Even excellent monitors sound wrong in the wrong position. Before you spend on upgrades, dial in placement – it’s free and it’s the single biggest improvement most home studios can make.
The equilateral triangle
Your two monitors and your head should form an equilateral triangle: the distance between the speakers equals the distance from each speaker to your ears. Angle (toe-in) the monitors so they point at your head, with the tweeters at ear height. This gives you an accurate stereo image and a clear centre.
Distance from the walls
Bass builds up near walls and especially corners, making your low end sound bigger than it really is. Pull the monitors away from the front wall where you can, keep the setup symmetrical in the room, and avoid putting one speaker near a corner and the other in open space.
Decouple and level them
- Use isolation pads or stands to decouple monitors from the desk and reduce resonance.
- Keep both monitors at the same height and the same distance from your ears.
- Set monitor and interface levels so you mix at a comfortable, moderate volume.
Treat the first reflection points
Sound bounces off the side walls, ceiling and desk before it reaches you, smearing detail and stereo focus. Absorbing those first reflection points tightens the image dramatically. Not sure whether to mix on monitors at all yet? Compare the options in monitors vs headphones for mixing.
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