Spectrum Analyzers and Flat Response Monitors

[Maddox]

Hi, everybody. I have some questions about Spectrum Analyzers and Flat Response Monitors.
If you guys could shed a light here, please, I'd be very grateful.

I use a DAW, and almost all the tools i use are VST plugins. That's why I often refer to situations involving the DAW Master Buss in these questions.

About Spectrum Analyzers

1 - I read somewhere about a way to check the room; maybe you guys can help clarify this:

It was writen that, in order to find the best place in the room to record, we should we should use an omni-directional mic and a Spectrum Analyzer, and position it on different places of the room, without music, to look for a specific response at the Spectrum Analyzer (the Spectrum Analyzer meters should form a smile figure, or an inverted smile figure, I can't recall).

If we can't find this smile figure, we should compensate with eq (for instance, if there´s too much Low End at the Spectrum, we then know that the Bass response in the room should be attenuated).

• Is this accurate ?
• Is it really an omni-directional pattern the one to be used ?
• And are the smile thing true ? Is it an inverted smile or a normal one ?

2 - Is it a good idea to put a VST Spectrum analyzer at the Master Buss of a DAW, in order to check the frequency balance of the overall mix ?

• If so, what kind of response should I look for in the Spectrum Analyzer ?

I tried this with some commercial tracks from bands like Nirvana, Beatles, Green Day, Radiohead, etc., and they all seem to have some things in common:

the high end and low end of the Spectrum are significantly less present than the Mid Range, wich, by its turn, is more prominent at it's low end (the mid range's low end, that is).

• What are you guys's takes and opinions on this, please ?

3 - I might be getting things mixed up here, but (I think it was on the same article i cited above), there was something about using a mic and a Spectrum Analyzer the same way as above, but this time with music.
That apparentely some well-known tracks will provide a better source (the smile thing) to be analyzed by the Spectrum Analyzer. The article even suggested some tracks to use (the only one I remember is "One", from Mettalica.)

But anyway, I think that was about checking the acoustic for P.A., not for indoor recording.

• How much of that is true ?

About Flat Response Monitors

1 - Why is the Flat Response Monitor preferable than the "Non-Flat" Response ?

2 - Is there a way to turn a regular monitor speakers into something next to Flat-Response Monitors ? Maybe equalizing the Master Buss of a DAW, or adjusting the Bass and/or Trebble buttons on the Monitors ?


Thank you.

 

[dementedchord]

you're the kid that reads ahead of the rest of the class and gets himself in trouble.... you are over thi king this and trying to let the tools do your work instead of useing the tools to do it yourself... forget the analyzer for the forseeable future... and flat responce monitors are prefered because they are flat... doh! no go back and read about room treatment... sometimes the best new piece of equipment isn't equipment... tame the room and there will be less to compensate for when ya do know how to use an analyzer... and remember 4/7ths of analyzer is anal... there will be a quiz on friday.....

 

[moresound]

you're the kid that reads ahead of the rest of the class and gets himself in trouble.... you are over thi king this and trying to let the tools do your work instead of useing the tools to do it yourself... forget the analyzer for the forseeable future... and flat responce monitors are prefered because they are flat... doh! no go back and read about room treatment... sometimes the best new piece of equipment isn't equipment... tame the room and there will be less to compensate for when ya do know how to use an analyzer... and remember 4/7ths of analyzer is anal... there will be a quiz on friday.....

Actually it's 1/2 Do I get a gold star now?

 

[Farview]

About Spectrum Analyzers

1 - I read somewhere about a way to check the room; maybe you guys can help clarify this:

It was writen that, in order to find the best place in the room to record, we should we should use an omni-directional mic and a Spectrum Analyzer, and position it on different places of the room, without music, to look for a specific response at the Spectrum Analyzer (the Spectrum Analyzer meters should form a smile figure, or an inverted smile figure, I can't recall).

What you are looking for on the analyzer depends what you are playing. Most of the time you would be playing pink noise. But this is really a technique to set up a PA system, not to record.

If we can't find this smile figure, we should compensate with eq (for instance, if there´s too much Low End at the Spectrum, we then know that the Bass response in the room should be attenuated).

Again, this is to set up a PA system, not to record.

Is this accurate ?

Not for what you want to use it for.

Is it really an omni-directional pattern the one to be used ?

Yes, but you really want a flat response omni, not just any old mic

And are the smile thing true ? Is it an inverted smile or a normal one ?

Only if you are playing something with a smiley frequency response.

2 - Is it a good idea to put a VST Spectrum analyzer at the Master Buss of a DAW, in order to check the frequency balance of the overall mix ?

Not unless you can tell me what good sound looks like.

If so, what kind of response should I look for in the Spectrum Analyzer ?

That's the problem. Even music that is similar is going to look different on a spectrum analyzer.

I tried this with some commercial tracks from bands like Nirvana, Beatles, Green Day, Radiohead, etc., and they all seem to have some things in common:

the high end and low end of the Spectrum are significantly less present than the Mid Range, wich, by its turn, is more prominent at it's low end (the mid range's low end, that is).

Your analyzer probably has different settings that you can change. If you play with the time base and the peak/rms settings, it will look different.

What are you guys's takes and opinions on this, please ?

Spectrum analyzers are only marginally usefull for tuning a PA system. Completely useless in a recording context.

3 - I might be getting things mixed up here, but (I think it was on the same article i cited above), there was something about using a mic and a Spectrum Analyzer the same way as above, but this time with music.
That apparentely some well-known tracks will provide a better source (the smile thing) to be analyzed by the Spectrum Analyzer. The article even suggested some tracks to use (the only one I remember is "One", from Mettalica.)

The And Justice For All album was one of the worst sounding albums ever. Trying to emulate it would be kind of stupid.

But anyway, I think that was about checking the acoustic for P.A., not for indoor recording.

Exactly.

1 - Why is the Flat Response Monitor preferable than the "Non-Flat" Response ?

Because you can't do anything with a monitor that lies to you. In order for you to make good decisions about the osound of your recordings, you need to be able to hear what they really sound like.

2 - Is there a way to turn a regular monitor speakers into something next to Flat-Response Monitors ? Maybe equalizing the Master Buss of a DAW, or adjusting the Bass and/or Trebble buttons on the Monitors ?

No. There are things about a speaker's design that EQ can't fix. For instance, if the crossover is poorly designed, the speaker might not be capable of putting out a perticular frequequency range (how ever small it may be) right around the crossover point. No matter how much you turn that frequency up, the speaker won't reproduce it. Some tweeters have a resonance to them that you can't EQ out. There are dozens of things like that which cannot be solved with EQ.

 

[dementedchord]

afraid you'll have to settle for rep... good thing i dont play piano like i type...