Help! Muddy Sound...

[imarx]

At the venue I normally DJ, I have a problem with my music being quite muddy - the sound lacks crispness and the bass is very "boomy". This is especially a problem with older recordings (ie pre-1950), which is most of what I tend to play. A few details on my situation:

I DJ from a MacBook w/ iTunes and a Griffin iMic USB sound card. I know Macs have a low sound output compared to PCs, and when I DJ I have to pretty much max out the volume on my computer and on the amp. Perhaps this is part of the problem? Is there a different USB sound card that provides a greater power output or would I have to invest in some sort of pre-amp? If so, are there any cheap, portable pre-amps that would serve my purposes? Or is it possible to get acceptable sound through some creative EQing? I have tried fiddling with the "bass" and "treble" dials on the amp with little success, and I don't really have time to experiment with the iTunes EQ while I am DJing (plus there's a lesson before the dance so I can't do a sound check beforehand).

The sound system at the venue (MIT) is your standard university sound system - the Fender Passport (the one with the speakers that clip onto the amp to form a portable suitcase that can be lugged around easily). I guessing part of the problem is that the Passport isn't the ideal amp for boosting my weak laptop, since I have DJed other venues with better sound systems and didn't have issues with muddiness. Also, it seems like other DJs who use PCs don't have the problems I am having, which leads me to believe that boosting my output might help (though I think the other DJs don't play as much old stuff as I do).

I would really like to figure out how to fix this problem, since it's pretty distracting and I think it keeps people from getting into the music. Please feel free to offer suggestions or observations for any of my questions. Thanks!

[Toon Town Dave]

Does the music played by other DJ's also sound muddy? Is it a problem with one or both of the speakers, what about if you change the right and left around? If not of that remedies or isolates the problem, it's likely the sound system, I never liked the sound out of the passport we the U of S had a club for audio quality. I'd take my Mackie SRM150 (size of a toaster) over the more powerful Passport 250 any day just for sound quality.

I've heard a muddy sound out of a decent system at a ballroom dance when the bass/lows was cranked way up and the treble or mids and highs were also cranked down. Try making sure whatever you have for eq in the passport and your laptop is flat and tune from there. If that doesn't help, it could be either speakers or something else in the passport is busted.

[zipthebird]

Have you tried boosting the pre-amp from the i-Tunes equalizer? That will get you some more juice.

Both the cafeteria and the big hall at MIT are also acoustic nightmares, so that may be exacerbating things. Though if other djs aren't having the same problem, it can't be the only reason.

[trev]

Another thing to consider is the quality of the sound files you are playing. If they are low bitrate MP3s or from poor quality sources that will make a big difference. The same recording can sound amazingly vibrant, or as though it was recorded underwater, depending on the quality of the remastering. Test this by playing a modern recording to see if it still sounds muddy.

[imarx]

Thanks for the replies. I'm guessing everything you guys mentioned plays some part in my troubles. Last night I was DJing from the far end of the big hall so I really had to crank up the volume to make sure everyone could hear it, so maybe that's why it sounded worse than usual.

I've never noticed other DJs' music sounding muddy, but pretty much all of them use PCs which I assume have higher output levels. There is one other DJ who uses a Macbook but I haven't been out to hear any of her sets lately. Also, as I said before it only seems to be a problem on older recordings, and I think I'm one of the few MIT DJs who plays a significant amount of older music. In response to Dave, I have the EQ set to flat as a default on my computer and I actually tried turning down the bass and boosting the treble on the amp but it didn't do much good. I guess I might have to discreetly fiddle with the iTunes EQ during future sets to see if I can find something that works. I will also try boosting the preamp as well.

[trev]

I have a Turtle beach USB soundcard that significantly boosts the output from my macbook if I need it, but it does have a slight tendency towards "boomier". It was cheap though, so it may be a good solution.

[Mr Awesomer]

but pretty much all of them use PCs which I assume have higher output levels.

What exactly makes you assume that? MacBook's use a Realtek sound chip... the same Realtek chip found in a multitude of Windows machines.

[Haydn]

At the venue I normally DJ, I have a problem with my music being quite muddy - the sound lacks crispness and the bass is very "boomy". This is especially a problem with older recordings (ie pre-1950), which is most of what I tend to play. A few details on my situation:

I DJ from a MacBook w/ iTunes and a Griffin iMic USB sound card. I know Macs have a low sound output compared to PCs, and when I DJ I have to pretty much max out the volume on my computer and on the amp. Perhaps this is part of the problem? Is there a different USB sound card that provides a greater power output or would I have to invest in some sort of pre-amp? If so, are there any cheap, portable pre-amps that would serve my purposes? Or is it possible to get acceptable sound through some creative EQing? I have tried fiddling with the "bass" and "treble" dials on the amp with little success, and I don't really have time to experiment with the iTunes EQ while I am DJing (plus there's a lesson before the dance so I can't do a sound check beforehand).

The sound system at the venue (MIT) is your standard university sound system - the Fender Passport (the one with the speakers that clip onto the amp to form a portable suitcase that can be lugged around easily). I guessing part of the problem is that the Passport isn't the ideal amp for boosting my weak laptop, since I have DJed other venues with better sound systems and didn't have issues with muddiness. Also, it seems like other DJs who use PCs don't have the problems I am having, which leads me to believe that boosting my output might help (though I think the other DJs don't play as much old stuff as I do).

I would really like to figure out how to fix this problem, since it's pretty distracting and I think it keeps people from getting into the music. Please feel free to offer suggestions or observations for any of my questions. Thanks!

I would try the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro USB card. (I tried to find it on Turtle Beach's site, but their site seems to be down at the moment)

I DJ with a MacBook and this card, and I've seen other DJs use the same card on their Mac laptops - sounds as though Trev uses it as well. It boosts the sound level a lot, which is great for older music (by the way, can you give an example of a track?).

On the software side, you could look at audio enhancements like iWow and Hear. These can work well, but need adjusting for each sound set-up. (You might find it sounds great on your headphones, or Mac speakers at home, and terrible on the sound system at the dance).

I would make friends with the relevant people at the venue, and see if you can go there to try your set-up. Try to do this at a time when you're not under pressure (i.e. not 5 minutes before the event starts).

Let us know how it goes

[penguin]

Good responses from everyone else so I thought I just post that I'm very happy with my external card.

It's a Creative Xmod http://au.creative.com/products/product ... duct=15913 and does a great job boosting the audio.

The other bells and whistles make it a great partner for my Sennheiser HD515's. http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser/ho ... 5341&row=2 . Though I'm thinking of upgrading these, this year.

[Toon Town Dave]

Perhaps a little counter to the present line of thinking but try decreasing the level on the computer and the input level on the PA. Try to do most of the amplification with the main volume on the PA.

I have the Turtle Beach, it's great, a little weak in the mid tones but the overall output is too hot for some sound systems. I was playing some stuff at a WCS dance last Friday and the Mixer was clipping with the TB somewhere between 1/4 and 1/3 point on the computer. I ended up with both the computer and the PA input at about 1/4 and the main just under 3/4 to maintain the level and cut the clipping. I think the Mixer was either Fender or Peavey (didn't really pay attention) designed for live sound/mics.