Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio
353
0
0
Full text
(2) Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. Mike Senior. !MSTERDAM s "OSTON s (EIDELBERG s ,ONDON s .EW 9ORK s /XFORD s 0ARIS 3AN $IEGO s 3AN &RANCISCO s 3INGAPORE s 3YDNEY s 4OKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier.
(3) &OCAL0RESS IS AN IMPRINT OF %LSEVIER #ORPORATE $RIVE
(4) 3UITE
(5) "URLINGTON
(6) -!
(7) 53! 4HE "OULEVARD
(8) ,ANGFORD ,ANE
(9) +IDLINGTON
(10) /XFORD
(11) /8 '"
(12) 5+. © -IKE 3ENIOR 0UBLISHED BY %LSEVIER )NC !LL RIGHTS RESERVED .O PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS
(13) ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL
(14) INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING
(15) RECORDING
(16) OR ANY INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM
(17) WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER $ETAILS ON HOW TO SEEK PERMISSION
(18) FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE 0UBLISHERS PERMISSIONS POLICIES AND OUR ARRANGEMENTS WITH ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THE #OPYRIGHT #LEARANCE #ENTER AND THE #OPYRIGHT ,ICENSING !GENCY
(19) CAN BE FOUND AT OUR WEBSITE WWWELSEVIERCOMPERMISSIONS 4HIS BOOK AND THE INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS CONTAINED IN IT ARE PROTECTED UNDER COPYRIGHT BY THE 0UBLISHER OTHER THAN AS MAY BE NOTED HEREIN Notices +NOWLEDGE AND BEST PRACTICE IN THIS lELD ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING !S NEW RESEARCH AND EXPERIENCE BROADEN OUR UNDERSTANDING
(20) CHANGES IN RESEARCH METHODS
(21) PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES
(22) OR MEDICAL TREATMENT MAY BECOME NECESSARY 0RACTITIONERS AND RESEARCHERS MUST ALWAYS RELY ON THEIR OWN EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE IN EVALUATING AND USING ANY INFORMATION
(23) METHODS
(24) COMPOUNDS
(25) OR EXPERIMENTS DESCRIBED HEREIN )N USING SUCH INFORMATION OR METHODS THEY SHOULD BE MINDFUL OF THEIR OWN SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS
(26) INCLUDING PARTIES FOR WHOM THEY HAVE A PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY 4O THE FULLEST EXTENT OF THE LAW
(27) NEITHER THE 0UBLISHER NOR THE AUTHORS
(28) CONTRIBUTORS
(29) OR EDITORS
(30) ASSUME ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY INJURY ANDOR DAMAGE TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY AS A MATTER OF PRODUCTS LIABILITY
(31) NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE
(32) OR FROM ANY USE OR OPERATION OF ANY METHODS
(33) PRODUCTS
(34) INSTRUCTIONS
(35) OR IDEAS CONTAINED IN THE MATERIAL HEREIN Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 3ENIOR
(36) -IKE -IXING SECRETS FOR THE SMALL STUDIO -IKE 3ENIOR P CM )3". PBK 3OUND2ECORDING AND REPRODUCING (IGH lDELITY SOUND SYSTEMS 3OUND STUDIOS ) 4ITLE 4+3 !DC British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data ! CATALOGUE RECORD FOR THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE FROM THE "RITISH ,IBRARY )3". &OR INFORMATION ON ALL &OCAL 0RESS PUBLICATIONS VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWWELSEVIERDIRECTCOM 0RINTED IN THE 5NITED 3TATES OF !MERICA.
(37) To my parents..
(38) This page intentionally left blank.
(39) Contents v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................. vii INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................ix. PART 1 CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER. ●. 1 2 3 4. PART 2. Hearing and Listening.................................. 1 Using Nearfield Monitors .....................................................3 Supplementary Monitoring .................................................31 Low-End Damage Limitation ...............................................47 From Subjective Impressions to Objective Results ..............57. ●. CHAPTER 5 CHAPTER 6 CHAPTER 7. Mix Preparation ........................................ 79 Essential Groundwork ........................................................81 Timing and Tuning Adjustments .........................................89 Comping and Arrangement ..............................................107. PART 3. ●. Balance .................................................. 117. CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER CHAPTER. 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. Building the Raw Balance ................................................119 Compressing for a Reason ...............................................143 Beyond Compression .......................................................163 Equalizing for a Reason ...................................................171 Beyond EQ ......................................................................191 Frequency-Selective Dynamics .........................................203 The Power of Side Chains ................................................219 Toward Fluent Balancing..................................................225. PART 4. ●. Sweetening to Taste ............................... 229. CHAPTER 16 CHAPTER 17 CHAPTER 18 CHAPTER 19 CHAPTER 20. Mixing with Reverb .........................................................231 Mixing with Delays ..........................................................255 Stereo Enhancements ......................................... 261 Buss Compression, Automation, and Endgame..................273 Conclusion ......................................................................301. APPENDIX 1 Who’s Who: Selected Discography ...................................303 APPENDIX 2 Quote References............................................................321 APPENDIX 3 Picture Credits ................................................................329 INDEX ..................................................................................................331.
(40) This page intentionally left blank.
(41) Acknowledgments vii 4HIS BOOK HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS A LONG TIME
(42) AND MANY PEOPLE HAVE LENT THEIR SUPPORT DURING ITS CREATION &IRST OF ALL
(43) )D LIKE TO THANK ALL THOSE WHO PEPPERED ME WITH QUESTIONS AT THE #AMBRIDGE -USIC 4ECHNOLOGY MASTERCLASS SESSIONS
(44) THEREBY SOWING THE SEEDS OF THIS BOOK
(45) AND ALSO THE MANY READERS OF Sound on Sound MAGAZINE WHOSE NUMEROUS h-IX 2ESCUEv SUBMISSIONS AND QUESTIONS HAVE CLARIlED MY THINKING )N ADDITION
(46) )D LIKE SPECIlCALLY TO THANK ALL THE INTERVIEWERS WHO HAVE DONE AN IMMENSE SERVICE TO US ALL BY SHEDDING SO MUCH LIGHT ON TOP LEVEL STUDIO PRAC TICE -ICHAEL "ARBIERO
(47) -ATT "ELL
(48) "ILL "RUCE
(49) 2ICHARD "USKIN
(50) $AN $ALEY
(51) 4OM $OYLE
(52) -AUREEN $RONEY
(53) 4OM &LINT
(54) +EITH (ATSCHEK
(55) 3AM )NGLIS
(56) $AVE ,OCKWOOD
(57) (OWARD -ASSEY
(58) "OBBY /WSINSKI
(59) !NDREA 2OBINSON
(60) AND 0AUL 4INGEN 0AUL 4INGEN DESERVES SPECIAL PRAISE FOR HIS DOGGED PURSUIT OF THE HOTTEST CURRENT HIT MAKERS FOR Sound on SoundS h)NSIDE 4RACKv SERIES )M GRATEFUL AS WELL TO 2USS %LEVADO
(61) 2OEY )ZHAKI
(62) 2OGER .ICHOLS
(63) AND -IKE 3TAVROU FOR THEIR OWN INSIGHTFUL WRITING ON THE SUBJECT OF MIXDOWN -ANY THANKS ARE ALSO OWED TO 0HILIP .EWELL
(64) +EITH (OLLAND
(65) AND *ULIUS .EWELL FOR PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THE RESULTS OF THEIR SUPERB .3- RESEARCH PAPER TO 0HIL 7ARD FOR ALERTING ME TO THE PERILS OF SPEAKER PORTING AND TO 2OBERTO $ÏTRÏE AND -ASTERMIX 3TUDIOS IN -UNICH FOR ALLOWING ME TO PHOTOGRAPH THEIR SPEAKERS )N DEVELOPING THIS TEXT FOR PUBLICATION
(66) ) HAVE BEEN ASSISTED A GREAT DEAL BY -ATT (OUGHTON AND 'EOFF 3MITH
(67) WHOSE WELL INFORMED AND IN DEPTH FEEDBACK HAS BEEN INVALUABLE 4HANKS ALSO TO EVERYONE IN THE EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT AT Sound on Sound FOR GENEROUSLY OFFERING SO MUCH HELP AND USEFUL ADVICE )M ALSO VERY GRATEFUL TO THE TEAM AT &OCAL 0RESS FOR THEIR PATIENCE AND EXPERTISE IN BRING ING THIS PROJECT TO FRUITION #ATHARINE 3TEERS
(68) #ARLIN 2EAGAN
(69) -ELISSA 3ANDFORD
(70) ,AURA !BERLE
(71) AND 'RAHAM 3MITH !BOVE ALL
(72) )D LIKE TO THANK MY WONDERFUL WIFE
(73) 5TE
(74) FOR HER UNWAVERING LOVE AND SUPPORT
(75) AS WELL AS FOR TAKING ON THE WORST PROOFREADING AND REFERENCING TASKS SO GRACIOUSLY )D BE LOST WITHOUT YOU
(76) MY LOVE !ND THANK YOU ,OTTE AND ,ARA TOOYES
(77) 0APAS lNISHED BEING BORING NOW.
(78) This page intentionally left blank.
(79) Introduction ix. WHAT YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS BOOK 4HIS BOOK WILL TEACH YOU HOW TO ACHIEVE RELEASE QUALITY MIXES ON A BUDGET WITHIN A TYPICAL SMALL STUDIO ENVIRONMENT BY APPLYING POWER USER TECHNIQUES FROM THE WORLDS MOST SUCCESSFUL PRODUCERS 5SING THESE SAME METHODS
(80) )VE CAR RIED OUT DOZENS OF MIX MAKEOVERS FOR Sound on Sound MAGAZINES POPULAR h-IX 2ESCUEv SERIES
(81) WORKING ON MASS MARKET GEAR IN VARIOUS HOME
(82) PROJECT
(83) AND COL LEGE STUDIOS )F YOU HEAD OVER TO www.soundonsound.com
(84) YOU CAN lND BEFORE AFTER AUDIO COMPARISONS FOR EVERY ONE OF THESE REMIXES
(85) AND THIS BOOK IS A ONE STOP GUIDE TO PULLING OFF THESE KINDS OF NIGHT AND DAY TRANSFORMATIONS FOR YOURSELF. WHAT YOU WON’T LEARN 4HIS BOOK WILL NOT TEACH YOU HOW TO OPERATE ANY SPECIlC BRAND OF STUDIO GEARTHATS WHAT EQUIPMENT MANUALS ARE FOR 4HE INFORMATION HERE IS DELIB ERATELY hPLATFORM NEUTRAL
(86) v SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE JUST AS MUCH USE OF IT WHETHER YOURE ON #UBASE
(87) $IGITAL 0ERFORMER
(88) ,IVE
(89) ,OGIC
(90) 0RO 4OOLS
(91) 2EAPER
(92) 2EASON
(93) 3ONAR
(94) OR ANY OTHER SOFTWARE PLATFORM !ND ALTHOUGH )VE MADE THE ASSUMP TION THAT THE MAJORITY OF COST CONSCIOUS MIX ENGINEERS WILL NOW BE WORKING IN SOFTWARE
(95) MY ADVICE ALSO APPLIES EQUALLY WELL TO HARDWARE SETUPS
(96) GIVE OR TAKE A PATCH CORD OR TWO )NDEED
(97) MY OWN BACKGROUND IS IN COMPUTERLESS ENVIRON MENTS
(98) SO ) KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THAT EQUALLY GOOD RESULTS ARE ATTAINABLE THERE. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ALREADY !LTHOUGH )VE DONE MY BEST TO MAKE THIS BOOK FRIENDLY TO STUDIO NEWBIES
(99) THERE IS NONETHELESS SOME BASIC BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE THAT YOULL NEED TO UNDERSTAND TO GET THE BEST OUT OF WHAT )LL BE WRITING ABOUT )N PARTICULAR
(100) )M ASSUMING THAT THE READER ALREADY UNDERSTANDS SOMETHING ABOUT THESE TOPICS ■. ■. The fundamental physics, measurement, and perception of sound AMPLITUDE
(101) DECIBELS
(102) AND LOUDNESS FREQUENCY
(103) (ERTZ
(104) AND PITCH SINE WAVES AND THE HAR MONIC SERIES FREQUENCY RESPONSE MEASUREMENTS Studio setup and session workflow TRANSMISSIONSTORAGE METHODS FOR SOUND ELECTRICAL
(105) MAGNETIC
(106) DIGITAL THE BASIC PRINCIPLES OF MICS
(107) $)S
(108) AUDIO CABLES
(109) MULTITRACK RECORDERS
(110) AND MIXERS ROUTING FOR INSERT AND LOOP EFFECTS THE STAGES OF A TYPICAL PRODUCTION PREPRODUCTION
(111) TRACKING
(112) OVERDUBBING
(113) MIX ING
(114) MASTERING GAIN
(115) HEADROOM
(116) NOISE
(117) AND SIGNAL METERING.
(118) x. Introduction )F YOU NEED A QUICK REFRESHER ON ANY OF THESE ELEMENTS
(119) THEN CHECK OUT www .cambridge-mt.com/ms-basics.htm FOR A WHISTLE STOP OVERVIEW !LTERNATIVELY
(120) YOU CAN GET MORE INTO THE EQUATIONS BY CHECKING OUT THE lRST TWO CHAPTERS OF EITHER !LEXANDER 5 #ASES Sound FX &OCAL 0RESS
(121) OR $AVID -ILES (UBER 2OBERT % 2UNSTEINS Modern Recording Techniques
(122) TH EDITION &OCAL 0RESS
(123) 3TUDIO JARGON CAN BE PRETTY INTIMIDATING
(124) BUT THE SOONER YOU GET A GRIP ON IT
(125) THE QUICKER YOULL IMPROVE YOUR MIXING )F YOU FEEL UNSURE OF ANY OF THE TER MINOLOGY USED IN THIS BOOK
(126) THEN HEAD OVER TO www.cambridge-mt.com/mslinks.htm
(127) WHERE THERE ARE LINKS TO A COUPLE OF THOROUGH AND WELL MAINTAINED GLOSSARIES. HOW TO USE THIS BOOK "ECAUSE THIS BOOK HAS BEEN SPECIlCALLY DESIGNED AS A STEP BY STEP PRIMER
(128) YOULL GET BEST RESULTS IF YOU WORK THROUGH IT FROM BEGINNING TO END -ANY LATER SEC TIONS RELY ON MATERIAL COVERED IN EARLIER CHAPTERS
(129) SO SOME ASPECTS OF THE DISCUS SION MAY NOT MAKE THE GREATEST SENSE IF YOU JUST DIP IN AND OUT !T THE END OF EACH CHAPTER THERE IS A Cut to the Chase SECTION
(130) WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO REVIEW A SUMMARY OF EACH CHAPTERS MAIN hSECRETSv BEFORE PROCEEDING 5NDERNEATH IT IS AN Assignment SECTION
(131) WHICH SUGGESTS A NUMBER OF PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES TO CON SOLIDATE YOUR UNDERSTANDING
(132) AND THESE ASSIGNMENTS COULD ALSO SERVE AS COURSE WORK TASKS WITHIN A MORE FORMAL EDUCATION FRAMEWORK 4HE 52, AT THE END OF EACH CHAPTER LEADS TO A SEPARATE WEBSITE CONTAINING A SELECTION OF RELATED LINKS AND AUDIO lLES
(133) ALL OF WHICH MAY BE FREELY USED FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES 4HIS BOOK IS BASED ON MY OWN EXTENSIVE RESEARCH INTO THE STUDIO PRACTICES OF MORE THAN WORLD FAMOUS ENGINEERS
(134) DRAWING ON MORE THAN MILLION WORDS OF lRSTHAND INTERVIEWS 4HE TEXT THEREFORE INCLUDES HUNDREDS OF QUOTES FROM THESE HIGH mIERS )F YOU DONT RECOGNIZE SOMEONES NAME
(135) THEN LOOK IT UP IN Appendix 1 TO GET AN IDEA OF THE MOST HIGH PROlLE RECORDS THEYVE WORKED ONYOULL ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE HEARD A FEW OF THOSE )F YOUD LIKE TO READ ANY QUOTE IN ITS ORIGINAL CONTEXT WHICH )D HEARTILY RECOMMEND
(136) THEN FOLLOW THE LITTLE SUPERSCRIPT NUMBER ALONGSIDE IT TO Appendix 2, WHERE THERES FULL REFER ENCE INFORMATION FOR EACH ONE &INALLY
(137) IF YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OR FEEDBACK
(138) FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT [email protected].
(139) PART 1. Hearing and Listening. 0ROBABLY THE MOST RELIABLE WAY TO WASTE YOUR TIME IN A SMALL STUDIO IS BY TRY ING TO MIX BEFORE YOU CAN ACTUALLY HEAR WHAT YOURE DOING 7ITHOUT DEPEND ABLE INFORMATION ABOUT WHATS HAPPENING TO YOUR AUDIO
(140) YOURE BASICALLY mYING BLIND
(141) AND THAT CAN GET MESSY )N THE lRST INSTANCE
(142) YOULL FACE A FRUSTRATINGLY UPHILL STRUGGLE TO GET A MIX THAT SOUNDS GOOD IN YOUR OWN STUDIO
(143) AND THEN YOULL INVARIABLY lND THAT SOME OF YOUR HARD WON MIXES SIMPLY COLLAPSE ON OTHER PLAYBACK SYSTEMS
(144) SO THAT YOURE LEFT UNSURE WHETHER ANY OF THE TECH NIQUES YOUVE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY ARE ACTUALLY WORTH A BRASS FARTHING 9OULL BE BACK TO SQUARE ONE
(145) BUT WITH LESS HAIR 2ELEVANT ADVICE FROM PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERS IS PERHAPS UNSURPRISINGLY THIN ON THE GROUND HERE !FTER ALL
(146) MOST PROS HAVE REGULAR ACCESS TO EXPENSIVE HIGH END SPEAKER SYSTEMS IN PURPOSE DESIGNED ROOMS WITH SPECIALIST ACOUSTIC TREATMENT (OWEVER
(147) EVEN THE HOTTEST NAMES IN THE INDUSTRY DONT ALWAYS GET TO WORK IN THE GLITZIEST OF SURROUNDINGS
(148) AND IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY AT THEIR WORKING METH ODS
(149) THEY HAVE ACTUALLY DEVELOPED VARIOUS TACTICS THAT ENABLE THEM TO MAINTAIN CONSISTENT HIGH QUALITY RESULTS EVEN UNDER DIFlCULT CIRCUMSTANCES 4HESE SAME TRICKS CAN BE APPLIED EFFECTIVELY IN SMALL STUDIOS TOO 3O MUCH SO
(150) IN FACT
(151) THAT AS LONG AS YOU TAKE CARE WITH GEAR CHOICE AND STUDIO SETUP
(152) ITS PERFECTLY POS SIBLE TO PRODUCE COMMERCIALLY COMPETITIVE MIXES IN A DOMESTIC ENVIRONMENT WITH COMPARATIVELY AFFORDABLE EQUIPMENT )NDEED
(153) ALL OF MY REMIXES FOR Sound on Sound MAGAZINES MONTHLY h-IX 2ESCUEv COLUMN HAVE BEEN CARRIED OUT UNDER EXACTLY SUCH RESTRICTIONS.
(154) 2. PART 1 Hearing and Listening "UT EVEN 'ODS OWN PERSONAL CONTROL ROOM WONT HELP YOU MIX YOUR WAY OUT OF A WET PAPER BAG UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO listen TO WHAT YOURE HEARING )N OTHER WORDS
(155) ONCE YOURE PRESENTED WITH A BUNCH OF INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR MIX
(156) YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW TO MAKE OBJECTIVE DECISIONS ABOUT THAT DATA
(157) IRRE SPECTIVE OF YOUR OWN SUBJECTIVE PREFERENCES
(158) BECAUSE THATS THE ONLY WAY OF REPEATEDLY MEETING THE DEMANDS OF DIFFERENT CLIENTS OR DIFFERENT SECTORS OF THE MUSIC MARKET $O THE CYMBALS NEED %1 AT K(Z $OES THE SNARE NEED COM PRESSION (OW LOUD SHOULD THE VOCAL BE
(159) AND ARE THE LYRICS COMING THROUGH CLEARLY ENOUGH 4HESE ARE THE KINDS OF IMPORTANT MIX QUESTIONS THAT NEITHER YOUR LISTENING SYSTEM NOR YOUR MIXING GEAR CAN ANSWERITS YOU
(160) THE ENGINEER
(161) WHO HAS TO LISTEN TO THE RAW AUDIO FACTS
(162) DEVELOP A CLEAR OPINION ABOUT WHAT NEEDS TO BE CHANGED
(163) AND THEN COAX THE DESIRED IMPROVEMENTS OUT OF WHATEVER EQUIPMENT YOU HAPPEN TO HAVE AT YOUR DISPOSAL -OST PEOPLE WHO APPROACH ME BECAUSE THEYRE UNHAPPY WITH THEIR MIXES THINK THAT ITS THEIR PROCESSING TECHNIQUES THAT ARE LETTING THEM DOWN
(164) BUT IN MY EXPERIENCE THE REAL ROOT OF THEIR PROBLEMS IS USUALLY EITHER THAT THEYRE NOT ABLE TO HEAR WHAT THEY NEED TO
(165) OR ELSE THAT THEY HAVENT WORKED OUT HOW TO LISTEN TO WHAT THEYRE HEARING 3O INSTEAD OF KICKING OFF THIS BOOK BY LEAPING HEAD LONG INTO A TREATISE ON %1
(166) COMPRESSION
(167) OR SOME OTHER RELATED TOPIC
(168) ) WANT TO BEGIN INSTEAD BY FOCUSING ON HEARING AND LISTENING 5NTIL YOU GET A PROPER GRIP ON THOSE ISSUES
(169) ANY DISCUSSION OF MIXING TECHNIQUES IS ABOUT AS USEFUL AS A CHOCOLATE HEATSINK.
(170) CHAPTER 1. Using Nearfield Monitors. 3. 1.1 CHOOSING YOUR WEAPONS #HOOSING THE EQUIPMENT THAT ALLOWS YOU TO HEAR OR hMONITORv YOUR MIX SIGNAL IS NOT A TASK TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY
(171) BECAUSE ITS THE WINDOW THROUGH WHICH YOULL BE VIEWING EVERYTHING YOU DO &OR THOSE ON A STRICT BUDGET
(172) HOWEVER
(173) THE UNAPPETIZING REALITY IS THAT MONITORING IS ONE OF THOSE AREAS OF AUDIO TECHNOLOGY WHERE THE AMOUNT OF CASH YOURE PREPARED TO SPLASH REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE 4HIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE WITH REGARD TO YOUR STUDIOS PRIMARY MONITORING SYSTEM
(174) WHICH NEEDS TO COMBINE WARTS AND ALL MIX DETAIL WITH A FAIRLY EVEN FREQUENCY RESPONSE ACROSS THE BIGGEST POSSIBLE SLICE OF THE (Z TO K(Z AUDIBLE FREQUENCY SPECTRUMA SET OF CHARACTERISTICS THAT DOESNT COME CHEAP 4HAT SAID
(175) WHEN CHOOSING THE STEREO LOUDSPEAKERS THAT WILL FULlLL THESE DUTIES IN ALL BUT THE MOST CONSTRAINED STUDIOS
(176) THERES A LOT YOU CAN DO TO MAXIMIZE YOUR VALUE FOR MONEY &IRST OFF
(177) FURNITURE RATTLING VOLUME LEVELS ARENT TREMEN DOUSLY IMPORTANT FOR MIXING PURPOSES
(178) DESPITE WHAT YOU MIGHT GUESS FROM SEEING PICS OF THE DISHWASHER SIZED BEASTS MOUNTED INTO THE WALLS OF FAMOUS CONTROL ROOMSMOST MIX ENGINEERS USE THOSE SPEAKERS MAINLY FOR PARTING THE VISITING !2 GUYS HAIR h) USE NEARlELDS ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY
(179) v SAYS #HUCK !INLAY
(180) hBECAUSE THERE JUST ARENT MANY SITUATIONS WHERE THE MAIN MONITORS SOUND ALL THAT GOOD 4HE MAINS IN MOST STUDIOS ARE INTENDED PRIMARILY FOR HYP ING THE CLIENTS AND PLAYING REAL LOUDv h) DONT USE THE BIG MONITORS IN STUDIOS FOR ANYTHING
(181) v SAYS .IGEL 'ODRICH
(182) hBECAUSE THEY DONT REALLY RELATE TO ANY THINGv2 9OULL GET A MORE REVEALING STUDIO TOOL AT A GIVEN PRICE POINT IF YOU GO FOR SOMETHING WHERE THE DESIGNERS HAVE SPENT THEIR BUDGET ON AUDIO QUAL ITY RATHER THAN SHEER POWER !S IT HAPPENS
(183) THE MOST HIGH PROlLE MIX ENGINEERS ACTUALLY RELY ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON SMALLER SPEAKERS SET UP WITHIN A COUPLE OF METERS OF THEIR MIX POSITION COMMONLY REFERRED TO AS NEARlELD MONITORS )F YOU SENSIBLY FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLE IN YOUR OWN STUDIO
(184) YOU SHOULDNT NEED GAR GANTUAN SPEAKER CONES AND ROCKET POWERED AMPLIlERS
(185) EVEN IF YOU FANCY MAK ING YOUR EARS WATER Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio. © -IKE 3ENIOR 0UBLISHED BY %LSEVIER )NC !LL RIGHTS RESERVED.
(186) 4. PART 1 Hearing and Listening. SURROUND MONITORING Before acquiring a multispeaker surround setup for a small studio, I’d advise thinking it through pretty carefully. Until you can reliably get a great stereo mix, I for one see little point in spending a lot of extra money complicating that learning process. In my experience, a limited budget is much better spent achieving commercial-quality stereo than second-rate surround, so I make no apologies for leaving the topic of surround mixing well alone and concentrating instead on issues that are more directly relevant to most small-studio denizens.. !NOTHER SIMPLE RULE OF THUMB IS TO BE WARY OF HI l SPEAKERS
(187) BECAUSE THE PURPOSE OF MOST HI l EQUIPMENT IS TO MAKE EVERYTHING SOUND DELICIOUS
(188) REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT ACTUALLY IS 4HIS KIND OF UNEARNED mATTERY IS THE LAST THING YOU NEED WHEN YOURE TRYING TO ISOLATE AND TROUBLESHOOT SNEAKY SONIC PROBLEMS )M NOT TRYING TO SAY THAT ALL SUCH DESIGNS ARE INEVITABLY PROBLEM ATIC IN THE STUDIO
(189) BUT MOST MODERN HI l MODELS )VE HEARD ARE JUST TOO TON ALLY HYPED TO BE OF MUCH USE
(190) AND MAINTENANCE ISSUES ARE OFTEN A CONCERN WITH MORE SUITABLE PRE S SYSTEMS 3PEAKERS WITH BUILT IN AMPLIlCATION USUALLY REFERRED TO AS hACTIVEv OR hPOWERED ARE ALSO A SENSIBLE BET FOR THE HOME STUDIO THEYRE MORE CONVENIENT AND COMPACT THEY TAKE THE GUESSWORK OUT OF MATCHING THE AMPLIlER TO YOUR MODEL OF SPEAKER THEYRE NORMALLY HEAVIER
(191) WHICH INCREASES THE INERTIA OF THE CABINET IN RESPONSE TO WOOFER EXCURSIONS AND MANY SUCH DESIGNS ACHIEVE PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENTS BY VIRTUE OF HAVING SEPARATE MATCHED AMPLIlERS FOR EACH OF THE SPEAKERS INDI VIDUAL DRIVER UNITS "EYOND THOSE ISSUES
(192) A LOT OF MONITOR CHOICE IS ABOUT PERSONAL PREFERENCE
(193) AND THERES NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT 3OME PEOPLE PREFER BRIGHT AGGRESSIVE SOUNDING MONITORS
(194) OTHERS RESTRAINED AND UNDERSTATED ONES
(195) AND NEITHER CHOICE IS WRONG AS SUCH 4HE MAIN THING TO REMEMBER IS THAT NO MONITORS ARE TRULY hNEUTRAL
(196) v AND EVERY PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER YOU ASK WILL HAVE HIS OR HER OWN PERSONAL TASTE IN THIS DEPARTMENT 0ART OF THE JOB OF LEARNING TO MIX IS GETTING ACCUSTOMED TO THE WAY YOUR PARTICULAR SPEAKERS SOUND
(197) SO DONT GET TOO UPTIGHT ABOUT MINUTE DIFFERENCES No monitors are IN TONE BETWEEN SPEAKERS 'O FOR SOMETHING THAT truly “neutral,” and every APPEALS TO YOU
(198) AND THEN CONCENTRATE ON TUNING professional engineer you ask YOUR EARS TO HOW YOUR CHOSEN MODEL RESPONDS will have his or her own personal IN YOUR OWN CONTROL ROOM h9OUVE GOT TO BE taste in this department. Part of CAREFUL ABOUT GETTING NEW MONITORS
(199) v ADVISES the job of learning to mix is getting $AVE 7AY h9OUVE GOT TO BREAK THEM IN AND accustomed to the way your GET TO KNOW THEM BEFORE YOU START TO RELY ON own particular speakers THEMv3 0ART OF DOING THIS INVOLVES REFERRING TO A sound. SET OF REFERENCE RECORDINGS WITH WHICH YOURE FAMIL IAR DISCUSSED MORE IN #HAPTER .
(200) Using Nearfield Monitors CHAPTER 1 Ported Speakers and Frequency Response ) HAVE ONE FURTHER PIECE OF ADVICE TO OFFER WHEN CHOOSING MONITORS
(201) BUT )VE DELIBERATELY HELD IT IN RESERVE
(202) BECAUSE ) WANT TO GIVE IT SPECIAL ATTENTION )TS THIS THE LESS MONEY YOU HAVE TO SPEND
(203) THE MORE YOU SHOULD BEWARE PORTED MONITORS 3UCH SPEAKERS ARE SOMETIMES ALSO REFERRED TO AS hBASS REmEXv OR hREmEX LOADEDv DESIGNS
(204) AND THEY INCORPORATE SOME KIND OF HOLE OR VENT IN THE SPEAKER CABINET
(205) WHICH ENCOURAGES THE WHOLE BOX TO RESONATE IN SYMPATHY WITH THE SPEAKERS DRIVERS 4HE MAIN PURPOSE OF THIS RESONANCE IS TO INCREASE THE LOW FREQUENCY OUTPUT
(206) AN ASPECT OF A SMALL SPEAKERS PERFORMANCE THAT IS NATU RALLY RESTRICTED BASED ON ITS LIMITED WOOFER SIZE "Y USING A PORT TO COMPENSATE FOR THE WOOFERS NATURAL LOW END ROLL OFF
(207) MANUFACTURERS CAN HAVE A WIDER mAT REGION ON THEIR PUBLISHED FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPH
(208) AS WELL AS GIVE THE SPEAKER A LOUDER
(209) BEElER SOUND THATLL HELP IMPRESS *OE 0UBLICS WALLET IN THE SHOPS &IGURE ILLUSTRATES THE BASIC EFFECT OF PORTING ON A TYPICAL SMALL STUDIO MONI TORS LOW END FREQUENCY RESPONSE 4HE SOLID LINE ON THE GRAPH SHOWS THE KIND OF RESPONSE YOUD EXPECT OF A FAIRLY TYPICAL SMALL PORTED SPEAKER
(210) WITH THE OUT PUT REMAINING WITHIN A "D" WINDOW DOWN TO MAYBE (Z )F YOU DEFEATED THE SPEAKERS PORT BY BLOCKING IT
(211) HOWEVER
(212) YOUD lND THAT THE RESPONSE CHANGED TO SOMETHING LIKE THAT SHOWN BY THE DOTTED LINE THE TRACE NOW DRIFTS OUT OF THE "D" WINDOW ALMOST AN OCTAVE HIGHER
(213) JUST ABOVE (Z 3O WHATS SO BAD ABOUT USING A PORT TO WIDEN A SPEAKERS FREQUENCY RESPONSE 4HE PROBLEM IS THAT PORTING ALSO HAS SEVERAL LESS WELL ADVERTISED SIDE EFFECTS THAT. FIGURE 1.1 The solid line on this graph shows the kind of sub-1kHz frequency response plot you might expect for a small and budget-friendly ported studio monitor. The dotted line shows how the response changes when the port is artificially blocked, thereby defeating the cabinet’s low-frequency resonance. The shaded region indicates the "3dB “flat” region of the speaker’s quoted frequency-response specification.. 5.
(214) 6. PART 1 Hearing and Listening CAN EASILY CONSPIRE TO HAMSTRING YOU AT MIXDOWN 'IVEN THE WIDESPREAD USE OF PORTING IN BUDGET NEARlELD MONITORS
(215) ITS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THESE SIDE EFFECTS OF PORTING ARE /N THE ONE HAND
(216) THIS KNOWLEDGE MAKES IT EASIER TO EVALUATE MONITORS OBJECTIVELY WHEN MAKING A PURCHASE ON THE OTHER HAND
(217) IT BETTER EQUIPS YOU TO WORK AROUND POTENTIAL PORTING GREMLINS WHEN THE CHOICE OF MONITORS IS BEYOND YOUR CONTROLFOR EXAMPLE
(218) IN A COLLEGE FACILITY OR A FRIENDS HOME STUDIO 3O BEAR WITH ME WHILE ) LOOK AT THIS ISSUE IN MORE DETAIL 4HE lRST PROBLEM WITH PORTING CAN ALREADY BE SEEN IN &IGURE ALTHOUGH THE PORT STOPS THE RESPONSE DROPPING OFF UNTIL (Z
(219) THE OUTPUT TAKES A REAL NOSEDIVE BEYOND THAT 4HIS MEANS THAT ALTHOUGH THE SPEAKERS OVERALL LOW FREQUENCY OUTPUT IS BOOSTED BY THE PORT
(220) THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE SUB (Z LEVELS AND THE REST OF THE SIGNAL IS SERIOUSLY SKEWED AT THE SAME TIME
(221) WHICH MAKES IT TRICKIER TO MAKE JUDGMENTS ABOUT INSTRUMENTS WITH IMPORTANT LOW FREQUENCY COMPONENTS 3O ASSUMING
(222) FOR THE SAKE OF EXAMPLE
(223) THAT YOURE PLAYING BACK THE SOUND OF A BASS INSTRUMENT THAT IS COMPLETELY CONSISTENT IN ITS LOW FREQUENCY LEVELS
(224) THE PERCEIVED VOLUME OF ITS FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCY WILL STILL DANCE AROUND ALARMINGLY AS THE NOTES CHANGE PITCH
(225) DEPENDING ON HOW FAR THE FUNDAMENTAL SLIPS DOWN THE STEEP FREQUENCY RESPONSE ROLL OFF "EAR IN MIND THAT THE LOWEST FUNDAMENTAL FROM A BASS GUITAR IS AROUND (Z
(226) WHEREAS PIANOS
(227) ORGANS
(228) AND SYNTHS ARE JUST SOME OF THE SOURCES THAT WILL HAP PILY GENERATE FUNDAMENTALS IN THE TO (Z BOTTOM OCTAVE )N CONTRAST TO THE FUNDAMENTAL
(229) HOWEVER
(230) THE lRST HARMONIC OF THESE BASS NOTES LIES AN OCTAVE ABOVE
(231) TYPICALLY IN THE MUCH mATTER FREQUENCY RESPONSE REGION ABOVE (Z
(232) SO ITLL BE TOUGH GOING TO DECIDE WHETHER THERES THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF EACH OF THESE FREQUENCIES RESPECTIVELY !ND
(233) OF COURSE
(234) IF WE STEP BACK INTO THE WILD AGAIN
(235) WHERE UNTAMED RAMPAGING BASS PARTS ARE OFTEN ANYTHING BUT CONSISTENT
(236) HOW ARE YOU EXPECTED TO JUDGE WHEN YOUR MIX PROCESSING HAS ACTUALLY REINED THEM IN PROPERLY +ICK DRUMS ARE EQUALLY COMPLICATED TO DEAL WITH ,ETS SAY THAT YOURE COM PARING THE KICK LEVEL IN YOUR OWN MIX TO SOMETHING ON A FAVORITE COMMERCIAL RECORD
(237) BUT YOUR KICK DRUM HAS LOADS OF ENERGY AT (Z
(238) WHEREAS THE COMPARI SON TRACKS KICK IS RICH IN THE (Z REGION "ECAUSE THE SPEAKER IS EFFECTIVELY RECESSING THE (Z REGION BY D" COMPARED TO THE (Z REGION
(239) YOURE LIKELY TO FADE YOUR OWN KICK DRUM UP TOO HIGH
(240) ONLY TO DISCOVER A RUMBLING MESS LURKING UNDERNEATH YOUR MIX IN OTHER MONITORING ENVIRONMENTS !LTHOUGH THE LOSS OF LOW END ON AN UNPORTED MONITOR IS ALSO A PROBLEM
(241) ITS MUCH EASIER TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS MENTALLY WHILE MIXING
(242) BECAUSE THE RELATIVE LEVELS OF NEIGH BORING LOW FREQUENCY BANDS ARE MORE REPRESENTATIVE. Killer Side Effects of Porting 4HESE PORTING ANOMALIES
(243) HOWEVER
(244) ARE ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
(245) BECAUSE FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPHS ONLY SHOW HOW SPEAKERS RESPOND TO CONSTANT FULL FREQUENCY NOISE
(246) A TEST SIGNAL THAT IS NOTHING LIKE THE VARIED AND FAST MOVING WAVEFORMS OF MUSIC -UCH MORE TROUBLESOME IS THE WAY THAT PORTING HINDERS.
(247) Using Nearfield Monitors CHAPTER 1 THE MONITORS ABILITY TO TRACK MOMENT TO MOMENT CHANGES IN THE MIX SIG NAL 3PECIlCALLY
(248) THE PORT CAUSES ANY SPECTRAL ENERGY AT ITS RESONANT FREQUENCY TO RING ON FOR A SHORT TIME
(249) AND WHILE ITS THIS RESONANT BUILDUP THAT GENERATES THE PORTS mATTERING LOW FREQUENCY LEVEL BOOST FOR A CONSTANT NOISE TEST SIGNAL
(250) THE SAME QUALITY ALSO ADDS SHORT RESONANT TAILS TO mEETING PERCUSSIVE ATTACK NOISES OFTEN REFERRED TO AS TRANSIENTS
(251) SUCH THAT THEY CAN SEEM LOUDER AND LESS PUNCHY THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE 3OUNDS THAT STOP ABRUPTLY SUFFER A SIMILAR PROBLEM
(252) WITH THE PORT RINGING ON AFTER THEYVE lNISHED )N THIS CASE
(253) THE RESO NANCE NOT ONLY DISGUISES THE TRUE DECAY ATTRIBUTES OF THE SOUND ITSELF
(254) BUT IT CAN ALSO MAKE IT DIFlCULT TO JUDGE THE CHARACTER AND LEVEL OF SHORT DURATION STUDIO EFFECTS SUCH AS MODULATED DELAYS AND REVERB
(255) WHICH ARE OFTEN VERY USEFUL AT MIXDOWN !NOTHER POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH PORTED SPEAKERS IS THAT THE RINGING OF THE PORT CAN DOMINATE OVER THE REAL FUNDAMENTAL FREQUENCIES OF LOW BASS NOTES
(256) MAK ING THEM DIFlCULT TO DISTINGUISH FROM EACH OTHER 3PEAKER REVIEWERS SOMETIMES REFER TO THIS PHENOMENON AS hONE NOTE BASS
(257) v AND IT ADDS UNWELCOME UNCER TAINTY TO TUNING JUDGMENTS AT THE LOW END ! COMMERCIAL RECORDING THAT ) lND PARTICULARLY GOOD FOR REVEALING THIS OCCURRENCE IS 3KUNK !NANSIES h)NlDELITYv FROM THE BANDS ALBUM Stoosh
(258) WHERE THE MEANDERING BASS LINE QUICKLY BECOMES MURKY AND ILL DElNED IN THE PRESENCE OF LOW END MONITORING RESO NANCES 4HE TRACK IS ALSO GOOD FOR TESTING THE FREQUENCY RESPONSE OF A MONITOR ING SYSTEM
(259) AS ONLY THE MOST EXTENDED RESPONSE CAN DO JUSTICE TO THAT PARTICULAR KICK DRUMS ALMOST SEISMIC LOW FREQUENCY RUMBLE 7ERE THE PORT RINGING CONSISTENT ACROSS THE AUDIO SPECTRUM
(260) YOU COULD MEN TALLY COMPENSATE FOR IT PERHAPS
(261) BUT OF COURSE ITS NOT ITS MORE OR LESS SEVERE DEPENDING ON HOW MUCH OF A GIVEN TRANSIENTS ENERGY RESIDES AROUND THE PORT ING FREQUENCY &URTHERMORE
(262) )VE SO FAR TAKEN FOR GRANTED THAT THE PORT HAS ONLY ONE RESONANT FREQUENCY )N REALITY
(263) HOWEVER
(264) ITS DIFlCULT TO STOP THE THING RESO NATING AT A WHOLE RANGE OF HIGHER FREQUENCIES TOO
(265) WHICH LEADS TO UNPREDICTABLE TIME SMEARING ARTIFACTS RIGHT ACROSS THE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM 3O ITS NOT JUST BASS INSTRUMENTS THAT YOU MAY BE UNABLE TO JUDGE RELIABLY
(266) BUT EVERYTHING ELSE TOO !LTHOUGH ITS PERFECTLY POSSIBLE FOR SPEAKER DESIGNERS TO USE CAREFUL INTERNAL CABINET DESIGN AND DAMPING TO TAME ALL BUT THE DESIRED LOW FREQUENCY PORT RES FIGURE 1.2 ONANCE
(267) THAT DOES COST THEM MONEY
(268) SO THIS IS WHERE MORE AFFORDABLE DESIGNS Some affordable twoway ported nearfield CAN REALLY COME A CROPPER /F COURSE
(269) A SIMPLE FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPH LEAVES YOU BLISSFULLY IGNORANT OF ANY OF THIS STUFF
(270) BECAUSE IT ONLY HAS AXES FOR FREQUENCY AND LEVEL )F YOU WANT TO LAY BARE RESONANCE SIDE EFFECTS
(271) THEN YOU NEED TO ADD A THIRD DIMENSION TO YOUR FREQUENCY RESPONSE GRAPH TIME &ORTUNATELY
(272) THERE IS A TYPE OF GRAPH THAT DOES EXACTLY THAT
(273) CALLED A SPECTRAL DECAY OR hWATERFALLv PLOT )T REVEALS WHAT HAP PENS TO A SPEAKERS OUTPUT WHEN A CONSTANT FULL RANGE TEST SIGNAL IS SUDDENLY SWITCHED OFFAS THE GRAPH DEVELOPS IN TIME IN OTHER WORDS MOVING FROM THE BACKGROUND INTO THE FOREGROUND
(274) SPEAKING THREE DIMENSIONALLY
(275) YOU CAN SEE HOW MUCH DIFFERENT FREQUENCIES RING ON. monitors (top to bottom): the ADAM A7X has dual circular ports either side of the woofer, the KRK Rokit 8 has a port slot under the woofer, the Behringer 2030A has two narrow port slots on either side of the tweeter, and the M-Audio DSM2 features a single circular port on the rear panel.. 7.
(276) 8. PART 1 Hearing and Listening 4HE LEFT HAND COLUMN OF &IGURE SHOWS WATERFALL PLOTS FOR THREE WELL DESIGNED SMALL NEARlELD MONITORS 4HE TOP GRAPH IS FOR AN UNPORTED MODEL
(277) WHEREAS THE TWO LOWER PLOTS ARE FOR PORTED DESIGNS 9OU CAN SEE THE LOW END OF THE PORTED MODELS RINGING ON
(278) AS YOUD EXPECT
(279) BUT OTHERWISE THE MIDRANGE AND HIGH END STOP QUICKLY WITHOUT ANY OBVIOUS RESONANT TRAILS #OMPARE THIS WITH THE WATERFALL PLOTS IN THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN OF &IGURE
(280) MEASURED FROM THREE BUDGET PORTED NEARlELDS 7HAT THEY CLEARLY ILLUSTRATE IS THAT EACH SPEAKER HAS PROMINENT RESONANCES WELL UP INTO THE MIDRANGE "EAR IN MIND
(281) THOUGH
(282) THAT OTHER FACTORS CONTRIBUTE UNWANTED MIDRANGE RESONANCES TO SPEAKERS AS. FIGURE 1.3 Waterfall plots for six different sets of studio monitors..
(283) Using Nearfield Monitors CHAPTER 1 WELL
(284) SO ITS NOT JUST PORTING SIDE EFFECTS YOURE SEEING HERE 4HE LESS WELL CONTROLLED A MONITORS RESO NANCES
(285) THE LESS EASILY YOU CAN MIX WITH IT. The less money you’re going to spend on monitors, the more you should approach ported models armed with holy water and cloves of garlic!. "UT EVEN THATS NOT THE END OF THE STORY PORTS CAN ALSO PRODUCE TURBULENCE NOISE
(286) WHICH OBSCURES OTHER PARTS OF YOUR MIX COMPRESSION ARTIFACTS
(287) WHICH MESS WITH THE APPARENT LEVEL OF BASS INSTRU MENTS AS YOU ADJUST THE MONITORING VOLUME AND DIS TORTION
(288) WHICH MISLEADINGLY GIVES EXTRA MIDRANGE BODY TO BASS INSTRUMENTS
(289) MAKING THEM SEEM MORE AUDIBLE IN THE MIX THAN THEY SHOULD BE )F YOU WANT TO HEAR WHAT )M TALKING ABOUT
(290) TRY LISTENING TO THE LOW FREQUENCY SINE WAVE TONES IN THE ,&3INE4ONES AUDIO lLE THROUGH A BUDGET PORTED MONITOR 9OU CAN DOWNLOAD THIS lLE FROM THIS CHAPTERS 52, www.cambridge-mt .com/ms-ch1.htm 0ARTICULARLY ON THE LOWEST FREQUENCIES YOULL USUALLY HEAR A GOOD DOSE OF mUTTERING PORT NOISE AND LOW LEVEL DISTORTION HARMONICS OVERLAID ON WHAT SHOULD BE PURE TONES .EED ANY FURTHER CONVINCING 4HEN CONSIDER THE FACT THAT TWO OF THE MOST INmUENTIAL MIXING SPEAKERS IN THE HISTORY OF AUDIO PRODUCTION ARE UNPORTED DESIGNS THE 9AMAHA .3 AND THE !URATONE # 3UPER 3OUND #UBE 9OU CAN SEE THE WATERFALL PLOTS FOR THESE SPEAKERS IN &IGURE
(291) AND ALTHOUGH NEITHER HAS A PARTICULARLY mAT FREQUENCY RESPONSE
(292) BOTH ARE EXTRAORDINARILY WELL BEHAVED AS FAR AS RESONANCES ARE CONCERNED !LL OF WHICH BRINGS ME BACK TO MY MAIN POINT THE LESS MONEY YOURE GOING TO SPEND ON MONITORS
(293) THE MORE YOU SHOULD APPROACH PORTED MODELS ARMED WITH HOLY WATER AND CLOVES OF GARLIC )N MY EXPERIENCE
(294) YOULL HAVE TO PART WITH WELL OVER a FOR A PAIR OF PORTED NEARlELDS THAT CAN RELIABLY DELIVER WHAT YOU NEED TO MIX COMPETITIVELY
(295) WHEREAS ) DONT THINK YOU NEED TO SPEND THIS MUCH ON AN UNPORTED DESIGN TO GET SIMILAR MIXING MUSCLE
(296) JUST SO LONG AS YOURE WILLING TO WORK WITH LOWER OVERALL VOLUME LEVELS 4HIS IS WHY ) USUALLY POINT CASH STRAPPED WOULD BE MIX ENGINEERS IN THE DIRECTION OF PRODUCTS SUCH AS .(4 0ROS - AND 3 COMBINATION
(297) OR "LUE 3KYS -EDIA $ESK AND 0RO $ESK SYSTEMS
(298) ALL OF WHICH ARE ACTIVE
(299) UNPORTED
(300) AND FAIRLY FULL RANGE. Speaker Stands and Other Mounting Hardware 9OU CAN FORK OUT FOR THE FANCIEST MONITORS YOU LIKE
(301) BUT UNLESS YOU SET THEM UP SENSIBLY IN YOUR ROOM
(302) YOU MIGHT AS WELL HAVE SPENT MOST OF THAT MONEY ON DOUGHNUTS FOR ALL THE GOOD ITLL DO YOUR SOUND )VE VISITED A LARGE NUM BER OF SMALL STUDIOS
(303) AND ONE THING THE MAJORITY HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT THEIR OWNERS HAVE UNDERESTIMATED THE IMPORTANCE OF MONITOR INSTALLATION
(304) WITH THE RESULT THAT THE MONITORING SOUNDS ONLY A FRACTION AS GOOD AS IT SHOULD
(305) GIVEN THE COST OF THE SPEAKERS 3O LETS LOOK AT WAYS YOU CAN MAXIMIZE THE QUALITY OF THE SOUND
(306) WHATEVER SPEAKERS YOURE USING &OR A START
(307) THE SPEAKER CABINETS SHOULD BE AS lRMLY lXED AS POSSIBLE
(308) BECAUSE IF THEY MOVE AT ALL IN SYMPATHY WITH THE WOOFER EXCURSIONS ITLL MESS WITH HOW THE LOW END OF THE MIX IS REPRESENTED (OW EXACTLY YOU DECIDE TO MOUNT THE. 9.
(309) 10. PART 1 Hearing and Listening. PASSIVE RADIATORS AND TRANSMISSION LINES Not all monitor speakers can be categorized clearly as ported or unported, and Mackie’s popular HR-series are a case in point, because although their cabinets are closed, they include a passive radiator (a sort of dummy speaker cone that vibrates in sympathy with the woofer) to achieve ported-style bass enhancement. Another midway design is PMC’s transmission-line system, whereby the external port hole feeds a damped internal ducting network designed to reduce the problematic side effects of porting. However, the waterfall plots in Figure 1.4 suggest to me that these strategies are only of limited use in overcoming the resonance issues of ported designs, a suspicion that has been borne out in my own personal experience of several of the different Mackie models.. FIGURE 1.4 Waterfall plots for the Mackie HR824 and PMC LB1BP monitors.. BOXES WILL DEPEND ON THE PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH IN YOUR PARTICULAR SETUP
(310) BUT MY RECOMMENDATION IS TO USE DEDICATED SPEAKER STANDS
(311) AS THESE TYPICALLY GIVE A MUCH BETTER SOUND THAN DESKS AND SHELVES AND CAN BE MOVED AROUND THE ROOM MORE EASILY THAN HEAVY DUTY WALL BRACKETS 3TANDS DONT NEED TO BE EXORBITANTLY EXPENSIVE EITHER
(312) AS LONG AS THEY ARE SOLID ENOUGH TO KEEP THE SPEAKER STILL )N FACT
(313) YOU CAN EASILY BUILD DECENT ONES YOURSELF IF YOURE HANDY WITH YOUR WOODWORK AND USE SUITABLY CHUNKY RAW MATERIALS.
(314) Using Nearfield Monitors CHAPTER 1. (A). (B) FIGURE 1.5 Two of the most revered mixing speakers are unported designs: the Auratone 5C Super Sound Cube (left ) and the Yamaha NS10 (right ). Below them you can see their waterfall plots.. 4HE lRST THING THE MOUNTING HARDWARE HAS TO DO IS PRESENT AS MUCH INERTIA AS POS SIBLE
(315) SO THE SPEAKER CABINET MOVES AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE IN REACTION TO WOOFER EXCUR SIONS )F YOU THINK THE STANDSBRACKETS THEMSELVES ARENT MAN ENOUGH FOR THIS JOB
(316) ITS WORTH TRYING TO ADD WEIGHT TO THEM IN THE lRST INSTANCE BY PUTTING A PIECE OF PAVING SLAB UNDERNEATH EACH SPEAKER ! BIT OF RUBBER MATTING CAN ALSO HELP
(317) BY IMPROVING THE MOUNTING PLATFORMS GRIP ON THE SPEAKER CABINET 4HE OTHER MAIN THING YOUR SPEAKER MOUNTINGS NEED TO DO IS MINIMIZE THE TRANSMISSION OF THE SPEAKERS PHYSICAL VIBRATIONS INTO OTHER RESONANT OBJECTS )F YOUR SPEAKER SETS OFF A PHYSICAL RESONANCE WITHIN ITS STAND
(318) FOR EXAMPLE
(319) IT CAN SKEW YOUR PERCEPTION OF THE MIX JUST AS MUCH AS ANY RESONANCES INHERENT IN THE SPEAKER DESIGN ITSELF 4HIS IS ONE REASON WHY PUTTING SPEAKERS ON DOMESTIC SHELVES OR DESKS CAN CAUSE INSUR MOUNTABLE MONITORING DIFlCULTIESITS OFTEN SURPRISING HOW READILY THESE VIBRATE IN SYMPATHY 4HE ,&3INE4ONES AUDIO lLE IS GOOD FOR REVEALING RESONANCES
(320) SO PLAY IT BACK AT A REASONABLY HIGH VOLUME TO SEE IF YOU HEAR ANY FURNITURE HUMMING ALONG 4RY ALSO RESTING A lNGER ON YOUR MOUNTING HARDWARE STAND
(321) BRACKET
(322) OR WHATEVER AND CHECK IF YOU FEEL ANY OBVIOUS VIBRATIONS /NE ADVANTAGE OF DEDICATED SPEAKER STANDS IS THAT THEY OFTEN HAVE A HOLLOW FRAME )T CAN BE lLLED WITH SAND
(323) WHICH IS GOOD FOR DAMPING RESONANCES AND ALSO. 11.
(324) 12. PART 1 Hearing and Listening INCREASES THE STANDS INERTIA (OWEVER
(325) OTHER SOLUTIONS TO THE RESONANCE PROBLEM INCLUDE FOAM PLATFORMS WEDGED BETWEEN THE SPEAKER AND THE MOUNTING SURFACE SUCH AS !URALEXS -O 0ADS OR LITTLE INVERTED MOUNTING SPIKES IN A SIMILAR LOCA TION FOR EXAMPLE 3OUND .ETWORKS #HINA #ONES 0RIMACOUSTICS 2ECOIL 3TABILIZER IS ANOTHER POPULAR OPTION
(326) AS IT INCORPORATES NOT ONLY A FOAM BASE BUT ALSO A RUB BERIZED STEEL TOP PLATFORM FOR EXTRA GRIP AND INERTIA (OWEVER
(327) ALTHOUGH THESE KINDS OF STUDIO WIDGETS CAN YIELD NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENTS IF YOUR MONITORS ARE SITTING ON A NORMAL SHELF OR DESK
(328) MY FEELING ABOUT THEM IS THAT THEYRE UNLIKELY TO JUSTIFY THE EXTRA OUTLAY IF YOUVE ALREADY SENSIBLY INVESTED a OR SO IN SAND lLLED SPEAKER STANDS OR SIMILARLY STURDY MOUNTING HARDWARE. 1.2 POSITIONING THE SPEAKERS FIGURE 1.6 Primacoustic’s Recoil Stabilizer cleverly deals with a number of smallstudio monitor setup issues simultaneously: the rubberized top mat grips the speaker firmly and couples it to a heavy metal plate, increasing inertia, while the foam base decouples the speaker from physical resonances in the underlying surface.. 7HATEVER YOU ACTUALLY SIT THE SPEAKERS ON
(329) THEIR EXACT POSITIONING IS ALSO CRITICAL TO GETTING GOOD AUDIO REPRODUCTION 9OU SHOULD TRY WHEREVER POSSIBLE TO AIM THE SPEAKERS DIRECTLY AT THE LISTENING POSITION ! SPEAKERS FREQUENCY RESPONSE IS MEASURED ON AXIS IE
(330) FROM DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF IT
(331) SO IF YOU LISTEN OFF AXIS
(332) YOU WONT BE HEARING WHAT THE DESIGNER INTENDED YOU TOHIGH FREQUENCIES ARE MORE DIRECTIONAL THAN LOW FREQUENCIES
(333) SO HIGH END DETAILS IN PARTICULAR TEND TO SUF FER -OVING AROUND YOUR LISTENING ROOM SHOULD AMPLY DEMONSTRATE THESE EFFECTS WITH ANY FULL BANDWIDTH MUSIC MIX
(334) BUT IF YOU WANT TO HEAR THE PHENOMENON AT ITS STARKEST
(335) THEN TRY LISTENING TO A CONSTANT FULL RANGE TEST SIGNAL SUCH AS MY 0INK.OISE lLE THROUGH JUST ONE OF YOUR SPEAKERS 4HESE ARENT JUST MINISCULE SONIC NICETIES WERE TALKING ABOUT (IGH FREQUENCIES ARE ALSO EASILY SHADOWED BY PHYSI CAL OBJECTS
(336) SO MAKE SURE YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE THE DRIVERS YOURE LISTENING TO !IMING THE SPEAKERS ISNT JUST ABOUT THE HORIZONTAL PLANE EITHER
(337) BECAUSE VERTI CAL ALIGNMENT IS USUALLY EVEN MORE IMPORTANT
(338) FOR A COUPLE OF REASONS 4HE lRST IS THAT ON MOST NEARlELD MONITORS
(339) THE CABINET IS PROlLED AROUND THE TWEETER TO CREATE WHATS CALLED A WAVEGUIDE
(340) WHICH IS DESIGNED TO HORIZONTALLY DISPERSE THE JET OF HIGH FREQUENCIES MORE WIDELY AND THEREBY INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE OPTIMUM LISTENING AREA OR hSWEET SPOTv !LTHOUGH WAVEGUIDES CAN BE QUITE EFFECTIVE AT THIS
(341) THEY DONT USU ALLY DO THE SAME JOB FOR THE VERTICAL HIGH FREQUENCY DISPER SION AND CAN EVEN MAKE IT NARROWER "UT THE SECOND REASON IS THAT MOST NEARlELD MONITORS HAVE MORE THAN ONE DRIVER IN THEM
(342) WITH EACH DRIVER IN A DIFFERENT VERTICAL POSITION ! DEDICATED BIT OF CIRCUITRY OR $30 CALLED A CROSSOVER WITHIN THE SPEAKER SPLITS THE INCOMING SIGNALS FREQUENCY RANGE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT DRIVERS AT FACTORY SPECIlED BOUNDARIES CALLED CROSSOVER FREQUENCIES !LTHOUGH IDEALLY THE CROSS OVER SHOULD THEREFORE PREVENT ANY OVERLAP BETWEEN THE FRE QUENCY OUTPUT OF THE DIFFERENT DRIVERS
(343) THE TRUTH IS THAT THERE IS INEVITABLY A SMALL SPECTRAL REGION AROUND EACH CROSSOVER FREQUENCY WHERE TWO DRIVERS ARE BOTH CONTRIBUTING SIGNIl CANT LEVELS AT THE SAME TIME )F THE DISTANCE FROM EACH DRIVER TO THE LISTENING POSITION ISNT THE SAME
(344) THEN THE SIGNALS.
(345) Using Nearfield Monitors CHAPTER 1 FROM THE DIFFERENT DRIVERS WILL ARRIVE AT THE LISTENING POSITION AT DIFFERENT TIMES OR hOUT OF PHASEv IN GEEK SPEAK
(346) AND THIS GIVES RISE TO A POTENTIALLY SERIOUS FREQUENCY CANCELLATION EFFECT CALLED COMB lLTERING. PHASE AND COMB FILTERING I’ve touched on the ideas of phase and comb filtering in the main text, but because they have so many ramifications when mixing, it’s worth looking at the subject more closely. The best way to start thinking about phase is first to consider a sine-wave signal, the simple audio waveform from which all complex musical sounds can theoretically be built. A sine wave generates only a single audio frequency, according to how many times its waveform shape repeats in a second. For example, a 1kHz sine wave repeats its waveform 1000 times per second, with each waveform repetition lasting 1ms. Imagine that you have two mixer channels, each fed from the same sine-wave source at the same frequency. The peaks and troughs of the two waveforms will be exactly in line, and mixing them together will simply produce the same sine wave, only louder. In this situation we talk about the two sine waves being “in phase” with each other. If you gradually delay the audio going through the second channel, however, the peaks and troughs of the two sine waves shift out of alignment. Because of the unique properties of sine waves, the combination of the two channels will now still produce a sine wave of the same frequency, but its level will be lower than if the two channels were in phase, and we say that “partial phase cancellation” has occurred. When the second channel is delayed such that its peaks coincide exactly with the first channel’s troughs (and vice versa), the two waveforms will combine to produce silence. At this point we say that the waveforms are completely “out of phase” with each other and that “total phase cancellation” has occurred. When total phase cancellation occurs, you sometimes hear engineers say that the signals are “180 degrees out of phase.” This is a phrase that’s not always used correctly, and it can therefore be a bit confusing. To describe the phase relationship between two identical waveforms, mathematicians often quantify the offset between them in degrees, where 360 degrees equals the duration of each waveform repetition. Therefore, a zero-degree phase relationship between two sine waves makes them perfectly in phase, whereas a 180-degree phase relationship puts them perfectly out of phase, resulting in total phase cancellation. All the other possible phase relationships put the waveforms partially out of phase with each other, resulting in partial phase cancellation. What’s confusing about the “180 degrees out of phase” term is that it is sometimes used to refer to a situation where the second channel’s waveform has been flipped upside down, so that the peaks become troughs and vice versa—a process more unambiguously referred to as polarity reversal. This scenario also results in silence at the combined output, hence the common confusion in terminology, but it’s very important to realize that the total phase cancellation here is brought about by inverting one of the waveforms, not by delaying it. Now let’s scale things back up to deal with real-world sounds, made up as they are of heaps of different sine waves at different frequencies, each one fading in and out as pitches and timbres change. If we feed, say, a drum loop to our two mixer channels, instead of a single sine wave, any delay in the second channel will have a dramatic effect on the tonality of the combined signal, rather than just altering its level. This is because for a given delay, the phase relationships between sine waves on the first channel and those on the second channel depend on the frequency of each individual (Continued). 13.
(347) 14. PART 1 Hearing and Listening. sine wave. So, for example, a 0.5ms delay in the second channel will put any 1kHz sine-wave components (the waveforms of which repeat every 1ms) completely out of phase with those on the first channel, resulting in total phase cancellation. On the other hand, any 2kHz sine-wave components (the waveforms of which repeat every 0.5ms) will remain perfectly in phase. As the frequency of the sine-wave components increases from 1kHz to 2kHz, the total phase cancellation becomes only partial, and the level increases toward the perfect phase alignment at 2kHz. Of course, above 2kHz the sine-wave components begin partially phase canceling again, and if you’re quick with your mental arithmetic you’ll have spotted that total phase cancellation will also occur at 3kHz, 5kHz, 7kHz, and so on up the frequency spectrum, whereas at 4kHz, 6kHz, 8Hz, and so on the sine-wave components will be exactly in phase. This produces a characteristic series of regularly spaced peaks and troughs in the combined frequency response of our drum loop—an effect called comb filtering. A delay of just 0.000025s (a 40th of a millisecond) between the two channels will cause total phase cancellation at 20kHz, but you’ll also hear partial phase cancellation at frequencies below this. As the delay increases, the comb filter response marches further down the frequency spectrum, trailing its pattern of peaks and troughs behind it, which themselves get closer and closer together. However, when the delay times reach beyond about 25ms or so (depending on the sound in question), our ears start to discern the higher frequencies of the delayed signal as distinct echoes, rather than as a timbral change, and as the delay time increases, phase cancellation is restricted to progressively lower frequencies. Although it should now be clear that the tonal effects of comb filtering can be disastrous if two identical signals are combined with a delay between them, most real-world comb filtering at mixdown is actually much less severe, either because the out-of-phase signals aren’t completely identical, or because they’re at very different levels, or both.. !LTHOUGH MANUFACTURERS TYPICALLY DO THEIR BEST TO KEEP CROSSOVER REGIONS PRETTY NARROW TO MINIMIZE THE EFFECT OF COMB lLTERING
(348) MOST AFFORDABLE NEARlELD MONI TORS HAVE ONLY TWO DRIVERS
(349) WHICH MEANS THAT ANY COMB lLTERING BETWEEN THE WOOFER AND THE TWEETER HAPPENS IN THE WORST POSSIBLE PLACE FROM A MIXING STAND POINT RIGHT IN THE CENTER OF THE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM
(350) WHERE OUR HEARING IS MOST SENSITIVE )F YOU WANT TO GET A HANDLE ON THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE HERE
(351) TRY THIS EXPERIMENT 0LAY Most THE 0INK.OISE lLE www.cambridge-mt.com/ms-ch1 affordable nearfield .htm THROUGH A SINGLE NEARlELD SPEAKER WITH VER monitors have only two TICALLY SPACED DRIVERS
(352) AND LISTEN TO IT lRST OF ALL drivers, which means any comb DIRECTLY ON AXIS .OW DRIFT ALTERNATELY ABOUT SIX filtering between the woofer and INCHES TO EACH SIDE WHILE KEEPING YOUR VERTICAL the tweeter happens in the worst POSITION CONSTANT 9OULL HEAR A SMALL CHANGE possible place from a mixing IN TONE ON MOST SPEAKERS BECAUSE OF THE HIGH standpoint: right in the center of FREQUENCY DIRECTIONALITY ) MENTIONED EARLIER /NCE the frequency spectrum, where YOURE USED TO THAT CHANGE
(353) DRIFT UP AND DOWN BY our hearing is most ABOUT SIX INCHES INSTEAD
(354) AND THE TONAL CHANGE WILL sensitive. LIKELY BE MUCH MORE NOTICEABLE !LTHOUGH THE EFFECTS OF COMB lLTERING BETWEEN YOUR SPEAKER DRIVERS WONT.
(355) Using Nearfield Monitors CHAPTER 1 USUALLY BE AS OBVIOUSLY APPARENT IN THEIR OWN RIGHT WHEN YOURE LISTENING TO A REAL WORLD MIX
(356) THAT DOESNT MEAN THEY ARENT THERE
(357) AND THE RIPPLES THEY PUT INTO THE FREQUENCY RESPONSE TREACHEROUSLY UNDERMINE YOUR ABILITY TO JUDGE BOTH THE TONE AND LEVEL BALANCE OF CRITICAL SOUNDS IN THE MIDRANGETHINGS LIKE LEAD VOCALS
(358) SNARE DRUMS
(359) AND GUITARS. Stereo Monitoring ! SMALL STUDIOS NEARlELD MONITORS WILL USUALLY PROVIDE THE MOST RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION ABOUT A MIXS STEREO IMAGE
(360) BUT FOR THEM TO DO THIS EFFEC TIVELY THEY HAVE TO BE SET UP SO THAT THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE SPEAKERS EQUALS THE DISTANCE FROM EACH OF THE SPEAKERS TO THE LISTENING POSITION 4HIS IS BECAUSE THE HUMAN BRAIN HAS EVOLVED A POWERFUL INSTINCT THAT CAUSES US TO PERCEIVE THE SOURCE OF AN INCOMING SOUND AS BEING LOCATED ON THE SAME SIDE AS THE EAR THAT SOUND REACHES lRST 0RESUMABLY NATURAL SELECTION FAVORED THOSE CAVEMEN WHO COULD WORK OUT WHERE THE SABER TOOTHED TIGER GROWLS WERE COMING FROM 4HIS INSTINCT MEANS THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO MOVE YOUR HEAD VERY FAR OUT OF THE SWEET SPOT BEFORE THE MAJORITY OF THE STEREO IMAGE FOLDS DOWN INTO THE CLOSER SPEAKER 0ULLING THE SPEAKERS TOO FAR APART IS A FREQUENT MISTAKE TOO
(361) AS IT DESTABILIZES THE CENTER OF THE STEREO IMAGE
(362) MAKING BALANCE JUDGMENTS FOR THE IMPORTANT SOUNDS THAT ARE TYPICALLY PLACED THERE TRICKY )F ANYTHING
(363) ITS BETTER TO ERR ON THE SIDE OF PLACING THE SPEAKERS TOO CLOSE TOGETHER
(364) BECAUSE THE NARROWED STEREO PICTURE THIS PRODUCES IS A LOT EASIER TO WORK WITH AT MIXDOWN THAN UNSTABLE CENTRAL IMAGING 9OULL ALSO GET THE BEST STEREO IMAGE IF YOU TRY TO POSITION THE WHOLE MONITORING SETUP SUCH THAT THE ROOM IS FAIRLY SYMMETRICAL AROUND THE LISTENERS LINE OF SIGHT
(365) IN ORDER TO RETAIN IMAGE BALANCE DESPITE THE IMPACT OF ANY SONIC REmECTIONS FROM ROOM BOUNDARIES AND FURNITURE. SPEAKERS ON THEIR SIDES? There is a persistent myth among small-studio owners that putting speakers on their sides is the more “pro” method. True, a quick web surf will furnish you with countless pictures of Battlestar Galactica–style control rooms in which nearfield speakers are visible perched sideways on top of the console’s meterbridge, but that setup has little to do with monitoring fidelity and everything to do with getting the nearfields out of the way of the big main monitors and maximizing the view through the control-room window during recording dates. If you separate your speaker’s drivers horizontally by placing the cabinets on their sides, then you have to be much more careful to keep your horizontal listening position absolutely consistent (both side-to-side and front-to-back) if you’re going to avoid being stung by crossover comb-filtering effects. With vertical speakers, on the other hand, you’ll only get these crossover problems if you move you head vertically, which gives you greater freedom of movement while you’re working. Add to this that the waveguides in most nearfield monitors are designed to broaden the highfrequency sweet spot when the speaker is vertical. If you flip that waveguide on its side it narrows the sweet spot instead, as well as bouncing more high-frequency energy off nearby desk and ceiling surfaces—something that’s not sensible from an acoustics point of view.. 15.
(366) 16. PART 1 Hearing and Listening /NE lNAL PITFALL TO AVOID IS HAVING YOUR SPEAKERS OUT OF POLARITY WITH EACH OTHER .ORMALLY ANY SOUND AT THE CENTER OF THE STEREO IMAGE SHOULD BE COMING OUT OF BOTH SPEAKERS AT AN EQUAL LEVEL AND WITH ALL THE SPEAKER DRIVERS MOVING BACK AND FORTH IN SYNC (OWEVER
(367) ITS SURPRISINGLY COMMON FOR LESS EXPERIENCED STUDIO USERS TO MISTAKENLY WIRE UP THEIR RIG SUCH THAT ONE DRIVER IS PUSHING TOWARD THE LISTENER WHILE THE OTHER IS PULLING AWAY
(368) SUCH THAT THE LEFT CHANNEL WAVEFORM IS EFFECTIVELY INVERTED COMPARED TO THE RIGHT CHANNEL WAVEFORM
(369) A SITUATION USUALLY REFERRED TO AS HAVING YOUR SPEAKERS hOUT OF PHASE
(370) v OR TO BE MORE ACCURATE hOUT OF POLARITYv 4O CLARIFY TWO AUDIO WAVEFORMS ARE OUT OF PHASE WHEN THERES A TIME DELAY BETWEEN THEM THEYRE OUT OF POLARITY WHEN ONE OF THE WAVEFORMS IS INVERTED
(371) SUCH THAT PEAKS BECOME TROUGHS AND VICE VERSA )F YOUVE GOT THIS PROBLEM
(372) YOULL GET A VERY ODD STEREO LISTENING EXPERI ENCE
(373) WHICH FEELS A BIT LIKE HAVING YOUR BRAINS SUCKED OUT YOUR EAR
(374) AND IT ALSO MAKES BOTH STEREO POSITIONING AND LEVEL BALANCE DIFlCULT TO JUDGE 4O CHECK FOR THIS EFFECT
(375) LISTEN TO THE 3TEREO4EST AUDIO lLE www.cambridge-mt .com/ms-ch1.htm THROUGH YOUR SYSTEM )T CONTAINS A REPEATING PATTERN OF FOUR NOISE BURST TEST SIGNALS THE lRST ONLY IN THE LEFT CHANNEL
(376) THE SEC OND ONLY IN THE RIGHT CHANNEL
(377) THE THIRD IN BOTH CHANNELS
(378) AND FOURTH IN BOTH CHANNELS
(379) BUT WITH THE RIGHT CHAN NEL OUT OF POLARITY WITH THE LEFT CHANNEL 4HE FOR Acoustic treatment MER PAIR OF NOISE BURSTS WILL CONlRM THAT YOUR materials are probably the SPEAKERS ARE INDEED OPERATING IN STEREO AND ARE most unexciting way to spend CONNECTED THE RIGHT WAY ROUND THE LATTER PAIR money on your studio. But make OF NOISE BURSTS SHOULD MAKE IT FAIRLY OBVIOUS no mistake: room treatment really IF YOUR SPEAKERS ARE OUT OF POLARITY WITH EACH separates the sheep from the OTHER THE THIRD BURST SHOULD BE MUCH MORE goats when it comes to mix CLEARLY CENTRAL IN THE STEREO IMAGE THAN THE FOURTH results. IF ALL IS WELL )F YOU DO DISCOVER THAT YOUR SPEAKERS ARE OUT OF POLARITY
(380) THEN THE lNGER OF BLAME WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY POINT TO SOME FACET OF YOUR AUDIO WIRING AFTER THE OUTPUTS OF YOUR STUDIOS PLAYBACK SYSTEM
(381) THE MOST COMMON CULPRIT BEING THAT THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE TERMINALS OF PASSIVE SPEAKERS HAVENT BEEN CONNECTED CORRECTLY WITH THE RESPECTIVE TERMINALS ON THEIR AMPLIlER. 1.3 DEALING WITH ACOUSTIC REFLECTIONS 2OOM ACOUSTICS IS ONE AREA OF SMALL STUDIO DESIGN THATS WOEFULLY NEGLECTED IN THE MAIN )TS NOT THAT BUDDING ENGINEERS DONT PAY LIP SERVICE TO THE WORTHI NESS OF ACOUSTIC DESIGN IN PRINCIPLE
(382) ITS JUST THAT ACOUSTIC TREATMENT MATERIALS ARE PROBABLY THE MOST UNEXCITING WAY TO SPEND MONEY ON YOUR STUDIO 4HEY MAKE NO SOUND 4HEY HAVE NO TWINKLY LIGHTS 4HEY CAN GIVE YOU SPLINTERS "UT MAKE NO MISTAKE ROOM TREATMENT REALLY SEPARATES THE SHEEP FROM THE GOATS WHEN IT COMES TO MIX RESULTS 3PIKE 3TENT MINCES NO WORDS h9OU CAN HAVE THE BEST EQUIPMENT IN THE WORLD IN YOUR CONTROL ROOM
(383) BUT IF THE ROOM SOUNDS.
(384) Using Nearfield Monitors CHAPTER 1 LIKE SHIT
(385) YOURE ONTO A HIDING TO NOTHINGv 4HE ROOM ACOUSTICS ARE AT LEAST AS IMPORTANT TO THE SOUND OF YOUR MONITORING AS YOUR SPEAKER HARDWARE IS 0ERMIT ME TO SHOUT THAT AGAIN FOR YOU 4(% 2//- )3 !4 ,%!34 !3 )-0/24!.4 !3 4(% 30%!+%23 3O THAT MEANS ENGINEERS LOOKING FOR A FAST TRACK TO COMMER CIAL SOUNDING MIXES SHOULD PLOUGH AS MUCH MONEY INTO DEALING WITH THEIR ROOM ACOUSTICS AS THEY DO INTO BUYING THEIR MONITORS .OW )M THE lRST PERSON TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FEW PEOPLE CAN AFFORD TO ENGAGE SPECIALIST ACOUSTICIANS TO BUILD THEIR STUDIO FROM THE GROUND UP )NDEED
(386) MY EXPERIENCE IS THAT SMALL SETUPS ALMOST UNIVERSALLY lND THEMSELVES SQUISHED UNCEREMONIOUSLY INTO A SHED
(387) BASEMENT
(388) SPARE BEDROOM
(389) ATTIC
(390) OR OFlCE UNIT
(391) WHERE THE USER FACES A BATTLE EVEN TO ADJUST THE INTERIOR DECOR
(392) LET ALONE THE CON STRUCTION AND PLACEMENT OF THE WALLS (OWEVER
(393) EVEN IF YOURE RELEGATED TO THE CUPBOARD UNDER THE STAIRS
(394) ITS STILL VITAL THAT YOU MAKE WHAT ACOUSTICS IMPROVE MENTS YOU CAN 4HE GOOD NEWS HERE IS THAT YOU CAN WORK WONDERS WITH OFF THE SHELF PRODUCTS AND A BIT OF DO IT YOURSELF $)9
(395) EVEN ON A LIMITED BUDGET AND IN RENTAL ACCOMMODATION WHERE YOUR CONSTRUCTION OPTIONS ARE LIMITED 7HEN YOU CONSIDER THAT A TYPICAL UNTREATED DOMESTIC ACOUSTIC ENVIRONMENT WILL
(396) IN MY EXPERIENCE
(397) RENDER ROUGHLY TWO THIRDS OF THE MONEY YOU SPENT ON YOUR SPEAKERS WASTED
(398) THERES SIMPLY NO EXCUSE FOR INACTION IF YOURE SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR CRAFT 4HE lRST MAIN SET OF ACOUSTICS PROBLEMS THAT YOULL NEED TO LOCK HORNS WITH WHEN WORKING ON NEARlELD MONITORS IS THAT SOUND DOESNT JUST SQUIRT DIRECTLY OUT OF THE FRONT OF EACH SPEAKER AND THEN STOP WHEN IT HITS YOUR EARS )T ALSO SPRAYS AROUND IN ALL OTHER DIRECTIONS TO A GREATER OR LESSER EXTENT
(399) BOUNCING OFF THE WALLS
(400) CEILING
(401) AND mOOR
(402) AS WELL AS ANY OTHER REASONABLY SOLID OBJECT IN THE ROOM 4HIS CAN CREATE A SITUATION WHERE A SONIC REmECTION ARRIVES AT THE MIXING POSITION SHORTLY AFTER THE SOUND THAT TRAVELED THERE DIRECTLYIN OTHER WORDS
(403) YOU END UP LISTENING TO TWO VERSIONS OF ROUGHLY THE SAME SOUND SLIGHTLY OUT OF PHASE !S ) MENTIONED IN 3ECTION
(404) THIS KIND OF COMBINATION OF OUT OF PHASE SIGNALS CAN CAUSE NASTY COMB lLTERING RIPPLES IN THE PERCEIVED FRE QUENCY RESPONSEAND NOT JUST IN YOUR SPEAKERS RELATIVELY RESTRICTED CROSSOVER REGIONS
(405) BUT ACROSS THE ENTIRE FREQUENCY SPECTRUM 4HE MOST TROUBLESOME REmECTORS YOULL ENCOUNTER WILL BE THE FURNITURE YOURE WORKING ON
(406) WHETHER THATS A LARGE MIXING CONSOLE OR THE BEDSIDE TABLE PROP PING UP YOUR LAPTOP
(407) AS WELL AS ANY ROOM BOUNDARIES WITHIN ABOUT THREE METERS OF YOUR LISTENING POSITION 4O BE HONEST
(408) SONIC REmECTIONS COMING FROM FAR THER THAN THREE METERS AWAY ARENT A PRIMARY CONCERN IN DOMESTIC ENVIRON MENTS
(409) BECAUSE THEIR GREATER TIME DELAYS AND DIMINISHED LEVELS ARE UNLIKELY TO CAUSE MAJOR COMB lLTERING PROBLEMS )N PROFESSIONAL SETUPS THE ROOM SUR FACES AROUND THE MONITORING POSITION ARE OFTEN CLEVERLY ANGLED TO lRE ALL THE MAIN SOUND REmECTIONS FROM THE SPEAKERS AWAY FROM THE LISTENING POSITION
(410) BUT THAT KIND OF APPROACH IS RARELY VIABLE IN THE SMALLER RECTANGULAR ROOMS OF MORE MODEST STUDIOS ! MORE PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE IN MOST CASES IS TO PLACE ABSORPTIVE. 17.
Related documents