Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Contour and 'Enhance' knobs on amps
- Thread starter Jason Harris
- Start date
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,086
- 5
- 221,200
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
Ah well, I guess "use your ears" is the key here, too bad I can't trust mine
Absolutely use your ears, and also different playing styles and musical taste may make such a circuit more or less useful.
What? Can you turn the mids up so I can hear you better, thanks?Ah well, I guess "use your ears" is the key here, too bad I can't trust mine
I generally don't like or use Enhance and Contour type control, EXCEPT as executed on the Mesa D-800+ (Voice). There is a bit of "refining" going on in the tone without sucking out the mids. I use it at 9:00 and it's a great way balance the sound. I still have plenty of mids. When I have used similar controls on GK, Eden, etc. it felt like it just made the sound less defined. I really dislike scooped sound and could never understand why people would take out all that definition and energy from the tone. Tone is a subjective thing, I suppose!
My Quilter Bass Block has 'Contour' and 'Depth'. I was completely flummoxed by these at first. These tone controls are not typical of anything I've ever used. But, if you keep each close to either side of the 12 o'clock mid-position, it gets somewhat intuitive quickly.
Ok I'll bite, in general terms, what is going on when I turn this know (I love the feature btw)? If you don't want to post here, send me a pm.
Also, is it a misconception that amps without these kinds of controls are "flat"? I think so, as lots of amps seem to have non-flat, fixed voicing basslines, they are only adjustable by eq control provided.
You best bet is to turn the knob. If you don't like what it does, turn it back.
Some are good, some are horrible, and some don't do much.
Some are good, some are horrible, and some don't do much.
- Feb 12, 2006
- 61,086
- 5
- 221,200
- Disclosures
- Development Engineer-Mesa Boogie, Development Engineer-Genzler (pedals), Product Support-Genz Benz
There is relative LF & HF boosts, mid cuts, and frequency shifts that happen simultaneously and at different levels as the control rotates.
Amps can be flat, with mild voicing or more extreme voicing even with a voicing control set at minimum. It all depends on the amp design.
there's more too it that that. High mids around 1k I can't stand.....sounds harsh to me.
If your bass/rig is super mid present, I can see killing abrasive frequencies. On my Mesa I run voice at about noon and kill about 3 db of 1k
Hmm ................. I normally run my Eden
Enhance around 11 - 12 O'clock with the rest mostly flat or slightly tweaked for the room and have never had anyone say I was muddy, woofy or that there is no definition to the sound, on the other hand I've had plenty of comments from audience and Playa's on how good my Bass sounds.
Sure, it's a big full bodied tone but the bottom's clean and it still cut's through
enough.
I guess most of the live work that amp's seen has been C/Rock against a pair of Tele's and going for smooth, deep, clean and powerfull - not that agressive.
Eden 550>212xlt>210xst.
Maurie.
Enhance around 11 - 12 O'clock with the rest mostly flat or slightly tweaked for the room and have never had anyone say I was muddy, woofy or that there is no definition to the sound, on the other hand I've had plenty of comments from audience and Playa's on how good my Bass sounds.
Sure, it's a big full bodied tone but the bottom's clean and it still cut's through
enough.
I guess most of the live work that amp's seen has been C/Rock against a pair of Tele's and going for smooth, deep, clean and powerfull - not that agressive.
Eden 550>212xlt>210xst.
Maurie.
What I've found with the mid cut-boost issue is that it depends on the band's sonic landscape. If you have two guitars and a keyboard, you have a heavy midrange presence. So, if you cut your midrange you are going to get "lost in the mix". If you want to be heard you need to determine where there is a space for you. If you have two trebled-up Fenders and a keyboard, you might be considering low mids. If you have Gibsons, or a Fender and a Gibson, you might want to look at mid-mids or high mids (sparingly). If it's a Three piece jazz combo, or an acoustic situation, then a mid-scoop might be in order. Where the guitar players set their tone makes a difference, too. The human ear is most sensitive to midrange frequencies (that where the voice resides), so small differences in frequencies in this range are still discernible. You just need to find a space in the mix. It's not always easy if you add in room characteristics, degree of guitar player hearing loss, how hard and where you are striking the strings, pick, slap or finger, etc. Also, I've found that small adjustments can make a big difference. And. of course, your instrument setting makes a huge difference. I have been setting the amps more or less flat (ish) and using the instrument controls more.
The ThunderFunks have a Enhance & a Timber control, there really helpful in rooms that have acoustic issues, a little goes a long way, along with the parametric tone controls
Thunderfunk 550 by Invalid Link Removed, on Flickr
Per Dave - Turn the Enhance up until you like the highs - turn the Timbre to the left until you like the lows. Done!
