Studio Monitor Placement: Positioning Tips For Optimal Sound

Studio Monitor Placement: Positioning Tips for Optimal Sound
26/07/15 22:10
Studio Monitor Placement: Positioning Tips for Optimal

Sound
It sounds silly to spend thousands on studio
monitors
Only to waste their potential by not taking
the time to position them right.
Doesnt it?
Yet many folks do exactly that. Because what
they dont realize is
A seemingly small detail like monitor
placement can have an even greater impact
on your sound
Than the monitors themselves!
Poorly-positionedthey can create
HUGE peaks and valleys in the frequency
response of your room
Destroying any chance you had of crafting a well-balanced mix.
To help you avoid that misfortune, for todays post Ive created this in-depth guide on
studio monitor placement.
First up
The Standard Mixing Position

While the correct mixing position is always subject to debate
The majority of todays engineers are in agreement as to what is generally
http://ehomerecordingstudio.com/studio-monitor-positioning/
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considered ideal.
And that ideal position can besummed up with 2 simple rules:
1. Your head should form an equilateral triangle your monitors

The following diagram shows how it should look:
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The logic here is: Without a standard in place, stereo image widths may vary
drastically from one studio to another.
To solve this problem
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The equilateral triangle method was likely devised as an easy-to-remember rule

that offers a good compromise between too-wide and too-narrow.
The next rule is
2. Point the monitors directly toward your head

The following diagram shows the proper setup:
The logic here is: Because high frequencies are more directional than low
frequencies.
They sound noticeably stronger when the tweeters are pointed directly at you
compared to when theyre NOT.
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Just like with Rule #1

Rule #2 was likely developed as a way to maintain a consistent listening perspective
from one studio to another.
So that covers the basics of monitor placement. Now lets move on to the moreadvanced stuff.
Starting with
Room Modes Explained
While the goal of monitor placement is to create an environment where:

A natural balance of sounds can exist, un-colored by room acoustics
The BIGGEST obstacle to achieving that goal is a condition known as room modes
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Which form whenever a rooms dimensions are EITHER:

the same length as the sound wave, or
a multiple of the half-wavelength (1.5, 2, 2.5, etc.).
At those frequencies, the sound waves get trapped between opposing walls, creating
whats known as a standing wave
Which affects both the volume, and rate-of-decay of that frequencyand distorts the
overall acoustics of the room.
When 2 room dimensions are equal, like in a standard 1010 bedroom, the
problem is amplified because you have twice as many standing waves at the same
group of frequencies.
That is also the reason you hear people say that cubed-rooms are the worst.
Up next
Frequency vs. Wavelength
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In a typical-sized home studio, you only see problems with standing waves below
frequencies of 300 Hz.
And heres why:
At higher frequencies, sound waves are shorter
While at lower frequencies, theyre longer.
For example:
20,000 Hz = 0.05 ft
10,000 Hz = 0.1 ft
1,000 Hz = 1.1 ft
500 Hz = 2.3 ft
200 Hz = 5.7 ft
100 Hz = 11.3 ft
20 Hz = 56.5 ft
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As lower frequencies approach the size of a rooms dimensionsthey become

increasingly affected by the room itself.
Thats one reason why larger rooms are better, since they only have problems with
standing waves at the lowest bass frequencies.
In smaller rooms, the problems are usually much greater.
The good new is: there are solutions. So lets learn them now
Solution #1: Better Positioning

To tame the effects of standing waves in your room, the standard strategy is:
to create singular waves at multiple frequencies
as opposed to multiple waves at fewer frequencies.
This is done by varying the distances between your monitors and each wall.
That way, the impact of each wave at each frequency is minimized, and the frequency
response of the room remains as flat as possible.
To employ this strategy, all you need to do is follow these steps when setting up your
monitors:
1. Position monitors against the longest wall.

When it comes to the width of your room, you really cant vary the distances from the
side-walls, because you still need to maintain a symmetrical stereo image.
In this case, the next best solution is to set up your monitors against the longest wall
to minimize problems from side reflections.
Up next
2. Vary those distances.
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At this point, pull out a measuring tape and a notepad, because its time to compare
some distances.
First off, ensure that the height of your monitors is either slightly above, or slightly
below the mid-way point between the floor and ceiling.
Next, measure the distance between the monitors and the side-walls, to ensure that
theyre neither the same (nor an exact multiple of) the previous two distances.
If they are, simply make adjustments and re-measure until everything looks good.
Up next
3. Create space between the monitors and the rear wall.

Because bass frequencies project outward in all directionsmuch of that sound
travels backwards and reflects off the rear wall of your room.
The problem is, when it recombines with the direct sound from the monitors
The in-phase frequencies get amplified, and the out-of-phase frequencies cancel
out. This principle is known as the boundary effect.
To solve the problem, pro studios often build their monitors directly into the wall,
thus eliminating all rear reflections. (Heres an example).
However, since this solution is far too expensive home studios
The next best option is to create the maximum separation between the wall and
the monitors that the room-size will allow. For most rooms, thats between 1-2 feet.
This wont SOLVE the problem, but it will lessen it somewhat, by reducing the
strength of the reflections.
Another useful trick is to use monitors with FRONT bass ports, such as the Adam
Audio A7X, because unlike rear-facing bass ports, they direct a larger portion of the
energy forward, AWAY from the walls.
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In really small rooms, these monitors save space by allowing you to position them
closer to the wall.
Up next
4. Find a good head position

In the same way that monitor positioning has a big impact on your soundso too
does head positioning.
And so, following the same basic principlesheres how to find the ideal position for
YOURSELF:
1. Center your chair between the side walls to maintain symmetrical
stereo image.
2. Set the chair height so your head is NOT halfway between the ceiling
and floor.
3. Set the chair/desk position so that it is NOT halfway between the
front and back walls.
4. Measure and compare the distances on all 3 dimensions to ensure
theyre neither the same, nor exact multiples of each other.
Once thats done, youre ready for the next step
Solution #2: Acoustic Treatment

Now that youve positioned both your monitors and chair
Next its time to design an acoustic treatment plan around those two positions.
Heres how its done:
1. Add bass traps behind monitors

Earlier I mentioned how reflected bass frequencies from your rear wall can cause
problems.
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Well the absolute BEST way to minimize those problems is to add bass traps directly
behind each monitor.
If you only follow one tip from this articleFOLLOW THIS ONE. Because it makes
a huge difference.
If you dont have spare bass traps, acoustic panels or ANY other type of absorption
works FAR better than nothing.
Up next
2. Add absorption at initial reflection points

If youre familiar with initial reflection points, then you know there are 4 KEY
locations that cause the majority of problems with reflected sound from your
monitors:
Two are above your head
One is on the left wall
One is on the right wall
If you ARENT familiar with them yet, heres how to find them:
Imagine that the walls and ceiling of your room are mirrors. From your seated
mixing position, the initial reflection points are the spots on the wall where you
would see the reflections of your monitors.
Simply cover up those 4 spots with acoustic panels, and youre all set.
Up next
3. Add diffusion to the rear wall

Even though the sound waves from your monitors spread out in ALL directions
The MAJORITY of that energy is focused directly at youand the wall behind your
head.
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If that wall is flat, its a liabilitybecause it has the potential to create more standing
waves than any surface in the room.
However
If that wall is covered in diffusers, it becomes an asset, because it scatters all that
energy before it ever has the chance to cause problems.
Combine this tip with the 2 previous ones, and youve got a great recipe for success.
Up next
Suggested Tools
Now that youve got a plan, here are a few links to some tools that might help you:
First, if you need acoustic treatment, check out this article:
The next item I recommend is a pair of isolation pads for your monitors. In
addition to acoustically isolating your them from the desk
They also offer a way to easily adjust tilt. For monitor placement, this has 2
advantages:
1. Tilting the monitors up or down creates less potential for standing
waves between the front and rear walls.
2. Tilting allows you to readjust the angle towards your head as your
raise or lower the height.
These are the top models I recommend:
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Next, for those with a decent-sized room, I recommend adding a pair of monitor
stands.
Compared to desk-shelves, these stands offer maximum flexibility with positioning,
making your job a lot easier.
These are the ones I recommend:
And finally, to conclude this article:
Testing the Results of Your Work

Once youve completed all the steps, everything should sound good, in-theory. But
just to verify it sounds good in-reality
Some people use a test known as a bass sweep to pin-point possible problems in the
low-end frequency response of a room.
Heres an example. Check it out:
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What you hear in this recording is a series of descending bass tones, played at a
constant level.
To test your room, play this recording (or any equivalent) through your monitors
and listen for significant changes in volume from one note to the next.
If they sound consistent, then all is well.
If NOT, chances are theres a problem with your current setup. And unfortunately,
the only way to fix it is to start over from the beginning, try again, and retest.
While it may take a few attempts to get it right, trust me when I say
All your efforts will be well-worth-it once you hear the end-result.
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