Position monitors against the longest wall. To employ this strategy, all you need to do is follow these steps when setting up your monitors: 1. That way, the impact of each wave at each frequency is minimized, and the frequency response of the room remains as flat as possible. This is done by varying the distances between your monitors and each wall. as opposed to multiple waves at fewer frequencies.to create singular waves at multiple frequencies.To tame the effects of standing waves in your room, the standard strategy is: So let’s learn them now… Solution #1: Better Positioning In smaller rooms, the problems are usually much greater. That’s one reason why larger rooms are better, since they only have problems with standing waves at the lowest bass frequencies. While at lower frequencies, they’re longer.Īs lower frequencies approach the size of a room’s dimensions…they become increasingly affected by the room itself. In a typical-sized home studio, you only see problems with standing waves below frequencies of 300 Hz.Īt higher frequencies, sound waves are shorter… That is also the reason you hear people say that cubed-rooms are the worst. When 2 room dimensions are equal, like in a standard 10×10 bedroom, the problem is amplified because you have twice as many standing waves at the same group of frequencies. Which affects both the volume, and rate-of-decay of that frequency…and distorts the overall acoustics of the room. a multiple of the half-wavelength (1.5, 2, 2.5, etc.).Īt those frequencies, the sound waves get trapped between opposing walls, creating what’s known as a standing wave….Which form whenever a room’s dimensions are EITHER: The BIGGEST obstacle to achieving that goal is a condition known as room modes…
![the blue room percussion studio the blue room percussion studio](https://i.pinimg.com/236x/a3/43/86/a3438685818ebe7f90c8ec97e4a61bde--blue-cocktails-percussion.jpg)
![the blue room percussion studio the blue room percussion studio](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/43/87/fc/4387fc6f09d80f9686db8404e3b7accc.jpg)
While the goal of monitor placement is to create an environment where:Ī natural balance of sounds can exist, un-colored by room acoustics… Now let’s move on to the more-advanced stuff. So that covers the basics of monitor placement. Rule #2 was likely developed as a way to maintain a consistent listening perspective from one studio to another. They sound noticeably stronger when the tweeters are pointed directly at you…compared to when they’re NOT. The logic here is: Because high frequencies are more “ directional” than low frequencies…. The following diagram shows the proper setup: Point the monitors directly toward your head The equilateral triangle method was likely devised as an easy-to-remember rule that offers a good compromise between too-wide and too-narrow. The logic here is: Without a standard in place, stereo image widths may vary drastically from one studio to another. The following diagram shows how it should look: Your head should form an equilateral triangle with your monitors The majority of today’s engineers are in agreement as to what is generally considered “ ideal.”Īnd that “ ideal position” can be summed up with 2 simple rules: 1. While the “ correct mixing position” is always subject to debate…
![the blue room percussion studio the blue room percussion studio](https://assets.xlnaudio.com/pages/addictive_drums/new/Studio-1440px.jpg)
To help you avoid that misfortune, for today’s post I’ve created this in-depth guide on studio monitor placement. Poorly-positioned…they can create HUGE peaks and valleys in the frequency response of your room…ĭestroying any chance you had of crafting a well-balanced mix. Because what they don’t realize is…Ī seemingly small detail like monitor placement can have an even greater impact on your sound… Only to waste their potential by not taking the time to position them right. It sounds silly to spend thousands on studio monitors…