Can't hear bass in monitors

[kln_bc]

So this isn't necessarily a recording question, but is about my studio monitors so I guess this is the right spot...

I have a pair of KRK Rokit 8 G4 monitors that were great for guitar, but I really struggle to hear bass through them. I'm not doing recordings right now, so it's not exactly something I can adjust in a mix. My issue is while trying to learn songs. It's virtually impossible as the bass it super drowned out. Like I have to crank them for it to show up, and at that point I can't hear it over the other instruments anyway. Even using something like Moises to extract the bass, it seems very muted on these.

Would a sub help? Or should I maybe nix the monitors and get more commercial type speakers that hype the low end?

 

[RyanOh]

I'm not familiar with the KRK's, but I've been using JBL 5" speakers that have great bass response.
JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor

On yours, the specs say Frequency Response:36Hz-40kHz

Should work great!

 

[kln_bc]

I'm not familiar with the KRK's, but I've been using JBL 5" speakers that have great bass response.
JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor

On yours, the specs say Frequency Response:36Hz-40kHz

Should work great!

Yeah they should, I'm sure it's my crappy room. I'm not really setup properly for accurate recording, because that was not my intention. I just wanted to be able to hear details in the music for practice (and I use them to watch tv in my office lol); they worked great for guitar...they sound quite mid forward.

Maybe if I get them off the stands and onto a flat surface where they can transfer low end it would help. They do have an EQ, maybe I can play with that more and get a bit more out if them. You'd think the 8" drivers would deliver a good amount of bass.

 

[RyanOh]

Mine are sitting horizontal at head/ears level on wire shelf racks. I'd wonder if your audio source has the low end in it, and or other issue with cables, reversed phase, etc.

I run mine with XLR cables out of a digital mixer. Sometimes the audio source from a computer or phone or bluetooth is not a full range recording, I can see that in the RTA graph in the mixer.

I'd expect your speakers are fine, hope you can figure it out. I listen to audio from Spotify and YouTube all the time to learn tunes, Windows PC's connected to a mixer and a practice amp for bass behind me.

 

[kln_bc]

Mine are sitting horizontal at head/ears level on wire shelf racks. I'd wonder if your audio source has the low end in it, and or other issue with cables, reversed phase, etc.

I run mine with XLR cables out of a digital mixer. Sometimes the audio source from a computer or phone or bluetooth is not a full range recording, I can see that in the RTA graph in the mixer.

I'd expect your speakers are fine, hope you can figure it out. I listen to audio from Spotify and YouTube all the time to learn tunes, Windows PC's connected to a mixer and a practice amp for bass behind me.

I'm running them into a Mackie Big Knob interface with my PC as the source. They're on typical stands, going through balanced TRS. Physical placement is exactly how it shows in the manual (proper ear height, distances, etc...).

I just adjusted the EQ on them to drop the high and mid range a touch and boosted the low end as much as it allows...the difference is VERY subtle.

I have to crank em pretty good to get the low end to a nice audible level, but at that point everything is so loud that it's not really helpful or sustainable.

I think it's just the speakers and/or the room and how I'm perceiving it. Like I can play my bass on them through Helix Native with zero issues; there's plenty of volume but there is just nothing behind it, if that makes sense... Its kind of just punchy and gets ear fatiguing...I can see how it wouldn't stand out at all in a mix.

 

[Bertr]

Are the monitors out of phase by any chance?

 

[Stylee Mousse]

If you are in phase then you are probably expecting too much from the monitors. I have passive krk 7” boxes and I use them for mixing and quiet tracking but that’s it. Any new type little practice amp will do way better

 

[kln_bc]

If you are in phase then you are probably expecting too much from the monitors. I have passive krk 7” boxes and I use them for mixing and quiet tracking but that’s it. Any new type little practice amp will do way better

There's no phase issue. I think I'm just expecting too much out of them. Tomorrow I'm going to try running through the aux on my amp to see if that helps me to hear the basslines better.

 

[Ben Clarke]

Try playing some music that is a commercial release that you know well. Turn it up to a medium volume and move around the room.

I’m guessing that you are sitting in a spot where bass is cancelling out acoustically, and increasing the eq is only intensifying that effect.

You may be able to relocate the speakers and/or your listening position to reduce the cancellation.

 

[YourGuitarist]

I'm not familiar with the KRK's, but I've been using JBL 5" speakers that have great bass response.
JBL 305P MkII 5-inch Powered Studio Monitor

On yours, the specs say Frequency Response:36Hz-40kHz

Should work great!

Frequency response could be quoted at f10 (the 10dB down point) which doesn't really tell you if there's a drop-off of bass well before 36Hz. I looked at the manual and don't see any indication of what dB the quoted corner frequencies are at.

An enclosure of that size with an 8" LF driver is suspicious to say the least especially when looking at the quoted max SPL of 111dB. I'm working on a 210 LF configuration in +-3x the size enclosure and it still doesn't hit 111dB SPL in the lows for comparison.

The KRK website shows the DSP graphic EQ on the back, I would just boost below 100Hz on there and see how it feels.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

8" woofers should be plenty of lows for monitors. move them around the room, different angles? a little humor here: Ski-slope the eq! I am not much help! Ill leave!!