15
votes
Accepted
Studio monitors: Should we break them in and why?
The only measurements of speaker parameters made before and after alleged break-in periods I could find online support the notion that break-in is almost entirely a myth. The essence is that any ...
- 56.1k
14
votes
Why do some guitar amps have control labels that are upside down when you are in front of the speaker?
I think (for what it's worth) that in the late 50s/early60s, amps were placed at the front of the stage. At least that's what we did! With open back cabs like the pictured one, it wasn't a problem, as ...
- 190k
12
votes
What if i use Home theater instead of studio monitors for mixing at home?
As a beginner, you can use whatever you can lay your hands on.
As you get more competent, you will start to see the failings in your structure & be more interested & knowledgeable in more ...
- 27.4k
11
votes
Are studio monitors necessary for producing tracks?
You could produce tracks with some ordinary earbuds. It's just harder to know what exactly is going on in your mixes and whether it will translate well to other listening environments.
It's general ...
- 854
10
votes
Why do guitar amps only use one type of speaker cone?
Hi fidelity reproduction of high frequencies is undesirable in electric guitar amplification. If you look at what actually comes out of a guitar amp, things get really messy around 5 - 6 kHz and then ...
- 56.1k
10
votes
Bass effects through guitar amp
I haven't found any comments on this question online from someone who actually knows a lot about amplifier design. I also have not been able to find any horror stories such as "I did this once ...
- 56.1k
9
votes
Accepted
stage monitors as stereo speakers?
Stage monitors are designed to do something quite different from what normal stereo speakers are designed to do. That means if you get great stage monitors, they won't sound so great as stereo ...
- 56.1k
9
votes
Do People and/or Robots Speak on Pitch and in Harmony with themselves?
There are some facts in this question, but they get tangled in some misunderstandings and assumptions. Let's see if we can sort them out:
All sound has frequency—you can measure how far apart the ...
- 15.8k
8
votes
What is the difference between an amp and a head?
To elaborate and visualize the previous answers a bit further, here's a legend:
Amp/head: the device that amplifies the electrical signal. This is an electrical processor that does not produce ...
- 2,003
8
votes
What is the difference between the speaker in a bass amp and sub?
Yes, there can be a difference. The difference will depend on manufacture and quality however, and in some cases there may be no discernible difference.
A speaker designed for a sub-woofer is made ...
- 7,381
8
votes
Accepted
Do cabinets and speaker enclosures add the additional harmonic contents?
Simplistically-speaking, a speaker cabinet that is anywhere close to being well-designed shouldn't be adding significant amounts of new harmonic content (as in, frequencies that weren't there before). ...
- 45.9k
7
votes
What is the difference between the speaker in a bass amp and sub?
When you ask if there's a difference in the "actual speakers" I assume you are talking about what, in speaker design parlance, are called the drivers, as opposed to the enclosure or cabinet. ...
- 408
7
votes
I need a stage vocal monitor. Can I use a spare amp?
You may absolutely use a spare guitar amplifier as your personal vocal monitor.
Set the amp up clean (no Gain higher than 2, and the Bass, Middle, and Treble at 12 o'clock at first) and run the mono ...
- 1,842
7
votes
I need a stage vocal monitor. Can I use a spare amp?
Yes but...
My covers band did exactly this for a year or so, until I could afford a couple of reasonable monitors. It certainly works, but there are issues.
The most obvious problem is that a guitar ...
- 4,752
6
votes
Can an amplifier with only one output be wired in parallel?
It depends on the load requirements of the amplifier and the impedances of the speakers, neither of which you have specified.
If the amplifier has a 4 ohm output transformer tap, or it is solid state ...
- 246
6
votes
Accepted
How to connect headphone output to a "balanced" monitor speaker?
Yamaha HS5 has both balanced and unbalanced input, you can simply use the latter.
If you're looking for other devices, some of them have a "combo" inputs, which may seem like XLR at first, ...
- 15.9k
5
votes
Why do guitar amps only use one type of speaker cone?
It's really quite simple.
Your Hi-Fi stereo speakers are designed to produce the full range audio spectrum that might be found in recordings that you would play through your system. This will ...
- 27.2k
5
votes
What are my options to incorporate a sub-woofer into a PA system for live music performance?
I agree that looking at the future configuration you want is a good idea becuase that way you're not spending money on something now and then spending more to replace it later. From that point of view,...
- 56.1k
5
votes
Accepted
.Wav only sounds good with headphones not regular speakers
High end engineers do not use headphones for the final mixdown; you need decent quality speakers to do this. In addition, the speakers need to be chosen for the accuracy of the sound reproduction and ...
- 76
5
votes
Are studio monitors necessary for producing tracks?
You should definitely not rely exclusively on headphones for mixing. There are some sound aspects that headphones just can't properly convey, in particular any phase cancellation between the channels. ...
- 35.3k
5
votes
I need a stage vocal monitor. Can I use a spare amp?
If at all possible, using in-ear monitoring has many benefits over using a speaker of any kind. (You can hear it better and you avoid feedback.) Custom in-ears can be expensive, but there are very ...
- 15.8k
5
votes
Do People and/or Robots Speak on Pitch and in Harmony with themselves?
The tonal language into dialect of spoken Mandarin Chinese involves smooth portamentos/glissandos/bends when speaking word tones, such as rising (e.g. Mandarin for "white") or descending (e....
- 13.8k
5
votes
Feeling that speaker's low bass getting stuck in one's ear
Sometimes a small speaker achieves the impression of extended bass response by engineering a strong resonance at just one low frequency (yes, I'm looking at you, Bose). You get bass, but it's ...
- 90.4k
5
votes
Speaker enclosures
Open back actually sounds more open. They fill a small stage, so you and the band can hear what's going on without need for on-stage monitoring so much.
Downside, front of house can have more trouble ...
- 27.4k
4
votes
Accepted
Difference between sound speaker and guitar combo speaker?
Guitar cabinets are designed to give a completely different response from HiFi speakers. In particular, they cut away / smear out a lot of the high frequencies and transients. This is really important ...
- 35.3k
4
votes
What technical spec should I look for in noise isolating headphones?
ATTENUATION.
This is the technical term for a reduction in signal strength (i.e. a reduction in the volume).
Isolation or cancellation? The other responders seem to miss that many solutions for noise ...
- 41
4
votes
Accepted
Why does some music sound different on speakers and headphones
From speakers you hear the L and R channels with directional information but in a common space. On headphones you hear them almost completely separated. With some techniques of stereo mixing, this ...
- 90.4k
4
votes
.Wav only sounds good with headphones not regular speakers
This is normal. Mastering engineers make a living every day partly by making music sound good no matter how one listens to it. Different speakers and headphones emphasize different positive and ...
- 56.1k
4
votes
Accepted
How should I wire multiple speakers for a live performance?
Building a PA with mystery speakers is fraught with peril. The biggest question that faces you is: If you blow one or more of those speakers, who will care and how much will they care?
Speakers that ...
- 56.1k
4
votes
Speaker impedance connected in parallel for the power mixer
Two things:
1) yes, within limits, the impedance of two identical objects wired in parallel will be half the impedance of each one.
2) As to "not powerful enough," all that means is you can't go ...
- 14.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible