https://www.izotope.com/en/blog/mixing/do-you-need-a-subwoofer-to-mix-music.html

It seems that the answer is mostly .... yes.

However..... it's always a good idea to have the sub on a switch you can easily turn on and off..... because you really have to know the room and the default EQ on the system, and you really should A/B sub on/sub off.

Many folks in home studios tend to buy a sub, and start mixing without really doing anything to see where their room is at. The room affects what you hear more than most folks realize. If your room is canceling the lows at your chair, you will tend to mix bass heavy music, just as mixing with tiny speakers such as 3" or even 5" cones. Adding a sub to make up for the lack of lows with out really EQ'ing the room is a recipe for trouble.

Learn the system you work with and you can produce good sounding mixes regardless of the size of the speakers, using headphones, or having, or not having a sub kicking those lows.

But I will say this.... mixing with a well balanced system with a sub in it is nothing but sweet ear candy.

Personally, I have 5" 50w cones and a 10" 100w sub and I really enjoy the mixing.

Interesting Herb. I've thought about getting one but my KRK's are self powered and with no amp, just the line out of my mac, it might get tedious to set one up. I've mixed in the same room for 30 years so I know it pretty well Over that time I've used a host of different monitors but never a sub...although I do have one for our living room system (Polk towers and a Yamaha sub).

I think, perhaps optimistically, that over this time I've learned how to mix bass and drums on my monitors so that they will sound acceptable on a big system. I may be kidding myself but I've reached that point in life where keeping it simple becomes increasingly important!

Bud

One trick I have used occasionally is to cut what I don't hear, so nobody else will hear it either.

If I am on a system using monitors with a freq range of 32hZ-20khZ (for instance)and the mix sounds good, I can easily reduce anything below 32 and above 20k .. so I don't have to worry about something being in the mix that I am not hearing.
When considering the 'mixing for streaming' thread, it can actually benefit a mix later in other ways.
Plus it can reduce energy and thus add headroom (math-wise), so may actually clean a mix a bit and allow more dynamics .. with increased perceived volume.

I think all weird like that.
The maths did it to me.
And the meters

A tip of the pint glass to anybody who can hear below 32 and above 20,000 who is not an infant!

What?

I can hear below 32°F but if I am ever at 20,000°F then I'm in hell!

Hi,

I'm using Yamaha HS8s, and they go low enough that I don't really feel I need a sub, and all my music is very bass-heavy.

I had constant problems when trying to mix with my previous monitors (KRK Rokit 5s) without a sub though, had to rely on spectrum analyzers to see what was going on with my low end since they just didn't go deep enough.

Cheers
Kent
PG Music

What Herb said...…

I'm also using KRK's (self powered) here and I'm feeding them with a Scarlett 2i4.

I don't have a subwoofer but I have no problem hearing the bass and no one has ever told me that my mixes are bass heavy so as far as I can tell I'm not missing anything by not having one.

Maybe it's more a genre thing? I just do blues and rock here.

I've always leaned towards "yet" being the answer. Reading that article, it seems to be the general consensus. Great article, and great topic for discussion

I have ARC and had ARC'd my old studio so I knew it pretty well.

This new studio.... well, to be honest, I haven't yet taken the time to run ARC on it. I've been meaning to do that and plan to get around to it...really I do...... once I do finally ARC this room, I'll have a better handle on all the frequencies.

Remember: You can't mix or compensate, or treat what you can't, or don't hear.