Does flat response REALLY matter at all?

Discussion in 'Mixing and Mastering' started by Kuuhaku, May 18, 2020.

  1. Then since you are creating brilliant high end mixes on low end equipment, you have no need for any advice from anybody here. I fact we should be coming to you for answers to our problems.
     
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  2. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    I get it, sorry :unsure:
     
  3. Don't be sorry. I was just kidding about. The fact is, you quite possibly have a perfectly average set of speakers that are giving you great results on multiple audio systems. Yamaha made an average performance bookshelf speaker back in the late 1970's and by 1980 almost every engineer and every studio in the world had a pair of Yamaha NS-10's. I still have mine. They remain ubiquitous to this day and are used because they sound quite ordinary. Most consumer speakers are designed to flatter the sound, so everything sounds crystal clear and with never ending bottom end. These are not good for mixing. How can they be when everything sounds fantastic and you haven't even started to mix? Hopefully, we've explained the advantages of a flat response speaker. Everyone here is helpful. I will try if I'm not performing my Papal duties as I smoke by the poolside.
     
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  4. NeverenoghFun

    NeverenoghFun Platinum Record

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    Im not reading all the replies so someone maybe covered this.
    But with monitors its not just about the flat response.
    You can get decently cheap headphones with flat response.
    its more about spatial imaging. imo at least
     
  5. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    I have a little guessing here, maybe I'am all wrong, but by being a hip-hop producer I learned along the time to use sample packs as they come in the maximum, and keeping the real mix only for vocals or acoustic external elements, I am really not so sure about my vocals mixes as I am from my beats mixes, guess most part of the forum are edm/pop/rock producers, so most of you guys works from creating your sounds all from scratch (I think, correct me if I am wrong) and have a really hard work on getting the vocal not to sound just good, but amazing, the same on other track elements, so maybe this have some influence in the creation process? I just noticed that the better my beats/mixes was going the less I used of mixing, maybe I found that finding really good samples/drums can make the whole difference at my songs? Just something that I was thinking about?
    Also, these are some mixes that I made
    This one is before getting my new speakers:

    This one Is after:
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2020
  6. Qrchack

    Qrchack Rock Star

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    You have over +18dB of a bump at 60Hz (versus 1kHz and up). This looks like you have that sub way too loud, which is what most of people with subs do to make themselves feel better. Turning that down with software EQ isn't optimal here.
     
  7. Kwissbeats

    Kwissbeats Audiosexual

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    I agree imaging - transient response over the full frequency spectrum - frequency balance - phase response - circumventing unwanted harmonic frequencies/THD , things like that.
     
  8. tzzsmk

    tzzsmk Audiosexual

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    that's a more complex topic to cover,
    at first, if you had a "flat" monitors, only way to make them sound flat is to take them outside and play in environment without walls, floor and ceiling,

    in rooms, there will be more or less serious issues due to the physical dimensions exaggerating and killing certain frequencies,
    moreover in rooms there will be uneven decay across frequency spectrum, causing resonances of various frequencies taking different amount of time to decrease and disappear,
    and then there's phase coherence, and distortions, harmonics and transients smearing all happening in the room,

    software correction based on EQ (REW, Sonarworks, ARC) cannot do anything about the decay, but can help a bit with flattening the EQ response at certain given spot/area in room,

    great thing about flat response is, you can hear tones/notes in a row at same volume (imagine a bass solo where every note sounds at same volume for ex.) which is very desirable to ease out mixing process,

    on the other hand, I personally think more important is to know your monitors/room and have tons of songs listened there, so you can have a good idea in your head about how things shall sound when you mix them - on top of that every mixing/mastering workflow should include referencing with other tracks, so basically if your mix/master gets close (sound balance wise) then it doesn't matter how the room itself sounds

    :chilling:
     
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  9. sinematrix

    sinematrix Member

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    Thank you for advice, yes it's true. I still don't managed how to merge the sub and speakers, at now my setting is split at 100Hz, but 60Hz is really huge, maybe comes from my room resonance. I really need treat my room asap.
     
  10. sinematrix

    sinematrix Member

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    Actually your new one truly better, it follows good mixing elements, clear, wide, balance between full range. So, maybe you speakers and sub and your room matched perfectly, and of course, you have nice skill to handle your mixing. Very good!
     
  11. Kuuhaku

    Kuuhaku Platinum Record

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    Yeah, when I changed for these new speakers I really found that the imaging of the song is much more wider than my old ones
    Thank you very much :bow:
     
  12. hackerz4life

    hackerz4life Audiosexual

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    this is not why they use the auratone, mostly because of hearing just the midrange, no phase issues from tweeter and bass crossover.
     
  13. Lois Lane

    Lois Lane Audiosexual

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    Two things...

    1) One will usually create a more balanced mix if using a reference track, a song that you know was mixed by a known professional and that sounds killer on multiple systems. If you can emulate that balance of frequencies and sense of space or even get somewhere close and in the ballpark with what you have, be it a high-end system or the very affordable, then the world is your oyster and you're good to go, golden and in a very good place

    2) You can't mix what you can't hear, so if your monitors/speakers cannot pass high frequencies or they are much too blurred to discern at all, or the bottom end is bloated or the 4" speaker can't reproduce them then all is lost. Abandon ship, woman and children into the lifeboat, the men all praying in ernest to mighty Neptune for deliverance to a friendly shore.
     
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