An EQ excercise

[Systolic]

I'm not exactly sure on how i want to to ask this question...so we'll see how this goes.

+I have a very clean and bright base tone to my rig.
- Ibanez PJ with Nordys with Kalium Hybrid strings into a Hartke LH500 into a very modern ported 212 that translates eq very evenly.
+Currently play in a cover band that covers a lot of sonic/tonal ground.
+Currently have/use a Source Audio Programmable EQ for matching outputs on different basses.
+Use a multitude of effects.
+Utilize pick, finger and slap all in the same setlist.

Basically I'm needing to even out my cutting/boom factor when I switch between differently playing styles. What I like for a pick eq always sounds too muted and quiet when playing with fingers and then vice versa of course.

So I need some EQ presets:
1) Fingers - Clean and fat but still cuts.
2) Fingers - Dirty. Tube style OD.
3) Pick- Clean and fat.
4) Pick - Dirty to get a nice snarly tone. Think Tool but with more bottom.

Here are the frequencies I have to play with. -18db to +18db

60
125
250
500
1k
2k
4k
8k

 

[Orion1985]

I wouldn't say that I typically cover as much sonic ground as you do but I've found that a compressor at the end of my signal chain has helped to tame a lot of the boom that I had at times. I play primarily finger style but I will play aggressively to get some fret noise or play softer but with a deeper sound depending on the song and the comp really helps to bridge those tones without having to change too much more.

The EQ may be a big part of the solution but you might find that a compressor can help tighten things up and unify those tones a bit too. I've got an MXR Bass Compressor and I generally set my pedals (almost exclusively ODs) to unity gain and then set the threshold of the compressor so that it kicks in when I dig in and play a bit harder. For the most part you can't even tell it's on, it just brings down some of the bigger notes.

 

[Systolic]

I currently have an Empress Compressor on my board.

 

[Alien8]

I'm not exactly sure on how i want to to ask this question...so we'll see how this goes.

+I have a very clean and bright base tone to my rig.
- Ibanez PJ with Nordys with Kalium Hybrid strings into a Hartke LH500 into a very modern ported 212 that translates eq very evenly.
+Currently play in a cover band that covers a lot of sonic/tonal ground.
+Currently have/use a Source Audio Programmable EQ for matching outputs on different basses.
+Use a multitude of effects.
+Utilize pick, finger and slap all in the same setlist.

Basically I'm needing to even out my cutting/boom factor when I switch between differently playing styles. What I like for a pick eq always sounds too muted and quiet when playing with fingers and then vice versa of course.

So I need some EQ presets:
1) Fingers - Clean and fat but still cuts.
2) Fingers - Dirty. Tube style OD.
3) Pick- Clean and fat.
4) Pick - Dirty to get a nice snarly tone. Think Tool but with more bottom.

Here are the frequencies I have to play with. -18db to +18db

60
125
250
500
1k
2k
4k
8k

Before I go to the floor, I try my onboard bass controls - always. It a great place - volume and tone controls can do a lot, and a compressor (like yours) is a great aid. Start here, find your "sound" without pedals.

Next add the pedals. Set the comp to something "simple", like a 4:1 ratio, mix at 3/4 and the rest set as you wish. Next with the EQ in front of the Comp, tune your frequencies, checking your comp on and comp off sounds. The comp on or off may work better for certain things, like responsive dirt will not really want a comp, but might love the EQ setting.

It sounds like a lot of twiddling, but the goal is to be able to pick out the settings you like that you may be able to use for multiple sounds.

The hit list for EQ setting:

1) make large adjustments to fool your ear into hearing the tweaks.

2) only small adjustments are needed when you are already close.

3) remember that taking away is just as effective as boosting.

4) make adjustments in "sessions", do a bit, leave for 10+ minutes to let your ears settle, then listen again.

 

[Al Kraft]

I think a good compressor and an adjustable HPF like the Fdeck Series 3 might help you quite a bit more than making frequent multiple point EQ changes. I suspect it would also be easier and faster moving from song to song as well. At some point all those EQ changes on the fly are likely to land you somewhere that sounds good on stage, but lacks the tone you set up from an audience perspective during the sound check.

I like having at most a single effect and/or one knob to turn when I have to go from country to jazz to rock to reggae. I adjust as much as possible with my playing technique, but there are some times when you just have to reset the tonal profile to get all the way there. For me those resets need to be fast, accurate on the fly changes that can be just as quickly undone without getting me more engaged in "playing my effects and controls" than my bass.

As final thought, if I've got a gig where the set list has me all over the map tonally, I find that my Mesa Carbine M6 and M9 offer a lot of one knob tone shaping/voicing options that are easily accessible on the fly. I'm guessing you could accomplish virtually the same thing by setting up multiple tone profiles in one of the programmable/multi-effect pedals (e.g. SansAmp, Zoom).

In any event, it sounds like your tonal footprint on any given gig is a lot more diverse than mine, so my solutions may not work for you.