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Best Rock Bass EQ?

B

bloodroyal

Guest
Sep 29, 2011
7
0
#1
Hi all,

I'm new to the TalkBass world so I hope I'm posting my query in the right section.

Basically I'm looking for some advice on EQ for Bass Guitar in a rock band.

The set up of the band is your classic:
Guitar
Bass
Drums
Vocals

Naturally as a bassist, only having one guitarist (rather than the frequent two guitarists) I have less to combat in the world of EQ, but I want to make sure the bass sits really well in the mix, and actually in light of there only being one guitar - adding more than just some kind of indecipherable low end.

I have a Mexican Fender Precision and I use the Boss ME50B also as we have several tracks requiring drive/distortion on the bass.

I have never fully understood the correct use of MID. However to be honest the whole EQ process has often baffled me. I use my ears, and tend to find something that works - it tends to be BASS and TREBLE flat and the MID pulled back a little bit. Although this seems to have worked so far (obviously varying on amps I've used etc) - I'd love to garner a real understanding of the importance of EQ - particularly within this type of band.

Hope this hasn't been too long-winded! All advice will be hugely appreciated.
 
#5
heres a quote from IvanMike taken from that FAQ link above which I feel is very important to understand:
"one of the things to watch out for is the "curse of the smiley faced eq". On a graphic eq this looks like a big smile - boosted highs and lows, and cut mids. This can sound awesome, but in a full band setting the bass can virtually dissapear. Many a bass player has dialed in "the sound" at home only to find themseves inaudible at rehearsal or a gig. They're left wondering why their 2 thousand dollar 800 watt amp just won't cut it - meanwhile they're amplifying no mids (which is most of what people can hear)."

Personally I went through this same thing for quite a while. Great sound at home but in a band setting... my watts were lost in the mix. The right amount of boosted mids makes all the difference (as well as cutting unnecessary lows).
 
#6
I don't know how hard you guys are rocking, but if you have to cut through a lot of sound EQ something that sounds a little harsh by itself. It'll mellow out in the mix. In general I'd suggest boosting around 180 Hz and keeping anything else lower flat or slightly cut, then shape the mids to taste.
 
#8
For me there are a few things I'm trying to achieve. First, I need to be heard. For that, I can't scoop the mids out. I EQ just the opposite now. Cut the lows, cut the highs, boost the mids.

However. I don't want to sound like a tennis ball on a concrete wall, either. You have to get the mids right, not wrong. Not too crispy. Not to... rubbery.

This all gets very hard to put into words. Maybe you better listen to the guys who can give you actual frequency numbers :)

But seriously--don't scoop out your mids if your goal is, as you say, to sit well in the mix. Remember, lows are there to accent your tone, like underlining text; give it heft. Highs are there to add texture and definition. The bulk of what you're doing is in the mids. That's elemental.
 
#9
Like others have mentioned, one of the problems is you really have to be at a gig to get the EQ right. What sounds good at home will probably be lost at a gig. Band practices can be a better place to work on EQ, but even then they generally only approximate a gig.

Go on youtube and look up the Jamerson bass only tracks. The tone is not very good, but then listen to the full band and it sounds perfect. His sound was dialed in to fit perfectly in the mix.

I would start flat (this can mean different things for different amps). You can boost mids, and boost highs, but stay away from boosting the lows until you really have a handle on the EQ. If the room causes the bass to be muddy, cut the lows.
 
#11
Mids are your friend, especially with a P-bass slung around your neck. If you can't hear yourself, boost your mids and roll back on your treble a bit. It may sound like garbage when playing by yourself, but in a band setting you will be surprised at well the your original tone will come through audibly.
 
#12
Every bass and amp combination is gonna be different and every band is gonna require a slightly different mix as well, so there are no hard and fast rules - in fact, there are no real rules. Whatever sounds good to you and your band is what is best, but by understanding how your eq works and what each frequency range sounds like will help you make better decisions about how to eq and also help you understand your instrument and role in the band better

if you are able to do so, spend some time recording your bass into a computer or something and play it back so you can focus on the tone, not the playing and then play around with different eq settings on the recorded track to see how the eq affects the tone in the mix
 
#15
There are SO MANY variables here that it is impossible to have a single "correct" answer.

Your ideal EQ settings depend on your bass, your rig, the room, how you play, all the other guys gear, how they play, the sound you are looking for, etc. etc.

Like everyone said, I'd also recommend that you leave in some of the mids that you would usually cut with the EQ when you are getting a great bass tone on your own. It sounds awesome alone, but not so much when you add in all the other players.
 

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