Hey all.. I'm thinking of adding a subwoofer to my existing setup and wonder what type of setup (if any) do I need to do in X2 to get it to work right. I don't do any surround mixes.. mostly instrumental rock but would like to have all my bases (pun not intended) covered.
 
I also have a JBL monitor control center that also has a sub output on it.. but it's been acting funky lately and I am probably not going to use it.
 
I would appreciate your thoughts.. thanks
 

Unless you are doing surround mixes, SONAR will have no knowledge of the subwoofer, it will send the same stereo out. All the speaker configuration occurs in hardware after the interface outputs.

When working with a subwoofer, I prefer to use two subwoofers, not just one. Using two, you can raise the crossover frequency above, say 35-55Hz because higher bass tends to become more directional. More, by only having one you can't really tell of there's going to be any spatial/panning issues on speakers like mine, where the full-range speaker (L & R) both will produce audible frequencies below 35Hz. If you're working on a project destined for vinyl, deep bass must not be out of balance.
 
If you use just one, it needs to be a VERY powerful unit that has an excursion ability above 4 inches. Don't spare the expense here! Many make the mistake of buying a $300 subwoofer, and only later realize it just muddies up the bass (low frequencies are diaphragm-distorted vs. really bellowing and full). Think of it like a human deep voice. Even though a male bass singer can produce a 40 Hz vocal, doesn't mean it will shake a room with a full-fledged 40Hz bass note like that of a 40Hz Sine wave. It's more click-y or punchy vs. actual bellowing bass. Again, I recommend two subwoofers.
 
You need a sub to produce the playback of a 30Hz sine wave naturally at the same volume as 80Hz with no adjustments in the DAW. If it doesn't do that, you don't have a good sub.
 
Best of luck!!

Just wire the sub according to the instructions that some with it and adjust it similar to the monitors.
 
Use some commercial CD's to set the starting levels. Something you know what the bass end sounds like. Once you set it, leave it alone.
 
If you have ARC, redo the setup.
 
I luv me some sub woofer....

I use a sub. Mine is not expensive. It's a 12" sub with a cross over that can be set to different points. It has 2 RCA inputs and 2 outputs. The outputs go to the amp for the speakers. I used to have pre-amp back in the day but it melted one day after a bad clip. Now I go direct from the interface to the sub, and then from the sub to the amp to the speakers. I have my sub on some pretty long cables so I can slide it around. My desk rolls so I can position it at different places in the room. The sub slides around pretty easily.
 
Today, I moved the sub right next to me. :-)
 
Mine was inexpensive (maybe $100 USD in 1993?).
 
@GuitarHacker: I don't leave my sub settings or position alone. I change the volume and cross-over point casually depending on what I'm mixing. I also mess around with plugins to represent different stereo style mixes and listen both through headphones and through my stereo trying to get a mix that will sound good on most reasonable stereos.
 
Also ARC? I don't know what that stands for. Are you meaning this...
http://hometheater.about.com/od/hometheaterglossary/g/Audio-Return-Channel-Arc.htm
?

Automatic Room Correction software. It tries to compensate for poor acoustics in an untreated room so that you can more closely hear the music accurately.
 
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/arc/
 
It listens to the room from the mixing position, and does a set up process sweeping across the frequency band to "fix" the room. Once it has done that, and saved it as the preset, you pop it into the master bus and it "corrects" what you hear as you mix to give you a more accurate rendition of the music.
 
Check it out. Several folks here have it, use it, and love it.....me included.
 
 
I too use an inexpensive sub.... Polk Audio 10". However, adjusting the crossover and levels is not a good idea. When you do that, you are changing what you hear...(ear candy) but the mix you are trying to make will now be biased depending on what you did. Say you added more bass by upping the volume..... you will now tend to mix less bass to compensate. You are making your mixing harder to do when you adjust the levels on the sub. It takes trial & error to get them right, but once you do, let them be.
 
Same deal on moving it. the lower freqs from the sub tend to set up peaks and nulls in the room more easily.... so set it in a spot and forget it. Moving it sets up totally new wave patterns in the room. (that's the easy explanation)

studio343
Hey all.. I'm thinking of adding a subwoofer to my existing setup and wonder what type of setup (if any) do I need to do in X2 to get it to work right. I don't do any surround mixes.. mostly instrumental rock but would like to have all my bases (pun not intended) covered.
 
I also have a JBL monitor control center that also has a sub output on it.. but it's been acting funky lately and I am probably not going to use it.
 
I would appreciate your thoughts.. thanks
 

I assume you're using JBL moitors - mentioning what series would have helped-
HERE are the answers and updates I think you're looking for. (firmware and software)
 
As far as getting X2 to work right...the sub is not controlled by X2. If you use the same
interface that feeds your monitors now you'll hear the sub when you put it in-line. Control
will be with the Control Center.
 
And you don't need ARC if you're using what I think you are. JBL has that taken care of.
 
 

I'd start by asking the question: do I need a subwoofer at all?
 
Do some experiments with sine waves or white noise and a microphone in front of your current speakers. You don't have to record anything, just turn on Input Echo and insert an instance of SPAN so you can see the levels objectively. Set the microphone where your ears would normally be and put it into omni mode if the mic has that feature.
 
Make note of where the output falls below about 3 to 6db below the average. If that's 40Hz then forget the sub and spend that money on something else, like bass traps. If it's 60Hz or higher, then you're definitely missing stuff down there and the sub will help. Just don't feel that you need significant amplitude below 40Hz, because you don't. 
 
Adding a subwoofer will often cause more problems than it solves. If you have a small, untreated room, the sub is probably a mistake. And the kinds of problems it'll introduce are NOT the kinds of problems ARC can help you with.

I am prepared to be mocked, but I have always been afraid to add a subwoofer unless I had an acoustic specialist measure the room--similar to the drill bitflipper mentioned.  I have always been afraid that adding a subwoofer would confuse me as to what is really going down in the mix.
 
I know people use them but I don't feel qualified to add one.

I once mentioned using a sub in another popular forum and was bashed by the majority of "experienced" engineers!
I really don't use it much, But find it handy to pick out sub sonic artifacts that might slip buy me easily as I am using NSM 10's which are well documented to have poor bass.  I don't use it while tracking or mixing. If I do it will totally throw me off. It obviously changes the accuracy of my listening. I never have a problem getting the Bass right in a mix.   
But It is a handy tool I use once in a while to make sure all is good in the low end of a mix, It certainly "sounds" better than just the NMS 10's by them selves but I see what all these "experienced engineers" were getting at now.