how much difference is it really with separate stands vs. integrated in desk?
There can be a very big difference, for several reasons. First, speakers directly attached to the desk can transmit sound into the desk itself, and even cause you to hear some sounds BEFORE the direct sound arrives at your ears. Second, putting the speakers on the desk causes reflections off the surface of the desk/console, right into your ears: That creates comb-filtering, phase cancellation, and just plain early reflections, all of which distort the stereo image, spatial cues, and frequency response. Finally, putting the speakers on the desk can bring them too close to your ears, which in turn creates several sub-problems, such as incomplete integration of the sound fields form the woofer and tweeter, large differences in level from small head movements, sweet spot issues, and others.
There's a reason why the ITU, EBU, AES, and others, including all major reputable speaker manufacturers, all recommend that the optimum listening distance should be around 2m.
Googling I see a lot of pro-looking desk with this type of design.
Yup. And Googling, I see a lot of studios with egg-crates on the ceiling, carpet on the walls, and thin floors "floated" on rubber pucks....
:) :shock: 8) Just because you see it on a Google search does not mean it is correct, or even useful. It's better to read the text books on the actual acoustic principles behind how sound works, and base your studio designs on the science of acoustics, rather than the garbage that floats around on top of the Google ocean...
:)
Some heavy curtains could serve well as a back-drop for the mix-position.
Probably not useful. Might work for some of the problems with the room, but will do nothing at all for the most serious problems, which will allow be under 200 Hz. Heavy curtains have no effect at all at such low frequencies.
- Stuart -
