EQ settings from different sources

Lord Trau · #1 04-07-2009, 01:48 PM

Hey guys.

How do EQ settings work together and affect each other when, let's say, coming from an amp, a distortion pedal, and an EQ pedal? Should the amp EQ knobs all be at noon?

RickenBoogie · #2 04-07-2009, 06:56 PM

Personal preference. For instance, I have tone controls in my signal chain as follows, 1-bass, 2- eq pedal, 3- overdrive pedal, 4-amplifier. As a general rule, #1 is cranked wide open, #2 is where I actually boost a bit, #3 is mostly flat, with a slight mid boost, and my amps always run flat, or slightly mid-bumped. It gives alot of tonal sculpting ability, but can also be confusing. Start with everything flat, then one by one, add and subtract certain frequencies, and see which sounds best. Once you get a handle on it, it becomes second nature to tweak your tone in any enviorment.

Lord Trau · #3 04-08-2009, 12:51 AM

Thank you.

Couple of questions: What do you mean by wide open? And by flat do you mean everything is set to 12 o'clock?

RickenBoogie · #4 04-08-2009, 08:02 AM

Wide open= full on, and flat is generally at 12 o clock, if the tone control is both boost and cut. Anything past 12 o clock would be boost, and before 12 is cut. Some tone stacks are cut only, so flat is hard to determine. Assume it's the first option.

OriginalCrash · #5 04-08-2009, 08:18 AM

The more eq and tone controls in your signal chain just means there are that many more places to sculpt/adjust your tone... none of them are wrong. For what it's worth, I have a passive bass and usually run all volume and tone controls wide open. I would use any eq controls on my amp to "get my tone" or eq for the room (help with boominess, etc.). Any eq or tone controls on pedals I would use to get the tone I want out of that pedal. Of course, if the pedal is an actual eq pedal or it's an "always on" type of effect, you may want to take that into consideration when eq-ing "your tone." Lastly, if I had an active bass, I'd probably limit amp eq to adjusting for the room and do most of my tone sculpting with the onboard active preamp. But again, those are just guidelines, so play around with your gear, learn how the different eq/tone controls interact, and good luck finding your tone!

Brian

Lord Trau · #6 04-10-2009, 07:52 PM

Thanks for the input, guys!

I feel a little more comfortable now messing with all of my tone settings.