To subwoofer or not!

[dr_daw]

We all know that every one has often thought of this. We all know that things that need to be considered such as room, acoustic treatment, and tuning.

So here's the real question....How many of you use a Sub in your control room?

In my situation, with my own music I don't worry about it because I'm not under a time crunch. So, checking my mixes in the truck is no big deal. But, when mixing a full album for a client having to go in and out to reference my low end is getting to be a pain.

Backstory, I mix on Equator D5's. They're what I would say a close equivalent to an NS10 (which I also struggled with my low end). My mixes translate great in the low mid to high's. I get no response really in the sub 100hz area in an even form In my room. So getting the bass to sit right, I'm in and out of the house.

I've been thinking of adding a sub that I can turn on and off just to check my low end. My room is small enough, that I find it hard to believe that I have any Nulling to that extent. I've not been able to find time to test my room; if anything I have issues in the 500hz area.

Cheers, look forward to your thoughts.

[Southsidemusic]

We mix on Quested and use 3 of the 3110 front and center and 2 of the V2108 for back so a sub is not that important with these monitors, however we do have a Genelec sub that we use when the base needs to be prominent but usually we have the sub turned down. These monitors are soo powerful that the sub is just extra when needed.

[mesaone]

Equator D5 take a dive starting at 80 Hz, but I don't think I would simply add a sub to them. I think they're great "alt" monitors all by themselves.

Personally, if I had a pair of D5 and was thinking about setting up a 2.1 system, I would keep the D5 as stereo only and buy a whole new main setup. Maybe something like 2x BM5mkII and BM9S II. Obviously take my opinion with a grain of salt, since maybe you don't like those speakers or don't want to make a $2000 investment right now.

[dr_daw]

Originally Posted by mesaone

Equator D5 take a dive starting at 80 Hz, but I don't think I would simply add a sub to them. I think they're great "alt" monitors all by themselves.

Personally, if I had a pair of D5 and was thinking about setting up a 2.1 system, I would keep the D5 as stereo only and buy a whole new main setup. Maybe something like 2x BM5mkII and BM9S II. Obviously take my opinion with a grain of salt, since maybe you don't like those speakers or don't want to make a $2000 investment right now.

Funny thing is that I love those speakers! They suit my room really well, aside from the low end. Walking up the stairs to listen in my truck is way better than $2k on new speakers in a 9x10 room. I'd want to spend that on getting the room sorted before that. It's treated with a roominator kit and helps a great deal. But as you pointed out, the d5's nose dive in the lows, but super appreciate your input.

Christopher (southside), love your post, if I had your gear I'd burn mine

[mesaone]

Have you contacted Equator and asked them for a recommendation? They might know which sub can best complement the D5. If they do, it's definitely worth trying out for a bit. Especially if you complement the new setup with a monitor controller that can engage/disengage the LFE with the push of a button.

[Drew Mazurek]

The only way to know is to try one in your space.

I went through this about 12 years ago so I can relate. I bought a couple of different subs and lived with them for a few months. I ended up selling both of them when I finally found the Barefoot MM27s.

[Marsdy]

This might sound daft but unless your room is very well sorted acoustically at the bass end then a pair of Sennheiser HD650 headphones is a far better way of checking what's going on at the low end IMHO. If it's bass heavy or light you'll hear it!

I ended up with a pair of ATC SCM25a's. Anything that put out more bass just sounded a mess in my room. And if you do have a problem with the low end of your room, bass traps aren't going to be much help below 70/80Hz. Below that you're getting into the realms of major structural work to sort out the bass end.

[dr_daw]

I'm really hoping this is an isolated incident. I do use a pair of great Audio Technica headphones to check the low end; but this one track I"m mixing has been the bane of my existence. It seems to be upright bass that is giving me real grief. I haven't had an issue with electric bass.

I also didn't do the tracking session, and the recording/performance has been a challenge as well. I may see if I can find a KRK used.

When I talked to Equator about these speakers they said you shouldn't need a sub. Maybe I'll ask them again.

[albee1952]

I use a sub, but not in the "usual" way. My room has a specific null in the mix position, and my sub is tuned to fill the hole. Now this can't be done with any average sub, so mine is tuned with a digital speaker processor that allows me to shape the crossover slope, and add parametric eq to create the required response SMAART Live or SpectraFoo are 2 great programs for doing this kind of surgical tuning

[JuanPC]

Subwoofer has some problems...
Not time aligned,
Not phase aligned...
Has delay...
But... If you buy a sub, use the Dolby calibration book, or the Dynaudio ...


Subwoofer size matters...
A 15" is nice...
Anything smaller is just fake...
An 18" woofer is awesome,you can hear things on some records you thought they were never there... Is like a complete whole new song underneath the song...

Some mixing engineers are genius...
I like Jbl 2241h,
Amplifier affects the lows... Qsc recommended, other brands don't have it...
But I have not tested all brands.
Mackie Fr 2800 don't have it.
Stanton/CervinVega A1800 don't have it...

Peavey cs200x has better bass than QSC, but only 200w, in bridge mode.
Better = more dynamic, less compressed or limited.

I have 21" Rcf L21x451, but no box or amplifiers, yet... Mathematically they should sound the same as the Jbl.
The deepest subwoofer I've heard was the Yamaha Waveforce Sb215, but does not have punch.

Build your own, use a 2-way active-crossover
Ashly XR, dod, etc... or digital... Dbx, bss, etc...
http://usspeaker.com/

Buy woofers that need big boxes, and have big Xmax or tune the box for a low Vent Air Velocity.
But woofers that have too much Xmax, are too stiff, and need much more Watts to sound the same.

A closed box is a nice alternative...
Solves many problems.

For studio, I think a closed box could be better.

Subwoofers that need small vented box, sound strange... Jbl 2242h, Rcf L18P300 or S800, don't like it.
Horn Loaded, forget it, unless you have room for a BIG, HUGE, TITANIC BOX.
Subwoofers that need small vented box are usually better for horn loaded.

Isobaric is nice alternative, small vented box,.
...