Balancing & Equalizing With Mackie Monitors

[Angelo_Bratsis]

Hello Guys

Im posting this topic based on the many problems my friends/affiliates face when mixing down their tracks with Mackie monitors (specificly the HR series).

After battling with the Mackies for almost 4 years, with lots of trial and error and thanks to an old friend's advice (very known producer and engineer), i came to the conclusion that the Mackie HR monitor series are not the ideal speaker for electronic dance music production. Reason because it gives you an impression that your mix is crisp and loud at the end of your session. By default, the Mackie monitors are big in low-end frequencies, giving you the impression that your track is nice and bass heavy.

Also, another problem i noticed in tracks from friends and other fellow artists using the Mackies, is that any sound over the 500 frequency range is very low in volume (synths, percussion). It might be a coincidence but there are too many artists sending me tracks with the same result.

I know there are Mackie veterans in here that know their speaker inside-out, but for the ones who are getting into it ask for more opinions before you invest in monitors.

Please, all feedback and experiences appreciated.

[steevio]

i simply dont have a problem with mackie hR series monitors.
i've released many records over the last 4 or 5 years which were mixed on them, and ive never had any adverse comments about my production, infact my production has generally improved since i bought them.
i'd say they are very slightly bass heavy, (but not if you use the bass cut switches to good effect) but i'm aware of this and simply compensate slightly for it. (i always check my mixes with the switch in each position but mix in the 37HZ position, (you can actually hear the subs which you cant say about most nearfields)

i think the room acoustics are more important than anything, you can have the best monitors in the world, but if your room sounds sht, its not going to make the slightest difference.

another thing, if you think peoples mixes sound bass heavy, then it suggests the speakers are bass light, which is the opposite of what youre saying.

the proof for me is that when i go to record cuts, the engineer never has to do a thing, my mixes are always accurate to start with.

if you want to hear my mixes done on mackies, everything on my myspace page was mixed on them, let me know what you think, maybe to you they are bass heavy i dont know, me i love bass, and i want to hear whats going on down there when i'm mixing so i can utilise it to full effect. i'm not a fan of clicky kickdrums and stunted bass for the sake of in you face mids, i'm a dub monster.

http://www.myspace.com/steevio

[tone-def]

i think the 824's are very good and have a very flat frequency response. but there is a big difference between them and the 624's which i don't like. i like a lot of bass.

[steevio]

i think the 824's are very good and have a very flat frequency response. but there is a big difference between them and the 624's which i don't like. i like a lot of bass.

maybe i should have said that mine are 824's, i've never heard the 624's.

[codecks]

I have a pair of 824's. I must admit that sometimes I have the same tought as Angelo_Bratsis. I dunno if it's the monitors, my ears, my cheap production or the room accoustics (big room of 3m height, 2.5m behind the monitors, 6m in front of, no accoustic treatment). They definitely sound flat. and they definitely go very very low. I cannot tell if they're any good to make electronic music. Sometimes I got the impression they're too big, but then again, maybe I'm standing too close of them (approx 1m). A friend of mine got those genelec 8030, when I'm listening to these monitors it always sounds compact, tight, precise, something I don't always have/feel with my 824's, but then again that friends has a very little room with some accoustic treatment, so total different situation. Any other opinions here ?