EQ Settings

[Curse]

Sup All,
I'm a semi-recent convert from guitar (I know, I know) and I could use some help here. I switched to Bass because I wanted to move to Funk and Jazz. I am playing some cool stuff along those lines (get it?) but I'm still playing with some of my old friends who play Death Metal. Yeah, that's a problem (sort of) but not the real one. My main problem is I know how to get a killer Funk or Jazz sound but... that same sound doesn't work in this band. I'm present but not really distinguishable. I’m looking for that kind of sound presence that the cat from Rage or Limp has, maybe even that odd guy from Mudvein. You can really hear them over the guitars. I know that they don’t really have the same sound but you get what I’m saying, right?

Anyway, I’ve got some cool gear that I’m sure could handle it; I just can’t find the right tone. Here’s a brief list of my stuff if that’ll help:

Warwick Corvette Standard 6-String
Eden WT-800
Eden 410XLT
Eden 118XLT

When it’s just me playing I sound great; it’s when everyone else comes in that I can’t be distinguished. So, if you can help me with some EQ’ing or whatever – please do!

L8Z,
-Curse

[I_Dream_Of_Bass]

curse,

You didn't specify some other pertinent information such as:
How many guitarists you play with
What they are playing through
What the drummers rig is like
How loud you guys play

In my experience with death metal, loud guitarists playing through full cabs, and drummer's with double basses, the bass rarely sounds like limp or rage live. I would like to recommend some bass settings, but it depends on the entire setup of the band. It sounds like the guitarists' eq settings are too low for you to have the presence and clarity that you would like. Tell them to quit invading your space!!!

[Curse]

There are two guitarists
Both play through Marshall (and have far too much stuff to list)
Both have a pretty heavy sound
Drummer has a massive kit with double bass drums
We play Darn Loud... Freakin' Darn Loud

I just figured that this list was so standard I didn't need to mention it. Anyway, I'm thinking I need to add some Mid. My EQ is set almost Flat - I've boosted the Lows some, reduced the Mids some, and Boosted the highs a little. My Frequency sweeps are all over the place though but, as I said, I sound killer playing alone (slap, funk, and some jazz stuff).

[I_Dream_Of_Bass]

That's what I figured. I don't really know what settings I can recommend then. The guitarists are going to generate a "wall of sound" that is very difficult for a bass to pierce through. You're probably right in adding lows, and some mids. Probably upper mids.

Here's a link specifying what the standard frequency to notes are:

http://www.contrabass.com/pages/frequency.html

[SuperDuck]

My only suggestion is to NOT cut the mids, as was said above. I've found a lot that your solo tone just doesn't fly in a band setting. The mids are the frequencies that actually make you cut through a band. If you add some low mids (I don't know what the EQ on your amp is like) you may cut through a little more. On my amp sometimes I have the EQ flat with just a bump at like 200-300 hz to punch out of the mix. Boosting highs and lows and cutting the mids will only get you buried. God bless the middle frequencies.

BTW, I_Dream_of_bass, I followed that link... very handy! Could've used it in the past... gracias.

[RAM]

Originally posted by SuperDuck
My only suggestion is to NOT cut the mids, as was said above. I've found a lot that your solo tone just doesn't fly in a band setting. The mids are the frequencies that actually make you cut through a band. If you add some low mids (I don't know what the EQ on your amp is like) you may cut through a little more. On my amp sometimes I have the EQ flat with just a bump at like 200-300 hz to punch out of the mix. Boosting highs and lows and cutting the mids will only get you buried. God bless the middle frequencies.

I agree totally! There's a rule I try to follow that goes something like this, "Lows will get you felt but not heard, where as mids will get you heard".

Frequencies are very strange. When you combine great bass tone with loud guitars, what you'll end up with on bass is often inaudible! I personally favor the 250 hz to 400 hz frequencies for cutting through the mix. The Edens you have should be very adept at doing so. Give that a try and report back.

[Curse]

Hey guys,

I got it figured out. I don't know the exact settings I changed but I'm sure I added some mid. If I had my amp here I'd tell yas but... I don't so. Anyway, thanks for the help - I just ended up re-evaluating my entire Funky, Jazzy sound. It just wasn't working for this band.

-Curse Out