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to the speaker’s response, because the ear/brain reads reflections arriving within 10 milliseconds
of the direct sound as being part of the speaker’s response, these reflections can pull the stereo
image around in different directions at different frequencies. Enough theory, now to the lab.
Here’s where we have fun with science. Take the microphone stand and place it at the mix
position. Attach one end of the string to the top of the mic stand, and stretch the string out to the
front of one of the monitors. This is the direct sound path from the speaker to your mix position.
To locate all the surfaces that will contribute reflections within that magic 2 millisecond window,
add 600mm(24”) to the string you have stretched out. Take a small piece of gaffer tape and
attach the string to the baffle (NOT the drivers!). Now, every surface you can touch with any part
of that string can contribute a reflection to your mix position.
The STRING analyser
This same concern about reflecting surfaces applies to all nearby widgets such as computer
monitors, outboard gear, coffee cups, rolls of tape, the producer’s wooden leg and all the other
usual paraphernalia found in a studio environment. Cleaning up this short sound path between
the speaker and your listening position is like using a cotton bud on your ear.
You can repeat the process with an extra 3000mm (10 feet) of string to see which surfaces will
influence the timbre and imaging of your mix. This exercise is not just about finding places to stick
fuzzy or foamy absorbers to, the last thing you want to do is make your room completely dead.
What this process will show you is which surfaces you should try to angle to redirect reflections
away from your mix position. If there are surfaces that you cannot move or shift, you can apply a
small amount of absorbent material to specific surfaces, rather than covering the entire room in
absorbers.
You may want to consider a speaker placement other than the console meter bridge, perhaps on
an elevated mounting arm attached to the wall, or on a mid-field monitor stand, just behind the
console. These positions can help clean up that 2-millisecond window. Keep your ears open for
other problem reflections, like between the sloped connector panel on the back of the console
and the baffle of the speaker, which will find its way back to the mix position a bit too late to be
useful. The string trick works just fine for locating these reflecting surfaces.
It’s important that you listen to the effect of speaker placement on the sound character of your
speakers, and understand what those changes are going to do to your mix. To make the point
here’s are some more things to consider: -