EQ Problems

[dirtystatic]

Okay, so I'm after a little advice..

My bass has been sounding a bit crap lately, even after several string changes and EQ tweakings. My current bass is a hand made, it features in my lil' picture over to the side. It's Bubingah with a maple neck. USA jazz compoments - a volume pot for each.

My rig is (at the moment) a Laney R4H and a Laney 4x10 w/horn.

I'm just after some advice on how to set the EQ to achieve a better sound. At the moment my bass isn't standing out and just exists as a drone behind the drums and guitar.

My band is only a 3-piece, you can check us out at myspace.com/dirtystatic to get an idea of how we sound.

I like a nice thick bottom end but I also like it to emphasise the rattle and buzz of the fret board as I slide about the place (I guess Justin Chancellor has the sound I like, obviously I'don't expect to achieve his sound with my crumby Laney). I usually set my EQ to this sorta shape:

(you have no idea how long that took me!)

I then set the treble boost to 0, the bass boost to 1-2 and the enhance to 1-2, I also disengage the horn on my cab. That set up gives me the best sound I've managed, but then I might be going about this the completely wrong way. I'd appreciate any help and I fully understand that I'm drasticly limited by my gear - but I'm confident it should sound better. Maybe a little EQ-theory I can put into practise will help me out!

Thanks in advance guys...

[Rich]

That little cut in the mid range on your diagram will not be helping matters. It's the mids that will cut through the mix and stop you being 'droney'.

[Vasquez Rich]

Agree with that, I leave my graphic in a sort of frown, lows and highs 0db (ish).. mids up 3-6db.

Richard

[dirtystatic]

Cheers guys, I know about the treble and the bass but I've never know what role the mids play. A few players I've spoken to, mainly residents in local music clubs, have told me to shape my EQ in a sort of "m" shape.. a bit like a drawing of a bird I suppose. But obviously that isn't working so I'm looking forward to putting your suggestions into practise tomorrow.

Cheers again!

[bass_ferret]

Mids are your friend. Use it wisely!

[The Funk]

I always emphasise the mids.

[odub]

Hmm, why does my Trace EQ have an automatic mid-cut shape button thingy? Do they have an different idea about EQ, or is it just that the symbol looks like mid cut?

[The Funk]

I think in the '80s there was a preference for mid-cut for a 'good' slap sound.

[Rich]

Ah yes, the classic 'smiley face' EQ. Great sound, not.

I find that a bit of a boost at around the 1.4kHz level adds a nice bite to the sound.

[The Funk]

I don't understand the smiley face EQ. The detail is in the mids.

[Subthumper]

Assuming you've got a nice set of strings(EQ wont cure or bring back lost harmonics) I'd set everything flat on the amp and the cab horn control.Then turn the amp up till you've got the right sort of volume you need to be heard when playing with the band.Then use the EQ.What I've found is the EQ requirements change with volume (and the room you're in),so as you play louder you actually need less boost than you do playing at lower levels.This also keeps a tighter sound and stops all the power being guzzled up by over boosting the low end.
Good luck cheers Just

[The Funk]

[quote name='Subthumper' post='46345' date='Aug 16 2007, 12:09 PM']What I've found is the EQ requirements change with volume (and the room you're in)[/quote]

Agreed

Edited August 16, 2007 by The Funk

[acidbass]

After struggling with my EQ set up for a few months in my band, I've reverted to setting my EQ on bass and amp totally flat. I'm not sure what it is, but it seems to sound the best!

[dirtystatic]

This is all great advice, I'm fiddling about with the mids and I'm hearing myself alot better in the mix..

Cheers guys!

[lozbass]

Hi, first, I'm really enjoying the tracks (especially 'blame')

I'd endorse pretty much all that I've read above (I have an old TE Series 6 12 band though and love the pre-shape - not easy to replicate via tweaking the graphic - something else going on?). Judicious use of mids can often go a long way to getting you where you want to be. The point relating to room/venue/fill is also really important. Beyond tone/EQ, many years ago I played with a band that 'tuned to the room', i.e., we didn't use standard concert tunings but tried to find a tuning that suited the space (both empty and full)...to be honest, it was probably the best sound I've ever managed.

Back to the point - I'm not really sure about the electronics in your bass (US Jazz pickups and passive?), but it may be worth trying to use the instrument itself. A lot of Jazz players look for that Jazz 'honk' by maximising the bridge pickup and rolling-off the neck pickup to around 30-40% (i.e., as you roll it in from zero, the aim is to find a 'sweetspot' where you retain a honk/bark but also get in some fuller bottom-end warmth). I think this tends to work better for finger style playing, but you could try it with a pick (if indeed you're using one) - it may help you to cut through.

Cheers, Loz

Edited August 17, 2007 by lozbass

[dirtystatic]

Yeah, the pick-ups are passive. I usually find myself rolling off the bridge pick-up a little because it produces too much twang for my liking.

I've acctually just purchased a Sansamp PDI from G-bitch so that's simplified things a little. It's far easier to get a good sound from that little box of joy than from the EQ on the Laney.

[JD1]

I tend to generally boost the mids althouh maybe a slight cut around 800Hz to remove "boxiness" from the sound. I cut the really low frequencies and I find a boost around 5K is good for scratchy finger noise. Tone is a never ending quest mate! Even when I've had an amp, cab, bass and eq set up I've loved, eventually I start looking for a change.

[dirtystatic]

I've found it doesn't just vary room to room, it's your position in the room too. Our practise hall is carpeted with curtains round 60% of it - which is good, thing is there's a recessed area for seating off one of the walls that goes about 10mtrs back. Last week I set up with the back of my cab facing into the recess. I found that after every note I struck there was a slight echo which made it very difficult to keep in time.

[beerdragon]

Dirtystatic, have you played anywhere in the Wrexham area?

[NJW]

Yup... the position in the room plays a major factor. I don't know if you play many shows/gigs - but you also find that the type of stage you play on changes your sound drastically also.

What you have to do is just fiddle about finding nice sounds in all sorts of environments, so you become comfortable with how to achieve these. From then on you should be able to quickly and easily adjust your EQ in any situation.

...and of course, as mentioned above, mids are your friend!

[dirtystatic]

@beerdragon..

we havent played wrexham yet, we're pushin for gigs in central and the swan though.. so hopefully soon. i do know wrexham well though... i used to go to yale college - i know alot of the bands round there too

[lee4]

[quote name='Subthumper' post='46345' date='Aug 16 2007, 12:09 PM']Assuming you've got a nice set of strings(EQ wont cure or bring back lost harmonics) I'd set everything flat on the amp and the cab horn control.Then turn the amp up till you've got the right sort of volume you need to be heard when playing with the band.Then use the EQ.What I've found is the EQ requirements change with volume (and the room you're in),so as you play louder you actually need less boost than you do playing at lower levels.This also keeps a tighter sound and stops all the power being guzzled up by over boosting the low end.
Good luck cheers Just[/quote]
I agree.I hav'nt used the EQ on my old Trace head for a year or more.I only use the bass pot on my Warwwick.Seems to work.