Should You Get a Sub for Your Studio?

Is getting a subwoofer for your studio worth it? The truth is, there's a right and a wrong reason to get a sub.

Justin Colletti gives you a framework for figuring out if you would benefit from adding a sub to your room, or if it will just make everything worse.

Thanks to Soundtoys, Eventide and Mixing Breakthroughs for sponsoring this episode.

[NKTA]

cant mix what you cant hear.. Ever finished a mix that sounds great in the studio and headphones but then listen to it in the car and its too boomy or not enough bass? if you cant hear under 50hz on your monitors get a sub and turn it on and off during the mixing process, , you will save time

[fx-mayhem]

I added a great sub to my Focal 3 way speakers. It was not just to extend the low and but to be able to playback at higher volume. Lots of clients like to listen very very loud. Adding a sub protected my Focal SM9Bs. I tuned the sub and the crossovers so that it sounds great in my ok treated room. I have so much more headroom now and can make it super loud without risking to break my speakers or get distortion. It was a great decision.

[numara]

Thank you for the valuable information on how to make use of the subwoofer.

[IRIS-cues]

Great answers to all my questions! Currently adding a Yamaha HS8S to my room in order to take load off of my Focal Alpha 50s. I put a lot of stress on them, especially when doing playback at high volumes and getting a sub will definitely protect my investment! 5" isn't a lot of leg room for the bass and mids, and I love my Focals. Can't risk having the drivers go out when a sub could handle so much more of the load. Thanks again for the great video!

[riktascale]

Finally! A topic that's so scarce to find info on. Thanks much. I am saving to get a 3-way and can't wait to experience the sound of it in my studio😃

[holotropik]

I create dub/deep techno. I need to monitor sub. However, I added a sub and because my room is crap (a square) I don’t get the sub I need. Just a mess of goop in the room corners. So I just use Sonarworks for my headphones and that helped me a lot.

[AATAMI_Patrick]

We extended ADAM S3-Vs each on a Sub12 and to be honest, this was a wonderful decision. Room is obviously fully treated and Trinnov does the rest. The low end driver of the S3-Vs performs like two times as good as before by feeding anything below 65 Hz to the subs and they themselves are pretty relaxed due to the narrow band they reproduce. Driver alignment / timing was not an issue at all, Trinnov didn't have to do a lot there, even though the setup now looks more like a line array, it still performs closer to a point source. In fact, adding the subs didn't change a lot at all. Only thing we had to take care of, was a little phaseshift at the crossover point - no big deal for Trinnov.

[CthulhuOO]

This is very accurate. In car audio, people always ask what speakers they can get to make their car sound better. My first response is to get an amp and subwoofer. Usually I hear "but I don't want to have one of those cars". Totally wrong. You want to fill out the bottom end, you can adjust the level of that and ideally have it blend perfectly, not be a slamming bass machine. When crossed over around 80Hz, you take all of the pressure off of the mids and allow them to play more accurately. So much so, that you can still use your stock speakers. You will get a far larger gain by having solid foundation to your frequencies rather than trying to buy a magic speaker.

[sinepilot]

Blowing my mind that adding a sub brings out my mids too. But I just added the KRK S8.4 to my Rokit 5" G4s today (probably why this video popped up) and I'm hearing it right now. The idea that the woofer can now do what it's supposed to instead of getting distracted by "low end excursions"...simple common sense that never occurred to me without this nudge. Grateful, Liked & Subscribed!

[Matt_Morgan]

Respectfully, as we’re on the topic of budget speakers (KRK etc), I don’t see how choosing 3-way monitors over a sub is an alternative for reaching the frequency response that goes lower than the average FR in monitors (45hz+).

A sub allows you to hear below 45hz, because it’s built for that and this is illustrated in the spec sheets. The same can’t be said for monitors, whether they’re 2-way or 3-way.

I remember watching this video in the past and it didn’t exactly give me confidence in this channel, if I’m being completely honest. It’s only the guests that have kept me subscribed to it, e.g. Michael Beuar to name one. I’ve probably butchered the spelling of his surname ha!

[luckyknot]

What about subs that must be placed on the floor? how to isolate them to avoid bass waves to travel through the concrete or bricks structure and hearing unwanted sub ressonances or having cancellations? I don't think it's that magical but could something like Sonarworks callibration fix it? Thanks for the video Justin!

[shotDerringer]

Killing it with these videos lately! I'm in the middle of a build and you're touching on everything I need to know about. Some of what I knew, and some of what I had no clue about. You're the man 💪🏼

[mikewallace]

I have NS-10’s which have nothing below 100 Hz. I could not get the bass right until I added a sub. I would listen to reference tracks sometimes mixed by CLA and noticed how much bass guitar was in the sub. Then I would match that with my own tracks and it worked out great! So I always make sure my bass guitar is in the sub and a little kick too but one more dominant than the other. But then I click the sub off and make sure I got the bass in the low-mid range as well through the NS-10’s and that I hear everything there. I also have JBL monitors. So when everything sounds good on all three combinations it sounds good everywhere!

[electrojazz]

excellent really useful, makes me think twice or more about getting that sub...

[hamooddyy]

I have a question, isnt a sub supposed to be producing low frequencies from a more strategic place in conjunction with your main studio monitor placement and sweet spot? To preserve the stereo image and sound stage, but find a better place for the sub so u can hear it in your sweetspot. I believe a sub is like separating your low driver from the set of studio monitors so you can have more possible placements with which u can hear low frequencies better.

[xoqoable]

Great video! I ve been following your vids and love them! Can you give me recommendation whether I should go for 2+1 system or bigger 2-way system. I have a bedroom studio. No treatment. I am going in between a pair of A7V vs a pair of A4V + Sub8. I thought 2+1 is great so I can get better mid range. But my room is not treated and the low end A7Vs are deep enough for my application. Given the price difference is not a huge problem, do you think the 2+1 system provides better response? Thx!

[mistercohaagen]

I had a 3-way, and it definitely got more low end all up in my sweet spot. And vice-versa, come to think of it.

[kriskrysler]

Great video. Helped me much. Quick take out is HF is to be heard LF is to be felt !

[BigGuns]

I dont really understand why a 3 way speaker can sound better then 2way speakers. If you can set the cross overs and the phase for the sub and align all the drivers. The only argument i can see for 3 way or multi way speakers is listening position. With a much wider stereo image you get more listening positions. Thats how is see it

[oledahl.]

Super informative video! This is a real go-to channel for reliable info! Please make videos more often! 👍🤝🙂