where to put the center channel speaker?

[Jay-]

where to put the center channel speaker?

Might sound basic but I have a single 30 inch TFT display and there really is no place to put the center channel!

Do I need to build a shelf on my desk and elevate my display?

I copied this desk and built it and as you can see there is no place for the center speaker. Should I move the display to the right or build a schelf or get crafty?

What my desk looks and functions like
http://www.custom-consoles.com/image...screen_med.jpg



It wont fit under my display as I thought it would!

Hang from the ceiling? (See photo below)

http://blog.digitalcontentproducer.c...ky-system-one/

Cinder blocks? http://ignition-unit.com/temp/insert_studioc_03.jpg

[charles maynes]

Ideally your front speakers would be along the same plane- so you could put them behind the console on stands which allowed all the speakers to sit above the monitors- or you could put them on your wall- the objective though is that they are all the same height and sending their direct sound to the listening / mix position.

[Jay-]

Thanks charles. Ill have to decide wall or stands.

[mikevarela]

in line is always best, some set up the LCR higher than natural eye shot, so say desk is 36" eye at 4.5'', then maybe speaker array mounted at 6' in LCR arrangement facing downwards, less than 45 degree angle is best as you don't want massive reflections from the desk. Be weary though that you'll need to account for distances from cones to ears, so in the arrangement above, you'll need to tow and bring out the L and R or delay the center channel so the audio arrives at the same time from all three. Remember that they should optimally be in a circle shape where a piece of string from your eye to the cone for each is equidistant. <---- this is important


contrary you could mount the monitor higher than the speaker array. this is usually best because clients behind you need to see it as well. Maybe mount at the 6' mark and have your desk back a little so you're not headbanging to spot Fx.

[ggegan]

I like speakers above the video monitor because then the computer monitors don't block the sound and I don't get a sore neck from looking up all the time. I use Ultimate Support PA speaker stands and had a local welder make 5 adapters for Omnimounts for $100. That way you can play around with placement without turning your walls into Swiss cheese. Very portable as well.

I disagree about the importance of circle placement for speakers. I have never seen that kind of setup in any major TV or theatrical dub stage, home theater, or movie theater. Doesn't make sense to me to have the studio setup differently from end users, regardless of what the ITU spec may be. If you have the room and want to do it, you should go ahead and do it, but IMO it's not going to make a significant difference to the mix.

FWIW, for two man mixes on a typical dub stage in a major facility, not only are the monitors generally placed in a line, but neither mixer is even sitting dead center, or if one is dead center then the other guy is way off to the side.

[BIGBANGBUZZ]

Does anyone run a phantom centre.
My mates 5.1 studio is set-up like that, he mixes high end TV and Features.

works for him

[mikevarela]

Gary,

while I agree that I've seen many places that have a flat front, especially dub stages and of course theaters. I'd always thought that the center was either delayed a little or that the room was large enough for the sound to coalesce properly for most listeners. However, in a near field mix when the speakers are possibly 3-6 ft away, having the center back a little was supposed to correct for the time difference of audio reaching your ears - hence a smeared pan through LCR.

Yes, most consumer house setups don't abide, but then most aren't even calibrated or arranged properly anyways.

I completely understand your point though. It's up to the mixer. However, every diagram I've ever read or seen has the spec'd 5.1 setup with a center channel equidistant from ear as the L an R are. That's why I mentioned it.

Often though it's not possible to arrange this way, especially with the growing size of TV's and the lack of space in home studios. In either case, maybe running a test of a panned sound would help in making your decision.

Gary's often right here, and his suggestion is a good one. I just wanted to give you what has been written about in books and other media. the decision is up to you.

[ggegan]

Originally Posted by mikevarela

Gary,

while I agree that I've seen many places that have a flat front, especially dub stages and of course theaters. I'd always thought that the center was either delayed a little or that the room was large enough for the sound to coalesce properly for most listeners. However, in a near field mix when the speakers are possibly 3-6 ft away, having the center back a little was supposed to correct for the time difference of audio reaching your ears - hence a smeared pan through LCR.

Yes, most consumer house setups don't abide, but then most aren't even calibrated or arranged properly anyways.

I completely understand your point though. It's up to the mixer. However, every diagram I've ever read or seen has the spec'd 5.1 setup with a center channel equidistant from ear as the L an R are. That's why I mentioned it.

Often though it's not possible to arrange this way, especially with the growing size of TV's and the lack of space in home studios. In either case, maybe running a test of a panned sound would help in making your decision.

Gary's often right here, and his suggestion is a good one. I just wanted to give you what has been written about in books and other media. the decision is up to you.

I didn't mean to contradict you Mike, I just wanted to offer a little different perspective. In terms of delay, In a small room with nearfields placed at a radius of 7' away from the mixing position, the difference would be less than a foot, which would create less than one millisecond of delay. Maybe for music mixing the time alignment issue might come into play if you had music in all three front speakers, but I doubt you would notice anything with dialog or sound FX.