EQ ?? question.

[kulabula]

How do you know when you've got the right amp? Is it when you plug straight in and don't have to touch the eq? I'm finding now that as I learn more about the sound that I am really tweaking the hell out of the graphic. So, does that mean that, I either have the wrong amp? Or that I'm getting the absolute most out of it?
Help and opinion is greatly appreciated

Andy

[uncle psychosis]

You'll know when you've got the right amp because it will produce all the sounds you want at all the volumes you need.

Don't worry about where the sliders / knobs get set, if the amp makes a sound you're happy with that's all that matters.

[geoffbyrne]

EQ is on an amp to be used. Use it to make the sound you want to hear to represent your playing.

I've never understood the 'look at me, my EQ is flat' tosh you get so much on the US sites.



G.

Edited May 22, 2013 by geoffbyrne

[tonyquipment]

Smiley face. I like smiley face.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1369222057' post='2086428']
EQ is on an amp to be used. Use it to make the sound you want to hear to represent your playing.

I've never understood the 'look at me, my EQ is flat' tosh you get so much on the US sites.

G.
[/quote]

The main purpose of EQ is to provide good sounds at low volume in the music shop and (these days) on youtube videos so that people buy it. Sorry but I'm firmly in the flat-EQ-with-minor-tweaks-depending-on-the-venue camp.

[Coilte]

[quote name='tonyquipment' timestamp='1369223509' post='2086459']
Smiley face. I like smiley face.
[/quote]

To each their own, but with the smiley face the mids are not boosted and the bass is boosted maybe too much, resulting in a muddy tone.

A general rule of thumb for a fairly balanced tone is the opposite to a smiley face, i.e. a "frowney" face.

[BigRedX]

How do you know when your EQ is flat anyway? Having all the tone controls at their centre point is meaningless. Some amps offer cut only so flat would be with all the controls at a maximum. Besides every EQ circuit adds some coloration no matter where the controls are set.

Have them where it makes you bass sound good and stop worrying about it.

[indiegrungesound]

I'm probably repeating what everyone else has said, but it does all depend on where you are playing the amp. Live, if I use my Hartke LH500, I set it with boosted mids & bass & cut treble, followed by cutting the treble on my bass' EQ. However, when I was recording last week, the engineer set my Ampeg PF 350's EQ with low gain, boosted bass, cut mids, flat treble & max volume. The EQ on my bass had cut treble.
Essentially, look for the sound you want, then-if you are gigging or recording, work with the engineer.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1369223906' post='2086466']
The main purpose of EQ is to provide good sounds at low volume in the music shop and (these days) on youtube videos so that people buy it. Sorry but I'm firmly in the flat-EQ-with-minor-tweaks-depending-on-the-venue camp.
[/quote]

That is literally no different to the "eq set to whatever, with minor tweaks depending on the venue" camp.

[Skol303]

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1369222057' post='2086428']
EQ is on an amp to be used. Use it to make the sound you want to hear to represent your playing.

I've never understood the 'look at me, my EQ is flat' tosh you get so much on the US sites.

G.
[/quote]

Spot on.

EQ should never be discounted as being unimportant "fiddly stuff". It's one of if not [u]the[/u] most important tools in live performance, recording and mixing. And only good things can come from learning how to use it well

[tonyquipment]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1369225125' post='2086498']


To each their own, but with the smiley face the mids are not boosted and the bass is boosted maybe too much, resulting in a muddy tone.

A general rule of thumb for a fairly balanced tone is the opposite to a smiley face, i.e. a "frowney" face.
[/quote]

My rig consists of two combos chained together

One is happy and one is sad.

Really it depends on what one is playing. Soft rock is not the same EQ setting as say scooped metal or something... Therefore it varies

[Lozz196]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1369208086' post='2086177']
You'll know when you've got the right amp because it will produce all the sounds you want at all the volumes you need.

Don't worry about where the sliders / knobs get set, if the amp makes a sound you're happy with that's all that matters.
[/quote]

Agree. so long as the sound suits both you and your band, it doesn`t matter where the eq is set.

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='tonyquipment' timestamp='1369227599' post='2086563']


Really it depends on what one is playing. Soft rock is not the same EQ setting as say scooped metal or something... Therefore it varies
[/quote]

I agree - If I'm playing reggae one night, then blues the next, tweaking of EQ is essential. It's what they're there for.

Saying that, I wouldn't be too happy with, say, a naturally very scooped amp (maybe OBT?) where I have to set an extreme frowny face to get a nice tone, in that I'd have limited room for manoevre if I wanted to bump the mids more. Granted, that's an unusual case, and most amps are voiced in a more compromised manner

[jonsmith]

I use the EQ to get whatever sound I need - that's what it's there for! In one band I'm I might play a Specials song followed by a Stranglers song, then it might be a Magazine song followed by a UB40 song - sure I can alter things a little with playing style, but one flat EQ for all of these just wouldn't do! That's before I even start looking at the different sounds I want for my originals band.

[Wil]

RE the smiley/frowny EQ curves thing - EQ with your ears and not with your eyes.

[KingBollock]

I have always used a smiley face on my eq. I keep going back and trying to redo it with "only my ears" but it always comes out the same, but, even though it sounds good to me, the comments here keep knocking my confidence in it. Although, thanks to the resonant frequency of this room, it's now a smiley face with a buck tooth, my amp looks like a bloomin' Hillbilly.

[Wil]

If it sounds good, it is good! Everyone harps on about cutting through and emphasising mids, which is fine but you have to consider everyone else in your band too. If you're all emphasising the same frequencies then no one gets heard and it sounds a mess, the trick IMO is listening to your bass in context with everyone else and finding frequencies that are missing in the band mix you can sit in.

[Conan]

+1 to Wil's post above! Far too many variables to say that any particular setting works all the time...

[stingrayPete1977]

If there was a 'correct' setting the amp would not need any knobs!

[kulabula]

Well alrighty then.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='kulabula' timestamp='1369201652' post='2086126']
How do you know when you've got the right amp? Is it when you plug straight in and don't have to touch the eq? I'm finding now that as I learn more about the sound that I am really tweaking the hell out of the graphic. So, does that mean that, I either have the wrong amp? Or that I'm getting the absolute most out of it?
Help and opinion is greatly appreciated

Andy
[/quote]

I find there are things about an amp that you can't EQ. The way it colours your sound being the main one. The EQ won't exactly change the sound, just make a certain frequency louder so that it's more pronounced. A good amp and the sound you want aren't the same thing. You can't always EQ an amp to get the sound you want. Pick an amp that sounds like you want, then you won't have to touch the EQ much.

[MiltyG565]

[quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1369233803' post='2086684']
I have always used a smiley face on my eq. I keep going back and trying to redo it with "only my ears" but it always comes out the same, but, even though it sounds good to me, the comments here keep knocking my confidence in it. Although, thanks to the resonant frequency of this room, it's now a smiley face with a buck tooth, my amp looks like a bloomin' Hillbilly.
[/quote]

I normally use an S shape, and that is bass either at 12 o'clock, or turned down, mids neutral (12 o'clock) and treble rolled up. I do the reverse on a guitar amp. They probably don't sound good together, mind you, but sound pretty decent on their own.

[Mr. Foxen]

EQ is there to fix other problems in your signal chain, to equalise it to the ideal. Neutral cab, bass I like the sound of, and the limited EQ on valve amps suddenly is a non-issue. I think a fair chunk of valve amps sounding right straight away is in the limited eq, less ways to really mess up your sound eqing by eye.

[stingrayPete1977]

My dream amp for our resident boffins to invent then, two knobs on the front 'volume' 'tone', if somehow the amp could bounce a signal around the room to measure the awkward frequencys then the user selects a choice of preset tones (like a V bass pod thing), amp pig, gashdown, my shell, mike bass etc then adjust the volume to suit

[KingBollock]

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1369246000' post='2086897']
I normally use an S shape, and that is bass either at 12 o'clock, or turned down, mids neutral (12 o'clock) and treble rolled up. I do the reverse on a guitar amp. They probably don't sound good together, mind you, but sound pretty decent on their own.
[/quote]
I never have to worry about fitting in with a band, so my sounds are for solo, though I have a few that I switch between depending on what I'm playing or what mood I'm in. I am quite prepared to alter whatever needs altering to fit in with a band, should I ever get the chance again.
Actually, looking at my eq it isn't quite a smiley, it's more of a smirk.

[font=courier new,courier,monospace]Fre: 040|100|250|625|16k|04k|10k
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I really don't like middle.

Edited May 22, 2013 by KingBollock