Recording March 2022 - 69

how to manage the lowest of the low frequency information without
actually hearing it. It's possible; you might not be able to hear it,
but it nevertheless uses a lot of energy, so it has to be dealt with,
usually by smoothly rolling it off. We need to refrain from the urge
to compensate for perceived lack of bass by mistakenly boosting it.
It's also important to be familiar with what comparable commercial
music sounds like on the given monitors; knowing your speaker's
limits is essential for making these production moves.
More about that bass
The most basic speaker design is a sealed enclosure-this can
provide good bass extension, but the overall bass level might not
be as strong as some other designs. The most popular design these
days, especially in the 4 " to 8 " category, is called bass reflex (aka
ported). In a non-ported acoustic suspension enclosure, the wave
from the back of the speaker is damped, limiting the bass. A ported
bass reflex cabinet adds an opening that provides an escape route
for low-frequency sound waves to permeate the room. Ports are
'tuned' to combine the ported wave with the bass driver's front-firing
wave to reinforce the bass energy at a particular frequency. The
port can be placed virtually anywhere on the speaker enclosure.
It will extend, strengthen and deepen bass response in a smaller
speaker that would otherwise be more limited in the low end.
A poor port design can overemphasize some bass frequencies,
making notes boom too much-again, this pumped-up bass
may be exciting for casual listening, but it's not good for reliable
monitoring. Fortunately, most ported monitors from well-established
speaker manufacturers these days are purpose-designed
to maintain a deep, smooth and neutral low-end tonal balance
suitable for proper monitoring even from the smallest drivers.
Monitor setup
There's more to setting up a good monitoring environment
than just choosing a suitable set of speakers. The placement of
the speakers, and even the room itself will have a significant
effect on what the mixer hears, and it's crucial to manage both
for the best results. Many monitors come with low-end accuracy
enhancing EQ options to compensate for placement near
walls, in corners, and on desktops. Mid- and high-frequency reflections
from room surfaces conflict with the direct waves from
the monitors, negatively impacting clarity. Strategically placed
sound-dampening materials, including the ubiquitous wedgeshaped
studio foam chunks and fabric-wrapped fiberglass panels,
can absorb the strongest and most problematic reflections.
The sweet spot
Small studio monitors are designed to be arranged in a nearfield
monitoring setup-an equilateral approx. 3' triangle. This is a major
differentiator between studio monitors and consumer-level speakers
that are designed for wide dispersion. The listening position is called
the 'sweet spot'-a small zone of highly controlled sound with the
added benefit of minimizing the ill effects of room reflections.
To further optimize the direct sound from the speakers, it's
also common to position them at ear level, with the tweeter at
the same height as the listener's ears, toed-in slightly toward the
sweet spot [I recommend the free KRK Audio Tools App to help
with proper angles... -Ed.]
Speakers can be mounted on stands or placed directly on
your console or desktop. If your chosen monitors don't have attached
feet, you can get isolation pads or discs that minimize the
vibrations transmitted into the contact points to provide further
imaging improvements.
The room
Low frequencies in the room can be especially problematic. Lower
frequencies have longer physical wavelengths-often as long as the
room itself-and these waves will be either reinforced or canceled
at different points in the room, resulting in uneven, untrustable bass.
These are called room modes and standing waves. Larger studios
address this issue with substantial and bulky physical treatments (such
as wall cavities), but this is not an option for smaller spaces (unless
you're OK with a room full of big chunks of treatment that might make
only a dB or two of difference). While there's no time to get into the
nitty-gritty here, with a little research, those locations can be mapped
out, and the speakers and listening position set to avoid the worst of
it. To learn more about where to place bass traps in your room, use
the handy, free REW software at www.roomeqwizard.com.
Since room boundaries always produce a buildup of bass energy,
it's common to position the studio monitors at least a couple of
feet away from the rear and side walls (free-standing placement) unless
they're specifically designed for wall placement. This will help
avoid uneven bass buildup-it may result in less powerful bass, but
the bass will be more even, which is much more critical. Likewise,
the sweet spot should also be away from a room boundary-having
the engineer backed up against the rear wall is a bad idea, as
there'll be too much bass there. Bottom line: the added bass may
sound exciting, but all of the above can result in bass-shy mixes as
the mixer compensates for the room's tonal irregularities.
Step up
For artists and producers who want the best results, the selection
and setup of studio monitors is an important step away from casual
music-making and toward serious mixing and production. Fortunately,
there are a lot of good studio monitors available. With a bit of
attention to detail in the room setup, a good monitoring environment
can make a significant difference in production quality.
Joe Albano is a musician/engineer/producer/educator in
NYC. Contact him at joealbano@recordingmag.com.
RECORDING March 2022 69
http://www.roomeqwizard.com

Recording March 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording March 2022

Fade In
Fast Forward
Focal Alpha 80 Evo & Alpha 50 Evo
Living in Atmos Country: An interview with Jeff Balding
Sennheiser: HD 400 PRO Open-Back Studio Headphones
Plugin Outlet: Eventide Audio SplitEQ
A Family of Microphones Compared: The Royer Labs R-Series
GIK Acoustics DecoShapes Hexagon Acoustic Panels
Listening to Architecture: The Russ Berger Interview
Plugin Outlet: KIT Plugins BB N105 V2 Channel Strip
Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Studio Profile: Matt Boggs, Ramblin’ Rose Studio
Maestro: The Maestro Original Collection
Dear Reality: dearVR MIX
Session Log: Transfrontera at Abbey Road
Inside the Box with Joe Albano: A Monitoring Primer for DAW Users
Avantone: Planar Reference Grade Open Back Headphones
Once Over: Callus & Co. Three-Tier Keyboard Stand
Once Over: OWC 16X Mercury Pro Optical Drive
Reviewed and Revisited: PreSonus Eris E5 XT 2-Way Active
Readers' Tracks
Inside the Box with Joe Albano: A Monitoring Primer for DAW Users
Which comes first, room treatment or monitors?
Recording March 2022 - Intro
Recording March 2022 - Cover1
Recording March 2022 - Cover2
Recording March 2022 - 1
Recording March 2022 - 2
Recording March 2022 - 3
Recording March 2022 - Fade In
Recording March 2022 - 5
Recording March 2022 - 6
Recording March 2022 - 7
Recording March 2022 - Fast Forward
Recording March 2022 - 9
Recording March 2022 - Focal Alpha 80 Evo & Alpha 50 Evo
Recording March 2022 - 11
Recording March 2022 - 12
Recording March 2022 - 13
Recording March 2022 - 14
Recording March 2022 - 15
Recording March 2022 - Living in Atmos Country: An interview with Jeff Balding
Recording March 2022 - 17
Recording March 2022 - 18
Recording March 2022 - 19
Recording March 2022 - Sennheiser: HD 400 PRO Open-Back Studio Headphones
Recording March 2022 - 21
Recording March 2022 - Plugin Outlet: Eventide Audio SplitEQ
Recording March 2022 - 23
Recording March 2022 - A Family of Microphones Compared: The Royer Labs R-Series
Recording March 2022 - 25
Recording March 2022 - 26
Recording March 2022 - 27
Recording March 2022 - 28
Recording March 2022 - 29
Recording March 2022 - 30
Recording March 2022 - 31
Recording March 2022 - GIK Acoustics DecoShapes Hexagon Acoustic Panels
Recording March 2022 - 33
Recording March 2022 - 34
Recording March 2022 - 35
Recording March 2022 - Listening to Architecture: The Russ Berger Interview
Recording March 2022 - 37
Recording March 2022 - 38
Recording March 2022 - 39
Recording March 2022 - 40
Recording March 2022 - 41
Recording March 2022 - Plugin Outlet: KIT Plugins BB N105 V2 Channel Strip
Recording March 2022 - 43
Recording March 2022 - Inside the Studio with Mark Hornsby: Studio Profile: Matt Boggs, Ramblin’ Rose Studio
Recording March 2022 - 45
Recording March 2022 - Maestro: The Maestro Original Collection
Recording March 2022 - 47
Recording March 2022 - 48
Recording March 2022 - 49
Recording March 2022 - Dear Reality: dearVR MIX
Recording March 2022 - 51
Recording March 2022 - Inside the Box with Joe Albano: A Monitoring Primer for DAW Users
Recording March 2022 - 53
Recording March 2022 - 54
Recording March 2022 - 55
Recording March 2022 - Avantone: Planar Reference Grade Open Back Headphones
Recording March 2022 - 57
Recording March 2022 - Once Over: OWC 16X Mercury Pro Optical Drive
Recording March 2022 - 59
Recording March 2022 - Reviewed and Revisited: PreSonus Eris E5 XT 2-Way Active
Recording March 2022 - 61
Recording March 2022 - Readers' Tracks
Recording March 2022 - 63
Recording March 2022 - 64
Recording March 2022 - 65
Recording March 2022 - 66
Recording March 2022 - 67
Recording March 2022 - Inside the Box with Joe Albano: A Monitoring Primer for DAW Users
Recording March 2022 - 69
Recording March 2022 - 70
Recording March 2022 - 71
Recording March 2022 - Which comes first, room treatment or monitors?
Recording March 2022 - Cover3
Recording March 2022 - Cover4
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