How many of you cut lows for dirt?

FreaqyFrequency · #1 04-10-2011, 12:49 PM

Within my Axe-FX, this is something I have become a real fan of.

Basically, you can have as many as four independent signal chains summed to stereo or mono, and I'm using a stereo chain summed to mono right now for my main "dirty" patch. I'm running an LPF'd signal (via the 5-band PEQ) with a clean amp and cab in the first chain as my low-end tone, and using the cab level to mix it up or down. Then, I'm using another PEQ in the second chain with a drastic HPF slope between 120 and 180 depending on my mood for the given day, and running that into a cascading Tonebender/"FatRat", with the low cut parameters for those adjusted accordingly. I'm summing that up into another cab, this time a guitar cab, once again using the level on that block to mix up or down.

I've found that cutting lows for my dirty chain allows the distortions a fair bit more headroom, so I can turn the gain up a little higher and get a more "open-sounding" dirty tone. I was simply wondering how much people have experimented with this techinque in the real world, especially in a split-signal chain.

MysticMichael · #2 04-10-2011, 12:58 PM

I really wouldn't care to cut lows for any purpose - unless it was absolutely necessary (i.e. I was getting buried in a mix). Those smooth, deep, pristine lows are like a magic territory for me.

Back in the day, when I was a kid, I loved to experiment with over-the-top distortion. These days - when and if I need it - I'd much prefer to use some sort of special signal routing to limit it to the mids...where it belongs, IMHO...

MM

ga_edwards · #3 04-10-2011, 02:14 PM

Yep, Attitude bass. Clean lows from the 'mudbucker' neck p/up and dirty mids/highs from the split P. Can get quite gnarly and capable of high gain when necessary yet retain a huge fat low end that fills the dance floor.

winegamd · #4 04-10-2011, 02:20 PM

I basically do exactly what you do. I run from my effects loop out to my effects pedal that has stereo outputs. One output goes to a guitar amp, and the other goes to the effects return. This allows one amp to run fully saturated and I am able to add or subtract for the desired result of the other amp. This allows for the nice fuzzy top end while still maintaining as clear a fundamental as possible. This is especially effective with synth/harmonizer/octaver effects. I can blend just a little bit of the synth/harmonizer/octaver to where it adds false overtones and has the effect of adding a little more growl to the tone. This really adds quite a bit of depth. My other fav is having a signal an octave down with a high overdrive/distortion. This blended with the clean signal almost has an analog sawtooth synth sound. What inspired me to experiment with this was seeing Victor Wooten in concert using a VB-99. I wanted those sounds without spending the $1300 for the hardware. After some tweeking I am really happy with the results from my $100 mutlieffects pedal.

bassboysam · #5 04-10-2011, 03:49 PM

I do something similar as well, I use a Cream Pie to cut some bass add some treble and volume to OD my amps. I find the volume increase compensates for the slight reduction in low end.

Vlad5 · #6 04-12-2011, 12:20 PM

I use a mid-sweepable eq pedal to crank the mids through the overdrive/distortion on one channel, and run totally clean (but through modulators like chorus, delay, octave, envelope) through another, mix em both, and I'm in distortion plus clean modulation heaven.

Do note that I am still experimenting. I haven't tried running the distortion into or out of the octave yet, for instance.

But I totally dig the separation of signals for specific purposes, and mid-frequencies (200-1000Hz) are were its at for fuzz/distortion/overdrive for me.

paganjack · #7 04-12-2011, 12:24 PM

It makes sense. Distortion on the low-bass frequencies can make it sound really mushy and nobody really wants mushy distortion.

winegamd · #8 04-12-2011, 12:40 PM

Well the reason it sounds better in the upper freqs and not the low is because that is where it naturally occurs. The distortion we all love comes from tube saturation which creates odd order harmonics. Because of this it is never the FUNDAMENTAL that is distorted, only overtones and harmonics. That is why when you run through a pedal that distorts the entire frequency band it sounds unnatural. Even with guitar cabs and cone breakup the fundamental is not distorted. What happens is the speaker is driven so hard that the 2nd and 3rd order harmonics of the speaker cone itself get loud enough to color the sound. Natural distortion is always an addition to the original signal, not an alteration; the fundamental is never distorted.

jpTron · #9 04-12-2011, 07:53 PM

I use a modded tube screamer so that cuts lows and boosts mids.

tomhanzo · #10 04-14-2011, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jpTron

I use a modded tube screamer so that cuts lows and boosts mids.

me too.

I tried putting a cap in my pedal that fed my full bass freq through my pedal. It sounded awful.

Now I have a cap in it to make it cut off after my low mids. Modded Tube Screamers are the best overdrive you can get from a pedal IMO.