Any 824 owners/users in here?

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Got any tips for identifying potential issues with using the 'sweet' sounding Mackies? I hear some people have to tweak the mid range abit to make them sound a bit more natural/neutral across other systems.

DS

[Khazul]

Dont the 824 come with a freq response chart? That would be a starting point for tweaking, but TBH your room will have way more affect on the response curve of what you actually hear...

Only way to chart that out is from you own feel of how your environment differs from the ideal, or actually measure it - measuring mic, reference noise source and an RTA. Personally I prefer not to tweak the audio chain and instead just get used to it and/or tweak the environement if possible.

Have you just got your 824s then and if so - are they sounding a little odd?

[Doc Jones]

I pretty much agree with everything Khazul wrote. Knowing the sonic characteristics of your recording environment is what will help you achieve clarity in your mixes. I have a pair of HR824s and my mixes were alway translating very muddy. After taking some measurements at the mix position and some testing, I was able to make some eq adjustments that helped my mixes achieve more balance.

but bloody hell, they are some seriously LOUD monitors!!

[Tomer=Trance]

"Eqing" the room is really not a solution,its like putting a bandaid on a gun shot wound.
I would suggest you google up acoustic treatment,bass traps,diffusers,acoustic panels.
DIY home studio treatment can be done easly and rather unexpenssivly.

[Khazul]

Ive tried using a GEQ to compensate for a rom - it just does not work. The main problem is the exact EQ correction you need varies with program material, levels and your exact position (down to a cms or so) in the room due to harmonics triggering resonances, standing waves etc. And of course the perceived effect is often level dependent.

Taking your bandaid analogy - I think its more like stick the band-aid on the blood before cleaning up the find out where the main wound is...

The 824s are less prone to agrivating room issues than alot of similar sized monitor IMHO, but still - any monitor of that size needs a good environment. 6" units seem to be alot more home-studio friendly.


Bizarre random thought - you think it says something about us lot that we *choose* to spend lot of time in a padded (accostically damped) cell?

[Tomer=Trance]

"you think it says something about us lot that we *choose* to spend lot of time in a padded (accostically damped) cell?"


my room does not look like a mad house !

[F5D]

DS, I guess you have to set the bass switch to at least -2dB (I know many people who use it at -4dB) because the 824's usually produce too much bass in about any room. I had to use the -2dB position with my 626's and they still produced plenty of bass. I'm not sure about the little 624 but 824 and 626 usually need that bass adjustment to sound more neutral. The bass response goes very low in unechoing chamber so if you put the mackies in a room, the low end will get boosted.

[Gopal]

Originally Posted by Doc Jones

but bloody hell, they are some seriously LOUD monitors!!

That would concern me.

Something that seems really loud has alot of distortion. When something has very low distortion, you can reach dangerous listening levels before you realise it and even at levels that can cause permanent hearing damage, it won't seem loud

[Khazul]

Allways worth having a peak sensitive sound level meter in your studio - can get some serious transients sitting in front of powerful monitors - proper snare drums seem the worst, but the shock from kick at a meter or so from a decent monitor can do huge damage as well...

[F5D]

I can monitor only at about 70dB so I won't get any hearing damages!
In fact I don't really hear anything before the neighbours can hear it too. So I don't use my monitors when producing. I must use headphones. I use my monitors only for some random checks and when listening to music. I have to build my own house that I can use my monitors for mixing.