Need some advice/recommendations. At home mixing

[Ledvedder]

I'm looking for some advice or recommendations. I currently mix with a pair of Kali Audio LP-6, https://www.sweetwater.com/store/de...lp-6-v2-6.5-inch-powered-studio-monitor-black. I also use Beyer Dynamic DT 240 Pro headphones. https://north-america.beyerdynamic.com/p/dt-240-pro.

Last night, I realized that the bass frequencies tend to get lost when I'm using the monitors. Should I spend my money on a sub? I'm looking at the Kali Audio Ws-6.2, https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/WS62Sub--kali-audio-ws-6.2-dual-6.5-inch-powered-subwoofer . Would that help out? Or should I use that budget for a headphone upgrade?

For context, my monitors are mounted to the wall about 4-5 feet apart and pointed directly at my head. These are the mounts, https://a.co/d/0AYWXCH.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

Do you have photos of your room? what’s the intended goal?

If it’s for creating music in any kind of professional capacity, I’d recommend proper stands and some room treatment (particularly a deep cloud and dee panels at first reflection points). Good stands are surprisingly difficult to make, but you have to be careful with cheaper ones that they aren’t totally neutering your low end or making your speakers perform weirdly.

With proper placement and some treatment, your low end should be in a better place and I’d only really consider a sub from there. Setting up a sub correctly is a bit fiddly to do well and it may well just be adding more problems to the situation. If you’re just after a fun listening experience, I won’t talk you out of it.

I can also recommend consulting an acoustician - you can spend maybe $200-300 and get STRAIGHT to the most optimal results for your budget, cutting out all the experimenting, self doubt, adjusting etc. I wish I did that sooner - it would have saved me so much money, time and stress in the long run.

 

[Ledvedder]

It's just in a corner of my finished basement. I'm just doing this as a hobby. I'm primarily a weekend warrior guitarist that plays in bar cover bands. I've always been interested in sound and mixing, so I've been spending a lot of time learning the craft. But just for my own amusement, nothing professionally. I figured, since I also practice my music in the same space (using a Fractal FM3), I could benefit from a but of an equipment upgrade.

 

[MirrorProfiles]

It's just in a corner of my finished basement. I'm just doing this as a hobby. I'm primarily a weekend warrior guitarist that plays in bar cover bands. I've always been interested in sound and mixing, so I've been spending a lot of time learning the craft. But just for my own amusement, nothing professionally. I figured, since I also practice my music in the same space (using a Fractal FM3), I could benefit from a but of an equipment upgrade.

I’d still recommend some acoustic panels as a starting point. They’re unbelievably easy to make DIY, or you can buy premade ones.

A few of them in the most effective places will help you make better decisions and faster and allows you to make decisions with confidence.

FlexRange® Bass Trap Panels – 244/Monster

FlexRange® Bass Trap Panel—the evolution of GIK’s 244 and Monster panels—now for even deeper low-end control. Choose Full Range or Range Limiter tuning, add optional diffusion, and treat corners, walls, or ceilings with patented, air-gap design.

www.gikacoustics.net

The 50hz 22cm deep panels are pretty ideal, you can make your own like that. Roxul Safe N Sound is perfect insulation to use. Youtube has lots of videos showing how to build and apply the fabric.

For stands, the budget choice would be concrete cinderblocks. They can be a bit of a pain to move though, but you can’t argue with the price. Ultimate Support MS-90’s are reasonable enough. Spending more is probably a big ask for Kali’s, but good stands can last you for life.

Headphones are a bit of a can of worms. You really have to find what works for you personally. Some people are able to do pretty good work on just headphones but I wouldn’t recommend that route.

 

[newholland]

id dissuede you from buying a sub. its not easy to integrate and if you can't tell whats going on now, dont compound that with another crossover. believe me.

really, the process goes like this: mix, export, play on other known systems. repeat until you trust your ears/monitors. theres not really a shortcut. and if you buy new monitors? you start again.

headphones really help with reality checking, but have their own set of issues. listen on them to listen to ALL music for a while and learn THEM intimately.

the only way forward is through, tbh. it doesnt get less hard- your ears and discernment get better.

measurement definitely cuts out a lot of legwork- but most folks not doing it for a living haveta do without. read up on how to set your monitors up, keep volumes down, and sit close.

 

[la szum]

Get a Sub. You aren't a Pro and are not opening a studio. Enjoy the experience. A Sub
can make it more enjoyable and fun. You can also turn them off and on to compare
and contrast. It's a useful tool.

It'll also open up your monitors a bit by utilizing that crossover so you are not eating up
headroom in them by forcing as much low-end through them as they can handle.

Oh, and the link you posted is not a Sub.

 

[Ledvedder]

Oh, and the link you posted is not a Sub.

Sorry, I've updated my OP.

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

Get Slate VSX.

 

[newholland]

if given the choice, i think if its six bills for a sub and five for your monitors, id rather invest 1100 bucks in a single pair of monitors- though i really think you could achieve the same thing with a well placed set of 8"ers like hs8s on stands, a good set of cans like hd600 series and a beefy headphone amp and net more translatable results.

the one thing i gotta say though is regardless- you still haveta learn whatever your speaks are, and to trust what theyre unleashing on the world is accurate to 'every' system, and you could spend $10k on monitors and still have that process.

 

[JasonE]

The sub can be nice to have. I run one along with a pair of HS7 monitors. I also run an ARC Studio unit with them so when I am mixing I can turn that on and get a flatter sound. I like the extra bass for other things I do on that system. When it matters I turn on the ARC. It lets me simulate a few other listening scenarios as well.

Buying monitors can get involved. You need to consider your space and you can wrap a lot of money up into a good set. I don't think I would want mine mounted to the wall. That is adding a connection to something that can alter the sound.