Subwoofer selection for Dubstep and Drum and Bass
As a concert producer, I am frequently asked what subtitles I would recommend. Subwoofers, like network subwoofers, are selected based on the type of music you will play through them and how they will be used. For the purposes of this article, I am going to restrict the conversation to just Dubstep and Drum and Bass.
Dubstep and Drum and Bass have a lot of content in the 20hz – 50hz range, and if you do the math, you’ll need roughly 5000 watts dedicated to that frequency range to produce enough of that sound to be heard alongside the rest. of the music.
My settings
My biggest setup is (5) QSC HPR181 at the front of the stage, (6) Martin Blackline dual 18 for the house, and 2 Bag End Dual 18 running 8000 watts through a dedicated ELF processor for the 8hz range – 50 hz through a lab amp group. When I play smaller programs, I only use my QSC HPR181, which is 700 watts each, but is good for ultra-high volume bass. The QSCs are self-powered and take 5 minutes to set up, which helps too. Now that I’ve heard the common wisdom, don’t mix subwoofers, but in reality, I have yet to find a sound manufacturing company that does everything but a tour package that is produced for a certain show, rather than one type of music. (an important distinction). That being said, crossover points and keeping each subwoofer and the overall system in phase is very important when mixing subwoofers.
Crossover configuration
Conventional crossovers, like the very common dBx DriveRack PA, have a good and fairly adjustable crossover that also includes the ability to change the slope of the roll off. By matching and tuning the subwoofer frequencies, I have noticed that although the crossover claims to have removed a frequency, some of the content continues to stream to the subwoofer. Clearly, when two brands of subwoofers generate the same tones, distortion is created. So I separate the frequencies by roughly 5Hz. Visually at the crossover it seems like I’m losing musical content, however with the amplification gain I’m actually not, and an RTA mic will confirm that the setup is correct.
Sealed Box and Subharmonic Enclosures
Bag End is really the thing to do. There are other subsystems that make subharmonics, but Bag End was the first, so I’m writing about them. The Infra processor, and before Ron Wickersham left, the Elf processor are the two key components. Dubstep and Drum and Bass require a strong presence in the 20 hz – 50 hz range. Most people cannot hear music in this range, but they can feel it and can feel the difference between 20Hz and 40Hz when the signal is clear and uncut. The Infra processor is available in two forms. The former has a flat response down to 18 Hz, the latter down to 8 Hz. 18 Hz is much more efficient for larger systems. If you have an extra 20k to burn, choose the 8hz integrator and (4) 18 doubles. You’ll also need a substantial amount of AC power to run the amps, usually an additional 20 amp 220 circuit for a Lab Gruppen or four 20 amp 110 circuits for four QSC bridged amps on each subwoofer. My Bag Ends generally consumes around 3000 watts per double 18 when generating content STRICTLY LIMITED to the 18 hz – 50 hz range. I should note that tweaking your crossover at full volume can quickly destroy all of your gear, so be careful and know your gear’s frequency response and power handling ratings.
Prices
Subs vary greatly in price. In the lower price range, I’ve heard Peavey’s black widows, who are technically louder, but a lot less musical. When you’re mixing two tracks, or quickly transitioning from one to the other, it’s hard to hear much of a difference with Peavey’s subs, they’re just loud, not so much musical. The JBL and Cerwin Vega subs are fart cans, and I think most people know that. They can rumble and shake, but they don’t have an articulate sound, a clarity in the bass that is absolutely necessary for Dubstep and even more so for Drum and Bass.
Some other gear I’ve tried, if you’re rich, D & B’s audioteknic Q2 subwoofers (not db technologies) are impressive, EAW 218z subwoofers are pretty good, McCauley makes a pretty decent sub with good specs for Dubstep and Bag. End the deaths. However, all of these cabinets require extremely expensive amplification. You can get 12,000 in amps alone before you can power up a mid-size system of this caliber.
Home building
Another alternative is to build your own box. This isn’t a beginner’s project, but if you love working with wood and have $ 2,500 to spare, you can build some pretty amazing cabinets. The best way to do this is to go to the forums and look at the designs, then read the threads. Often times, people post reviews over the years.
Look for a design that has a good frequency response down to 40 Hz and a driver that has an exceptional frequency response. OHM (brand) is a pretty awesome controller, and there are a couple of high-end RCF subs that are bad to the core.
However, listen to them before you buy if possible using a parametric equalizer and turn off all frequencies except the 20hz to 50hz range, that’s the sweet spot of Dubstep that makes it really different from other similar music.