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Golder7

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Hi guys, just to confirm the deep/low button was not engaged, so it wasn't cutting any mids. As mentioned above I normally have the bass on the amp between 12-1, should I try dropping this?

 

Also, for reference I have the Stingray as follows:

Volume full, treble no boost/cut, mid and bass both boosted to about half way between the mid indent and full. I do adjust the bass/mid a little depending on the song.

 

Also, I have the ashdown now so will be trying that out. It certainly seems to be voiced with more punch. I'll play around with the EQ as others have suggested in this post.

 

Thanks all again, I'm clearly one of those bass players who can play a song, but who hasn't spent enough time learning how to achieve a good live sound - and so my journey begins!

Edited by Golder7
Forgot I got a new amp!
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Recommend try the following for starters:

Set your amp flat and use the EQ on the bass to adjust. 

Volume at 8/10 on the bass (and set the amp vol bit higher than before to compensate) - you then have a bit of headroom on stage via your bass. 

On the bass EQ, cut the bass a touch (11 o'clock) Boost the mids to between 2 pm to 3 pm and boost the treble a touch to 1 pm. 

On first blush it seems to me that your boosted bass on both your bass and amp EQ is what is causing the issue. 

See how the above settings I've suggested sound and then definitely feel free to adjust as necessary and as your ears are telling you to! :)

Edited by Al Krow
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Another school of thought is set you amp up to suit the venue. If I recall the Ashdown will have 9 Bands of eq? Ashdown suggest using the three rotary bass mid treble knobs to get the basic tone and use the sliders (pay attention to the eq points on the slider controls) to help make you more present in the overall mix. You should be able to gently nudge more useful frequencies up or down to where they’re working for you. Using your ears not eyes on the eq positions for the room you’re playing is a good start. Sometimes what can look extreme on an eq just sounds right. Live sound is either easy or a nightmare and there often isn’t a ‘one tone for every room’ solution.  

There’s some great guides online for eq and live sound which list frequencies, what they ‘sound like’ and trouble shooting so terms like muddy, boomy, boxy, etc are defined by their location on the frequency spectrum I.e. 700Hz help poke through a mix and how to resolve issues. It does no harm to keep these sorts of things in your gig bag to guide you through and give context to the eq on your amp. Knowing what each eq slider does is half the battle and makes problem solving much quicker.

Anyone else in your band ‘into doing sound’ who could tweak while you play and help with the fine tuning? The bass eq (set with all controls at noon) can then be used to help once your sorted with a good basic amp tone. The trick is each new room will require it’s own specific eq tweaks to help you sound your best. If you’re playing the same venues it’s worth taking a quick photo on your phone and saving it with the name of the venue for reference next time. It’ll speed things up! 

As for effects. It there’s a tone you really need like a fuzz which is integral to the vibe of the song then those should be priority but a tuner (especially with a mute function) is a no brainer. Anything else is set dependant but a light drive/comp/( maybe eq) can all be useful for adding a nice touch in the mix too for occasional parts or as always on effects. 

Best move is sort the basic live sound out to where you’re happy and then decide what, if any effects you actually need. Good luck. 

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I completely agree with krispn that the other school of thought is equally valid.

Just from a practicality perspective / personal preference I find that being able to adjust EQ on the bass, itself, is handy as I can hear the impact of any tweaks to EQ in 'real time' whilst standing at a reasonable distance from the amp and cab.

But clearly you have EQ options on both your amp and your bass and potentially on your pedals as well!

I'd still suggest something along the lines of my post above as a good starting point on your bass (or amp) EQ - it's a good 'let's tighten up the bass EQ' recipe IMO :) 

Edited by Al Krow
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  • 4 weeks later...

Despite having a number of pedals, in my function band I use only my compressor, unless the bass tone to a particular song is particularly iconic (I.e Time Is Running Out is in the set, so on goes the dirt pedals). Use the amps EQ to adjust to the room in sound check, DI to the board if PA supported.  Pretty simple and stripped back really.

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