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I just got a M-Audio BX10s active subwoofer for monitoring. I was wondering since it has a crossover knob that filters from 50hz-120khz.

Which one would be the best setting for the x-over? I've had problems with mixing where my tracks were too muddy, separating sounds, and having bass shy mixes (and no sub bass at times) just using those. I tried the 50hz x-over, then the 80hz. The 50 hz you hear the really low sub freqs, but it wasn't well defined, when I set it to 80hz cutoff the mix sounded much more detailed and clear, and the bass + sub bass was well defined,

My setup is a pair of Mackie HR824's for monitoring and I'm running the output signal through the sub into the 824's

I want to hear feedback on using the crossover knob settings what's usually the best one. Thanks.

Play some tunes through it - proper, released tunes that you know well, preferably off a CD, not MP3 or vinyl - and choose the setting that sounds best to your ears.

Not trying to sound like a dick there, but if there was a straight answer to the question, the x-over wouldn't have a knob in the first place, it would just be set to the "right" frequency.

Don't know about your exact setup but...

I'm no expert on this (I don't really know what I'm doing really) but I built my own sub last year. Deciding on a crossover frequency and generally setting things up was a real pain in the arse. I settled on a 12db/octive filter with a crossover @ 80Hz. This seems to be the ballpark frequency used in 2.1 setups. I think 50Hz is a bit too low, but it depends on your setup. Generally speaking our ears are not very good at distinguishing pitch and spatial location of low frequencies so that may well explain why what you are hearing is not well defined.

The crossover frequency depends on the frequency response of your monitors and your sub. Also you need to know what type of filter it is (12bd/octive or 24db/octive). You may be get phase cancellation if your monitors and sub are pumping out the same frequencies. The idea is to get the flattest frequency response possible for checking your mix. If things are not sounding too good, your mix may be at fault and not the speaker setup. I recommend you set things up using a tried and tested tune (something you know is mixed well and you are familiar with). That way you can just trust your ears.

Another issue is where your sub is positioned. If its near to a corner for example, you may get an exaggerated bass response.