How To Setup Multiple Speakers For Better Mixing

How To Setup Multiple Speakers For Better Mixing

Most of the home studio owners think they are set with just one pair of professional studio monitors. However, if that’s the case with you as well, think again! If you truly wish to hear how your music will translate to the real world, the world that lies outside the four walls of your little studio, its high time you started working on at least two sets of speakers – your main studio monitors and a set of minimonitors which are basically your common, inexpensive desktop computer speakers.

Wondering why is it important? Well, this dual monitor approach lets you take a listen to your music the way the world will be listening to it – probably over some cheap computer speakers, a worn out home stereo system or a television. Don’t forget that your listeners might not have the privilege of hearing the precise, accurate, and “flat” sound of your pricey studio reference monitors.

Now the technical bit! Chances are that your audio interface is of a pretty standard design and has only one set of monitor outputs. So, what do you do now? The trick is to add an analog monitor control box to your system. The stereo mix that emanates from your audio interface’s monitor output is then

connected to this box and split into several monitor output paths, each of which can be sent to its own monitor destination including headphones.

The near-field monitors that you own are fundamental for any good recording as they eliminate the echoes and reflections from your room. Though you can’t underestimate the indispensability of tuning your room for better acoustics, a proper near-field monitor setup can reduce much of the tone that you would otherwise hear if you were seated away from your monitors. The modern, well-designed studio reference monitors have frequency fine-tune controls for tailoring a speaker’s response to perfectly match your listening environment.

Good monitoring is also influenced by the way you set up your speakers. If you desire the best near-field monitoring experience, make sure that your speakers are upright and level with your head. When seated in the sweet spot between your speakers, your head and the two speakers should comprise the three points of an equilateral triangle. You can place the minimonitors just to the inside of your main monitors. Your best bet is to place your speakers are as far away as possible from any walls to avoid any probable low-frequency interaction with your room’s physical structure. It’s never a good idea to push your speakers against the wall or shove them in a corner. Remove any obstacles that might interfere with a clear line of sound from the speakers and look out for possible reflective surfaces just beneath the monitors that may cause high-frequency reflections to bounce off and sully your sweet spot.

With strategically placed studio monitors, a pair of minimonitors, and a studioquality pair of headphones, you can get a clear picture of how your mix will sound in the real world without ever leaving your studio.

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