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Post by Johnkenn on Apr 25, 2024 9:41:24 GMT -6
Yeah…that’s the question. What are your parameters? What are you listening for? Can you actually judge them without having them all in the same room?
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Post by svart on Apr 25, 2024 9:47:24 GMT -6
The only thing I care about is whether or not my mix translates. I don't even bother with adjusting the crossover on my sub, I just turned it up until I felt like the sub-bass in my mixes was too low and then backed off. I think they can also be very deceiving because once they sound good, you end up pushing the low end a lot more than things like earbuds can handle well.
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Post by Quint on Apr 25, 2024 9:48:07 GMT -6
Yeah…that’s the question. What are your parameters? What are you listening for? Can you actually judge them without having them all in the same room? Ya know, I've never owned a sub, but every time I consider getting one, I worry that it will just introduce another variable to the equation that I now also have to manage on top of everything else. And, then, will I be placing too much weight on what I'm hearing from the sub? IOW, will this negatively effect mix translation in a bass-light versus bass-heavy way because it's over emphasizing the bass region, and now I mix things bass-light? Also, if I have a sub, now I can potentially hear those lower frequencies to mix them, but do I even want those frequencies to be in there in the first place, considering what they do to headroom and also what they can't do in an earbuds context? Also, is my room reacting to this super low frequency info in ways that is deceiving, because we all know that the lowest frequencies are the hardest to treat and maintain a flat response? That's a lot of different new stuff that would always be in the back of my mind if I got a sub. Either way, it's now another variable I have to consider, where that variable wouldn't otherwise exist if I simply didn't have a sub. Even if I had a sub, I feel like I would probably have it off most of the time, and only turn it on every now and then to check for any super low frequency noise hiding around that I might want to get rid of because it's eating up headroom or something. Otherwise, I don't know that I would ever actually "mix" with a sub. I know that's not really what you're asking, and I'm curious to see what people say on this subject. I may still break down and get a sub one of these days... But I bet I'd still have it off 90% of the time. |
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Post by mcirish on Apr 25, 2024 10:10:51 GMT -6
I used to use a sub but I found that it really didn't help my mixes translate. That was before I started using room correction EQ. The sub is still there, so I can always hook it up and give it a shot again. With Arc Studio or SoundID, my monitors could be pretty close to flat down to 30HZ. I'd prefer not to use a sub when possible. Things just sounded dijointed, but that was probably my fault.
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Post by Johnkenn on Apr 25, 2024 10:25:25 GMT -6
I like it because it emphasizes correct decisions and tells you when you make wrong ones.
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Post by noob on Apr 25, 2024 11:33:51 GMT -6
Getting a sub helped me a lot with my low end translation. I have it paired with my JBL 4311s which I use mostly for production rather than mixing, but I have to say it does really help out a lot with low end reference. Crossing over just above 50hz seems to work perfectly with these big ol JBLs.
I noticed the sub I got took about a few weeks to a month of use to fully break in. It was almost too loud and powerful at first, and then about a month in it settled in perfectly and sounded great.
I'm afraid to say that all I did to tune it and find a crossover point was pick a few song mixes on spotify that I knew very well, and adjusted it until it sounded as close to perfect as I could. It has been great and I haven't touched it since.
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Post by noob on Apr 25, 2024 11:37:23 GMT -6
Forgot to answer these questions though. I am listening for balance. The sub can't be overbearing, however, like I said mine took about 3-4 weeks to actually break in, and I felt that it was a little overbearing before it did. I'm not sure how you would ever judge a sub without having it in your room.
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karlo
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Post by karlo on Apr 25, 2024 12:06:12 GMT -6
I have a bad mixing room, it’s basically a closet in a short hallway. I only use my sub when I compare my reference mix to my current mix to dial in my bass to a comparable level to my reference track. Otherwise it stays off.
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Post by Ward on Apr 25, 2024 12:27:36 GMT -6
Like so many others, I have a dual 12 Tannoy sub from 1990. Barely on. Just enough to add enough sub content that I can hear everything. I don't aim for the ideal audiophile consumer listening environment.
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Post by Johnkenn on Apr 25, 2024 13:08:04 GMT -6
Like so many others, I have a dual 12 Tannoy sub from 1990. Barely on. Just enough to add enough sub content that I can hear everything. I don't aim for the ideal audiophile consumer listening environment. Yeah mine is barely on too. And I just basically “tuned” it by listening to songs with killer mixes and adjusting to where it sounded great on all of them. Which makes you wonder how much sub quality matters? Idk. Just spitballing. |
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ericn
Temp
Balance Engineer
Posts: 16,087 
Member is Online
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Post by ericn on Apr 25, 2024 13:08:58 GMT -6
I can tell a lot about a sub in just about any room, but I can’t tell a hell of a lot about how a sub will work in your room with your monitors unless I’m using it with your monitors in your room.
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Post by christopher on Apr 25, 2024 13:58:55 GMT -6
I like to mute the mains for a quick check, helps me learn kick and bass relationships. Also I leave the sub off mostly, and keep it quietly blended when in.
$1k+ subs usually have much more obvious linear dynamic response, easier to trust, can be very quickly fatiguing when 20Hz is pulling on eardrums. I have a cheap sub, cheap amp = less dynamic, less accuracy. Still a wonderful thing if just for a 30 second check.
Be mindful of phase switch
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Post by niklas1073 on Apr 25, 2024 15:23:07 GMT -6
I have also had the thoughts of getting subs now and then, the lowend is still a freakin’ struggle for me. But I don’t trust my room enough. I try to trust my head phones the best i can and then weigh between what my speakers tell me. It gets me close enough for the master engineer to tweak the final polish on it. I think the subs would require a very thought thru room to benefit more than throw me off.
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Post by drumsound on Apr 26, 2024 16:59:09 GMT -6
Yeah…that’s the question. What are your parameters? What are you listening for? Can you actually judge them without having them all in the same room? Ya know, I've never owned a sub, but every time I consider getting one, I worry that it will just introduce another variable to the equation that I now also have to manage on top of everything else. And, then, will I be placing too much weight on what I'm hearing from the sub? IOW, will this negatively effect mix translation in a bass-light versus bass-heavy way because it's over emphasizing the bass region, and now I mix things bass-light? Also, if I have a sub, now I can potentially hear those lower frequencies to mix them, but do I even want those frequencies to be in there in the first place, considering what they do to headroom and also what they can't do in an earbuds context? Also, is my room reacting to this super low frequency info in ways that is deceiving, because we all know that the lowest frequencies are the hardest to treat and maintain a flat response? That's a lot of different new stuff that would always be in the back of my mind if I got a sub. Either way, it's now another variable I have to consider, where that variable wouldn't otherwise exist if I simply didn't have a sub. Even if I had a sub, I feel like I would probably have it off most of the time, and only turn it on every now and then to check for any super low frequency noise hiding around that I might want to get rid of because it's eating up headroom or something. Otherwise, I don't know that I would ever actually "mix" with a sub. I know that's not really what you're asking, and I'm curious to see what people say on this subject. I may still break down and get a sub one of these days... But I bet I'd still have it off 90% of the time. This^^^^ all of this. |
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