I don't get it...

coolrunner989 · #1 07-27-2007, 01:51 PM

I've heard alot about boosting the mids on your EQ to cut through in a mix and be heard ect. - I understand that.

But what if your 'sound' or the tone you want relies on scooped mids? For instance in a rock setting my Ibanez sounds like crap with the mids boosted but I love the sound I get with the bass about 8, mids about 5 and treble about 7 (on a scale of 1-10, 10 being max).

How do you account for this? Just use more power to be heard?

mjolnir · #2 07-27-2007, 02:00 PM

I agree with the scooped sound tactic.

Mids generally don't sit well with me.

Can't really give any good advice on how to make it cut through, though, seeing as I've been wondering the same thing for quite a while now...

SpectorBass308 · #3 07-27-2007, 02:04 PM

Yeah, soundguy did that to me, boosted the mids. Ive got similar settings bass/8 mids/5.5 treb/7.5 and he boosted the mids to about 7.5. It made it louder but I wasnt to thrilled about the tone. But I was glad that my SVT held its own seeing as everyone else was mic'd and runnin through the system.

JKT · #4 07-27-2007, 02:12 PM

I agree also to a point. There are some mid freqs that IMO are just plain unattractive. For example 500hz when flat or boosted makes me lose the will to live, while a certain amount of 1k can often give you some good slapping definition. And then I find that too much of say, 2k just amplifies string noise and click.

In general the more "scooped" your EQ curve is, plus or minus low end, the more power you will need to get that sound out in an articulate fashion.

I also find that when I run my GK at 4 ohms and 750 watts, I can and should, boost the low mids a tad more and cut the lows down a bit.

JKT

Dan Molina · #5 07-27-2007, 02:13 PM

Scoop those mids. Just make sure you have the power left to project your sound. I personally like the scooped sound. Plus, it works really well for Martin Mendez.

JKT · #6 07-27-2007, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpectorBass308

Yeah, soundguy did that to me, boosted the mids. Ive got similar settings bass/8 mids/5.5 treb/7.5 and he boosted the mids to about 7.5. It made it louder but I wasnt to thrilled about the tone. But I was glad that my SVT held its own seeing as everyone else was mic'd and runnin through the system.

I have seen sound guys do that when DIing the amp and are having trouble re-EQing for the FOH. Or they are relying/allowing for some of the bass rig coming off stage.

JKT

chaosMK · #7 07-27-2007, 02:28 PM

Depends on the overall mix of the rest of the band. When playing with high gain guitars, midrange on the bass goes a lot way to help you cut through. Low mids as well. I'd sound like nothing but boom with a little click if I scooped the EQ in my band. I like to roll back the low end and crank my master a little more. End up with enough lows and mids that way.

jady · #8 07-27-2007, 02:38 PM

Scoop the high mids and boost the low mids. The best of both worlds.

Dan Molina · #9 07-27-2007, 02:48 PM

If you have a 5 band EQ (ala ashdown) low mids and high mids sound nice flat just scoop the middle. That's where the ugly sound comes from.

CoolHat · #10 07-27-2007, 07:21 PM

The sad truth is that we bassists usually have the hardest time with the laws of physics. The low frequencies are difficult to produce and even more difficult to control. Most of us non-pro (and even many professional) players play in venues that are acoustically less than ideal, not the mention the quality (or lack of it) of the PA system.

So it is very important to be able to "listen the room" and adjust your tone accordingly. Sometimes that means boosting the mids, sometimes perhaps scooping them. The key is being flexible and trying to find best possible tone for each gig and venue. For example, once I was plaing in an old cellar with stone walls and the bass sound was all over the place. So not only did I tweak the EQ, but I also used only the bridge pickup and had my right hand very near the bridge to achieve maximum clarity.

Do not be too preoccupied with "your signature tone", no matter how much money and time you have spent perfecting it. The truth is that even the most expensive bass and amp can sound like crap in bad circumstances. If that is the case, drastic measures are called.

Now I´m not saying people shouldn´t search that perfect tone. If you like a scooped tone, then that should be your starting point. But you should also always be ready to change your gameplan if needed.

coolrunner989 · #11 07-27-2007, 07:34 PM

ok, thanks guys!

anderbass · #12 07-28-2007, 12:18 PM

Perhaps your current amp and cabs, and(or) bass and strings aren't the best choice for you.

Most of my previous gear had me constantly fiddling with the EQ (in a vane attempt) to try and find a happy medium between hearing myself and having a tone that I really liked.

After 15 years and several attempts, I finally found the the rig that gave me the tone I love (and can easily hear anywhere) in any room (without playing to loudly) with all tone knobs set to the middle and the EQ turned off.

scootron · #13 07-28-2007, 12:26 PM

As our sound person continues to remind us, it simply doesn't matter what we sound like solo, or in the practice room, in our stage amps. What matters is what we sound like to the house, and that is where a good sound person can help. The settings I use for gigs different depending upon what the sound person tells me they need for the venue, usually what they need to cut through the mix. It hurts that our guitarists want to play their amps at 11, so the mixer has to battle our stage sound to get a proper house balance.
I have a lot of control over my "tone", but the primary goal is coming up with an overall band sound that represents what we, as a unit, are trying to project.
Or at least that is what I was taught. I could be wrong.