Gear Isn’t Everything!
First thing you will need to do is consider where you will place your speakers before you figure out your acoustic treatment. Even with the best software and the right tools, you could still have problems with your sound that will make you feel like an amateur if the speakers are not placed correctly.
Incorrect placement of your speakers can lead to inconsistency in the sound and the frequency range which might make some parts sound more or less pronounced than they are.
Think About the Design/Layout of Your Room
The first thing to do is look at the shape of your room. Do you have a square room or a rectangular room? If you have a rectangular room then you will want to point the speakers in the direction of the length of the room. Your listening position should be at the shorter of the walls.
If you have a big space keep the speakers away from the walls as much as possible.
If you have a smaller room, try to leave as much space between your speakers and the walls to improve the bass response.
Additionally, make sure there are no objects between your speakers and your listening position to help minimize as much sound reflections as possible.
Good Room Acoustics = Good Sound
Without a doubt there is a correlation between good room acoustics and getting good sound from your studio speakers. If the room acoustics are not right, then it will be virtually impossible to get the desired sound even if you have the best speakers. Acoustic treatment done properly will help your speakers sound more focused and make getting the right mix easier.
If your main issue is reflective walls, you can use recommended sound absorption panels placed throughout the room to help reduce the reflections.
Good room acoustic treatment also helps to reduce issues such as flutter echoes, thus making your sound tighter. The best way around this is to have a professional do a room analysis and recommend the best intervention.
Identify Your Listening Position
Choosing your listening/mixing position is important before placing your speakers. The listening position should face the short wall as opposed to the long wall. This setup will yield a flatter (better) bass response while allowing you to maximize the distance between your ears and the rear walls.
In most optimal configuarations, the back wall is designed to be at least 10 feet from your ears. This will help create the optimal sound reproduction. Anything less or more than this requires acoustic treatment to get everything fine tuned.
The listening position should not be at the halfway point of your room, lengthwise. The 38% guideline by Wes Lachot suggests the ideal listening position should be at the 38% mark of your room length.
You will be better off being closer to the front wall. This is because bass peaks and other muddy sounds will be worse at the rear walls due to reflections happening at the back of your room. If you can’t place your speakers at the 38% point, you can experiment with other positions until you find the spot that works for you.
Studio Monitor Angle
To create the most accurate stereo imaging, the listening position and the speakers should be positioned in such a way that they form an equilateral triangle. The speakers should face inward, and the distance between them and your listening position should be equal.
An example of this is, if your speakers are positioned 36 inches from each other, then your sitting position should be equally 36 inches from both the right and left speakers. Additionally, if the speakers are positioned 24 inches apart and the sitting position is less than 12 inches from the speakers, then you’ll need to find a way to narrow the distance between the speakers.
If you have surround speakers, the center channel speakers should be placed directly in front of you, with the surround speakers positioned at 110 to 120 degrees (in 5.1 setups) from your listening.
However, each speaker should be placed at the same distance from your listening area.
Adjust the Speaker Angle as Needed
Another tip when placing speakers is to angle them inward in such a way that they are pointed toward the listener or have them focus 12 inches behind your head. You can increase and decrease the angle gradually until you achieve your goal.
While angling the speakers make the sweet spot sweeter, it makes the rest of the room a little bit less sweet. If you need great sound across a wider listening range, then you need to decrease the angle in and find the optimal angle to achieve your goals.
In short, angling the speakers in is effective if only one listening position is used most of the time.
Height of Speakers is Important
A good rule of thumb is to have the tweeters at ear level and not centered between the ceiling and the floor. Once you have determined the best place to place your speakers, you will need to consider the height factor.
For you to achieve the optimal listening height, we recommend placing the speakers on speaker stands. Speaker stands are important when it comes to setting the speakers, and they provide a wide range of benefits int he studio. The primary benefit of placing speakers on speaker stands is that they help improve speaker performance.
Ideally, you don’t want your speakers close to surfaces due to the fact that the surfaces (walls and/or floor) create reflections that distort/alter the sound image. Speaker stands help reduce speaker cabinet vibrations for better sound reproduction. This is why it is recommended to get your speakers off surfaces. When speakers are placed on other surfaces such as desks or floors may sound a bit colored due to vibrations.
Speaker stands come in a wide variety as well as all shapes and sizes. The most popular ones come with height adjustment features to help you adjust sound projection.
A friendly reminder, tweeters should be kept at ear level, and being able to adjust the height enables you to achieve this. It is important to ensure that the stands are strong enough to withstand the weight of your speakers to minimize movement when the speakers are playing.
Conclusion
Positioning studio speakers is a process, so be prepared to invest a fair amount of time and quite possibly extra money to get it right.
The process involves trial and error and sometimes compromises. Every step may not be easy to implement…however, basic rules such as keeping speakers away from walls and corners are simple and easy to implement and they will go a long way in making your sound better.
You may find yourself needing to reevaluate your speaker layout as well as purchase additional aids/products to help you complete your setup.
- On 08/26/2024
