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ecording theroomListen Up“In the final mix stage, I often monitor through my mixdown trackwith an L2 limiter to make sure that transients still cut through andthat the balance doesn’t change too much. I use main monitors tolisten to bass and kick balance and general dynamics/energy of thetrack. Listening very quietly to NS-10s helps to find a good vocallevel and to make sure that all instruments have their own space.Having something like a small iPod dock or a mono radio with anaux input also helps a lot to make sure that the bottom end translateswell to domestic systems.”Alexander Beitzke, Monitoring Practice Preferences, Monitors 2011Tri-ThisFor basic studio monitor placement, you should create anequilateral triangle between you and the speakers, turningthem slightly towards you, but aimed just behind you.Also, keep the high frequency drivers as close to ear levelas possible.KRK SystemsBit-Wise24-bit digital recording has a very widedynamic range. Don’t worry about the digitalnoise floor; it is far below. You can safelyrecord with peak levels 20dB down,preserving lots of headroom.David Mathew, Audio PrecisionDon’t Get PhasedSignal polarity is important. Relative polarity errors in related signals can causefrequency cancellation, complete signal cancellation, and that weird twisty feelingyou get in your head when your speakers are ‘out of phase.’ Absolute polarity isimportant, too. Most audio signals are not symmetrical (the human voice is agood example), and sometimes a careful listener can hear a polarity change, evenin a mono signal. A singer listening to her own voice in headphones is definitelysensitive to polarity, because there are two paths: electric and acoustic.Ideally, your entire recording/mixing/monitoring chain, including microphones,headphones and speakers, is configured for correct polarity. Check it.There are tools. None as elegant as the EMT 160, unfortunately.Best Studio Practice – Top Six• Punctuality – never be late!• Loyalty and hard work• Honesty and diplomacy• Good maintenance and tech support• Secure archival all materials and safety copies (takecharge of all transferring of materials)• Don’t just walk into and interrupt someone else’ssession… it’s really annoying and a surprise how manystudios allow it or don’t seem to care (it’s not a party!)Mark Rose, Co-Chairman MPG/Owner Deep StudiosBalancing ActDavid Mathew, Audio PrecisionEveryone knows that you need acoustical treatment in your studio. This of course helps tame powerfulfirst order reflections which makes it easier to mix. But what few realise is that you can actually do moreharm to your room than good if you do not balance the absorption.Think of your room as a 3-way loudspeaker. When you use thin, low density foam, you will only absorbthe high frequencies. In other words, you have now turned off the tweeter. You are left with a room thatwill be mid range and bass heavy. The trick is balanced absorption. When selecting absorptive materials,look at the sound absorption coefficients – not the numbers, but the graphs. This will tell you exactlywhat frequencies you will absorb. Make sure you also consider bass traps. With balanced absorption inyour studio, your mixes will translate better when you move them to another room.Peter Janis, President,Radial Engineering LtdTango. We’ve been listening.Tango. The intelligent controller. Touch it at smartav.netAUDIO MEDIA AUGUST 201133