R/E/P Community
R/E/P => Mastering Dynamics => Topic started by: Thomas W. Bethel on March 27, 2011, 12:18:36 PM
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Currently we are using ALON IV speakers in our mastering room(s)
They are being driven by a Bryston 4B amplifier in one room and a Bryston 3 in the other. Both rooms have Benchmark DAC-1 driving the Brystons.
I am using the Cardas suggested method of speaker placement <see here> http://www.cardas.com/content.php?area=insights&content_id=26&pagestring=Room+Setup
It works very well but now I want to tweak it a bit and am wondering how other do their final tweaking for speaker placement. Also what source material do you find that helps in doing the final tweaking???
Thanks in advance.
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I like that approach for free standing speakers. (I think Cardas golden rectangle is best one can do unless using an acoustician on site to custom-tune your shell to your cones...)
Be sure that when you calculate the distances, you don't plug in the distance that is merely visible to the eye, but, rather, include any space behind either fabric or even peg board, because the bass energy goes beyond such membranes and will only ricochet back (with significant potential for standing waves) as it encounters a rigid membrane.
After that, I'd recommend some Master P or Biggie Smalls so that you are hearing the 808 in your listening position. How about when you roll your Aeron back a few feet? Same song is tunable for best mix. Is bass better but mid and top and pinched or warped? Then roll back to compromise position for best overall glue.
Now, with good chair position, try other program. Keep iTunes shuffling through your Hip Hop. Pop, And Rock lists. These types of music I think are nice for speaker/listening placement, since Classical and Folk are so dynamic and musically have long stretches with little bass content.
Flamnøn,
Laarsnøn
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Once you get into the final tweaks, I feel it's all personal.
How much do you toe your speakers in? Is there a formula for that stuff
For source material, I would use stuff that you're very familiar with and is wide ranging in content. I think the big test is when you pull things that you've done and are comfortably doing in your room and get that feedback from outside to match up consistently.
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Once you get into the final tweaks, I feel it's all personal.
How much do you toe your speakers in? Is there a formula for that stuff
For source material, I would use stuff that you're very familiar with and is wide ranging in content. I think the big test is when you pull things that you've done and are comfortably doing in your room and get that feedback from outside to match up consistently.
In my case NOLA/Arcadian Systems recommends strait out into the room with no toe in. They also recommend a minimum of 3 feet from the rear wall and minimum of 18" from each side wall. This is about what I have set up with the front of the speaker about 58 inches from the rear wall and the side about 29 inches from the side wall using the Cardas setup outlined in my original post. They also recommend tri wiring which I have also done. The speakers are mounted on toe points and on 2 150# granite slabs. The floor is concrete with a carpet on top and the granite block on top of that.IMHO the speakers sound incredible but I am always tweaking them for optimum performance.
Some of my source materials include...
The sound track from Casper the Movie - Great Bass
Mark Isham Blue Sun - Over all good CD
Master and Commander of the World- Good recording - good sense of space - good bass
Patricia Barber Companion - if you speakers cannot handle the bass fiddle don't play this one. I almost blew out a pair of speakers in the show room when they could not handle the bass on this CD.
Branford Marsalis Trio Jeepy - Well done CD with lots of ambience.
Eric Bib and Needed Time - Spirit and the Blues
Telarc Papa Doo Run Run California Project
Donald Fagen The Nightfly -Classic
Peter Hammill - Track 3 from Various Artist Plus from Us - GREAT localized bass drums.
ETC ETC plus a lot of what I have mastered over the years.
Thanks for the help so far...keep em coming
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The speakers are mounted on toe points and on 2 150# granite slabs. The floor is concrete with a carpet on top and the granite block on top of that.
If it were my setup I'd let the points go right down to the concrete, or you could put the granite on points as well. I'd also have the speakers pointing much more towards me in the sweet spot, but then again it's not my room.
I've been making some adjustments to my speaker positioning as well. They were originally set up much too wide and too close. I pushed them back about 4" for a couple of weeks and that helped, and then just last week I pulled them in about 4". It's now almost an equilateral triangle, just a bit wide.
If I had the room I'd move back away from the speakers about 3-4 feet, but that would put me right in front of the client couch. Oh well, he's hoping to building out a bigger, better room in the future!