opinions on mixing with a sub?

F

freakkguitarist

Member
Jan 23, 2006
59
0
6
assuming you have PLENTY of low end trapping going on... do you guys feel a sub is needed to mix low tuned music? my control room has around 28 bass traps around corners and reflection points and actually sounds rather nice... im using KRK rokit 8s and have been for 6 years about, and just recently picked up a sub10 to try out...and honestly i dont know how i feel about it. from the start i never felt the rokits were inspiring to listen to... i could hear the bass coming out of them, but i felt it was flat and like i wanted to hear more....even in already recorded music. its only been a few days with the sub and i must say listening to music makes me smile, and checking some of my other mixes i can already hear some issues ive had with sub bass... but i dunno i kinda feel like im cheating, or that getting a sub is unnecccary for non hiphop/film type production..... anyone else feel the need for more low end thump for rock/metal?


btw im using the footswitchable bypass to only use it as a reference.... stays off while tracking
 
Unfortunately, my experience with gear is really limited. However...

If it still sounds balanced, helps you out and sounds better, I see no reason why not.
 
another thing, how loud do you have your sub set? mines at like -7db, 0 being halfway and +8 or 10 being the highest. crossover set to almost all the way low (50hz i believe)
 
I can see the idea behind mixing with a sub as long as you can get used to it and keep the level balanced but I just dont feel the need to be honest because my moniters are not lacking in bass. I think I'd be more interested in getting a sub if I was mixing on something with a more limited bass response but conversely I dont know if there would be issues with mixes translating well to regular stereo setups or not. Guess its probably just a personal taste thing to be honest and whatever works for you to be honest.
 
if your mixing for clubs, you wanna have a sub. ;-)

for rock and metal its really unnecessarry. rockbass /metalbass lives in the lower mids. small speakers can handle those frequencies. not so with sublows...

people with subs on all the time tend to mix very weak lower midranges (my experience) because they feel there is already enough going on "down there"
and confuse lower mids with sublows... maybe that was just the mistake i personally made :)

but its cool to have one that you can switch on and off from time to time to see what your sublows are doing.

for mastering + 1 for subwoofers!
 
I thought the same thing at first when I got my 10s. But I've really pointed out issues with some of my old mixes that didn't translate too well to my truck or home stereo.....granted the rokit 8's have better bass representation that my 6's....but that's what the crossover and gain settings are for.

If your really concerned about it set it up with the instructions in the manual, that will ensure a "true" balanced response for mixing.
 
The Rockit 8's are only rated to 45hz, so a sub would probably be a huge plus in getting mixes to translate better on the low end, mainly because if you can't here it you can't fix it...

It might take a bit to dial in as far as placement, crossover and level.
 
thanks for the reply guys, indeed i have been mastering alot of my own stuff (which i dont like) and its been bugging me that alot of that LOW LOW stuff i couldnt hear before. not even the low mids, just LOW LOWs. and now im scared of overcompensating with the lows/ or like DCB said, end up cutting low mids for sub bass.... doesnt help that i have an ear infection right now...so going and mixing is fruitless :erk: another reason i may not be hearing the sublows is indeed my controll room, even though im covered with bass traps...my speakers are still rather close to me >2' usually, so no matter what im not far enough from the speakers to let bass freq. "develop" correct?

i guess my reason for this thread (in my ear infected state of mind) is to decide wether i want to continue using the sub, or like the original plan was to just get new monitors... was looking at KH focal and quested
 
freakkguitarist said:
nd now im scared of overcompensating with the lows/ or like DCB said, end up cutting low mids for sub bass....
Click to expand...

maybe i was a little drastic. its good to have a sub !
but my personal taste (and its really personal taste only) is
without sub you focus more on the low mids rather than the boom boom...

personally would go for something like the kh 300 OR the opals...
they represent the low low pretty good, still its not like your house is shaking when they are on...
 
i dont see why anyone would want to mix without one
those are frequencies that you can hear and FEEL, and most people just ignore them entirely
 
dcb said:
if your mixing for clubs, you wanna have a sub. ;-)

for rock and metal its really unnecessarry. rockbass /metalbass lives in the lower mids. small speakers can handle those frequencies. not so with sublows...

people with subs on all the time tend to mix very weak lower midranges (my experience) because they feel there is already enough going on "down there"
and confuse lower mids with sublows... maybe that was just the mistake i personally made :)

but its cool to have one that you can switch on and off from time to time to see what your sublows are doing.

for mastering + 1 for subwoofers!
Click to expand...

Not if your mixing music with 8 strings :D
 
I have KRK Rockit 5's (hardly any lows at all) and I bought a Behringer Truth 2092A sub and couldn't be happier than I can actually hear 30hz now
 
I think you just have to bear in mind what will happen on smaller systems. I always have a high pass sitting on my master bus that I turn on every so often and adjust to check compatibility. If the mix sounds pathetic HP'd at 200Hz, i go back and fix something!
 
i must say.... ears are somwhat unclogged and MAN what a difference... i can hear the low end im working with noW! welll see how it comes out in the coming weeks
 
dcb said:
if your mixing for clubs, you wanna have a sub. ;-)
Click to expand...

I don't agree. I mix all my club stuff on old passive Tannoy Reveal's. They are really cheap shitty speakers, but my low end is extremely powerful in the clubs.

It's not like there really is a lot of stuff going on below 50hz that makes any sense in the club either.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Mattayus
Getting a handle on sub bass? Discuss.
Replies
9
Views
1K
F.O.H.
Mattayus
M
K
Sub kick
Replies
21
Views
4K
F.O.H.
mephisto_loh
M
K
VXT4's wow!
Replies
16
Views
5K
F.O.H.
Klosure
K
Heabow
Sub effect?!
Replies
20
Views
2K
F.O.H.
Maybelater
M
myownsilence
Sub bass (daylight dies/jens?)
Replies
0
Views
576
F.O.H.
myownsilence
M
Top Bottom
Back