Studio Monitor volume adjustment
Home > Home Recording Forum > Gear Gab > Studio Monitor volume adjustment
Posted on Oct 29, 2007 10:50 pm
terryko
Terry Ko
Member Since: May 10, 2007
I am using MOTU mk828II Firewire, and using M-Audio BX-5a for monitor.
I use Sonar 6 SE for sequencing and audio recording. However 1 question I want to ask.
Should I fully turn the volume knob of two monitors? As each speaker has its own volume control, I think it's difficult to make them in same volume if not maximum. However, if I fully turn, the things are very very loud coming out from MOTU and Sonar, and so I must tune down the master volume in each Sonar project. But is it normal? Please help~~~
[ Back to Top ]
Keith WarrenMans reach exceeds his graspMember
Since: Oct 23, 2007
Oct 30, 2007 12:07 am I've seen the MOTU mk828II, but never used it. But I have used the M-Audio BX5A's before, and I had the same problem you did. My remedy was to set them to half volume and use my interface to control the overall volume. It takes some tweaking, but once you have them set, you can use some white-out to mark their appropriate levels in case you happen to accidentally turn a knob in the throws of musical passion. Thats my rule of thumb with powered monitors.
Oct 30, 2007 06:13 am hook your monitors up to the "main outputs" on the motu...there's a volume knob on the front (to the right of the mic ins) that is just for this.
terrykoTerry KoMember
Since: May 10, 2007
Oct 30, 2007 12:07 pm to whosyourdaddy,
then should I maximize the volume of my studio monitor?
and also,
should all software, like Sonar obey the volume adjustment in 828?
As I have tried to tune down the main volume in the Audio mixing console, but no difference with the volume output of Sonar.
thanks
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Oct 30, 2007 07:40 pm Proper set up in the perfect situation would be to max the volume on the speakers and let the MOTU unit be the master volume control. You should not have to use the master out of the software for anything but the master control of your final mixdown.
ATChrisMusical PhilanthropistMember
Since: Nov 11, 2004
Nov 01, 2007 09:10 pm I recommend playing with it a little bit. I've always found there's a point in gain staging when everything kind of stabilizes. What I mean is, if you keep your BX5s all the way up, they're gonna hiss and you won't be able to turn up the MOTU master output up very much at all. I'd keep the BX5 levels down a bit so you can use the MOTU master to quickly change you monitoring levels while mixing.
Nov 02, 2007 04:31 am i kinda agree, i keep my monitors (active) at around 80% and my master fader on my software at unity (0db) and work from there.
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Nov 02, 2007 08:56 pm Funny thing about that though is amps are the most efficient when they are running at full tilt. Not necessarily being used at full tilt, just run with the knobs that way.
I don't get any hiss here though that way.
Nov 03, 2007 04:00 am after a re-read of my last post, i think i must have pulled a number out of my butt....because my monitors at 80% would blow my head off at 2 feet.....i think i was refering to the knob on the monitor itself, not my 'volume knob' on my interface....and that i do keep at around 80%. i just confused myself, but i think i said that right. do the BX5's have a 'trim' knob on the back of them?
terrykoTerry KoMember
Since: May 10, 2007
Nov 03, 2007 11:13 am it only has "Volume" knob at the back,
is it the same as "trim" knob that whosyourdaddy00 said?
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Nov 03, 2007 11:32 am Yeah, volume should be the same as trim.
What I would do:
turn you desk faders up pretty loud, so you know there's a ton of signal going through it.
Turn your monitor volumes up until you have a little more volume than what you would normally use. Now leave your monitor volume alone, and always use the desk fader to control the volume. Basically, this way you 'set' the overall 'master' volume limit, and everything else has to live within that limit. For more volume, you would have to increase the monitor output level.
If you were real inspired, you could get an SPL meter from radio shack, or equivalent, then feed a steady signal into one monitor, and check it's output. Then match the other speaker to the first one's volume output. Then put tape over the knobs, so you never change it accidentally.
This way you'll be pretty confident that the two are volume matched, plus you should have plenty of overall volume, without running them full out all the time.
Though, my tannoys are full on, all the time (no adjustment at all) and I don't hear any noise from them at all. I control everything from the mixing board. If you're inspired, you could do it that way, but see that the speakers don't give any noise when run full volume.
pjkPrince CZAR-mingMember
Since: Apr 08, 2004
Nov 03, 2007 11:34 am oop, i guess by desk / mixer I mean the MOTU.
