I posted this same question in Janek's section and he reccommended I present it to you. Thank you in advance for your response.

Hello: I am looking for some advice on EQ settings to help cut through and compliment my bands sound. I play in a 4 piece metal band. Our drummer plays very loud and our guitarist plays a Mesa triple rect. and 2 Marshall 4X10 AV's. I am a converted guitarist using an Ampeg SVT4 Pro head and a SVT 610 HLF cab. I've been told that I should try to use my EQ to boost where "the guitar isn't" and flat or cut where the "guitar is" to help round out and maximize our sound. What exactly does this mean and what are the frequencies I should tweak? We play in drop C I should add. Thanks!

I'm very interested to hear an answer myself. Usually metal isn't treated like a form of music when you ask EQ questions about it!

In the meantime, I can offer what I usually have to do:

- Cut @ 200hz if the bass and guitar together are too "boomy."

- Boost somewhere between 400-800hz (where the guitar player is killing his/her mids.)

- I like to boost some stuff at 2.5k for pluck and attack, but I'm not afraid of fret noise. If I hear noise, I need to play cleaner.

- 1.3k for me is where the "pick" is located. Too much sounds like a ton of racket (and it's too much when no matter how clean you try to play you can't play clean enough to make it tolerable.) Not enough means the notes will lack the edge definition when the pick leaves the string. This is another guitar player "kill zone."

That's just how I hear it, though. Asking about tone is like asking which is better, Popeyes or KFC when it comes to chicken. It's all about personal taste.

great question!
Unfortunately I don't have a specific answer. It sounds like you are on the right track by trying various eq settings and hearing how they sound with the whole band playing.
Alot of metal guys play with a pic for this reason, they can get a sharp attack that cuts through the guitars.
I would reccomend taking a sound you like from a CD (Megadeth, Tool, whatever...) and try to recreate the tone. It gives you something to work with and compare to.

good luck

Well I don't quite play 'metal' but I do play Grindcore and Power Violence, think Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan mixed with Deicide and Nasum.

I have two EQ stages, an Ibanez EQ pedal and my amp (warwick Profet5.1). On my EQ pedal I find I am usually boosting 500Hz and 1Khz and cutting 125Hz, Mids are definately the key in metal. I forgot to mention, I play with my fingers :bassist:

On my amp i have both low mid and high mid boosted too, with my 'deep' switch on.

I don't think i made much sense (I've been at uni for a few hours already and its only 10am), but the simple answer, MIDS MIDS MIDS!! and a little touch of sub bass.

What bass are you using? and what strings? I've found that using too light a guage string in Drop C can leave you without punch.

my guitarists seem to be fans of high mids so I usually drop my high mids and boost my low mids almost as high as possible

seems to fill the sound well