ProAudio Review - April 2008 - (Page 46)

BROADCAST | JBL Continued From Page 44 REVIEW remote control while identifying the trouble frequencies that were notched out. The LSR Control Software was a little confusing at first, but proved to be a valuable part of the LSR system. After connecting the left front speaker to my Mac Pro with a standard USB cable (provided), the LSR Control software allows the muting or soloing of any individual speaker, as well as other system controls. Most importantly to me, it allows you to see what changes the RMC made to your system. My curiosity was piqued, as I'm sure many of yours would be too, and here's the numbers I found for my system: Frequency, Q, & Gain Left: 121; 5.01; -4.5 dB Right: 140; 2.31; -5.5 dB Sub: 59; 4.40; -3.5 dB [From the manufacturer: “The correction at the left frequency listed above looks like the system compensated for proximity to a wall, or work surface — a ‘boundary condition.’”] Notice the additional gain reduction at a higher frequency in the right channel; this is to be expected as I have a large equipment rack on the right side of the mix position, which is creating a standing wave at 140 Hz as bass gathers around it. With my 4312 sub crossed over at 80 Hz (the most naturalsounding setting to me), one should note that I had frequency buildup both above and below my crossover point, requiring both the mains and the sub to be adjusted. Keep in mind that if one is using bass management, as I am, that it must be selected prior to the RMC calibration for accurate results. There's more to audio life than bottom end, and I must say the LSR4300 system took some getting used to at first. Even though the important midrange was quite flat, the overall sound was slightly forward, almost aggressive. The highs were crisp and uncluttered, but more piercing and revealing than I was used to. I had a number of critical projects coming up that would surely test these monitors translatability, the sub's accuracy and my flexibility. First up, were mixes of a five-song EP of dynamic indie rock. Although the band had a straightforward drum/bass/two-guitar attack, I was concerned with my ability to get melodic bass lines consistently audible without excessive flab and getting their dynamic female lead vocal to sit in the mix — always dominant, but seriously challenged by loud guitars. Here, 4328s and their 4312 sub simply blew me away. I got more translatability and “predictableness” than I ever got with my old system. Snare sat exactly where I knew it would (for once), guitars were perfectly even “L to R” in their almost hard-panned glory and vocals fit right into that narrow little niche I was aiming for. My “kick drum: bass guitar” balance ratio was nice and even, but overall bass levels were a touch inconsistent from mix to mix, although much better than normal for me. Next up was mixing a full length of neometal, which incorporates enough double kicks and jagged-edge bass guitar to require a super-accurate bottom-end balance. I was concerned with keeping kick drum tight, yet large and getting bass guitar audible, despite layers of Mesa Boogie-powered guitar crunch. Again, the LSR system really impressed me. Bass guitar was not ever a ceptible to LF problems. In addition to extending LF response below 30Hz, crossing over LF to the sub allows flexibility and optimum placement of the LF in the room, improving LF performance in a small room. The LSR4312SP RMC system overcomes associated boom typical in small rooms.”] That being said, the LSR system sounded PRODUCTPOINTS • Deep, full, extended bass with adequate amplifier headroom • Definite improvements in mix consistency and bass definition • Remote control and LSR software are extremely helpful • Driver is exposed and could be damaged easily SCORE Accurate monitoring in acoustically challenging environments is a hurdle now clearable thanks to a system anchored by a LSR4312SP. well powered and loud enough for “rock band” monitoring, amply deep and full, but it still created that bottom end inconsistency I'm so unfortunately used to (two notes in the scale seemed disproportionably loud and two spots close to the mix position had quite untrustworthy bass response). At this point, I'll confess to needing more/better bass trapping in my control room (and I'll be getting some more soon), but the question is can the 4300s with RMC be an improvement for now? I set up the supplied condenser mic with its head right smack in the mix position, connected it to the front left speaker (which supplied 15v phantom power) and started the RMC calibration. A series of blips and sweeps sounded at various levels and within 15 seconds RMC was done. Playback confirmed that something had been changed, as the bottom end was absent of those humps, less cloudy, a little tighter not as bassy overall, but clearly a more even and trustworthy bottom end. The RMC works through the attenuation of 73 low-end frequencies (at 1/24 octave centers), with Q values from 1 (1.4 octaves) to 16 (1/11th of an octave), a maximum attenuation of -12 dB and the RMC overrides the rearpanel polarity dipswitch setting (when deemed necessary). I rapidly switched back and forth from non-RMC to RMC with my 46 | ProAudio Review | April 2008 Subscribe to the Digital Edition of Pro Audio Review http://www.myparmag.com www.proaudioreview.com http://www.proaudioreview.com http://www.myparmag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ProAudio Review - April 2008

ProAudio Review - April 2008 Contents A Little More Recognition Please Studio News and New Products API 1608 16-Channel Analog Console TASCAM X-48 Digital Audio Workstation SSL Matrix Super Analogue Console Toft Audio Design Series ATB Analog Console KRK Systems Exposé E8B Powered Monitor Broadcast News and New Products ZOOM H2 Portable Digital Recorder Producing Surround Sound at 50th Grammy Awards JBL LSR4312SP Linear Spatial Reference Powered Subwoofer Audio Production For Gaming Euphonix S5 Fusion Digital Post Production Console NAB Hot Gear Soundcraft Vi6 Digital Live Production Console Go To A Show! Contracting News and New Products Studio Consoles Studio Wireless Microphones Alicia Keys “Superwoman”

ProAudio Review - April 2008

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