[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Then I filtered. I have many bass traps suspended which has helped tremendously to balance bass response thoughout the room, so as not to have much bass buildup.

Okay – The traps should help the “bass hole” situation, as I understand.

I'd also like to say that I have less concern about the use of subs in the general public and feel they are not as common as 2.0 stereo, so I'm less inclined to add a sub to my system. Music is being mixed with lower freqs because the ability to reproduce them is easier for the general listener's stereo.

If you don’t have good full-range response, I don’t see how it can do anything but adversely affect your final mixes. For instance, judging from the chart in brucek’s post (#10) I’m going to hazard a guess that your mixes end up having overpowering bass when you take them to other systems. If that’s the case, it’s because your bass response is poor, so you’re naturally EQing to compensate. Again, you might want to take a look at Parts 2 and 3 of the house curve sticky thread.

Are you saying that a sub will fill this space and when REW/BFD'd will better serve the overall sound?

Yes, that’s what I’m saying. Especially if I’m right about the way your mixes are sounding outside the studio. I’ve done a little mixing on studio monitors in a small room, and I had the same problem with the bass that you are. I think a sub really would have helped, because I was essentially “flying blind” as far mixing and EQing the bass was concerned. REW will tell you if the sub needs equalizing (as you know), and the BFD will take care if it, if needed.

If so, I might try one. Any you'd recommend?

That’s a toughie, because I imagine you want one with balanced inputs. Probably any of those will be pricier than regular home theater or home stereo subs, although a good-quality 10" home sub is probably all you need (assuming your room is pretty small). SVS, a popular brand with the enthusiasts that frequent the home theater forums, is about to come out with a sealed 12” sub, the SB-12 – probably way more than you need, but it does have the balanced inputs. You can get good deals on them since they’re mail order only. You’ll probably get better detail for music reproduction with a sealed sub rather than ported (although that’s not always the case). Maybe your local pro audio dealer, or the pro section of a guitar shop, will have some studio-friendly subs.

Regards,
Wayne