EQ Points... What Do You Cut? What Do You Boost?

[::::BASSIST::::]

EQ Points... What Do You Cut? What Do You Boost?

... to get your desired tone?

[JimmyM]

What amp and cab am I using? And what bass?

[Doug Parent]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

EQ Points... What Do You Cut? What Do You Boost?

... to get your desired tone?

Depends on the tone that's appropriate for the type of music I'm playing. So many variables, at least for me.

Definition is always a part of the tone goal no matter however, so I don't mud the tone with too much low end.

[Duckwater]

Turn every knob all the way up for the most tone possible

[onosson]

Originally Posted by Duckwater

Turn every knob all the way up for the most tone possible

If only they went to 11 ... think of all the tone we've been missing out on all these years!!

[lowfreq33]

I like to boost at 60-80 and below, 250, and 2k. But that's me, with my gear. It's all relative.

[::::BASSIST::::]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

What amp and cab am I using? And what bass?

Surprise me.

Just curious to see what your favourite eq points are.

For example, I like 50hz for bass, cut 125hz to remove mud, and boost 250hz if I need a low-mid bump.

[phatbass]

Everything flat (yeah, yeah; I know it isn't really) except where I need to fix a room frequency.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

Surprise me.

Just curious to see what your favourite eq points are.

For example, I like 50hz for bass, cut 125hz to remove mud, and boost 250hz if I need a low-mid bump.

Bleccch!



125hz is the nerve center of my sound. Then I go for a slight mid scoop at around 800hz and relatively flat otherwise up till 4 or 5k...don't care for tweeter freqs. Lows vary with the room.

[onosson]

But actually, in all seriousness there are some common eq points that I zone in on over and over again (of course, style of music, specifics of the cabinet, head, and bass, and the room will all need to be addressed as well).

For low end, I like a boost down in the 150-250 Hz range. For me, that's "bass" ... for other people, that's "low mids". Whatever.

I then like a bit of a push somewhere under 1K, maybe 750-850 Hz. That's "mids" for me, maybe "high mids" for someone else?

Finally, for a little sheen, and some string noise (some people don't like that, for me it's essential!), somewhere up in the 4-6KHz range or maybe a bit higher - not too much of that, just a small bump.

Another, sometimes more efficient way to address these same points is to instead do one or two strategic cuts in eq. A 70-80Hz dip can help bring clarity to the low end. And a cut somewhere around 400-500Hz can be very useful in helping the other instruments (especially guitars!) to have some breathing room. Also, cutting somewhere around 2KHz can help the high end sparkle without having too much clankiness.

These are my general guidelines, but I always let the specifics of my gear and the room I'm in dictate the final choices.

[pacojas]

i set everything as flat and play all points between the neck end and bridge as needed. i tend to favor the bridge area most of the time. ocassionally, i'll boost 40-80Hz and 2.4-4kHz for some thump & sizzle!

[Thor]

I like to feel that major bump at around 30 inches and up.

There's a couple more bumps a little higher, but at that point the measurement mode has been, errr, superseded.

[::::BASSIST::::]

Originally Posted by onosson

But actually, in all seriousness there are some common eq points that I zone in on over and over again (of course, style of music, specifics of the cabinet, head, and bass, and the room will all need to be addressed as well).

For low end, I like a boost down in the 150-250 Hz range. For me, that's "bass" ... for other people, that's "low mids". Whatever.

I then like a bit of a push somewhere under 1K, maybe 750-850 Hz. That's "mids" for me, maybe "high mids" for someone else?

Finally, for a little sheen, and some string noise (some people don't like that, for me it's essential!), somewhere up in the 4-6KHz range or maybe a bit higher - not too much of that, just a small bump.

Another, sometimes more efficient way to address these same points is to instead do one or two strategic cuts in eq. A 70-80Hz dip can help bring clarity to the low end. And a cut somewhere around 400-500Hz can be very useful in helping the other instruments (especially guitars!) to have some breathing room. Also, cutting somewhere around 2KHz can help the high end sparkle without having too much clankiness.

These are my general guidelines, but I always let the specifics of my gear and the room I'm in dictate the final choices.

Now you're talking.

I like to read what other bassists are doing.

[Doug Parent]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

Now you're talking.

I like to read what other bassists are doing.

I yanked the pre-amp out of my basses and run passive, so I avoid mid scoop. I can boost 2-3khz if I need presence for fingerstyle, or cut 800-1khz if I need a slap tone.

150-200 bump if I need more support, depends on the type of cab I'm using.

[mixamatchi]

I'm using the same rig BX1500/15/6fEarful. I use a Schecter stiletto custom 5. I use the bottom eq on the bass wide open, with the mid centered. On the BX1500, I set the whole thing flat, and wind the contour knob up to about 3oclock. I use the compressor at about 10oclock. Sometimes I'll add a little more bass from the parametric, but so far, I was most impressed by how flat this rig is set, and there's the tone I like. For all who don't know, the "contour knob" is a cut only eq point, right after the gain on these amps. It is centered at 250hz. A little 250 is plenty for me. If not for the contour knob, I would be cutting that somewhere.

[BBQV]

Originally Posted by onosson

But actually, in all seriousness there are some common eq points that I zone in on over and over again (of course, style of music, specifics of the cabinet, head, and bass, and the room will all need to be addressed as well).

For low end, I like a boost down in the 150-250 Hz range. For me, that's "bass" ... for other people, that's "low mids". Whatever.

I then like a bit of a push somewhere under 1K, maybe 750-850 Hz. That's "mids" for me, maybe "high mids" for someone else?

Finally, for a little sheen, and some string noise (some people don't like that, for me it's essential!), somewhere up in the 4-6KHz range or maybe a bit higher - not too much of that, just a small bump.

Another, sometimes more efficient way to address these same points is to instead do one or two strategic cuts in eq. A 70-80Hz dip can help bring clarity to the low end. And a cut somewhere around 400-500Hz can be very useful in helping the other instruments (especially guitars!) to have some breathing room. Also, cutting somewhere around 2KHz can help the high end sparkle without having too much clankiness.

These are my general guidelines, but I always let the specifics of my gear and the room I'm in dictate the final choices.

I make pretty much the same adjustments apart from the sheen thing. The low mids are the key to everything, everything lower than that just eats up effect and create mud.

[saustindavis]

Originally Posted by phatbass

Everything flat (yeah, yeah; I know it isn't really) except where I need to fix a room frequency.

This is pretty much how I do it. I do like a very slight boost on the low and high end, and a slight scoop on the mids (I'm talking less than or equal to a half hour in either direction). I don't get all technical with the frequencies, mostly just play it by ear since all amps/cabs are different, but I like to keep it as flat as possible. I do play an active bass with the bass knob turned all the way way up and the treb knob at about 80%. I'm no wizard with EQ settings, but I can usually get a workable tone out of just about anything.

[sickest beast]

with my mesa boogie, i like to boost the mids a bit. then depending on the room, I will either cut or boost the bass. treble usually stays about flat, unless i'm playing with really dead strings, at which point i might boost the treble a bit.

[James Judson]

Originally Posted by Duckwater

Turn every knob all the way up for the most tone possible

I dissagree. I turn all knobs off. I hate tone. Can't stand active basses, to much tone.

[Foamy]

MarkBass LMII
Cut the Low to about 11 o'clock
Set the Mid Low to Noon
Bump the Mid High to about 1:30
Set the High to Noon
VLE and VPF almost always all the way off
I tweak the tweeter on my cabs to sound good for the room.
I play 90% of the time my Geddy Lee (a pretty bright bass)
All my control knobs on all my instruments are always all the way up.