Apple Soundtrack Pro 3 - Manual (Page 520)

• Placement of the speakers within the room, such as distance from walls and angle of
speakers
• Listener position between speakers
Frequency Response and Dynamic Range
Speaker quality varies greatly depending on their purpose as well as their price. For
example, speakers in a portable stereo or television are designed to play audio that has
already been mastered by a mixing engineer. Mastered audio such as audio CD, radio,
television, and movie sound has a compressed dynamic range (meaning levels are fairly
consistent and loud).
Speakers and amplifiers that are designed for mastered audio often intentionally emphasize
certain frequencies, as is done with the bass enhancement feature found on many systems.
This may make an audio CD sound better, but it is not recommended for mixing production
sound because you get a false impression of the audio signal. For example, if your speakers
overemphasize frequencies around 2 kHz, you may compensate during mixing by reducing
the intensity of audio around 2 kHz. If you then play your mix on a different set of speakers
with a flat frequency response, the frequencies around 2 kHz will sound too muffled.
Flat Not flat
20 Hz 200Hz
– dB
+ dB
– dB
+ dB
1 kHz 5 kHz 20 kHz 5 kHz 20 kHz 20 Hz 200 Hz 1 kHz
Self-Powered Versus Passive Speakers
Speakers powered by an external amplifier are called passive speakers. When you use
separate amplifiers and passive speakers, a number of factors affect the overall frequency
response and quality of your audio. Instead of using a separate amplifier and speakers, a
simpler option is to use self-powered speakers (speakers with built-in amplifiers). These
have become increasingly popular, especially for studio monitoring and video editing.
Self-powered speakers deliver more consistent performance because both components
are designed to work together and are housed in a single enclosure. For video editing
systems, self-powered speakers are a good, easy-to-use solution. Self-powered speakers
accept line level inputs, so it’s fairly easy to connect them to your audio interface.
520 Appendix C Working with Professional Video and Audio Equipment