RCF and Auralex?

plyall

plyall

Power User
Folks -

As I mentioned in another thread, I recently became the happy owner of a pair of the RCF 12's. Delicious! Merlin17 set me straight on the 'freefield/floor' switch, and it sounds 100% better.

So - I went to Guitar Center this weekend, and came home with some Auralex foam pads for my studio monitors (like 'em!), and also something that Auralex makes for amps/monitors/wedges/subwoofer. It's called an Auralex Gramma (Guitar, Recording Amp & Monitor Modulation Attenuator). Essentially, it is a carpet covered wooden platform, with extra firm foam for rails underneath, and a small amount of acoustic foam between them. I have been trying them for a little while (a day), and what I have found is this:

  • With the Freefield switch on, the RCF's sound too bassy on the ground/floor
  • With the Auralex under them and the Freefield switch on, they still sound too bassy, but bit less bassy than with them directly on the floor
  • With the FLOOR switch on, they sound less bassy than when on the floor
  • With the Auralex underneath with the floor switch on, you lose some bass but the midrange sounds creamy

So I guess what I'm looking for is some wisdom on this from you audio folks. Would you use these, or would you keep the monitors on the floor (I use them vertically)? Also - am I just attenuating the bass, or am I restoring the normal acoustics from a bass-heavy speaker/floor coupling?

Thanks!

Pete
 
plyall said:
Folks -

As I mentioned in another thread, I recently became the happy owner of a pair of the RCF 12's. Delicious! Merlin17 set me straight on the 'freefield/floor' switch, and it sounds 100% better.

So - I went to Guitar Center this weekend, and came home with some Auralex foam pads for my studio monitors (like 'em!), and also something that Auralex makes for amps/monitors/wedges/subwoofer. It's called an Auralex Gramma (Guitar, Recording Amp & Monitor Modulation Attenuator). Essentially, it is a carpet covered wooden platform, with extra firm foam for rails underneath, and a small amount of acoustic foam between them. I have been trying them for a little while (a day), and what I have found is this:

  • With the Freefield switch on, the RCF's sound too bassy on the ground/floor
  • With the Auralex under them and the Freefield switch on, they still sound too bassy, but bit less bassy than with them directly on the floor
  • With the FLOOR switch on, they sound less bassy than when on the floor
  • With the Auralex underneath with the floor switch on, you lose some bass but the midrange sounds creamy

So I guess what I'm looking for is some wisdom on this from you audio folks. Would you use these, or would you keep the monitors on the floor (I use them vertically)? Also - am I just attenuating the bass, or am I restoring the normal acoustics from a bass-heavy speaker/floor coupling?

Thanks!

Pete
Click to expand...

I use the Gramma's and Subdudes (bigger versions) for backline amps and the subs of my small'ish FOH PA.

For me, when solo'ing them, I don't get a huge benefit.

But what I use them for is to reduce transmission to the stage and to the mic stands. For this, I hear a noticeable difference. Especially for the bass speaker cabs and subs, they do reduce stage rumble.

Richard
 
The Gramma thingy's are made to avoid direct coupling with the floor. The effect (bass boost) from placing a speaker close to a boundary is a different thing. The Gramma's won't do much about that since the speaker is still very close to the floor. I guess they could be a good thing on a shaky stage etc :)

How you prefer to set your cabs is more a personal choice, unless you play music through them. Choose what you feel is the best starting point and dial in your sounds from there. I use guitar cabs, and prefer the added bass boost from placing them on, or close to, the floor. I also like that they fill more of the room before hitting my ears. Hey, it's electric guitar.....not much right/wrong 8)
 
plyall said:
So - I went to Guitar Center this weekend, and came home with some Auralex foam pads for my studio monitors (like 'em!)
Click to expand...

If you have a chance to try these out, do so. IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R155 Speaker Stands for desktop studio monitors. I was skeptical with the hype around these until I set them up. Blew me away.
 
Hmm - didn't see anything but the Auralex at Guitar Center - probably not surprising. So far, the jury is still out on the units I purchased for the RCF's. I kind of like the sound, but it definitely removes some bass, which is not neccessarily a bad thing. The pads I got for my monitors seem to be doing a nice job, plus they cut down on the vibrations/resonance of my work surface.

Where did you come across the ISO's? Cost?

Thanks!

Pete
 
I actually tried the Grammas with my subwoofer (15" down firing Event model). No go. The carpeting on the wooden platform ate up a majority of the bass being emitted from the bottom, and prevented any spread from coming out of the bottom.

So what did I use for keeping my sub from walking across the floor during loud, bassy passages? Double sided sticky tape on the feet (on to a cement floor). Pretty high tech, eh? :D

Pete
 
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