Hooking up an Active Sub Monitor

cg.modeler

New member
So I have a pair of monitors, hooked up to my M-Audio 192 card, two XLR to jack to the monitor left and right out.

But now I want to buy a Active Sub Monitor, how is this one hooked up then? Just want to make sure everything fits and what I need before I buy something.
 
cg.modeler said:
So I have a pair of monitors, hooked up to my M-Audio 192 card, two XLR to jack to the monitor left and right out.

But now I want to buy a Active Sub Monitor, how is this one hooked up then? Just want to make sure everything fits and what I need before I buy something.

What sub are you looking at getting & what monitors do you have?


F.S.
 
Looks like there is only one way to do it with your set up.
On either the KRK or M audio sub there is a left signal in and out and a right signal in & out. Take the cables you are curretly running to your tascam monitors and run them to the left and right xlr inputs of the sub. Then get two standard microphone / xlr cables and run them from the left & right signal outs on the sub to your tascam monitors. Better off to get shorter mic cables like 6 or 10 footers. No point in coiling up a 25 ft cable on each side.

Edit: actually your cables from the sub to the monitors would be special it would have female xlr's on both ends. You can save your self the time of making special cables buy using the 1/4 ballanced trs cable option from the sub to the monitors. It should work on either set-up but check the documentation. You should be able to find manuals online for each of these subs at the manufacturers sites. www.m-audio.com and www.krksys.com



Good Luck.

F.S.
 
Yeah, MessianicDreams, I figured that was the aim BUT would you be able to put faith in the repro of a sub when mixing etc? It's not exactly built for a flat response, or is it?
 
I agree a sub for monitoring is not ideal. A nice pair of 8 inch speakers would be a better solution. Having said that if I had 5 inch speakers and could get my hands on a decent sub cheap, like the KRK I would do it. Just gonna take some time to get the gain levels adjusted right. In the end though the only really good solution is better monitors. Don't ever expect to find nearfield monitors that have bass like a set of home stereo speakers though.Ya just got to learn the monitors.

F.S.
 
Freudian Slip said:
I agree a sub for monitoring is not ideal. A nice pair of 8 inch speakers would be a better solution. Having said that if I had 5 inch speakers and could get my hands on a decent sub cheap, like the KRK I would do it. Just gonna take some time to get the gain levels adjusted right. In the end though the only really good solution is better monitors. Don't ever expect to find nearfield monitors that have bass like a set of home stereo speakers though.Ya just got to learn the monitors.

F.S.


When properly set up, you shouldn't hear the sub. There should be no audible change in volume when switching it on or off, it should simply extend the range.

I think a sub is a great idea, even 8" drivers won't do the same as having a sub.

However, in an untreated room, or having in badly set up, you'd be MUCH better off simply switching the damned thing off..
 
I use a pair of M-Audio SP5B's and BX8 sub, and I find the combo just fine for monitoring. The wave lengths below 180hz are so long that the bass is not really directional, so it isn't really affected by panning. The SP5B's are actually pretty good entry-level monitors, but their bass response sucks. Also the bass port was put in the back, precisely because they were intended to work with a powered sub. And no, you don't need special XLR cables. The outs on the sub are male XLR's and the ins on the mains are female XLR's. It's just a matter of playng around with the settings until you have the relative gain of the sub and the mains and the crossover frequency correct.
Also, with a powered sub, turning it off and on is not possible, because it kills all output to the mains. And the relative volume of the bass and mid/high frequencies *will* be affected by adjusting the gain controls on the sub and the mains. Once you get the settings right, using recordings you know damn well, don't mess with them. If the bass sounds weak on the monitors, you *don't* fix it by turning up the sub.-Richie
 
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