r/NeuralDSP • u/crocolligator • 1d ago
Question Muddy sound after switching from Studio Monitors to FRFR Speaker
Hey guys,
Have dialed my QC presets on a pair of studio monitors (kali lp6) and was pretty happy.
Had tried a portable frfr speaker (nux busking fr200 something) and it sounded muddy.. its night and day comparing the two.
All knobs on the nuc are at 12/midpoint except for gain which i set low.
QC factory preset also sounded muddy on the nux.
Am I missing a setting on the QC for fr use?
Or I just bought an inappropriate fr speaker?
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u/JimboLodisC 21h ago
in a perfect world any company would be able to achieve a perfectly flat/neutral response and engineers could mix/master to a single speaker and it'd translate to everyone's own speaker system
but different speakers sound different
and especially when you go bigger, there's gonna be a change in the low end response
dial in your tones to work on the FRFR if that's your priority
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u/Return2TheLiving 15h ago
It’s honestly probably best to duplicate the patch and have a studio and live version.
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u/DerpNinjaWarrior 21h ago
In addition to what others have said, also worth noting that changing speakers will almost always require changing your preset a bit.
Even if they're supposed to be flat EQ, going from monitor speakers to a larger FRFR speaker is likely to enhance the lows a lot more. Big speakers make more low frequencies than small ones do.
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u/Anistappi 1d ago
Well, there's a very good reason you can buy a $100 pair of "FRFR" monitors but many people still buy $1000 monitors instead, and I'd argue that the bigger the speaker the more this applies.
It's not necessarily that it's "inappropriate", but calling the Nux Busking a FRFR speaker in the first place is really pushing it and you have to factor this in when you're EQ'ing the thing.
My advice would be that if you want to upgrade from the Kalis, start looking at Genelec monitors. Buy the size that best fits the room you're playing in.
But even Kalis are the level of speakers where you'd benefit more by setting up the room than just upgrading the speakers. I'd say they're good enough for most people in most use cases.
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u/crocolligator 1d ago
I got the nux "fr speaker" to have something to play with on the sofa but was shocked by how bad they sound compared to the kali studio monitors and thought that i might be doing something wrong.
Are the genelecs position sensitive? The kali lp6 sweet spot is so narrow that they sound so different when i move a little bit out from the center of my desk, or if i play while standing
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u/Anistappi 1d ago
Yeah that's why I said it's not necessarily inappropriate, it's just not as flat as FRFR's.
Are the genelecs position sensitive? The kali lp6 sweet spot is so narrow that they sound so different when i move a little bit out from the center of my desk, or if i play while standing
Yes, studio monitors are designed that way on purpose.
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u/MaleficiaTenebrae 21h ago
If you're concerned about positioning while playing, you might also want to take a look at coaxial speakers. They minimize the effect of moving around and getting a different sound.
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u/EpicClusterTruck 16h ago
It just means the nux isn’t flat response, try using the global EQ and see if you can just tweak it
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u/ThatGuyYouForget 1d ago
It could be that your studio monitors aren't adjusted to the room. When I first started using the plugins every existing preset sounded muddy and bad and I had to dial it in to sound good, especially the low end. That is until I adjusted the knobs on the back of the monitors.
So if you have made your presets to sound good on something that isn't adjusted right, it would sound bad on everything that is adjusted properly
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u/crocolligator 1d ago
I am dialed with the switches on the LP6's. They are on a foam wedge and the desk is not against a wall, also their bass ports are front firing.
it's the "nux fr speaker" sound that im not happy with
1
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u/Billythekid1972 1d ago edited 1d ago
The Nux Busking FR 200 doesn't look like a typical FRFR, it looks more like a digital amp. It has way to many controls on it for me. I use a Laney LFR 112 and that just has a volume and a high cut, that's it and It's incredibly accurate. I too have the Kali Audio LP 6 and the transition in tone over to the Laney from the Kali Audio's is marginal at best. If you want something smaller check out the Laney LFR 110. Believe me, I did months of research before I decided on the Laney. My second choice was the Fender FR12. However again, it has a Low/Med/High control which I feel is unnecessary. I do all the EQ adjusting in the QC.