Good mixes sounds like shit on my 8050

[blackcom]

Argh, none of my favourite albums sounds anything spectacular on my 8050s...how do I know when I'm doing something right? Sounds kinda "dull and nasty"....

[Lindell]

[QUOTE=blackcom;1133107]...how do I know when I'm doing something right? QUOTE]

Start off with changing those loudspeakers.

[E Orjatsalo]

Originally Posted by Lindell

Start off with changing those loudspeakers.

Or perhaps do something to your rooms acoustics, which is always a good starting point... Unless you haven't already done that.

[dashamu]

What were you using before the 8050s? Did they sound 'good'? Did your mixes translate well out of your studio?
Obviously, something wasn't right otherwise you wouldn't need new monitors.
So, as a previous poster suggested, check your room acoustics. Speaker placement, room dimensions, current acoustic treatment and where it's placed.
I recently purchashed Dynaudio BM6As. They sounded great until I changed some of
the dimensions and aborbtion in my room. Then, they suddenly sounded muddy and undefined. (dull and nasty) It could be the speakers, but I would bet it's a lack of bass trapping in your control room. And maybe too much hi/mid absorbtion. I've been adding bass traps to my room and with each set of panels I add, the sound gets tighter, more defined and more accurate. I just ordered two more panels and I can't wait to see how much better they make my speakers/room sound.

So, before you pull your hair out (if you still have any), look into the bass trap thing.
It can't hurt. Check out GIK and Ethan Winer. They make stuff that works.

[octatonic]

I'd bet acoustics...

I've moved country quite a bit and each time I have to do the new room fandango to get it sounding right.

[u b k]

Originally Posted by blackcom

...how do I know when I'm doing something right?

when you take your mixes out into the world and they sound great.

try the 8050's in a few different rooms, take them to a good friend's, take them to grandma's. do they sound consistently dull and nasty? genelecs always sound tizzly to me, never dull, quite the opposite.

if your room is reasonably shored up acoustically, your monitors should make it painfully obvious what to do to bring a mix together. adams do this, ns10's do this, focals do this, atc's do this. genelecs, ime, don't do this, but others say different and that's okay.

sometimes the mixes i love fall apart on the focals. i then realize there are things that could make the mix better. i then listen to those mixes on other systems and hear the shortcoming the focals made apparent. this is how great monitors work, it's very reassuring but it can also be quite maddening.

so i try not to listen to my favorite music on the focals anymore... ignorance truly is bliss.


gregoire
del
ubk
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[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by blackcom

Sounds kinda "dull and nasty"....

That's because "dull and nasty"is part of todays norm. No one listens at home on studio monitors that reveal distortion in the midrange well. Its actually the opposite alot of home systems have dips in the midrange to help todays distorted masters not sound as fatiguing. Also dull and nasty might suck in the studio but on an Ipod, cell phone, computer speakers or car system dull and nasty may cut through when you crank it above lots of background noise.

For this very reason i rarely listen to todays music in the studio. I can get no enjoyment thinking about sonic issues. I go home instead, pop open a beer, and on my computer speakers blast Mp3's away.

[Watersound]

It's not the speakers, the 8050s are spectacular, but it took a while to get my room tuned right. Try different positions if you can with them and play around with the treble and bass tilt on the back. Hope this helps.

[Tony Shepperd]

I know this is going to sound really bad and I apologize for this, but maybe it's because Genelec's (especially the 8050's) don't sound good.
Did you buy them before you really got a chance to listen to them?
Did you buy them on someone else's recommendation?

Monitors are a very personal thing. There is a trust factor with your monitors.
You need to find something you can learn to trust in your room.