Tone building - studio monitors vs pa system

[jmp22684]

Hey all!

 

I am sure this has been covered so I'll fall under the lazy poster.

 

So I am wondering lately if I would get a more accurate representation of what I would sound like at stage volume if I use my studio monitors to build patches rather than my pa system.

 

I don't own a dedicated frfr cabinet. I use our stage monitors live.

 

At home I can never truly bring my pa system up to stage volume and wonder if I suffer a little because of this. Where as studio monitors are designed to give an accurate representation of audio without needing to push volume to such levels that would cause ear fatigue.

 

Thoughts?

 

-Studio monitors are a pair of mackies, I'll edit in model when I get up to them.

 

-PA System:

Mains: prx715

Subs: prx718xlf

Board: M32r

 

Own a driverack PA2 the sound guy decided to buy and put in my rack, but I don't have it hooked up and just use the built in crossover in the prx718's.

 

Thanks!!

 

 

I would try to test this theory myself but I am going to head out of town and dropped the system off with the sound guy. So I don't have the system here to A/B it and I just had this thought the day I dropped it off.

 

I gave him a task. Lol

 

He is excellent at mixing and mastering recordings in his EXTREMELY nice home studio. With thousands and thousands of dollars in software alone.

 

I asked him if I dropped off the Midas board and the speakers if he could try to create a master mix as though he was going to put it on to a CD, BUT only using the PA speakers as monitors and the plethora of "plugins" built into the mixer.

[cruisinon2]

Where as studio monitors are designed to give an accurate representation of audio without needing to push volume to such levels that would cause ear fatigue.

 

Thoughts?

 

Studio monitors are not immune to the effects of the Fletcher-Munson curve... every speaker in the world will sound different at bedroom vs. stage volume...no matter what you're using to create your tones. If you really want to know what it's gonna sound like live, you have to tweak as close to stage volume as possible, through those same speakers you'll have on stage. Using a different set of speakers AND listening at very different volumes, you're now twice removed from what's happening live...it's unlikely to give you better results than what you've already got.

[DunedinDragon]

There are quite a few differences between studio monitors and FRFR powered speakers which could be deceiving.  The main difference is studio monitors very often depend on ports in the cabinet to help bring out the bass whereas powered speakers don't.  So you would likely find that the patch when taken live might not have the low end you expect it to have from dialing it in on studio monitors.  Secondly there's a really big difference between the tweeter in a studio monitor and a horn in the PA cabinet that's driven by a compression driver which could result in your high end sounding a bit brittle in live performance.

 

I guess I don't understand why you couldn't simply use one of the PRX715's directly plugged into the Helix to dial in your patches that way.  That would certainly give you a much more accurate idea of what to expect live.

[jmp22684]

I setup all my patches plugged in to the PA system and have for some time now. I do just what you said.

 

I teach and work in that room so the entire system is pretty much on 24/7

 

Studio Monitors tend to provide a little more in the top end, and yes, porting provides more low end. Fletcher Munson states that high and low are perceived to be much greater at high volumes then at low volumes. So with this if I accommodate for the extra low and high when using my studio monitors instead of blasting the PA system I would automatically end up accounting for the added high and low frequencies you would pick up when brought to stage levels.

 

I am also trying to save my hearing and avoid blindly reducing the high and low frequencies because I "know" they'll be exaggerated at the higher volumes.

 

The solutions are generally kill your hearing to dial it in or blindly reduce the frequencies. I am trying to find a middle ground.

 

Even high fidelity ear plugs won't cut it because we're talking *perceived* volume of frequencies. Ear plugs reduce percieved volume.

[cruisinon2]

Studio Monitors tend to provide a little more in the top end, and yes, porting provides more low end. Fletcher Munson states that high and low are perceived to be much greater at high volumes then at low volumes. So with this if I accommodate for the extra low and high when using my studio monitors instead of blasting the PA system I would automatically end up accounting for the added high and low frequencies you would pick up when brought to stage levels.

 

I am also trying to save my hearing and avoid blindly reducing the high and low frequencies because I "know" they'll be exaggerated at the higher volumes.

 

Well you're not "wrong" per se, but there are lots of things that look swell on paper, but in practice turn out to be utterly ridiculous. Playing at comfy living room volume through studio monitors and trying to "accommodate" for hi's and lows that aren't there, is 100% guesswork. What you're proposing is effectively trying to figure out what kind of terrible low- volume tone will translate to awesomeness at gig volume. You could spend weeks guessing what kind of awfulness will turn out to be just right when you crank it up, but why would you do that to yourself? You could drive to work backwards and still get there, but it will take 3x as long, and you'll probably hit stuff...