Monitor placement? - Mixing & FX forums

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Subject: Monitor placement?

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Original Message 1/9 20-Nov-02 @ 08:02 PM - Monitor placement?

Anon

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So I think I'm ready to shell out for some decent monitors and maybe a sub. My questions are regarding their positioning. Are there any rules of thumb?

The monitors should be pretty even with my head, no? What about distance from them to me?

What about the sub? In the middle? Should it be high, low or even?

Thanks.

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Message 2/9 20-Nov-02 @ 11:07 PM Edit: 20-Nov-02 | 11:09 PM - RE: Monitor placement?

Mindspawn

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Rough guide: tweeters at about ear level, the distance from them to you should be about the same or a little greater than the distance between the monitors themselves. As for the sub, you're probably going to be told it won't matter, cos bass is non-directional... I do not agree. I say if you can, locate the sub in the center (maybe a bit further back) between your two monitors (I prefer it lower, like pretty much right on the ground, but I also have a down firing sub, so... experiment). I can definitely tell a difference.

For getting them setup in your room, do a lot of moving about, try things that aren't in the "rulebook" and above all use your ears, listen to your favorite stuff as you try different placements, it'll be familiar sound to ya and that'll help you to sort the best placement.

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Message 3/9 21-Nov-02 @ 08:00 PM - RE: Monitor placement?

Anon

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Awesome, thanks Mindspawn.

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Message 4/9 23-Nov-02 @ 02:47 AM - RE: Monitor placement?

psylichon

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Yeah, sub placement is tough. I used to put mine as far away from the sweetspot as possible to allow full development of low frequency waves. But the cables weren't long enough and my room isn't really designed right (most bedroom studios aren't), so it never worked. Now I have it under the desk right beside my feet. I still have to go to the corners of the room to see if my low end is outtahand, but feeling the sub on my legs gives a much better feel for the bass than having it behind my desk to the right or left. 2cents...

psylichon

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Message 5/9 25-Nov-02 @ 12:52 PM - RE: Monitor placement?

falltdfex

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dont use sperate sub if u wanna make clear sounding mixes.the sub is purely to enhance the bottom end of already finished music,game sounds etc.
if u use the sub to mix and it will b hard to get the overall level of the bass right as they are made to make the bass sound bigger.
id recomend getting some good two way monitors

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Message 6/9 25-Nov-02 @ 02:53 PM - RE: Monitor placement?

BJT

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I've heard guys spend hours/days positioning there sub in a good position. I understand everywall adds 3dB, so its advised to prop it up say, a foot or less above the ground, don't put them in the corner.

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Message 7/9 25-Nov-02 @ 05:39 PM - RE: Monitor placement?

nomad

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the end goal is a flat frequency response at your ears.

how you get there is up to you.

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Message 8/9 25-Nov-02 @ 08:16 PM - RE: Monitor placement?

influx

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"dont use sperate sub if u wanna make clear sounding mixes.the sub is purely to enhance the bottom end of already finished music,game sounds etc. if u use the sub to mix and it will b hard to get the overall level of the bass right as they are made to make the bass sound bigger. id recomend getting some good two way monitors "

wow.

I love it when people come in and make statements as if they are concrete truth.

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Message 9/9 26-Nov-02 @ 12:06 AM - RE: Monitor placement?

Mindspawn

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I agree, Influx. Unless you're in an acoustically flat room (which I'll lay odds most aren't), where you place a monitor or sub isn't gonna be much more than sitting down and assesssing where things sound best.

Example: Subs can be put in a corner. In fact they work really well in a corner, but you have to keep the following in mind. They'll excite more freqs when they're placed in a corner, i.e., you'll have to use less of the subs power as you're using a built in "megaphone" in the form of the two walls. So you may have to roll off the overall volume a bit. Second, the closer to the center of a room your sub is, the fewer standing waves it'll create, yet at the same time, it will emphasize or de-emphasize some freq more, which can create problems too. Hence, less standing waves but more possible "holes" or "hotspots" in your listening environment.

So it's "good" to put a sub in the corner, and it's not good to put a sub in a corner. Depending on perspective, it's right both ways.

Like I said earlier, unless you've got an acoustically flat room, I wouldna worry over it too much. Put the setup where it sounds good and get used to it.

As far as the use of a sub causing mixes to be muddy, sure, but that can happen on regular monitors, too. A sub is really only usefuul to a mixer who: a) needs to know what's really going on below 60-80hz, b) you work with a lot of low-frequency material, c) you wanna have a big bottom when you work on yer mix, d) you work with surround mixing where the LF channel IS a part of the mix...

It WILL NOT make your mixes muddier to use a sub while doing mixdown, any more than having any other imbalances in your listening setup, whether it be room acoustics, EQ, reflections, etc., etc. Does one need a sub to do good mixes? Feck no. Matter of fact, good mixes have been made on headphones, cheap home stereo systems, etc. How? The mixer had serious skill and were very familiar with their setup and it's llimitations. I wouldn't recommend such a setup, but if that's what you got to work with, use it until you can justify upgrading...

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