OK! I know are a million answers to this question and the right one is "listen to what your ears tell you". So I guess I am just trying to reassure my ears they are right!
I have a small home studio set up. It is by no means acoustically sound as it is my living room (or what used to be a living room!). I am using Alesis M1 active near field monitors. I connected an RTA/Equalizer to adjust for the listening position only between my mixer and the monitors. With one push of a button I can bypass the eq to A/B the sound. There is a noticable difference, of course - but should I do this? I know that if one does use an EQ on near fields it should be one with MUCH fewer bands than I am using, but I find that using it does make everything much clearer. The M1's are a bit bass heavy (which I don't mind being a bassist!) - but it makes some things harder to hear in the mix - compared to the eq'd signal.
Thanks for your thoughts in advance!
Chris P.
Comments
Chris, EQ's like that are pretty common in live sound setups a
Chris,
EQ's like that are pretty common in live sound setups and aren't really used that much in a recording type situation. Most people will aim to use better monitors and improve their rooms first, which are usually better options than using an EQ. EQ's, especially with that many bands, can really screw up the phase and introduce some pretty cruddy artifacts.
But, every 'rule' has its exceptions. Do some close listening, and runs some mixes using both the EQ and the bypass. If you feel like you're getting better results using the EQ...go for it!
I thought you were supposed to listen to things flat but I think
I thought you were supposed to listen to things flat but I think the actuall rule of thumb is to do whatever gives you the best mix. if this helps you get your end result then do it.