Get a clue as to how many of your mixes are going to sound on bass-deficient systems such as radios, car stereos, and boom box speakers. The Active MixCubes help you figure out how your mix is going to translate to a wide variety of sources.
Sweetwater Advice
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Matt Emick
Customer Reviews
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Best purchase ive made yet
I mean these things can tell me if a fly is flying wrong !!!!!!it really reveals your mix either in a good way or bad way but ibrecommend listing to industry music or something music that was done professionally if you purchase them so you can get use to the pros and cons of them "this is a real review from a real world engineer defitnely worth it" !!!!!!!
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Monitors for mixing
Excellent flat response in most of the frequency spectrum.
It is a great tool for mixing!. -
Truthful, must-have tools for your studio!
I'm a big fan of Avantone Audio. I own their CV-12 Condenser which has become my go-to mic for almost every vocalist in my studio. They really make some amazing products that defy their price range by leaps and bounds, and their MixCubes are no exception.
After reading about the ability of the Auratone 5Cs for years, and the subsequent stellar reviews for these Avantone updates on those old standbys, I decided to pull the trigger on the MixCubes. After my Dangerous Music D-Box, I can say without hesitation that these are the best investment I have made in my rig.
Since incorporating these monitors into my workflow, I've been mixing almost exclusively on these things because, simply, they tell you the truth about the most critical frequency range your ear hones in on. If you can clearly hear the elements of your mix on these things then you know your mix will translate to any system, anywhere. I'll switch to my Yamaha HS50/HS10 monitors to verify that the bottom end isn't bloated or muddy, but the MixCubes are where I now do the majority of my mixing since I got these things. And judging from my clients' comments about my mixes on their music, these monitors are helping me get the job done better than ever before.
If you want to take your mixes to the next level and make the best possible decisions in doing so, you owe itself to give these things a whirl and see what they can do for you.
As always, HUGE thanks to my sales engineer Chris Lewis for his almost Zen-like ability to hone in on what I'm looking for and give me his honest opinion of the products I let him know that am interested in. It's as if he's been in my control room repeatedly and knows exactly which products I need (or don't need) based on our many conversations about the contents of my rig. He personifies the Sweetwater Difference and is a huge part of the reason I get my gear via Sweetwater. -
Great for TV/DVD production
I use these when working on audio for DVD and TV production; what I get from my MixCubes is a really accurate representation of what will end up coming out of the average TV on which the material will be played back. Likewise for multimedia production; great approximation of what audio will sound like coming out of a tablet, smartphone or laptop.
I also find that once I get a mix roughly right on the larger monitors, switching to these to refine my work, then switching back to the larger monitors leads to significant improvement in my mixing.
Worth every penny in my opinion. -
A must-have studio tool
These are some of the worst sounding monitors I have ever owned. And that's what makes them PERFECT. The Avantones allow you to hear all the bad mixing decisions that have been made. Great for checking a mix in mono too. I avoided buying the Avantones for years. Didn't think I needed them. But, I was very wrong. These are now essential mixing tools for me.
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The best most awful sounding monitors!!!
Here's the deal: I normally monitor thru a set of Adams A7s with the associated sub - top of the line studio monitors. But I notices that my mixes could seem midrange heavy on smaller systems like today's boomboxes and other iOS type playback systems.
The Avantones sound like someone turned the bass knob all the way down, and the midrange knob to 11 (which we all know is one more than ten). But by working to make my mixes sound good on the Avantones and referencing back and forth with my primary monitors, I've significantly improved the quality and cross-system compatibility of my mixes.the Avantones were especially helpful ensuring that the lead vocal did not end up being too loud on the small sound systems.
One word of caution - be very careful plugging the power cable from the separate power supply itself to the multi-pin input on the back of the speaker.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a 2nd (or 3rd) set of monitors for your studio rig, these are a excellent and useful choice. -
The Dynamics Are Revealed!
Engineers often talk about frequency response, accuracy, stereo imaging, and listenabilty amongst other things when they discuss studio monitors, but they often neglect the topic of "dynamics". The paper woofer on the Avantones are so light that the magnets can move the woofers so efficiently and quickly to the point you can hear the true dynamic response of your mix. Your EQ adjustments might be sacrificed a little as the tone of the paper is not all that pleasant or accurate, but I guarantee you you'll never second guess what you're doing with a compressor ever again! These have changed the way my staff and I mix music entirely!
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"meat and potatoes"
Such a great job at showing you where your mix is by stripping away the polarities of high and low frequencies. They allow you to focus on the "meat and potatoes" of you mix which is in other words is the mid range and overall fatness of your track. This is a must bye for anyone who is looking for a tool to help them achieve better mix downs and take their productions to the next level.
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They really help finish a mix
The perfect 2nd monitor system. They do a great job of showing you what is good or bad in the midrange. If your mixes sound good on the MixCubes and your main mix monitors, they will sound great just about anywhere.
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How music is suppose to sound
As soon as I turned them on I smiled. This is how music is suppose to sound. Our audience doesn't get the chance to always enjoy engineer standard audio. They listen on what they can get ahold of. Grandma's radio, a laptop or their car's system. And that's exactly the sound I got!!! The sound of driving down the beach in my VW Bus just enjoying the California sun. It's a very nostalgic sound because that how we first experienced the songs we love.
I have a pair of JBL 6328 as my main monitors but these are exactly what I need for telling me how a mix feels. I have my JBLs to tell me how they sound, but these Avantones definitely tell me how the song feels. After all that is the purpose of music. We're suppose to make sure our music evokes the right emotions.
These are my new go to reference monitors for how the mix translates to other systems. But most importantly, they'll tell me how the song feel. They're the right investment if you're looking for everything I mentioned.
Great job Avantone! -
A MUST FOR ANY REAL ENGINEER
AS FORMER MASTERING ENGINEER/ PRODUCER FOR COLUMBIA / EPIC RECORDS AND 51 YRS IN THE BIZZ . MY EARS LOVE THESE GUYS !! THEY HELP YOU FINE TUNE YOUR MIX . I HAVE 6 SETS OF MONITORS AND THE MIX TRANSLATES TO ALL , THE MIX SETTLES DOWN AND KEEPS THE LOOSE ENDS IN CHECK. AT 71 YRS OLD IVE USED THEM ALL, THESE CUBES WORK JUST GREAT . IF YOUR LOOKING TO DAZZLE YOUR CLIENTS ..BUY SOME THING WITH A LOT HYPED COLOR AND WHEN YOUR RECORD COME BACK ITLL SUCK !!!
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Truly great tools.
These little guys are truly revealing in the mid range. Everyone should have a pair.
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Truly great tools.
These little guys are truly revealing in the mid range. Everyone should have a pair.
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Perfect
I write for TV broadcast and these help me a lot with the hidden things that my NS 10's and Tannoys may glisten but miss on a TV broadcast.
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They sound so terrible, I LOVE THEM!!!
My mixes have dramatically improved since purchasing these monitors. Yeah, they pretty much sound like crap compared to your fancy monitors but these give you a preview of what your mix will sound like in "the real world", ie car stereos, boom boxes, and ipod earbuds.
Not to mention it being MUCH easier to place vocals in the mix on these things compared to even my A monitors. I'm in LUV. -
nice monitors
flat, dry, clear sound. takes a minute for your ear to accept them as they are not the fat, bright hi fi sound of a multi driver monitor. i find i actually prefer to use these as my main playback monitors lately. a must have for mixing .
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Avantone Mixcubes (active) make mixes sound pro
These speakers give you the bad news. Your mixes sound bad. Stop basking in the warm glow of your bass-y mains and get to work. These things will help you focus on your upper mids, places where your poorly-designed crossover might be lying to you, in the 1-3kHz range. I've done eq tweaks I've never thought about doing. The responses I've gotten from some of my mixes hint that the songs almost sound mastered. These littles guys are musical microscopes.
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Better than the originals
Having used Auratones for years in studios, I knew what these should sound like. I was not disappointed. After a generous break in period, these have become an invaluable reference in my personal studio.
There is a ground hum issue (very low buzz not noticeable in most rooms) with these and I have heard from other people that theirs hum as well but its an easy fix.
If you need a "real world" alternate reference when mixing, you cannot do without these. -
Worthy Addition
I,d been seeing these in studio,s and reading about them for a while. So, I pulled the trigger and their everything I read about! I hooked mine up to the Dangerous D Box, set the volume to the same level as the mains, and I,ve got a Tascam CD-200 player hooked up to the D Box as well, so it,ll be easy to break-in the speakers, and also get used to the tones compared to the main monitors, using my favorite cd,s! And, the price is right, very worthy like I said!
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More Than I Expected
Pro’s: Compact, lightweight and easy to mount and fit into virtually any studio configuration no matter how small.
Con’s: Nothing yet; they do pretty much what they’re advertized to do; reveal the harsh midrange spectrum which does need some getting used to.
Overall, these Avantone Active MixCubes are what I hoped for and more. I have to say, they do live up to their namesake; the Auratone or as it’s more affectionately known as, the “Horrortone”. But then again, they are perfect for what they do. With so many people nowadays listening to music, myself included, on small phones and other devices never intended for high fidelity, the mixing world has been forced into mixing to these devices because after all, what the customer wants, the customer gets.
But even so, I have noticed an overall improvement on all of my mixes regardless of what my final play-back system is. Switching back & forth from my main monitors during the mixing process, (ADAM AX7’s with a sub), these have enabled me to hear “through” the smoothness of full range monitors and dig into the harshness presented by these Avantone’s. They really have done more than I expected. I’m grateful to my good friend who recommended them to me. Here's one for you Jim!!!! -
Picks up AM Radio real well
I kinda feel like I should have gone with the passive ones and a good amp or gotten a second-hand pair of Auratones. These pick up AM radio even with the ground switch lifted. It's very audible when a few inches away, when in the mix position (6' away for me) it isn't audible; however, it does seem to add noise to the other monitors which they're near as well.
They do look nice though... Just know that they're sensitive to picking up radio waves and amplifying them!
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Avantone Audio Active MixCubes - Retro Cream
Mini Active Full-range Reference Monitors with 5-1/4" Drivers, Shielded Design, and Built-in Stand Mounts (pair) More Info...
