look for extra sound-shaping capabilities and other adjustments that will help tailor your monitors to your specific acoustic space. You want the most accurate reproduction possible, so these high-end features can make all the difference in a home production.
Try to keep some space between speakers and walls. Direct sound, following a straight path from speaker to ear, mixes in undesirable ways with reflections from nearby surfaces such as walls, tables, and mixing consoles. The reflected path, from speaker to wall to ear, is longer than the direct path, resulting in a copy of the sound arriving just after the original.
Fortunately, most speakers sold as studio monitors shoot for a more desirable neutral balance, capable of providing a proper reference for decision making. Many people are familiar with the Fletcher-Munson curves, which describe an aspect of human hearing. Neither case is welcome because it changes the frequency response of the sound from your speakers. Two questions on point It's very useful and it really helped me set up my studio speakers. Our recommendation is not to skimp in this area — hearing your mix through pro-level monitors will be crucial when it comes to crafting the right sound for your project. How do you set up studio monitors?
Sound is comprised of alternating higher and lower pressure, or in electronic transmission, positive and negative voltage. When a delayed signal combines with the original, one may be cycling positive, and the other, negative. These energies work against each other, reducing level at certain frequencies destructive interference. Both signals being in a positive cycle results in reinforcement at some frequencies constructive interference.