How to: Analyze & EQ your monitors ?!?

Steve-o · Post by **Steve-o** » Sun Jan 12, 2003 7:41 am

Hi to all!
How does everybody analyze the listening environment, e.g. the monitor-setup.
Which tools do you use: Ultra-curve PRO for example which had very good critics in pro forums or any other tool. If yes, which one?
AND: most important: how do you perform the a)analyzing procedure and b) the EQing of your environment?
Do you use separate procedures for different types of monitors or even different levels of "loudness" ?

Looking forward to your reports!
Steve

BlackSun · Post by **BlackSun** » Sun Jan 12, 2003 3:20 pm

Im using nothing

between my mackie hr and my 16 ultra!

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: BlackSun on 2003-01-12 15:21 ]</font>

Post by **garyb** » Sun Jan 12, 2003 4:05 pm

yuo don't need to analyze and correct the monitors.you need to correct the room!!!

eliam · Post by **eliam** » Mon Jan 13, 2003 2:53 am

I think that both EQing and working on the room acoustics are necessary. For EQing, you need a 30 band EQ and a spectrum analyzing kit, which "hears" a white noise through your system at the listener's position and tells you which frequencies to correct. I did not do it myself but I've been told by reliable sources that it can really improve the fidelity of the mixing environment. For the physical corrections, it depends on how your room is constructed and specific factors but I think that you want to reduce reflection as much as possible so to decrease phase cancellation. I've heard of people hanging thick theatre curtains or sleeping bags on the walls to increase absorbtion.

Post by **garyb** » Mon Jan 13, 2003 12:36 pm

the room requires both absorbtion of low freq and diffision(scattering evenly of reflections.)don't make a dead room! a dead room will lie.(no one hears in an anechoic chamber normally!)for help see: http://www.acousticsciences.com/ and http://www.auralex.com/

Steve-o · Post by **Steve-o** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 7:18 am

Great info gary. But the subject of this thread should NOT be the room but setting up your monitors in ANY room concerning the procedure AFTER having installed the perfect

acoustics.
It is widely common - at least in german studios - to do that, afaik.

Any experiences?

siberiansun · Post by **siberiansun** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 7:27 am

aha, so you mean the secret behind such greatness as falco, sandra and die fantastischen vier lies is exact monitor setup?

sorry, just kidding. on the other hand, we've got roxette.

Post by **garyb** » Wed Jan 15, 2003 11:28 am

the point is that when the room is right,you'll hear the monitors properly and there should be no reason to use eqs on the monitors,a process that in itself induces errors(mainly phase problems,no eq is perfect.)get a good pair of speakers,or even a couple of speakers to compare to each other.....eqing speakers is a short-cut that is taken often,but that is not always really helpful.

at any rate,the eq used must be top notch or it'll make things worse than ever.

if you must eq,just rent a good rta.the rta will have a pink noise generator and a reference mic.place the mic in your listening location and run the pink noise thru your system.read the response on the rta and adjust you eq for flat response.you must use several different volumes and move the mic in your listening space and remeasure a few times.the final setting will be a compromise.(no one leaves their head in exactly the same spot at an exact volume every time and the response can vary considerably.....)

Steve-o · Post by **Steve-o** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 2:55 pm

Haha, SIB, you've got Roxette and the other little band a few years ago...
Yes, the measuring is what I'm talking about - do you really think it is 'contraproductive', e.g. what about mixing at different volume levels and therefore underestimating the bass for example ? What I'm looking for is an objective 'opinion' for the very subjective art of mixing. When using PAZ for example - you don't have 'the air' and the speakers - just plain freq. measurement but a lot of people use tools like PAZ or any other audio analyzer.

kensuguro · Post by **kensuguro** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 3:12 pm

best you can do is to learn the speakers I think.. sure a perfect acoustic solution is always the easier one, if you can afford it. If you can't, just spend lots of time learning your room, your speaker, your own tastes. The longer you spend with your monitors, the better it gets. Just like how you can't just change monitors over night. If everything was perfect, it would be possible. But such isn't the case. A perfectly flat monitor won't do you too good.

But if you got the money tho. spend it on the room and the speakers themselves. caliberating it in a wrong situation won't make anything better I think. The eq is just for 'taste', or to decrease fatigue when working for long periods.. not really a precise acoustic correction, on a scientific level. I don't think. Tho eq's really cool when you just want to impress your director/producer. lol

what about mixing at different volume levels and therefore underestimating the bass for example ?

Especially this, you just gotta learn it. There's also a sweetspot volume for your monitor, when they work best. (or just any volume, one you just learn) It's best if you just keep it at that and get used to it. Or atleast have it referenced so you can go back to it. Ya just gotta keep it very consistant. When things are consistant, the brain learns much quicker and precisely. I have 3 levels of volume. The loudest, is for being blasted. Used for final checks or just to have fun. Then there's normal working level. Finally, there's plain listening/relaxing/post master-pump check. It's not a definite number I set, but it's more like I just find myself going back to the same numbers all the time.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2003-01-16 15:22 ]</font>

Post by **garyb** » Thu Jan 16, 2003 4:52 pm

well said.