bass "only" audible in the back of the room

Discussion in 'Studio' started by EddieXx, Aug 5, 2022.

  1. EddieXx

    EddieXx Audiosexual

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    acoustic measurements look good, all is fined tuned for the sweet spot in front of my monitors. it certainly is the sweet spot

    but, ive noticed that from time to time to be able to detect slight excesses in bass in the mix i often must go a couple of meters away from my speakers. its like i need to hear that backroom resonance to acknowledge it, despite of in reality supposedly already hearing it at my listening position.

    listening in front of my speakers i tend always underestimate around low freq

    Im aware that lower frequencies increase further back and i know that in the back of the room you often hear exaggerated amounts of bass. but its helping me a whole lot to do this.

    have you experienced the same?
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2022
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  3. PifPafPif

    PifPafPif Rock Star

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    Moving around in your room will give you "bumps" and "notches", especially in bass domain.
    Some bass freqs can even "disappear", like -18dB, in one spot AND re appear moving one step.
    This is the way i show ppl acoustic treatment need :wink:

    A better indicator is going OUT of the room, and listening in front of the door.

    Still : the only good indicator is sweet spot, even in a well treated room.

    About 40Hz and below, you need a REALLY good subwoofer to cover those frequencies.
    Because most monitoring stop at around 40 Hz ... even 50Hz on some.

    Try a LOW volume sweep sine in DIFFERENT SPOTS and tell us :
    https://www.audiocheck.net/audiotests_frequencychecklow.php
     
  4. recycle

    recycle Guest

    Is your room treated?
    If it isn't, you should start doing it
    if it is already, you have to work on the tuning.
    To solve this problem there are the bass traps: those big triangular solids that are applied in the corners of the wall & ceiling:
    [​IMG]
    Sometimes it takes weeks of trial & error to kill a low resonance
    Good luck
     
  5. EddieXx

    EddieXx Audiosexual

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    agree, sure in front of the door is also one of those "real life assessments" that may not be the first thing you think of but it never fails.

    i guess im just sharing my experience, more than looking for any help really
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2022
  6. EddieXx

    EddieXx Audiosexual

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    it is, and its checked with room calibration, and i do hear its good, references sound great too. all dips and bumps that did exist are pretty much gone.

    i guess im just saying low frequencies are sometimes hard to really detect in full unless moving around to get perspective on them. i end checking my mixes anyway in different environments so no problem, its just that fact that moving in the room awakes my hearing

    it seems not that the bass wasn't there. it seems that my hearing gett accustomed and can't hear in full unless moving around. then i can get back to my seat and i hear it

    i just need that movement to "reset" my hearing
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2022
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  7. No Avenger

    No Avenger Moderator Staff Member

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    How long ago was this? Maybe you just aren't used to it yet?
     
  8. PifPafPif

    PifPafPif Rock Star

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    We hear a LOT of bumped bass freqs (headphones, regular rooms ...) so our ears are used to it.
    When bass is at right level, sometimes it seems weak :wink:
     
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  9. EddieXx

    EddieXx Audiosexual

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    its not that long ago, a couple of months only. so it can be that my ears are not used to interpret the new environment.
     
  10. Baxter

    Baxter Audiosexual

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    Yes. Room modes/standing waves. Peak amplitude and nulls. Energy acculumation near walls and in corners.
    Standing with your back against the backwall will show this fairly obviousy.

    Punch in your measurements (and look into room treatment to fix these issues with absorbers, diffusers and even Helmholtz resonators):
    https://amcoustics.com/tools/amroc?l=248&w=279&h=200&r60=0.6
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2022
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  11. mk_96

    mk_96 Audiosexual

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    To me it's very similar to having an extra monitoring system, you just adapt your listening enviroment (even if it's "perfect") to something that gives good results, even if that means stepping away from perfection from time to time.

    You see it happening all the time. NS10's, car stereo, cheap earbuds, hungover ears (no? just me?), i even saw a video of the Kush guy saying touching the woofer was a good idea to "feel the bass". It's just adapting to what gives you good results.
     
  12. Kwissbeats

    Kwissbeats Audiosexual

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    Room dimension?.
     
  13. madbuzzin

    madbuzzin Platinum Record

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    i do this all the time and see if it sounds good behind a wall... thought i was crazy!!!
     
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  14. EddieXx

    EddieXx Audiosexual

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    i think what it does is let you hear a damped version of the track, without all the whistles and bells of full spectrum. that can reset your ears


    .
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2022
  15. Fowly

    Fowly Platinum Record

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    Corner bass buildup occurs at very specific frequencies and it's usually not the area you want to focus on when you want to treat bass. It's just that bass absorption elements are very thick (except VPR panels), and most people can't put bass traps on the walls because they'll lose too much room space. But because there's usually nothing in the corners, people can accept putting bass traps in them. Manufacturers understood that, so they focused on corner bass traps, and now, people think that it's the preferred way to treat bass.

    For small rooms, it's practically impossible to avoid the bass buildup at the back of the room. You have to use strong bass absorption on the front and back wall, which is something very unpractical. Look into VPR panels if it's really important to treat it, but in my small studio, I just accept it and live with it.
     
    Last edited: Aug 6, 2022
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  16. EddieXx

    EddieXx Audiosexual

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    at the end of the day i realized i was simply sitting to darn close to the monitors. i was having them at 80cm of distance.

    that combined with my habit of mixing at pretty low volume is simply not enough for the speakers to achieve the full range they were designed for, specially the lower freq. beginning at 1.5 meters, or even better, at 2 meters i now get a true representation.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2022
  17. BEAT16

    BEAT16 Audiosexual

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    What monitors are you using? Many a recording professional goes into the hallway and listens to the mix from there.
    Do you have a dB meter so you can measure how much dB it actually is? They say about 85 dB would be the standard.

    Dolby created the monitoring standard of 83 dB/SPL for film sound as early as the mid-1970s, with which all films are mixed to this day.In the film sector, this monitoring volume is used as a matter of principle.
    I have attached a sample photo for Room Control.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2022

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