There’s a lot of debate in the audio world about whether you need a sub-woofer with studio monitors. Some people swear by them, while others think they are unnecessary. It’s hard to beat the sound of a quality sub-woofer that really knows how to bring out the bass, but the time and place for that usually exists in post-production.
In general, you don’t need a sub-woofer when using studio monitors. A sub-woofer may assist you in a few ways, particularly with lower frequencies, but the most important thing is to have flat and consistent sound throughout the recording or mixing process and a sub-woofer may sacrifice that.
Having a decent sub-woofer can help you finalize at a later point during your mixing session, but your primary mix should almost always be done without one…and that includes bass heavy music.
Is A Sub-woofer Worth It With Studio Monitors?
In most cases, you don’t want to bother adding a sub-woofer to your existing setup. It’s not the best investment and poses too much of a threat of making everything more difficult.
Most people love the feeling and sound a sub offers when they’re taking in music, but this is all post production. Flat sound may not be as exciting, but it lets you focus on what you need to get done when you’re in the studio.
If you find you do need to dig deeper into those lower frequencies, there are plenty of tools and software options that are cheaper and offer you greater accuracy.
What Are The Benefits Of Using A Sub-Woofer?
In general, having a sub-woofer can greatly help you get an idea of how the bass end of your music will sound. It can help you clear up any muddiness and assist you in creating a clearer low end.
Sub-woofers also tend to help improve the definition of sounds in the lower frequencies. This can be a godsend if you’re trying to get a mix that sits well in a club or with heavy bass.
Finally, sub-woofers help improve the sound-stage of your monitors. This means that sounds will appear to come from different areas instead of all seeming to come from the same place.
I want to reiterate, though, that you should almost never do your final mix with a sub-woofer…or, at the very least…create two mixes, one with the sub and one without.
Its important to remember that not everyone is going to have a sub-woofer, so if you rely too heavily on one providing your low end rather than having a good, even mix then your music will sound very thin on some playback devices.
Low End Monitoring
The main reason you would want to add a sub-woofer is probably to figure out where your low end is so you can get it in the right spot. Some people find this easier to do when they can feel it in their body, especially when you’re looking for the sound to come through without overpowering other frequencies.
This is a significant benefit for anyone who produces electronic music often.
Tactile Response
While headphones and plug-ins are great tools for pinning down how to mix low frequency content with other levels, they don’t offer you the actual feel of your end result.
Having a sub with your studio monitors allows you to sit and feel how the bass manifests in the room. This can give you more information on the actual performance of your mix, as well as how the low-frequency content interacts with the other voices.
Identification of Masking Issues
Another issue that comes to light with a sub in the room is whether you have any masking issues. Lower voices that are too loud will obviously mask other frequency ranges, and you’ll feel this attack in your chest.
On the other hand, you might discover that the mids and highs are actually covering up lower parts when you expect the bass to hit and end up with an empty feeling in your chest.
What Are The Downsides Of Using A Sub-Woofer?
The cons to using a sub-woofer are really only going to come into play if you’re not used to mixing without one or if your monitors don’t go low enough on their own. Sub-woofers can actually end up muddying the low end of your mix, which is something you obviously want to avoid.
Additionally, sub-woofers can cause your speakers to become less accurate overall. This means that if you’re mixing on them, you might not be hearing the true sound of what you’re working with.
Finally, sub-woofers are just one more thing in the room that can end up being a distraction. If you’re constantly worrying about how the bass is sounding, you might not be able to focus on the overall mix.
They Need Lots of Space
A sub-woofer needs a lot of space for proper control. They deal with sound that settles in at the bottom of the frequency spectrum, and the wavelengths here need plenty of space to cycle properly.
Anything under 100 Hz will need at least 12 feet to cycle properly, and failing to do this can cause issues such as standing waves. You can combat this with acoustic treatment and studio design, but a small room with parallel walls is a major threat to what you’re trying to do.
Standing Waves and Phase Cancellation
Standing waves come from a situation where frequencies reflect between two parallel surfaces. When they interact with each other it leads to phase cancellation, and it leads to uneven sound in your room.
You may have a point where the frequency comes through loud and other spots that get nothing at all. This doesn’t happen often with mid and high frequencies that have short wavelengths, but low voices often fall into this trap.
Solving this issue only involves addressing how the sound occurs in your studio setting, and it has very little to do with how mixes come across when finished.
Difficulty Placing
You’re bound to spend an unnecessary and annoying amount of time trying to find the right spot for a sub-woofer, and it may not even work in the end.
Unlike studio monitors, sub-woofers shouldn’t sit right in front of you. You can’t put them up against a wall, and corners are even worse.
Placing them in a large room is tricky, and it can be near impossible if you’re working in a smaller studio. The wrong position will give you improper balance, and it can negatively affect your work if you don’t realize what’s going on.
May Need Acoustic Treatment Before it Works Properly
One solution that helps you get sub-woofers to work properly in a monitoring system is the addition of an acoustic treatment, but this is:
- More Money
- More Effort
- More Time
The right treatment can help you get the sub-woofer in there to prevent build up, but there are cheaper and more efficient alternatives to give you the most accurate sound.
How Do You Add Definition Without a Sub-Woofer?
In general, you will want a set of powered studio monitors and a pair of over the ear headphones, preferably ones that use XLR cables rather than audio jack plugs. After you get your mix sounding great in the monitors, check in the headphones. Keep A/B-ing the sound until it sounds right.
You will also want to use a dedicated DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) that can utilize plugins…most DAW’s come with a suite of built in plugins to get you started. Namely, you will want to use the following (but there are so many others that can help refine and make your sound unique)
- Reverb
- EQ
- Panning
- Compression
Again, these are the basic plugins…and each of these categories has dozens of offerings, so start with the ones built in to you DAW and then expand from there.