Music content below 40Hz

[Mr. RF62]

So really how much content is below 40Hz with music, I DJ, and was looking for a sub that will give a good 30Hz or lower output but is it really necessary?

[Professor Thump]

You rarely need anything to go below 38 Hz. Now days there may be more ultra LF with synth's but generally 38 Hz is the rule.

[Mr. RF62]

Thanks Thump, answers my question.

[Travis In Austin]

Thanks for the great queston, and the answer. I have always wonder that myself. I listen to a lot of 2 channel stuff, but some home theater as well. I am in the process of getting my Jubs set up and didn't really feel like I was going to need a sub to supplement the music at all. For HT I figured I would need a sub because they use so much low end for special effects and so forth.

Travis

[Professor Thump]

38 Hz for music is a general rule. Now for LFE on movies that can be much lower frequencies, but there generally is not any info as low as 20 HZ.

[DrWho]

I might recommend measuring the frequency content of your source material to see what is expecting to be reproduced. A lot of DJ music probably won't be hitting much below 45Hz, but then I've got some stuff with strong 25Hz content. DJ'ing is more about creating an experience though versus "accurate" reproduction. I would take 138dB at 40Hz over 130dB at 30Hz for DJ work.

Btw, what kind of price range you looking at?

[Travis In Austin]

Well Doc,

How, how prey tell, am I supposed to do that?

Travis

[sunburnwilly]

Pantera's Cowboys from Hell on cd . Looks like some low freq. stuff going on to me .

[Mr. RF62]

Well Doc, I was looking at this: http://www.yorkville.com/products.asp?type=29&cat=38&id=363 but I already have something

like this: http://www.yorkville.com/products.asp?type=29&cat=2&id=240 so I wasn't sure if I should spend the extra $$$ to get lower. Reason I use Yorkville is I can get good prices on them. Unless there is other recommendations, I can consider.

[michael hurd]

Au contraire, there is some music that has a lot of bass below 40 hz. I measured some music with spectrum lab, and I can post some screen shots.

Lesiem : Prudentia.

[michael hurd]

Here is one from the Sarah McLachlan, Adia, off the disc 'surfacing'.

[michael hurd]

Ah, just to throw some metal out there, the opening riff off of Disturbed's "Just Stop" on the Ten thousand fists disc.

[michael hurd]

To enjoy some of the deep bass stuff you need a lot of horsepower, either a multiple driver infinate baffle sub or a very large diameter long stroke driver in a corner loaded sealed box ( small room ) with no high pass filtering in the signal chain and an amp that's capable of delivering stout power.

To give you an idea how much is required, to reproduce that opening riff without any compression, and you were listening to music at a fairly loud level, say 110 db at the loudest parts, at 12.5 hz being 23.5 db down from 0db ( peak level ) you are asking for about 87 db at 12.5 hz. Raise that requirement 10 db ( peak level of 120 db *very loud* and now you need 97 db at 12.5 hz.

Producing that cleanly in room is no small task. As the room sizes go up, so do the power requirements.

[michael hurd]

In *general* most music I have seen has pretty good content in the 35-40hz range. There is some that dips below that but, as P Thump said, most of the time 38 hz is fine, there are exceptions to the rule.

The 'record stop' on Eminem's "without me" has a high level transient at 10 hz, it will excite wall and window resonances for me... []

[Mr. RF62]

To enjoy some of the deep bass stuff you need a lot of horsepower, either a multiple driver infinate baffle sub or a very large diameter long stroke driver in a corner loaded sealed box ( small room ) with no high pass filtering in the signal chain and an amp that's capable of delivering stout power.

To give you an idea how much is required, to reproduce that opening riff without any compression, and you were listening to music at a fairly loud level, say 110 db at the loudest parts, at 12.5 hz being 23.5 db down from 0db ( peak level ) you are asking for about 87 db at 12.5 hz. Raise that requirement 10 db ( peak level of 120 db *very loud* and now you need 97 db at 12.5 hz.

Producing that cleanly in room is no small task. As the room sizes go up, so do the power requirements.

Thanks for the reply Michael, so with what I'm trying to accomplish from above, would it be plausable to spend a grand to get sub 40Hz response while playing, or stay with what I have that fills the rooms, but is not sub 40Hz.?.

[michael hurd]

I would hesitate to spend a lot of money in today's economy, if you are looking at it as a pure ROI, how many dances / functions are you playing>? If you do many a year, I would say go for it.

[Mr. RF62]

Alright, that helps.

Thanks alot.

[The Dude]

I hope im not intruding on the commercial audio side of things. But coming across this post braught up a couple of questions for me. 1st is what kind of programs are you guys using to measure Hz what are they called and is there one you would recomend for the home owner. 2nd is my latest thing ive been trying to learn about is low frequancy(bass) and the best way for best ane more bass, maybe the best way part of this question could be answered with some of the other post around here such as the ones on ib woofers, etc... i guess i also have a third question which on my powered woofer my ht one fella was telling me about how bass or low frequancy roll off after about 20hz have passed, dont know if this makes since but basically he was saying set my hz to around 60 so by the time they reach full potetional they are around 80hz. Which is what i thougth was good for ht, but coming around here sounds like lets go as low as we can.

thanks

nick

[michael hurd]

I used spectrum lab, you can google it to find the dowload page, it`s freeware. I would have to say that the room is the most important part of the playback chain, and second of that the speakers / sub. A good room with decent speakers and sub will beat a poor room with the most expensive speakers and sub pretty much hands down.