Help settle an arguement about speaker size for a sound booth...

[JLNorthGA]

Our sound/light booth is not very large. Basically it is maybe 6' deep x 12' wide x 7.5' tall

We got some grant money (Yahoo!) - enough to afford some decent monitor speakers (if they are powered) or speakers and an amplifier.

Our sound guy insists that larger speakers are what is needed for the monitor speakers in the booth. He would like 6.5" (such as the Alesis MKII powered monitor) for the speaker size or possibly 8". The Alesis are affordable, but the 8" monitor speakers are a bit more than I would like to afford unless absolutely necessary.

I figured that a pair of 5" speakers (actually 5.25") such as Yamaha, JBL, Presonus, or even KRK Rockit would work quite well. You're basically driving the large speaker with ~50 W and the small tweeter with 25 W. He is saying that the smaller speakers won't do justice to the bass sound and that you need larger speakers. How much truth is in that? Do we need larger speakers for a studio/booth monitor? Or will a 5.25" speaker allow us to monitor the feed accurately?

 

[avare]

What is your program material? If you need low end, you need low end. IF it is not in your programing, you do not need it.

Andre

 

[DaveySimps]

From a purely academic standpoint, he is correct. Small speakers do not reproduce low end frequencies as well as larger speakers. This could ultimately effect how accurate he can do his job. The type and brand of speakers have a lot to do with it to. Not all monitors are created equally.

That being said, there is much more that effects the issue than just the size of the speaker. The fact that he is mixing in a booth effects accuracy, the location of the booth and its structure does as well. What you are using to feed the speakers can have a great effect on what the operator hears. You might find that you are better served with a window for the booth instead (don't know if you already have one) and spend some money on some sort of acoustical treatment for the walls of the booth adjacent to the sound operator. This could have more of an effect than anything. There is a lot of grey area here.

~Dave

 

[JLNorthGA]

What is your program material? If you need low end, you need low end. IF it is not in your programing, you do not need it.

Andre

About 15 concerts/year, 3-4 dance recitals, 1 theatrical day camp (with final performances) and 4 stage plays - one of which is a musical with live musicians. The dance recitals and the day camp use prerecorded music.

 

[DuckJordan]

I would look at using that money for relocating the booth, get the mixer out of an enclosed room and into the house. THis could be as easy as removing a few seats, purchasing a table and a small snake.

 

[avare]

About 15 concerts/year, 3-4 dance recitals, 1 theatrical day camp (with final performances) and 4 stage plays - one of which is a musical with live musicians. The dance recitals and the day camp use prerecorded music.

Concerts and dance recitals have significant low end. Look at price and low end performance, not component size. Component size is general indcator of low end performance, not an absolute.

Good luck!

Andre

 

[museav]

How are you using the speakers, are these to mix from or more for cueing and confidence monitor use? If they are for mixing then you want them to sound as much like the house system as possible. That could mean looking at the low frequency reproduction of the monitors but also the overall response and possibly adding some dedicated EQ and maybe even delay to match the sound from the house system.

Driver size is far from the only factor in low frequency performance especially where you are not looking for high output. Driver excursion, enclosure design, porting, internal electronics, etc. can all also affect the low frequency performance of a speaker.

 

[len]

I would look at using that money for relocating the booth, get the mixer out of an enclosed room and into the house. THis could be as easy as removing a few seats, purchasing a table and a small snake.

+1

If the booth is enclosed, all ANY booth monitors will give you is the same content, but they won't give you any sense of what it sounds like in the house. you don't have to move lighting out there, just sound, although it may end up costing the same either way. And invest in good communications if you don't already have them.

 

[FMEng]

I would rather try a do it yourself appendectomy than mix in a booth with either monitor speakers or an open window. It just isn't like what you hear in the hall, making the mix a lot of guess work. If there just isn't any other way, then don't scrimp on the expense.