Why Your Studio Needs a Subwoofer

As a studio owner, you may already own a pair of nearfield audio monitors as your L/R “mains”. However, many smaller monitors (usually due to the size constraints of your studio) do not go down low enough in frequency to mix many types of bass-heavy music. In mixing, bass frequencies need to be present but not “hyped”, because a clear and powerful bass is indispensable in a professional monitoring setup. To get this type of bass in your studio, you need to add a subwoofer to your setup.

Though good studio monitors can handle low-end frequencies reasonably well, having a dedicated subwoofer for this task can tremendously improve the sound quality. Adding a subwoofer will also reduce the strain on your main monitors and expands the spectrum of frequencies you can accurately monitor.

Key Specifications to Consider:

Now that you know why it might be a good idea to add a subwoofer to your studio setup, let’s look at the details. Here is what you need to look out for when buying one.

Size:

If you want a powerful, deep bass response, size does matter. Typically, the larger the speaker, the higher its power rating and the deeper the sound. Choosing a smaller subwoofer with a low power rating might result in distortion at lower volumes. A subwoofer with an 8 or 10-inch speaker driver is usually appropriate for a home studio.

Power Rating:

Apart from the size, the loudness of your sub depends on its amplifier power output and it’s rating. The Power Rating is represented in Wattage. Depending on the size of your studio, you will need to decide on how powerful a subwoofer you will need. In the majority of cases, a subwoofer with wattage in the 100-200 Watt range will offer you sufficient output gain in a medium-sized room.

Frequency Response:

Unlike your main speakers, a subwoofer is dedicated to the low-end frequencies. The typical human can only hear down to about 20 Hz and anything below this tends to be felt rather than heard. While a subwoofer does not reproduce any high frequencies – its frequency tops out anywhere between 100 Hz and 300 Hz depending on the subwoofer. A proper one that can effectively reproduce subsonic frequencies will help you when mixing content with information in those lower registers.

Crossover Frequency:

Crossover frequency allows you to properly blend or integrate your subwoofer with your L/R main speakers. It refers to the frequency point at which the subwoofer takes over the bass from your mains. This is a critical part of the subwoofer operation and is often misunderstood and erroneously used. Set it too high, and mid-range notes will take on a boomy sound. Set it too low, and the higher bass notes will lack their needed power, leaving them sounding weak and insufficient.

Adding a subwoofer to your setup isn’t a plug-and-play experience. You must check out the crossover frequency recommendations if you want to maximize the sound quality. Follow the user guide provided if you’re not sure how to fine-tune this manually and you should be fine.

The benefits of adding a Subwoofer to your monitoring system can be game-changing. Not only will you extend the lower-end frequencies to monitor, but you will also get more headroom for distortion-free sound reproduction of your system. If you want to record or mix music accurately, as a professional or a hobbyist, there really is no other option.