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The Story of the AVANTONE MixCubes
I first
became aware of the value of using an alternate mini reference
monitor when I was introduced to the Auratone speakers in my
early studio engineering days around 1979. During the last
25+ years the Auratone 5c SoundCubes found widespread usage
among numerous studios the world over. They were nicknamed
”Horrortones” for their purposeful limited sound capabilities.
Savvy engineers however, were quick to understand their
usefulness in the studio.
They have not been commercially
available for a long time. With the ever- increasing
demands of today’s playback mediums, it was time to take a
serious look at redesigning a “mini reference monitor for the
new millennium”
-Ken
Avant-
At
AVANT ELECTRONICS, we saw not only the importance of replacing those older,
fatiguing units … We saw an opportunity to greatly improve on their original
performance, construction and quality.
First
it is important to understand what this type of speaker can do and what it
cannot…
It is
not at all intended to be an engineers’ only mix monitor.
It is
not an entry-level monitor.
It is
an important and unique professional tool… an alternate small monitor
system.
There are 3 PRIMARY uses for
these monitors….
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MixCubes are designed as a “reference standard” example of a
worst-case scenario / bass- challenged playback system. |
Lets
face it… music is not only heard on nice, full range systems, but also on
small systems like clock radios, ipod docking stations, inexpensive car
systems as well as small televisions. There is very little bass present on
those systems…hence the phrase “bass challenged”. The mix engineer must make
sure that his mix will also sound good when listened to over such a system.
As
an example…
When working on a kick drum sound on a larger full-range 2-way or 3-way
system it is fairly easy to come up with the sound that satisfies the
engineer. The next step in evaluating the mix potential is
to audition the sound on the MixCubes. The sound will be certainly less
exciting… forget about “chest pressure” etc. The challenge is now to
locate a secondary EQ frequency point which augments what the engineer
dialed in while referencing on the larger monitors. What he
then looks for is a way to bring out the awareness of the kick in the
mix on the small speakers while preserving the integrity on the larger
system. Indeed, a very revealing and significant process.
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MixCubes serve as a “reference standard” to judge the critical
midrange area of a mix without clouding the acoustical linearity
with a crossover. There is simply no perfect crossover…
they all affect the sound by causing phase problems and
non-linear performance at and near the crossover frequency.
MixCubes are very useful in judging where the vocals, guitars,
keyboards and snare drum sit in relation to each other thus
helping to establish a clean “mix field”. |
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The MixCubes serve as an excellent reference example of a Mono
TV mix. This allows an engineer to really put himself in the
listeners seat to check out phase cancellation issues as well as
balance. |
ARE YOU A MIXCUBE USER ?
There is a
simple test that you can give yourself to determine if you are a Mixcube
user, now that you understand their purpose.
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Are you planning to
use MixCubes as your SOLE source of mixing and monitoring, with
no other reference monitors in your environment? The
correct answer here is (NO), they are used as an alternate
reference perspective. |
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Does your work end up
being played on any of the following type systems? Inexpensive
boom boxes, Ipod docking stations, Computer speakers systems,
small television sets, car radios, or any other small speaker
format? (YES) |
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Would you like an
accurate, affordable way to reference your material in your
mixing scenario that can give you the confidence that your
material is going to sound balanced and true in any of the above
environments? (YES) |
If
your answers to the questions above match (ours), then the AVANTONE MixCubes
are the exact product you need, and we are certain you will be pleased with
their performance.
Experienced engineers have
developed their own personal methods for integrating these speakers into
their mix down sessions.
A very
revealing perspective can be achieved in the overall mix balance when turned
down to be barely audible… is the lead vocal there? Are the snare,
hi-hat and guitars each present or is one of them masking the others… or
jumping to the forefront in the mix?
You
can best answer these mix questions by checking your mix with low level
listening through a full range, single driver system.
MixCubes address all of the issues mentioned above. They provide a
powerful secondary reference monitor that can allow the engineer/producer to
confidently recognize how their mixes or audio productions will translate
across a wide variety of different types of playback systems!
When employed for their designed purpose, you will not find a
better product for the price or intended application. Avant Electronics
has taken a piece of studio history and improved upon it, reintroducing it to
the audio world in the AVANTONE MixCubes.
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