Whats your ritual for new monitors?

[NoDestiny]

I just ordered some new monitors since I have been mixing with my HD-280 headphones and REALLY wanted to step up... acoustic treatment in place, going to build some stands for them and take my time setting them up in the room, but the one thing I was curious about...

How do you break in your new monitors? Not so much break in the speakers suspension, but train your ears to the new sound? Not after instructions on how I should do it, but want to hear every bodies own way of doing it.

 

[Ermz]

I basically loop Nickelback at painfully loud levels until they break in, then I'll come in and listen to Nickelback at painfully loud levels until my ears accept the new sound.

It's generally a factor of time. You can't get entirely used to new monitors in one week or something. You need to 'live' with them over the course of a few weeks. I only adjusted to the ASP8s after about 2 months. The Opals took maybe 20 minutes to get used to the mids and top-end, but that's because they are more source and less monitor.

 

[Fox Mulder]

I'd do some critical listening of my favorite mixes for a week, also making sure that the stuff are more or less distinct from each other. That's about it.

 

[Metaltastic]

Just using 'em for all my music listening works for me! (since it's really only at my computer or in my car that I really listen)

 

[NoDestiny]

I basically loop Nickelback at painfully loud levels until they break in, then I'll come in and listen to Nickelback at painfully loud levels until my ears accept the new sound.

Jeez, I don't even need high volumes to accomplish painful volume levels with Nickleback.



Do you guys listen to material similar to what you usually mix specifically or aim for an entire range of music?

 

[Ermz]

A range is good. Everything from orchestral to grind. It helps if they're reference CDs that you've heard before many times.

 

[lekteri]

How to set volume level with active speakers? I have turn it at full level..

 

[AllanD]

How to set volume level with active speakers? I have turn it at full level..

I keep my computer volume almost all the way up, and I use the monitors to attenuate the volume, that way no noise is introduced by amplifying low volumes.

 

[006]

I've heard others say leave the monitors at max and attenuate other ways as well though. YMMV. I have my BX8as at like 75% volume and use the knob on my 8Pre to control the level going to them.

 

[korpse pop]

It does not matter if you're not hearing any noise? Right? I have my monitors set at 50% volume

 

[Force666]

If you calibrate your monitors, the chance of them being turned to exactly the same spot (i.e. fully up) are slim. On my HS50-s after calibrating them with a spl meter, one is at the halfway say 50% and the other is turned to about 65% for the same volume.

 

[Metaltastic]

Hmm, I just calibrated the volume on my Tannoys by putting on some jamz, looking up (away from the knobs, which AWESOMELY are on the front ), setting one constant, and then turning the other down and then back up until they sounded even, noting where the knob was, then turning it up and then down to where they sounded even, noting knob position, and then doing the same except switching which monitor was the constant to be sure - as it turned out, when the knobs (really more like dials with slits on the top to get your nail in) were even with one another was also when they sounded even, but after hearing about people on here having to really mismatch the knob positions, I wanted to be certain! Tannoy build quality =

 

[Force666]

The only *real* prob with that dude, is the jamz. What if the mix is unbalanced as it is or whatnot. You should do it with a test tone. 1khz I think is the standard (don't quote me on that though). Also if you move even the slightest bit that can smear the stereo image. SPL meters are cheap and I even read in the latest TapeOp there is "Studio Six" app for iPhone that actually works very well, and it's only a buck.


Great blog here:

http://www.massivemastering.com/blog/html/blog_files/Calibrating_Your_Monitoring_Chain.php

 

[thedonutman]

Hmm, I just calibrated the volume on my Tannoys by putting on some jamz, looking up (away from the knobs, which AWESOMELY are on the front ), setting one constant, and then turning the other down and then back up until they sounded even, noting where the knob was, then turning it up and then down to where they sounded even, noting knob position, and then doing the same except switching which monitor was the constant to be sure - as it turned out, when the knobs (really more like dials with slits on the top to get your nail in) were even with one another was also when they sounded even, but after hearing about people on here having to really mismatch the knob positions, I wanted to be certain! Tannoy build quality =

Hey Marcus, what do you think of the Tannoys overall? I'm considering getting some

 

[NoDestiny]

If you calibrate your monitors, the chance of them being turned to exactly the same spot (i.e. fully up) are slim. On my HS50-s after calibrating them with a spl meter, one is at the halfway say 50% and the other is turned to about 65% for the same volume.

The room can make a difference on that as well of course.

 

[Ermz]

It can, but a lot of monitors are also mismatched, especially on the lower end of the scale. I always used to keep them full up to avoid those issues. The Opals are perfectly matched though (for the money, you'd hope so).

 

[Soundlurker]

Perfect stereo image with the A7s here. I'm just keeping their knobs at the same position. If the stereo is shifted one way or another chances are the monitors are not equidistant from you or they are not angled the same way.

 

[Eduardo Apolonia]

To burn the monitors in I let the monitors playing loud music in the studio when I'm not there.
I even had a cd that came with an HIFI magazine with some special sounds to burn in the monitors faster.

To get used to the sound of the monitors the only way IMO is to listen to them extensively with music you like and know well.

 

[Torniojaws]

Well, I just burn them in by listening to music. But for the very first launch, I always play Arcturus - Hibernation Sickness Complete, mostly due to the smoothly starting intro which allows for time to turn the monitors down, should they be at ear-splitting volume on the first start

 

[Metaltastic]

Hey Marcus, what do you think of the Tannoys overall? I'm considering getting some

I really love 'em man; they roll off at around 70 Hz so deep thumping bass isn't their specialty, but it also means that they're a lot more accurate in the range they do cover, rather extending the range at the cost of accuracy. They sound incredibly clear and detailed but absolutely never fatiguing, and the stereo image is superb; personally, I really would say the only thing I'm not 100% happy with them about is the bass response, but even then, a) most consumer systems don't go lower than that, and b) it makes you work harder to really get your lower instruments to sound defined IMO! (so many times I've listened to mixes on my dad's Klipsch 2.1 speaker set and felt like the kick and bass were awesome cuz the kick was a'thumpin' and the bass a'rumblin', but going to another set sans sub revealed there was practically no attack to either IOW, IMO that low data can kinda lull one into a false sense of security!)