M-Audio BX8 monitors- how do they rate?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Walter Tore
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Walter Tore

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I moved up to these about 3 months ago. Prior to this, I used simple PC speakers. Needless to say, there is a big sound difference between them. Here is my dilema. I mix on the BX8's, and it sounds good. Then I go in the house, put them on the cheapo bookshelf stereo, and it sounds thin, then I go out to the honda mini van, and it sounds like a bass feast, with wax over the highs. In other words, I have no idea how my mixes are sounding on other systems.

How would you rate these monitors. Is there a monitor out there, that would make this easier? Thanks. Walter

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pageartist.cfm?bandID=157137
 
Walter Tore said:
How would you rate these monitors. Is there a monitor out there, that would make this easier? Thanks. Walter
Click to expand...

q1-These monitors are pretty good for their range, which is crap. not worth upgrading to anything else until you spend $1500 or more, IMO. every monitor is going to have problems. Even the Mackies.
q2-not really.
 
I can say with about 95% confidence that the problem is not the monitors, but your ROOM.

Do you have any room treatment? Bass traps, etc?
 
Myriad_Rocker said:
I can say with about 95% confidence that the problem is not the monitors, but your ROOM.
Click to expand...

Could well be. I have the pre "a" BX8's, and I don't have much trouble getting mixes to translate to other systems. If anything, I have to add a touch more midbass than I would think was "flat," but otherwise fine.

Getting my mixes to not suck is a separate, unrelated issue.
 
Walter, make sure that all systems you listen to are flat. Meaning, check to make sure the home stereo is set up flat, not with a boost on the treble or something. Make sure the car is not set to have an eq on bass boost or something. I know we boost the bass in the car a bit, and some stuff with great bass sounds is overkill. Find a store bought cd you really like, and see how it sounds, on all three systems. Try and tune them all to sound similar for you.
 
Yeah the room becomes a big issue when you go to 8 inch monitors. You need bass traps, plain and simple. Sounds like you're mixing in a null position in your room and you turn up the bass to compensate.

If you can't afford bass traps make sure that you move to a corner or side wall to check the bass build up. It's not the best way to mix but it will eliminate the excessive bass you are not getting at the listening position.

The thinness on small speakers could either mean the same position that is null for bass could be nodal for midrange which means you are hearing too much data in that range and taking down those frequencies unnecessarily. It could also mean your converters stink or there is a frequency push of midrange between the woofer & tweeter on the BX8s. You thus are turning that range down to compensate.

The key, as stated above is to get your room into shape so you can eliminate its effect on what you are hearing. Then you can deal with potential monitor problems.

All that said I have heard the BX8s and they sound pretty good however they are mushy in the low end and overall not what I would call precision speakers for midrange. I bet you didn't want to hear that but I've done several shootouts with them and that was my impression.
 
Wow, what an education! Yes, I don't hear the bass in my mixes, until I bring them to other systems. I have been having to mix everything real trebly on the monitors, to get them to sound ok on other systems. If I mix enough bass to sound good on the monitors, it sounds like a rap session on other systems. My music is roots/folk oriented, and I like the sound of the overall drum kit, vs. hearing each piece, the vocal on top, and a clean sound. Yes, I do set all other systems to flat. My monitors are on a big desk, about 2 feet from my head, at ear level. The room is 10' x 20', and the cieling 7'. It has carpet on the floor, and large glass windows (4' x 3') all around. One wall is all wood, the 2 short ones, plaster, and the 4th large windows. I fit rigid insulation over them, leaving one with the glass showing, when I record. The desk is set up in one corner of the the room, on the short side (in this post box, they would be in the left side centered near the wall), and the speakers about 2 feet off the back wall, 3 feet off the side walls, 3' from each corner. I do not know was bass traps are. Should I put the speakers in the corners of the room? Thanks for all your input! You can hear examples of my final mixes here. I use samplitude classicV8, delta 1010, C414, Oktava 012's, RODE NT1A, and EH 12AY7 pre amps. Walter

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pageartist.cfm?bandID=157137
 
These are great points... an I'll add keep your ears perky. Tired ears in rooms that have monitors misplaced get used to a certain response curve. Then you go to another environment, with different applification, different EQ, AND different speakers. This always messes me up. So I alway try listen freshly on a new day in the test environment.

By the way, I still favor the Event 20/20 biamped speakers. I use the treble and bass trims on the back to get the flatest sound for the room and position of the speakers.

Tobias


Dogman said:
Walter, make sure that all systems you listen to are flat. Meaning, check to make sure the home stereo is set up flat, not with a boost on the treble or something. Make sure the car is not set to have an eq on bass boost or something. I know we boost the bass in the car a bit, and some stuff with great bass sounds is overkill. Find a store bought cd you really like, and see how it sounds, on all three systems. Try and tune them all to sound similar for you.
Click to expand...
 
sorry to jump in.......but i have a question on M-audios BX5. They seem to have NO bass what so ever. is is bad to push the bass a bit on my computers EQ to compensate? or do i need to do something else and leave the level of EQ flat?

seems like you guys know your stuff, so i thougth i would ask here.............
 
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