KevMaverick
Hi guys, hope you can give me some advice.
I'm trying to work out the best way to manage the quality of the sound on my performance system. The problem I have, is that there are too many ways to control the quality of the sound, and I'm looking for the best option. I have VDJ 8, an external sound card, a Behringer XENYX X1222USB mixer, and powered speakers, all of which have various forms of bass/mid/treble adjustment!
I tend to keep the bass/mid/treble settings on my speakers at flat, but the rest I'm not sure about. Is it better to send a completely clean, flat signal to the mixer, and just use it's own equaliser, or is it better to tweak the sound using the sound card settings? My instinct tells me to let the mixer do the work, but am I right?
I'd be very grateful and interested to hear your opinions. - Thanks.
I'm trying to work out the best way to manage the quality of the sound on my performance system. The problem I have, is that there are too many ways to control the quality of the sound, and I'm looking for the best option. I have VDJ 8, an external sound card, a Behringer XENYX X1222USB mixer, and powered speakers, all of which have various forms of bass/mid/treble adjustment!
I tend to keep the bass/mid/treble settings on my speakers at flat, but the rest I'm not sure about. Is it better to send a completely clean, flat signal to the mixer, and just use it's own equaliser, or is it better to tweak the sound using the sound card settings? My instinct tells me to let the mixer do the work, but am I right?
I'd be very grateful and interested to hear your opinions. - Thanks.
Posted Thu 04 Jan 18 @ 9:50 pm
A Man and His Music
Let's keep this very simple. Let the mixer, and you ears determine the sound. Done, now you can worry about something else. Just make sure you are in front of the speakers when you do this. You will always hear more bass, if you are behind the speakers. A monitor will also help you.
Posted Thu 04 Jan 18 @ 9:58 pm
groovindj
The ideal is to keep everything flat. Don't use EQ at all.
If your system is of a good enough quality then it shouldn't be necessary. Of course there will be the occasional track that needs a small tweak here and there, so it's OK to use your mixer EQ for that - but try to cut rather than boost.
The tracks that we play are (should be!) professionally mastered, and the gear we play them through shouldn't colour the sound (certainly not in a negative way) so if they don't sound good with everything flat then you need to be looking at where the problem is in your system.
If your system is of a good enough quality then it shouldn't be necessary. Of course there will be the occasional track that needs a small tweak here and there, so it's OK to use your mixer EQ for that - but try to cut rather than boost.
The tracks that we play are (should be!) professionally mastered, and the gear we play them through shouldn't colour the sound (certainly not in a negative way) so if they don't sound good with everything flat then you need to be looking at where the problem is in your system.
Posted Thu 04 Jan 18 @ 10:04 pm
A Man and His Music
I totally disagree with you, but believe this is a matter of taste. I'm not talking about how it's supposed to be, but how it is with each individual. Of course I could think my stuff sounds great, but somebody else may think different. We all know what I think about that.
Posted Fri 05 Jan 18 @ 3:58 am
kradcliffe
Yes, for anal perfectionists with no budget limits or other constraints, running your system flat is ideal.
For the other 99.9 per cent of us in the real world dealing with a multitude of venues with different equipment and setups an equalizer is an essential piece of kit.
For the other 99.9 per cent of us in the real world dealing with a multitude of venues with different equipment and setups an equalizer is an essential piece of kit.
Posted Fri 05 Jan 18 @ 8:03 am
KevMaverick
A Man and His Music wrote :
Let's keep this very simple. Let the mixer, and you ears determine the sound. Done, now you can worry about something else. Just make sure you are in front of the speakers when you do this. You will always hear more bass, if you are behind the speakers. A monitor will also help you.
Great advice, Thank You.
Posted Fri 05 Jan 18 @ 12:37 pm
KevMaverick
groovindj wrote :
The ideal is to keep everything flat. Don't use EQ at all.
If your system is of a good enough quality then it shouldn't be necessary. Of course there will be the occasional track that needs a small tweak here and there, so it's OK to use your mixer EQ for that - but try to cut rather than boost.
The tracks that we play are (should be!) professionally mastered, and the gear we play them through shouldn't colour the sound (certainly not in a negative way) so if they don't sound good with everything flat then you need to be looking at where the problem is in your system.
If your system is of a good enough quality then it shouldn't be necessary. Of course there will be the occasional track that needs a small tweak here and there, so it's OK to use your mixer EQ for that - but try to cut rather than boost.
The tracks that we play are (should be!) professionally mastered, and the gear we play them through shouldn't colour the sound (certainly not in a negative way) so if they don't sound good with everything flat then you need to be looking at where the problem is in your system.
I'm going to give your advice a try - especially the part about cutting rather than boosting.
As for the tracks themselves, I play lots of music from the 50's, 60's, and 70's, and the original recordings vary greatly - some were recorded and mastered brilliantly, but others were very poor quality, but became huge hits anyway. Those lower quality ones are the ones that need tweaking - especially in the mid/high range.
Thanks for the advice.
Posted Fri 05 Jan 18 @ 12:45 pm
A Man and His Music
Let me just add, there is a reason professional equipment have equalizers on them. Speaker placement, room design, room acoustics, curtains, glass, etc., all play a part in how your music sounds. Personal taste plays a part, but as DJ's we must not let our personal taste get in the way of what we think is best for our guest. I don't like most of the music that's out there, but people don't pay me to play what I like. If you are playing one type of music, EDM, Hip Hop, maybe flat works for you. I'm not going to argue about how you set up your EQ, because it does not affect me.
A manager in my club that hates me, (actually, you could ask me which one) asked me how we could get the same sound all the time, because the other DJ's don't sound like me. One reason is the quality of music, some is the soundcards they use (one guy uses his computer soundcard, he won't be here much longer) but most is their equalization. One of the security guys thinks I have the second best sound. I listened to this guy, and his sound is good, but I still like my sound better. So, set your sound the way you want, I use EQ.
A manager in my club that hates me, (actually, you could ask me which one) asked me how we could get the same sound all the time, because the other DJ's don't sound like me. One reason is the quality of music, some is the soundcards they use (one guy uses his computer soundcard, he won't be here much longer) but most is their equalization. One of the security guys thinks I have the second best sound. I listened to this guy, and his sound is good, but I still like my sound better. So, set your sound the way you want, I use EQ.
Posted Fri 05 Jan 18 @ 5:38 pm
groovindj
I know what you mean about some (especially older) tracks. There's another thread running here where I mention the method I use to deal with tracks like that.
Basically, If I happen to come across one when I'm playing live, I'll maybe use the mixer's EQ to help a little - but I won't worry about it too much. I certainly wouldn't use a graphic EQ. Later I'll make a note of the track, then when I'm home I'll use Adobe Audition and various plugins to create a new, better sounding version permanently.
Do this to tracks you play more often and after a while you won't need to make any adjustments live, because they'll already have been polished.
BTW I did used to have a stereo 31 band graphic EQ in my rack back when I used passive speakers and amps. But I was playing through a cheap mixer and cheap amps. Once I started using pro quality equipment, it got sold on.
Basically, If I happen to come across one when I'm playing live, I'll maybe use the mixer's EQ to help a little - but I won't worry about it too much. I certainly wouldn't use a graphic EQ. Later I'll make a note of the track, then when I'm home I'll use Adobe Audition and various plugins to create a new, better sounding version permanently.
Do this to tracks you play more often and after a while you won't need to make any adjustments live, because they'll already have been polished.
BTW I did used to have a stereo 31 band graphic EQ in my rack back when I used passive speakers and amps. But I was playing through a cheap mixer and cheap amps. Once I started using pro quality equipment, it got sold on.
Posted Fri 05 Jan 18 @ 5:41 pm
KevMaverick
More good advice - I really appreciate it, Thank you.
I particularly like the idea about using a program to improve the sound quality of the tracks. I'll certainly give that a try.
As an additional note, I'll just say that some of the worst quality tracks I've come across are the very early reggae and ska recordings. I'm sure that's just down to the very primitive recording equipment that they had to use back then - however, the music they made was brilliant!
Thanks again for all the advice and comments.
I particularly like the idea about using a program to improve the sound quality of the tracks. I'll certainly give that a try.
As an additional note, I'll just say that some of the worst quality tracks I've come across are the very early reggae and ska recordings. I'm sure that's just down to the very primitive recording equipment that they had to use back then - however, the music they made was brilliant!
Thanks again for all the advice and comments.
Posted Fri 05 Jan 18 @ 11:05 pm