How do you monitor bass (~70hz and below)?

korgborglar · Post by **korgborglar** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 7:55 pm

My monitoring situation is less than ideal--thin walls/pissy neighbors, bad acoustics, and prosumer monitors (alesis m1's). I know mixing on headphones is bad, but in my situation it's practical, and I do most of my work on cans, then reference it on the speakers. I've got a solid set of headphones, grado sr80's, which i feel are pretty accurate for everything besides bass. I feel like I'm flying blind when it comes to balancing out my kicks and basslines.

So, for those of you happy with your bass monitoring, what do you recommend? I'm thinking of adding a sub to my setup, but I'm constrained to working fairly quietly and I'm not sure if it's that useful to have a sub at low volumes. Alternately, are there any headphones that will give you a decent picture of whats going on way down low?

Opuswerk · Post by **Opuswerk** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:08 pm

I have almost the same cans as yours and they are indeed lackng a bit in the low end...

I did however try some hd25 this weekend. And I'm very convinced by those. Really still don't understand why i didn't go directly for those. My mixes sounded much better and clearer on the sennheiser than on the grado, but i'm not too sure yet as of wether it's due to the headphones or not... Wouldn't want not flat enough cans...

Oh and some mixing engineer work only on cans, as it'll usually give you a better image than a room without the proper treatment, or a bad monitoring position/ level due to pissy neighbourghs

be~~ · Post by **be~~** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:08 pm

you could use a spectrum analyzer

Audio Dependent · Post by **Audio Dependent** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 8:26 pm

Opuswerk wrote:I have almost the same cans as yours and they are indeed lackng a bit in the low end...

I did however try some hd25 this weekend. And I'm very convinced by those. Really still don't understand why i didn't go directly for those. My mixes sounded much better and clearer on the sennheiser than on the grado, but i'm not too sure yet as of wether it's due to the headphones or not... Wouldn't want not flat enough cans...

Oh and some mixing engineer work only on cans, as it'll usually give you a better image than a room without the proper treatment, or a bad monitoring position/ level due to pissy neighbourghs

i have the hd25's. i love them and use them a lot as i produce mainly at unsociable hours. they are extremely comfortable and sound amazing, particularly at the low end. i would never trust them though on a final mix down - i think they are very flattering and can hide issues with mixes.

hydrogen · Post by **hydrogen** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:16 pm

really surprised by the HD-25 usage for production. They are really punchy, but i would never trust my mix on them. So many failed mixes after using them... but you have to make due and you can learn. I sometimes pop between different headphone sets for a refresh state of mind.

I strongly recommend checking the bass and the rest of your mix everywhere and anywhere you can.

livecollective · Post by **livecollective** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:17 pm

akg k701 or k702s , try them, buy them

steevio · Post by **steevio** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:25 pm

hydrogen wrote:really surprised by the HD-25 usage for production. They are really punchy, but i would never trust my mix on them. So many failed mixes after using them... but you have to make due and you can learn. I sometimes pop between different headphone sets for a refresh state of mind.

I strongly recommend checking the bass and the rest of your mix everywhere and anywhere you can.

agreed,

i have HD-25's i'd never trust them for mixdown.
i dont know who the mastering engineers are who work on cans, but ive never come across that ever, and i wouldnt be paying money for that.

the more speakers you check your bass on the better.

tone-def · Post by **tone-def** » Sun Sep 20, 2009 11:26 pm

i've said it about a million times on this forum HD650. if you like HD25's these will blow your mind. but i agree, listen to as many sets of speaks as you can.