Does anyone know what sort of EQ is used in a normal PA system set up for dance (i.e. your average night club).
I'm guessing they pump the bass up quite a lot - if you listen to dance music through a good system with a flat frequency response it sounds rather dull.
Any idea what frequencies they pump up? - I'll assume they're aiming for the bass drums..
And as for why?? I have a 150W (rms) amp and two 100W home built speakers - I'm going to design a switchable EQ curcuit for the amp to try and get a more 'clubby' sound out of my speakers.
I'm guessing they pump the bass up quite a lot - if you listen to dance music through a good system with a flat frequency response it sounds rather dull.
Any idea what frequencies they pump up? - I'll assume they're aiming for the bass drums..
And as for why?? I have a 150W (rms) amp and two 100W home built speakers - I'm going to design a switchable EQ curcuit for the amp to try and get a more 'clubby' sound out of my speakers.
geposted Sat 25 Jun 05 @ 10:27 pm
bagpuss
Well, I use flat EQ settings, the mastering has already taken place in the production of the music, I think some clubs use EQ settings, but bass is very high in dance music by default, along with house, and r'n'b, so I can't see the sense in that, I have club speakers in the UK, with an amp, and used VDJ their, kept it flat, got best sound.
Probably most wont agree with me, lol.
Bagpuss
Probably most wont agree with me, lol.
Bagpuss
geposted Sat 25 Jun 05 @ 10:40 pm
djej
Bagpuss...I agree LOL. Yeah, they spent a ton of time to produce the stuff. ...and it's near perfect/ Now, if you're in a strange nightclub setup where the sound isn't good...I love Akai EQ's. but there are a ton of different brands....that are good. I had Akai for ten years...ten years ago :) The EQ's on a good mixer should be enough for you though, unless you are in a bad sounding club. Then ask the club to rearrange speakers. If you're a resident DJ then spend a bunch of time practicing and "playing with the speakers".
geposted Sun 26 Jun 05 @ 1:12 am
DJ Andre Landry
For dance music to sound good boost bass,cut mids,boost highs,this way you end up getting that"hi hat n kick drum" effect with just about any song.
Regards
Andre
Regards
Andre
geposted Sun 26 Jun 05 @ 8:47 am
clownius
whilst mixing melody-heavy techno music and bringing it down between tracks, any effects samples and flanger effects go down really well, mid range can be useful on ear-gouging hardcore too on nasty reverbed synths n whatnot.....depends on the attitude of the music i spose :\
geposted Mon 27 Jun 05 @ 12:09 am
blazemonger
For decent club sound you need serious power.. a 100W RMS speaker cabinet can be driven by a 250W RMS amp without much trouble, a setup like this will give you enough headroom to get that big, transparent sound. using a, better matching on paper, 150W amp would in fact produce a thinner sound in many cases. Do not be afraid to use an amp with much more power then the speakers can handle, in fact you'll run less chance of blowing a speaker that way.. really!
Also you need amps with good damping for subs as this will make em sound way tighter. Otherwise sub gets muddy quickly. Also the projection of mids is critical, too much makes it harsh, not enough will result in the 'car stereo' syndrome.. just boom boom and tss tss (lows and highs.. ;) )
In general the sound system needs to sound good by itself to make it sound great after processing. You cannot make a badly built/tuned system sound great, just better.
And as a last hint.. it is usually better to remove what you have too much, so if you're feeling you're missing highs and lows, pull back on the mids and up the overall volume a notch..
Also you need amps with good damping for subs as this will make em sound way tighter. Otherwise sub gets muddy quickly. Also the projection of mids is critical, too much makes it harsh, not enough will result in the 'car stereo' syndrome.. just boom boom and tss tss (lows and highs.. ;) )
In general the sound system needs to sound good by itself to make it sound great after processing. You cannot make a badly built/tuned system sound great, just better.
And as a last hint.. it is usually better to remove what you have too much, so if you're feeling you're missing highs and lows, pull back on the mids and up the overall volume a notch..
geposted Mon 27 Jun 05 @ 1:03 am
bagpuss
When discussing sound quality at clubs, considering the various systems implemented, every system should be considered a unique case, rather than having a set in stone way of doing things, I would have to agree with that...
Also worth considering, is the quality of your mp3's, your vdj settings, your gains (in software and mixer), cables, etc etc etc.
But generally, with these final link settings, I reccomend keeping things simple, and don't crank up the system too loud, guests like to speak and distortion sounds horrible, only adjust what your ear tells you too, and don't be too extreme with any adjustments, balance is the key with music, and just about everything else in life!.
I think i've said everything I can think of for now.
Also worth considering, is the quality of your mp3's, your vdj settings, your gains (in software and mixer), cables, etc etc etc.
But generally, with these final link settings, I reccomend keeping things simple, and don't crank up the system too loud, guests like to speak and distortion sounds horrible, only adjust what your ear tells you too, and don't be too extreme with any adjustments, balance is the key with music, and just about everything else in life!.
I think i've said everything I can think of for now.
geposted Mon 27 Jun 05 @ 2:42 am
clownius
well put bagpuss :)
geposted Mon 27 Jun 05 @ 3:15 am
There is two Types of equalisation CORRECTIVE EQ which attempts to correct for system and room defishancies, usaully to acheive a flat frequency response.
Then there is CREATIVE EQ to modify or taylor the sound to your requirements.
Corrective EQ professionally is most often acheived with a 31 band 1/3 octave Graphic Equaliser and adjusted using three methods "pink noise & RTA" or using "Ringing out a Room" using a Graphic to EQ out Room/system resonances, or finally adjusting The EQ while listening to a well known CD.
Your CREATIVE EQ is superimposed apon this, again professionally boosts are seldom used.
Boosts Change the way it sounds, Cuts improve the way it sounds.
Then there is CREATIVE EQ to modify or taylor the sound to your requirements.
Corrective EQ professionally is most often acheived with a 31 band 1/3 octave Graphic Equaliser and adjusted using three methods "pink noise & RTA" or using "Ringing out a Room" using a Graphic to EQ out Room/system resonances, or finally adjusting The EQ while listening to a well known CD.
Your CREATIVE EQ is superimposed apon this, again professionally boosts are seldom used.
Boosts Change the way it sounds, Cuts improve the way it sounds.
geposted Mon 27 Jun 05 @ 2:33 pm
There is two Types of equalisation CORRECTIVE EQ which attempts to correct for system and room defishancies, usaully to acheive a flat frequency response.
Then there is CREATIVE EQ to modify or taylor the sound to your requirements.
Corrective EQ professionally is most often acheived with a 31 band 1/3 octave Graphic Equaliser and adjusted using three methods "pink noise & RTA" or using "Ringing out a Room" using a Graphic to EQ out Room/system resonances, or finally adjusting The EQ while listening to a well known CD.
Your CREATIVE EQ is superimposed apon this, again professionally boosts are seldom used.
Boosts Change the way it sounds, Cuts improve the way it sounds.
Then there is CREATIVE EQ to modify or taylor the sound to your requirements.
Corrective EQ professionally is most often acheived with a 31 band 1/3 octave Graphic Equaliser and adjusted using three methods "pink noise & RTA" or using "Ringing out a Room" using a Graphic to EQ out Room/system resonances, or finally adjusting The EQ while listening to a well known CD.
Your CREATIVE EQ is superimposed apon this, again professionally boosts are seldom used.
Boosts Change the way it sounds, Cuts improve the way it sounds.
geposted Mon 27 Jun 05 @ 2:33 pm
kamakuakane
I have worked in numerous clubs since 1980 and the best clubs use a 31 band eq and 2-8 subwoofer cabinets. For the highest quality sound use cd's or .wav files. mp3 format, is a destructive compression format, and can never match a cd for thumpfactor.
geposted Fri 01 Jul 05 @ 6:13 am
bagpuss
Listen to a 300kbps mp3 encoded with the LAME encoder, and listen to the original material on the CD, if you can tell the difference, your ears are alot more advanced than anybodys I know, for the test to be accurate, it should be blind, so let someone else play it back to you, see, many audiophiles have taken the test and admited the wounder of mp3. Some normal listerners say that 128kbps is fine, it is obviously too low, but true that many tell no difference, 192kbps is what has become standard, and around 90% of people say it is as a CD, go above to 256kbps, and no one can tell the difference, you can even go up to 300kbps if you wish.
This is from what i've learnt, and clubbers certainly hear of no difference.
This is from what i've learnt, and clubbers certainly hear of no difference.
geposted Fri 01 Jul 05 @ 5:25 pm