dSix Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I've been using a Boss GT-6B for quite a while now and most of the effects have served me well. The distortion effects on the other hand always seem to sound very muddy no matter how I EQ them. I don't have any standalone pedals and I've never heard any bass distortion on its own outside of my headphones so I've got no idea how my distortion is "meant" to sound. I've spent a hell of a long time messing around with the EQ but I'm no expert so I'm not really sure about the frequency ranges that I should be cutting or boosting. The effects chain is: Light compression on the direct sound -> Distortion with a 60/50 blend of distorted/clean sound -> 3 band parametric EQ. The EQ currently boosts at 63Hz and 7.0kHz and it cuts at 575Hz. My amp EQ is off so that it won't interfere with the distorted sound and the GT-6B isn't in the effects loop. It sounded weird when I tried it. I realise that most of this is a matter of taste but if anyone has any tips on frequencies that could be cut/boosted or on the sort of clean/distorted tone blending that people use it would be greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyBiskit Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Hi I also have the GT6-B, I find that not using the parametric eq works best for me(theres to many factors involved for me-)but its important not to lose the clean sound-I tend to use distirtion/clean with a setting of 30/35 and adjust the drive to suit your taste with the overall effects level set at 114/ these are my personal settings and i find they work well for me but may not suit you/ hope this helps Trev Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 That's a bit like asking "What flavour is a cake meant to be". It can be whatever you like. Youtube is your friend for finding out what different things sound like. I like mine like this... http://soundcloud.com/bassg/fears Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 All the nice harmonic richness bits of distortion are in the midrange, which you are eqing out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincz Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 ^^ It probably sounds muddy because you're boosting the mud-range rather than the mid-range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dSix Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Thanks for the replies guys. Trev, I tried keeping the volume low for the distortion, disabling the EQ and raising the overall volume but it didn't work for me. xgsjx, that distortion sounds awesome! Nice and synthy. What part of the mid-range should I be eqing out? I was told that a high Q value at around 580Hz would help to get rid of the mud but if I'm boosting the wrong frequencies either side... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 [quote name='dincz' timestamp='1342407713' post='1734416'] ^^ It probably sounds muddy because you're boosting the mud-range rather than the mid-range. [/quote] hehe I'm a big Boss fanboy, but I don't think they do bass distortions very well. I don't have experience of the GT-6B, only the ME-50B and various Compacts, but have never found a Boss Distortion sound that works for me. You might have better luck stacking a couple of different settings. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I'd put the EQ flat & playabout with the distortion (& other dirt sounds) until you find something you like, then play about with the EQ. I boost my distortion channel at notches of 350hz & 775hz & also slightly at 2khz ish. anything under 110hz and notched at 525hz is almost clean (unless the octaver is on). Spend a bit of time playing with your fx, it's 1/2 the fun & a joy when you find "that" sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dSix Posted July 16, 2012 Author Share Posted July 16, 2012 Sounds like I might have to buy a couple of extra pedals, the number of hours I've spent messing with distortion is getting ridiculous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dincz Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 [quote name='dSix' timestamp='1342430651' post='1734589'] What part of the mid-range should I be eqing out? I was told that a high Q value at around 580Hz would help to get rid of the mud but if I'm boosting the wrong frequencies either side... [/quote]I'm not sure you should be eqing out any part of the mid range. Try a mid boost instead with a medium Q. And get rid of the 63Hz boost. As mentioned, it would be good to start with flat eq and tweak gently to taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 I have to say, I also get a lot more pleasing distortion with my Precision than I do with my Jazz (using my Xotic BB Pre clone that is), so experiment with different basses into different distortions if you're able to. Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dSix Posted July 17, 2012 Author Share Posted July 17, 2012 (edited) I've been messing around with the distortion and I've found that: 1) You were right dincz, adding some mids put in some much needed richness 2) Passing the clean sound through the auto-wah to use it as a filter before distorting gives me more control over the sound of the distortion 3) The GT-6B is capable of making usable distortion I haven't tried using my P-Bass yet but I will soon! Edited July 17, 2012 by dSix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted July 17, 2012 Share Posted July 17, 2012 Good to hear you're getting somewhere. Experimenting is the answer! I use my filter after the distortion, but different pedals suit different ways. There is no "wrong way". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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