How and using which methods and tools setup subwoofer to mix with monitors?
How to avoid misrepresentation, not too loud or too quiet sound from sub?
Which is the best and most neutral configuration?

My actual setup is very fucked up.
But let's assume that I have monitors and separate sub.
Monitors and Subwoofer had separated volume knobs with different scales.
By eye I can't set them to equal dBs.
I have on my soundcard "Crossover Frequency" set to 80Hz.
What is it and what does "Crossover Frequency"?
How to set this "Crossover Frequency"?
Which value is the best?
I don't know my monitors frequency range.
How to check separately monitors and sub frequency ranges?


And now let's assume that I bought a new separate subwoofer and throw out old.
For example Adam Audio Sub 8.
It has Volume knob and Frequency knob.
How to setup them?
And what does frequency knob? Is this a frequency cut?

 

Of course not. This depends on their amps and thus loudness.

It separates the low freqs from the rest. To make use of it you need to plug your sub to the specific sub-out of your soundcard.

Depends on the sub and the monitors. By ear.

There's no standard freq for this. It can go down to 40Hz or leven less and up to close to 200Hz. See previous answer.

Since you need to do this by ear anyways, not a big problem.

It's the same as in your soundcard. It separates the freqs. All freqs above will be send to the attached 'satellites' which would be your monitors, if you attach them to the sub. In any case, the sub's freq are limited to this freq.

 

I used the least technical method I could think of. Using only my ears (always use your own ears...don't borrow anyone else's) I played a reference track (for some reason I always use Madonna's Like A Virgin) at a very moderate volume (not soft nor loud) and while I sat in the sweet spot got my girlfriend to turn the volume up slowly. I started with the crossover frequency at its highest point, allowing everything from 200HZ to pass through. Then as the frequency dropped and less frequencies passed through she turned the volume up a bit. Finally at about 60Hz I could tell it was producing the missing frequencies from my monitors. Then it was a matter of fine tuning the volume to ensure it wasn't overwhelming the sound from the main monitors.
If you can't use a partner, any well trained primate with opposable thumbs may suffice. Don't try it with an octopus. They're smarter than humans and will laugh at the method I described.

 

Line out of your interface and into your sub, then out of your sub & into your monitors with the cables.

Crossover is just the high pass/ low cut for your monitors, everything above the crossover point goes to your monitors & everything below goes to your sub. Set it so you can mostly only feel the sub in your chest & your monitors are handling most of the rest of the audibles.

You will have to be the judge for how loud it should be depending on your room & acoustics. Basically just tune it to your favorite music until it sounds better than right. Punchy on the low end & loud on the rest of the signal.

There is some debate on where your sub should go & people suggesting you get on all fours and crawl around in your room until you find the sweetspot to place your cub.

But I have mine set up in an upside down triangle pertaining to my monitors right in front of me lined up evenly about 3 feet away from my wall & my body.

 

I don't have any girlfriend available. Can I borrow yours to set my Sub?

There's no octopuses in my bathtub until I take off my pantalones

 

Get a BenhringerECM8000 and Room EQ Wizard (free), take some measurements with the mic being at the sweetspot. Check the frequency response and adjust the subs position in the room and crossover freq to flatten the line. It could be anywhere in the room, it doesn't matter. The subs are too non directional to make any difference in perceived location. If your sub has a phase switch make sure to check if it's better with it on. Do take the time to do this calibration once and enjoy better sound for ever. Try Sonarworks too with the sub and monitors on and don't forget to play with dry/wet to get the response you think it's best by ear.

 

When the windows start to blow up might be a good time to lower the subwoofer.

 

Never use a subwoover with monitor speakers. You just can't get it right, it will mess it up.

Rather than buying a subwoover, buy monitor speakers that go low enough.

 

test on enough platforms and systems, have a good enough treated room for your monitors so not relying on headphones, use mono checking, and sonarworks. cutting around 20-25hz anyway gives more headroom, so as long as that 30-60hz range isn't being pushed too hard or have significant stereo content (and hence introduce phase issues), that should be enough to get a great mix

 

The Phase also need to be aligned of the speaker and the sub.
Do you have a acoutic optimized room ? If not redirect the money in that direction before getting a sub

Actually teh Sub8 has outputs for the 2 Main Speakers.

Or measure ?

The phaseflip switch can be used to align the phase of teh main speakers and the sub
something like play test tone 125Hz flip phase on sub move sub until it cancels out with teh main speaker, switch back phase , done

 

Last edited: Jan 29, 2021

Sure it has, but I was talking about

But maybe that wasn't clear by the way I quoted him.

Err, yep.