Adam P33A translation delima

[Stormkloud]

Ok ive had my Adam's set up in the studio for a couple weeks now and I have a bit of a delima. To me , I think they sound a bit better in the vertical position with sub on bottom but, I am having a tough time with mixdowns. I am not getting really good bass responce from them so my mixes are translating bass heavy.
My problem may be that I have lots of bass traps (12)(2'X4' 703 4" thick) in the room and it may be sucking the bass out of the room. My room is fairly small (11.5ft X 15ft). I have thought about messing around with the room EQ on the back of the speakers but I dont want to screw up the accuracy of the speakers. Everything I listen to thru them sounds really clear in the mid and high end but is really lacking bass responce. I mean, I can hear the lower mids and bass but it is very low level and I seem to want to compensate alot in my mixes. Maybe I should take down some of the traps ? I may try messing with the EQ on the back just to see if that helps. The most I can put the speakers away from the back wall is 14" so maybe that is skewing the sound some ?

Any suggestions from Adams owners?
thanks

[Autocrat]

Hey Stormkloud,

I also use ADAM P33As. My room is close to your size (14x17). I have mine horizontally right now. I also have GIK 4" panels (6 in the corners and 4 on the side walls total).

I found that I had to mess with the EQ curves on the back to get them to translate better, but after I got it right, I put the EQs back to flat. I used to work with Mackies (824s) and CDs just sounded better on them, but my mixes weren't too good. On the other hand, commercial CDs on the Adams don't sound all that great - too much mids for me.

Anyway, I've been doing rough mixes right now on a project, we'll see once we get closer to the end.

[Stormkloud]

Thanks for the reply,

I think ill move mine back to the horizontal position and try moving them around a bit. I may try and boost the low EQ on them also to see what happens. Up to this point , I was kinda scared to touch the eq settings but I guess It cant hurt to try.
I also used to work on HR824's and had a really hard time getting my mixes right. I think Adams will just take some time to get used to. The high-end detail in these monitors is amazing. I just need to get the bottom right and I will be good to go!

thanks

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by Stormkloud

I think ill move mine back to the horizontal position and try moving them around a bit.

Definitely the first thing to try...as with any monitor, positioning is amazingly important - even a few inches (L/R as well as distance from the wall) can make a big difference in some rooms.

I do recommend experimenting with that before playing with the EQ.

dB
ADAM Audio USA

[Stormkloud]

Thanks for chiming in Bryce !

I will do just that tonight. Is only being 14" fom the back wall a major problem in your opinion ? I may have to redo my room setup if I have to move them further out.

thanks again
I love this place !

[Fletcher]

Originally Posted by Stormkloud

Is only being 14" fom the back wall a major problem

Is this like a Spinal Tap thing or are you really sitting 14" from the back wall?

14 ft. from your back to the back wall isn't a struggle... 14" between your back and the back wall? [I]YOU ARE SCREWED[I].

If you're talking about the wall being 14" behind the P-33's you shouldn't have a major struggle... though I'm sure there are other things in your room that will very likely give you a pain in the ass.

[Stormkloud]

Sorry , I meant the speakers are 14" from the front wall. From the back of the speaker to the wall behind it. I guess I worded it wrong. Thanks tho for the responce Fletcher.

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by Stormkloud

Is only being 14" fom the back wall a major problem in your opinion ?

Being 14 inches from the front ( ) wall should not be a problem. ADAM Germany recommends 40 CM, which I think is about 15 1/2 inches.

That being said, my S3As are closer to the front wall than that (under 10 inches), and they sound fine to me...

dB
ADAM Audio USA

[Rep]

Originally Posted by Stormkloud

Ok ive had my Adam's set up in the studio for a couple weeks now and I have a bit of a delima. To me , I think they sound a bit better in the vertical position with sub on bottom but, I am having a tough time with mixdowns. I am not getting really good bass responce from them so my mixes are translating bass heavy.

Any suggestions from Adams owners?
thanks

Your room Is great ,with all the 703/ 705 conner traps... just boost them a bit.
You may be like me , and just like/ want to feel the low end a bit,
If your mixes are too strong on the "other systems " try boosting the ADAM's below 150 a touch ,
just +3 db, I started this , and it created a "Feel" that worked for me ,
...as low end Mud was not a translating problem after that,
It also made them more enjoyable to listen to 4 Me!
If it works for you ... It really cant be wrong !


.

[Stormkloud]

So , I learned alot last nite about the Adams. Bryce was exactly right , moving them a few inch's makes a huge difference in the sound. I put them back to the horizontal position and moved them in closer to each other and WOW , the bass was booming. The thing is, the mids also came up alot. Maybe to the point of being muddy and less focused. The vertical position seemed alot more focused and clear in the mids and high end but lacked bass in my room. I am going to do alot more testing this weekend and may try moving around some of my bass traps to see if I can get the sound a bit tighter but retain good low end.

thanks for the help Slutz !

[Bryce]

Originally Posted by Stormkloud

So , I learned alot last nite about the Adams. Bryce was exactly right , moving them a few inch's makes a huge difference in the sound.

It's amazing how much of a difference a few inches can make, isn't it?

I often wonder when I read people's comments about monitors (all kinds, not just ADAMs) how much time they spend experimenting with the positioning.

dB
ADAM Audio USA