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Old 07-14-2019, 01:49 AM   #1
Tiggerdyret
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Default What are your thoughts on speaker simulation?

Hi,

After seeing the waves Abbey Road getting released this weekend I got curious about the possibilities of speaker simulations. As someone who can mostly only mix on headphones I thought this could be a neat addition for referencing, if nothing else to just reset my ears quickly while mixing. I've listened to the NX and Abbey Road Studio 3, which was just released, but it doesn't quite do it justice, when not tracking the head position.

My personal thoughts by someone who rarely listens on speakers is that it is a better representation of what the stereo field through speakers would sound like. Though it is kinda like flipping the mono switch, but in a more natural way, where it doesn't kill all the sound of things like unison synths that are spread over the stereo field or guitars panned left and right, that would normally loose volume, when played in mono.

The bad side of it is that it to me doesn't sound like it's in front of me (with no tracking at least). The lead singer still sounds like it coming from inside my head and not in front of me. Warren Huart said in his latest FAQ, that it thought someone turned on the speakers, when he was testing the Abbey Road plugin in the actual AR studio 3. And that is kinda what it feels like... Like speakers playing in the room, while the headphones are turned on as well. Which IMO could be very bad for mixing.

So what are your experience with speaker simulation? Is it worth it? What are your favorite software in terms of price and quality?
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Old 07-14-2019, 06:05 AM   #2
JDSStudios
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It may make your mix different, but not better.
Best way for me, is to really know your monitors well.
Then we listen to the project in other quality sound systems, like in the car.
If it sounds good in several places, we are done.
Waves are great, but lately they are going nuts on marketing.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiggerdyret View Post
Hi,

After seeing the waves Abbey Road getting released this weekend I got curious about the possibilities of speaker simulations. As someone who can mostly only mix on headphones I thought this could be a neat addition for referencing, if nothing else to just reset my ears quickly while mixing. I've listened to the NX and Abbey Road Studio 3, which was just released, but it doesn't quite do it justice, when not tracking the head position.

My personal thoughts by someone who rarely listens on speakers is that it is a better representation of what the stereo field through speakers would sound like. Though it is kinda like flipping the mono switch, but in a more natural way, where it doesn't kill all the sound of things like unison synths that are spread over the stereo field or guitars panned left and right, that would normally loose volume, when played in mono.

The bad side of it is that it to me doesn't sound like it's in front of me (with no tracking at least). The lead singer still sounds like it coming from inside my head and not in front of me. Warren Huart said in his latest FAQ, that it thought someone turned on the speakers, when he was testing the Abbey Road plugin in the actual AR studio 3. And that is kinda what it feels like... Like speakers playing in the room, while the headphones are turned on as well. Which IMO could be very bad for mixing.

So what are your experience with speaker simulation? Is it worth it? What are your favorite software in terms of price and quality?
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Old 07-14-2019, 06:24 AM   #3
Rangler
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It's just a layer of EQ that's not very accurate. It's annoying because I can "hear" what it's doing. I rather learn what's bad about my speakers and compensate that way.
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Old 07-14-2019, 07:45 AM   #4
Philbo King
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Assuming you're using headphones...
Having 7 choices for what speakers they should sound like seems to me a recipe for confusion and indecision. If you were extremely familiar with one of the speakers, and had very flat-response headphones, it might be worth trying.
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Old 07-14-2019, 07:45 AM   #5
1111Eugene
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is ambience from any reverb concidered the same?
I like to use uvi thorus, but it needs to be more magical and musical right away, and it's not always or almost never
Oh, I get it, you must mean recording of an actual speaker sound in some room\chamber etc?
as always a lot of plugins and ways to do it can give similar or almost identical results
the main part is that it should comliment a song and perfomance. that's all. mmm I hope I didn't just waste your wish to read
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Old 07-14-2019, 07:50 AM   #6
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Dave V from Home Recording Made Easy is using the Waves deal on his current live mixing series on YouTube (at least he did last night) and it was obviously coloring his mixing decisions to a small degree...I saw nothing that made me want it any more or less than I already don't...

I personally can't see the point of it...how is coloring the headphone sound going to make it sound like it was mixed in a particular room? And what's the point anyway? I always thought the idea was to eliminate as much of the room as you can from the equation...

If you mix on headphones a decent correction plugin on your fx monitor should be all you'll ever need...
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Old 07-14-2019, 07:52 AM   #7
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Focusrite did an attempt with VRM Box
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/focusrite-vrm-box

I looked at it briefly, but since they put no effort to actually support phones really good for mixing, and had no impedance data even for phones output - I dropped it.

They have it built into an interface of theirs, as well as separate box.

And there was no processing in the box, it's all done by drivers in computer. AT least the separate VRM Box worked that way.

The idea is cool if it works, and you quickly could examine a number of monitors and how it possibly could sound.

But as only monitor, replacing physical monitors - I doubt it. If it actually would spread leakage between channels like in a room - again doubting that.

What you say about Abbey Road seems to confirm that.

But it wasn't that expensive either if you want to try it - about $100 as I recall.

Not sure what it does to latency - if you only can use it for final mixing. Even using separate spdif out from your regular soundcard check that out.
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