| Midrange Defined
"80 Hz : The Balls of your sound.
Whow ! 80 Hz, this is what you can call basses ! In fact, the Bass Guitar goes lower than
that. A low E is at 42.5 Hz, and a low B around 30.5 Hz. Still, no guitarist will get you
around this frequency. Yeah, it's all yours, do what you want. Really ? No, not really.
Because nowadays, at the same frequency, you can find : a synthesizer, the Kick Drum, an
octaver or low harmonics coming from the guitarist's HyperMetalAttack pedal, or even a
loop from a DJ or a baryton sax. Settings for this range is very easy. If you need more balls in
your sound ( I'm sure even female bassists will understand me ;-)) ), add some. That will be
the case if you play outdoor, if you got a cheap bass with cheap pickups and a cheap amp,
or if you plug directly from your Korg into a tape or a mix console. Oppositely, if you got 10
year old strings, if you only cabinets are a 1x15" and a 1x18", if you got a 70s' bass given by
Derek SMALLS from Spinal Tap with 10 magnetic poles for each string, even if you practice
in a 10 mē room, if you can't even hear yourself playing or if you notice a lack of clarity in the
overall sound of the band, you should not boost this frequency, and lowering it by a few dB
will always help.
250 Hz : The Buzz Zone.
I'm not talking about the buzz you get with bad earth plugs, but the type of buzz that makes
Jaco's bass roar like a tiger, the one you get when you play really near from the bridge,
plucking hard with your fingers. If you like that feeling, here is the range of frequencies it
comes from : 150 to 400 Hz or about. If you play 60s' pop songs with a suede pick like
Carol Kayes, or 70s' rock like Jack Bruce in Cream, Roger Glover with Deep Purple or
Sting with Police, if you're looking for Big ol' round and bright bass sound, that's also the
frequency to boost. Be careful, this is also this frequency that can make you sound like you
got loudspeakers made of cigarette paper and a bass made of hard bread with spaghetti
strings.
If you plan to slap, if you want to get a guitarlike sound, or like "modern" sounding bass
EQuing, If you need to "dry" your sound, if you play Death Metal with a pick or if your final
mix sounds "enclosed", lower this frequency.
Tip : If you don't hear yourself good in a Rock band, or in a Reggae Band with leads,lower
you general volume a little and boost this frequency a lot, like +10 dB. It will help you a lot to
cut thru.
550 Hz : The Singin' Place
This range - High mediums, from 500 to 1100 - is a part of the sound that all instruments
share. It can be considered as the "Solo" range, so don't boost it if you're supposed to gently
play behind your guitarist and singer. Also, if you want a harder sound, yours being too
mellow, cut here.
If you play fretless, if you're playing a solo, if you think you sound flat instead of having a
singing sound of if your bass line is very important for the song - like in Reggae or Funk
Music -, set this at least at +5 dB.
Also, this is the range that controls harmonics. They'll be way easier to make sound if you
boost by +7 dB.
1.6 kHz : High, so High
This is the treble range setting.
Boost it to enhance your unity with the guitar, or to SOUND like a guitar, to get a decent
slap sound, to make your old strings newer, to cut better thru a crowded place or a small
amp, to give clarity to modulation effects like phaser and Chorus.
Cut it to clearly split your sound from this M~#{{[&{"`|`|r guitarist, or to SOUND like a real
bass, to get a crappy slap sound, to make your new strings older, to stop making deaf the 3
people still listening to the music coming out of you 1500 W amp, to get muddy, dark and
evil sounding modulation effects.
3.55 kHz : Presence, is there still anybody reading ?
Yeah ! Finally, the highest setting. You must know that the regular range of a bass doesn't go
that high, so this setting only has an effect on harmonic notes produced when you play.
Presence should be boosted when you need warmness in your sound. Warmness and hum,
cause this is also the reference frequency for parasites. Cut on it to solve resonance
problems. Also, you can boost if you want feedback and Larsen, it will come easier.
I'm finished for now, or almost. Thank you for reading to the end, hope it was interesting. I
always try to keep it short, but the TONE section can't be splitted in different parts. I had to
do it in one single time, and there's still so much to say !
SPECIAL NOTE FOR BUSY, LAZY AND/OR BRAINLESS BASSISTS
If you don't care about all the stuff I'm writing, just remember those basic shapes you can
draw on a graphic EQ :
V setting : Boost Bass and Treble, cut MidRange. For slappy, bright and modern sound.
Diver setting : Start flat ( Bass neutral ), jump high ( MidRange very high ) and dive deep (
Treble completely cut ). The famous Jaco Setting for his ACOUSTIC 360. Gives a quick
and thick sound for fast playing, jazz rock and all. Lack of sustain and balls, but he liked it.
\ setting : Boost bass and cut treble. Fill between with the same slope. For a solid, warm
and thick Rock sound." |
