Small monitors, treble causing issues... upgrade? change?

chris said:
Are you ... Out.
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Thanks for your reply @chris

I'm familiar with FM, but never done anything in real life to address it. Yes, with my (tube) guitar amps, I play them at around 85dB+ (where they sound best.. lower means missing bass and character). I can have them at that volume presumably because as you say, the sound isn't being thrown right at my ears, but bouncing around the room before getting to me. Even in this instance, I know I'm sensitive to the 1-4kHz range and too much does my head in.

With the FM9/Adam combo, by "boring", I mean that (regardless of monitors or headphones) at lower volumes, the amps all sound muffled and samey, with no character (all the marshall types may as well be the same amp, same for fender etc). If I turn my headphones or monitors up to the level where the amps sound good (and much more unique), I'm certain it's a volume that is harmful to my ears. The patches were all tuned at loud volume, maybe 85, even 90dB (before my secondborn came along haha).

Let's take the headphones for a second, to avoid the acoustics of the room for a second... Is it a "done thing" to apply a global EQ at lower volumes, bumping up the treble and bass a bit, so that you can play "live tuned' patches at lower volumes without messing them up when you go back to playing loud? That's the first thing that comes to mind...
 
sl33py said:
Let's take the headphones for a second, to avoid the acoustics of the room for a second... Is it a "done thing" to apply a global EQ at lower volumes, bumping up the treble and bass a bit, so that you can play "live tuned' patches at lower volumes without messing them up when you go back to playing loud? That's the first thing that comes to mind...
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Absolutely. That's where additional I/O can come in super handy. Less chance of accidentally leaving your headphone mix in place when stepping out to play live.

FM is also the reason for the "loudness" knob found on older stereos. Haven't seen one in awhile.
 
rockstarjazzcat said:
Absolutely. That's where additional I/O can come in super handy. Less chance of accidentally leaving your headphone mix in place when stepping out to play live.

FM is also the reason for the "loudness" knob found on older stereos. Haven't seen one in awhile.
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Would one curve be enough? Given that the curve changes gradually with volume increase? Is there an example EQ maybe floating around this forum that people have had success with? (I'm looking myself, but wondering if it exists)
 
sl33py said:
Would one curve be enough? Given that the curve changes gradually with volume increase? Is there an example EQ maybe floating around this forum that people have had success with? (I'm looking myself, but wondering if it exists)
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It's a good question. I advocate standardizing on a listening level and marking the volume control so that I'm comparing apples to apples from session to session. Thus I only need one curve per output device (only where thought necessary). You are referring to the EQ adjustment curve, right? Perhaps you might "wish" for a loudness setting. :)
 
You have decent monitors. As others have stated I believe you are a victim of fletcher munson and lack of room correction/speaker placement. 80db is not loud (is it?). This is the spl most mix at. Unfortunately, with the A3x you have limited room eq correction so that leaves acoustic treatment which is expensive. I am not suggesting you set up a mini studio but its worth playing some well mixed music through them and just listening for awhile. Can you hear the bass clearly? Can you pick out each drum, high hat, cymbal, etc?

I approach my non live Axe patches as sounding how I want them to sound in a mix because I am generally playing along with drums and bass etc. in Logic. I have the A7x’s. Note that the bass response of the a3x goes to 60hz. Not as low as the a4v or a7v and if your speakers aren’t set up right you might be dropping off at 100hz.

What might be super interesting is to apply room eq correction through the FM9! Run the wave through the FM9 and apply eq.

You can do eq based room correction for about $70.

https://www.roomeqwizard.com/

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KI8X4...SDIO9BI9&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

https://www.studiospares.com/news/room-correction-with-adam-audio-a-control
 
i use an x32 rack mixer, and just use the parametric EQ on the bus my monitors are on. i play a song i'm familiar with, and cut bad/irritating eq i hear until the mix "clears up." it's not perfect but adapts to the room i have, and everything else sounds great once i do that.
 
MSS said:
You have decent monitors....
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Thank you for this! I will look into it.

I also looked and found that I'd dialled back the tweeter on the monitors down 2dB some time ago, so I've undone that and it should help a fair bit for them, but I'm in a small-ish room with my partner's desk and some cupboards here too, so treatment and relocation isn't an option ATM :( I'll still need to experiment with the headphones as obviously the tweeter setting won't change that.

For now, I'll try some well recorded music (Queensryche's Empire!) and see what I can find out. That microphone is more expensive buying from here in Australia, but I'll watch the videos to inform myself better.

Is it possible to apply an EQ curve (to address FM) to the headphone output only? I understand it simply copies the Output 1 signal, and I'm not 100% sure I'd want EQ (or at least the SAME EQ) on the headphones as the monitors....
 
sl33py said:
Is it possible to apply an EQ curve (to address FM) to the headphone output only? I understand it simply copies the Output 1 signal, and I'm not 100% sure I'd want EQ (or at least the SAME EQ) on the headphones as the monitors....
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You can put your monitors on out 2, or as was just suggested, route your different paths through external devices. Choices. :)
 
chris said:
i use an x32 rack mixer, and just use the parametric EQ on the bus my monitors are on. i play a song i'm familiar with, and cut bad/irritating eq i hear until the mix "clears up." it's not perfect but adapts to the room i have, and everything else sounds great once i do that.
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Another good idea. Plenty of ways to apply eq to your speakers.
 
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