HPF (I think) demonstration on youtube?

[chyc]

On one thread that flew past me maybe a week ago, someone posted a video of this magical effects box that, when engaged, wouldn't change the sound recorded by the microphone to my ears but you could see the cones of the cabinet doing much much less work. Nowhere did it mention it was an HPF, but I assume that an HPF was a large part of its secret sauce.

 

I now cannot find the video, nor remember the name of the box. Does anyone know what I'm talking about? I think it was either a 4x10 or a 6x10 in the video.

[jrixn1]

 

[fretmeister]

I use one sometimes.

 

It has a steep cut off slope at 30hz. Useful for getting rid of annoying low end rumble. Tightens things up nicely.

[chyc]

Amazed there isn't a larger market for this kind of thing. Who wouldn't want to make their kit last longer and make their sound sound better?

 

I had to laugh at one comment on the YT vid which said they wouldn't buy one because they couldn't hear the difference.

[Matt P]

i think there are a quite a few people on Basschat that use a HPF, and i'd guess that a fair proportion are using the Micro Thumpinator as they used to pop up in threads all the time (and occasionally in the for sale section)

I'm using an adjustable HPF that i built from a kit after hearing about it in the DIY effects thread. it was very easy to build and works really well. 

 

Mini HP Vong kit

 

I'm actually thinking of buying another as i have 2 different pedalboards and want one for each.

 

Matt

 

[dannybuoy]

Lots of amps have one built in anyway, but it’s not easy to discover which ones. I recall a thread on Talkbass with Agedhorse, a designer of Genz Benz amps talking along the lines that all their amps had such a filter but they never marketed the fact.

[Matt P]

1 hour ago, dannybuoy said:

Lots of amps have one built in anyway, but it’s not easy to discover which ones. I recall a thread on Talkbass with Agedhorse, a designer of Genz Benz amps talking along the lines that all their amps had such a filter but they never marketed the fact.

yeah i remember a thread about this, i think that my markbass F1 has a built in HPF but i also run straight into the PA at church so added one to my mini church board as a precaution, if i add one to my main board it will mainly be used as insurance for any time i'm not using my amp (or if i end up buying another head) the one i linked too is pretty cheap compared to a thumpinator and imo worth it as belt and braces insurance if i'm using a house amp somewhere or sharing a rig with another band.

 

Matt

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, dannybuoy said:

Lots of amps have one built in anyway, but it’s not easy to discover which ones. I recall a thread on Talkbass with Agedhorse, a designer of Genz Benz amps talking along the lines that all their amps had such a filter but they never marketed the fact.

Darkglass have one as standard on their amps. 

[Matt P]

there is a far more in depth thread on here, 16 pages and it gets quite technical at times.

 

Basschat on HPF's

 

Matt

[dave_bass5]

5 hours ago, chyc said:

Amazed there isn't a larger market for this kind of thing. Who wouldn't want to make their kit last longer and make their sound sound better?

 

I had to laugh at one comment on the YT vid which said they wouldn't buy one because they couldn't hear the difference.

HPF’s are all over the place. Amps can often have them built in, and many pedals have them as part of their circuitry. 

In all my years of playing ive never had my drivers jump around like that, and dont know anyone that has.

 

its not a gimmick, but not a necessity either, at least for most of us. 

 

[Dood]

49 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

HPF’s are all over the place. Amps can often have them built in, and many pedals have them as part of their circuitry. 

In all my years of playing ive never had my drivers jump around like that, and dont know anyone that has.

 

its not a gimmick, but not a necessity either, at least for most of us. 

 

 

Yup! As you say, My fave amp has a variable HPF and LPF, some of the major effects units I have owned such as Helix and Quad Capture have HPF blocks in them, there are SO many amplifiers on the market that have HPF's in them by design - guitar distortion pedals definitely have them in as a "pre-EQ" requisite (hence why you don't get much low end out for bass out of some). 

 

I agree that it isn't a gimmick, but, like signal limiting and over heating/short-circuit circuitry, an HPF is useful feature to have on board. Especially for those scallywags in rehearsal rooms that crank the bass control up to the max lol. 

 

[EBS_freak]

2 hours ago, dave_bass5 said:

In all my years of playing ive never had my drivers jump around like that, and dont know anyone that has.

If you add quite a bit of saturation to your signal (but not necessarily so it's heard as audible distortion) - you'll soon get the drivers jumpin'

You're right though, when playing through them clean, drivers don't tend to do that - and as pointed out earlier in the thread, a lot of amps have HPFs built in because it really frees up the headroom in the amp.

[Downunderwonder]

The kind of HPF that sits unannounced on board amps is better described as a Rumble Filter. The Thumpinator likewise.

 

Take a variable HPF and turn it up until something sounds missing. Then turn it back down until it isn't. In my case it winds up somewhere between 60 to 70hz with 5 strings. The low B sounds full without being flabby.

[jrixn1]

36 minutes ago, Downunderwonder said:

Take a variable HPF and turn it up until something sounds missing. Then turn it back down until it isn't. In my case it winds up somewhere between 60 to 70hz with 5 strings. The low B sounds full without being flabby.

 

👆This! 👍 +1

[Downunderwonder]

Further, having found a sweet spot for the HPF you can experiment with the bass knob, which may change the optimal HPF spot a little. You might well find it gets more bootilicious with a little more bass and a tweak up on the HPF.

 

The problem with that is you wind up competing with the kick drum and 80hz turns into mush.

[paulo m]

Especially useful' when used  with a small bass combo say' a  1x15' 1x12' or 1x10  for they cannot reproduce those frequencys  at best..

i have both HPF & LPF within a Q strip pedal plus extra EQ'  which is a bonus also  the HPF is great when using an Octaver' "tight low end"

& we all appreciate  that one....

 

 

[fretmeister]

I like my Thumpinator - but can anyone recommend a variable HPF?

 

Ideally a modestly priced one?

[jrixn1]

9 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I like my Thumpinator - but can anyone recommend a variable HPF?

 

Ideally a modestly priced one?

 

There's one in the Zoom MS-60B.  It's in the 'Ac Bs Pre' amp sim, and if I recall, the HPF is labelled as the 'depth'.

[Stofferson]

9 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

I like my Thumpinator - but can anyone recommend a variable HPF?

 

Ideally a modestly priced one?

I've got one of these. really good but I find I don't use the variable, wouldn't mind a Thumpinator back tbf

 

https://schalltechnik04.de/en/instructions/mini-hp-vong

[fretmeister]

2 minutes ago, Stofferson said:

I've got one of these. really good but I find I don't use the variable, wouldn't mind a Thumpinator back tbf

 

https://schalltechnik04.de/en/instructions/mini-hp-vong

Mmmm.

 

12db / oct doesn't seem to be a strong enough cut.

[Matt P]

21 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Mmmm.

 

12db / oct doesn't seem to be a strong enough cut.

according to  @Jus Lukin it's actually -12db/Oct fixed at 30hz plus -12db/Oct variable.  (as quoted on the massive HPF filter thread on page 15) HERE

 

Matt

[Stofferson]

4 minutes ago, Matt P said:

according to  @Jus Lukin it's actually -12db/Oct fixed at 30hz plus -12db/Oct variable.  (as quoted on the massive HPF filter thread on page 15) HERE

 

Matt

Can also confirm, it's very useable if that's what you're after.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

I am still using the one I made.

 

 

I'm not convinced there's any great value shifting the frequency up above 30Hz, unless you are using a speaker that can't handle frequencies above that. The potentially damaging transients are sub-sonic.

 

Seems to work best after compressor but before octaver. Gives me the confidence to use a fair amount of sub-octave without worrying an open-E will destroy something! Also didn't seem to harm a 5-string with low B at concert volumes.

[Passinwind]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I am still using the one I made.

 

 

I'm not convinced there's any great value shifting the frequency up above 30Hz, unless you are using a speaker that can't handle frequencies above that. The potentially damaging transients are sub-sonic.

 

Seems to work best after compressor but before octaver. Gives me the confidence to use a fair amount of sub-octave without worrying an open-E will destroy something! Also didn't seem to harm a 5-string with low B at concert volumes.

Higher HPF frequencies are fab for allowing greater bass control boost settings without mud and the aggregate response curve can move  the peak frequency all over the place, allowing you to dance around room resonance nodes. The venerable  Pultec studio EQ exploits a similar sort of synergy, it’s not a new idea by any means.

[chyc]

Am I right in thinking that class d amplifiers get this HPF for free, or at least the amp's designers would need to explicitly build an amp to generate subsonic frequencies, which would make no sense?