Are Aux Fed Subwoofers Dumb or Smart?

Why are you sending high hat to the subs?

Why would you not want separate control over the subs?

Its not hard, its just smart.

If you like this and other videos I do, please join this channel to get access to more videos, early access to videos as well as to be able to join my weekly zoom chats:

Also check out:

[robroilen]

The thing that always gets me is when engineers say "why overcomplicate things by feeding subs with an aux??" and then they go into some convoluted routing scheme using subgroups and matrices to accomplish the same goal. Inevitably, the engineers who come through my venue who are 40+ all use aux fed subs, and the younger engineers always have some "new idea" that ends up wasting time and stresses them out when they should just be having fun.

[Auxknob]

This is probably one of the most discussed issues in sound depending on who you ask… I love hearing both sides. Every mix scenario has its pros and cons as to how to drive LFE… PA budget, music style, system efficiency, deployment configuration. Sound is scrutinized more than any other production department, and I’m grateful to have options on how to optimize my PA. 99% of the time I’m subs on a buss. But I’ve mixed subs on mains to much success. Thank you HPF. Cheers all!

[alanphillips]

Moved away from straight LR mixing to aux subs quite a long time ago, have noticed much more controllability and improved mix overall since, also allows more flexibility with patching DSP's (NST/Xilica), enjoy your logic as always Mr RAT 🤘🐀

[garethplaysdrums]

I'll be trying subs on an aux send on my next pa set up. Makes total sense 👍

[Patient]

That's it I'm rewiring all of my audio speakers and going to route the sub frequencies to my tweeters and my high frequencies to my subs thanks for sharing. 👍🏻

[simonlinser]

Subscribed for your thorough explanation that made me think about it again.

[imark]

This is literally the first best and last explanation that fully explains the difference and it's under a minute! Do you know how many videos I've been trying to watch to understand this! It wasn't until I did an outdoor gig with the wind and had the subs daisychained off the mains then I flipped them around back to an aux send what a difference. However I do have to find an alternative way around this as we kind of do need all 4 of the auxiliary outs, but I don't have access to the EQ I need to channel very much as the musician I'm working with is looking for a particular sound in their monitor and has hearing issues.

[danmesnard]

A combo of both utilising HPF and subs on an aux will get you what you want.

[johnmcquay]

I've been using LR+Sub for quite some time now. It works for me, so I'll continue to take that route.

[TheValdimeola]

Using subs with separated aux Will give us more tweaking ability. We can send different amount of signal from the same mic to different speakers ( PA, subs, midbass speaker, mid-high and horns). For example i am using a system with
2 Subs 30/100hz 18" speakers
2 midbass 80/ 300 hz 15" speakers
2 "full range" 100 /18khz 4x8" and 1" Horn.
I am very pleased to send different amount of my kick or my Guitar to the speakers, less eq Is needed and you can achieve some killer tones

[marcosmorales]

Right! That's usually the problem in most Vegas lounges. One Matrix feeding everything.

[alejandrobarrero]

Love you Dave, thanks a lot for sharing your knowledge

[ManikMekanik]

Subs on aux send is a no brainer for me, much cleaner & more control of the overall mix!

[kegwf]

I had to change to aux fed subs at a church system I recently took over, because they had added subs, but not a crossover...
The plosives and handling noise from the pastor's mic during sermons coming through the subs was intolerable, and so completely removing the vocals from the subs was the only way I had to improve the situation with their non existent budget lol

When I am mixing, I definitely want to have control over the subs in one way or another, because I love being able to push out powerful bass, or floor thumping sub-bass when I am blessed with the speakers, when I need it, but dial it back at other times, and on a digital board I would probably do that by sending it through a subgroup, so it's invisible when I don't need to adjust it, but I have full control when I do, but for a church system where multiple people will be using it, sometimes I have to sacrifice personal control for lack of complications for other users.

Though one way I have gotten the best(ish) of both worlds is to have the subs fed through a crossover off the LR main output, but at a lower level, so everyone gets bass but it can't sound too bad, but then also have an aux buss going to the subs, so the advanced users can push more bass from specific channels when desired.

Thank you Dave for putting all this information out there, much of my deeper understanding of the principles, and more advanced techniques, have come from your articles and such over the decades!

[Ozzy]

My Mackie has three sets of main outputs: Mains, Sub 1/2, Sub 3/4. I always run my LF channels through Sub 1/2 for my subs and Mains. For vocals and guitar, I send to Sub 3/4 and Mains. Sub 3/4 goes to a dual 31 band EQ so I can pull out the LF signals, whereas 1/2 goes to another 31 band EQ to pull out the HF signals. I can tweak the EQs on the board to adjust for the Mains.
I have three separate amps, three groups of speakers (all point source). Four subs, a set of midrange (four 15" woofers, a horn, and four pizo tweeters), and my highs (a set of four 12's with a horn and three pizo tweeters). This all ensures that my sound comes out so clean and clear. I've been requested back to a particular venue because I sound better than the normal person. Gawd, if only I could get there on a regular basis lol. But it works. And that's what is key. Finding what best suits you. There are many channels, many videos... they all offer great advice. Take this advice and mold it into your own unique sound. Instead of sounding like "that other guy", make yourself competition to sound different than the other guy. Why would we want everything sounding the same? Jason Aldean shouldn't sound like Metallica, and a Matt Rife show shouldn't sound like a Kevin Gates concert. Find your style and go with it. If you continually get booked, you must be doing something right 🎶

[rhcptribute]

Love this Dave…subs on an aux all day long for me

[stevenallen]

I usually have subs on a Matrix, used to use Aux more often once upon a time.

[TheBunkhouseStudios]

For me I dont love subs on an aux. Unless maybe it's set up as post so my LR faders will just be mixing in to it. I dont want to be having to manage a separate mix for the subs. When it comes to stuff i dont want in the subs im usually HPF high enough anyway that it either won't reach the subs at all or it will be so minimal that on a capable system it's a non issue for me. I do agree with what you're saying in theory though.

[mobiletoonz]

subs are always on an aux, love having better and absolute control of what goes where.

[nmawutor]

My understanding from you explanation is that...the sub speaker tends to concentrate on only sub based instruments that way the speaker does not oscillate when it doesn't need to...thereby cleaning up the response of the subwoofer ...And I do agree from the technical point....I tend to send all low end sources into a bus subgroup which feeds to LR and sent to sub Matrix as well...that way equal amount of sub source goes to LR and Sub Matrix...