EQ, when to say enough.

[tedious1]

LOL, at this point, I *really* want to hear the other side of the story!

FWIW, I think the whole knob-twiddling was a passive aggressive play in the hopes that the OP would rage quit, and that his bandmates are at the end of their collective rope with his apparent inability to see past his tone to the band's tone. That's just a guess but:

Let's face it, twiddling the knobs on someone else's equipment is a pretty well understood taboo. Most of us wouldn't do it because we wouldn't want someone doing it to us. Sure there is probably someone out there who will, but the smart money says the OPs band isn't entirely composed of such people. Further the smart money knows we're only getting half of the story. Has the band tried to broach this subject with the OP prior to twiddling his knobs? Did the OP summarily dismiss the topic as being unworthy of discussion? No, I wouldn't suggest that would be grounds to twiddle his knobs, but, in the past, in a very similar situation, I simply fired the bass player (and then ended up with the job...)

The picture that is being painted, as much by what has not been disclosed as anything else, is that the "bad band member" is probably the OP, but his bandmates ain't going to be winning any congeniality awards.

 

[Slough Feg Bass]

It really depends on how comfortable you are with your band mates ?

If one of my guys wanted to try something on my amp, I'd be all for it, and if it sucked, I'd put it back.

Once in a while one my guitarists gets frustrated with his tone, so I fiddle with his amp and see what happens.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Again, how comfy are you with these folks ? that says a lot.

 

[SunnBass]

No offense please, but honestly pushed lows and flat mids really doesn't make for great eq settings. I know it's called "bass guitar " but mids is where all your definition lies (tonally). I just played a show this weekend where the bass player in one of the opening bands had his rig eq'd similar to yours. In the crowd, he sounded like mush. No articulation, no definition. You couldn't really even hear what he was specifically playing. So try this: drop the lows down and concentrate on low-mids thru hi-mids, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
But no, they shouldn't touch your stuff.

 

[moody]

Our set list right now is just a few six feet under covers.

As far as cutting through, it does fine in that area. I think the problem is that it clips every once in a while, and stuff kind of rattles off the shelves.

I had to trade in my head for a smaller one (going from an HA3500 to an HA2000) so I'm hopping that will help out a little bit as far as being overpowering, and I'm willing to make changes. My issue is that if they want me to cut the lowes completely and boost the highs I should just show up with a 2nd guitar.

A smaller head will fix nothing that couldn't be fixed with the volume / eq.

 

[Sahe_Bassist]

im just gonna throw this out there - if you are jamming six feet under covers, you are probably turning the mix to mud and getting all in the way of the kick drum and possibly singer.

im not saying its right to touch and mess with other peoples stuff, but hear me out here - frequency slotting yourself and the entire band leads to much cleaner and easier to hear music - death metal or not. not just you, but the whole band should be doing this.

not saying you need to neuter your tone, but big/fat lows and rolled highs + metal = terrible mix most of the time. its possible you are so loud and just all in the frequency range of everything in the band so much that no one can hear anything BUT you. and its probably undefinable noise/rumble.

you would be surprised at the total lack of lows and mostly high mid/high tone most big name metal players have.

just food for thought, you can be loud and heard clearly without tromping all over the mix.

try backing off the lows a little, if its under 100hz then you dont need to boost it probably, maybe a bump at about 125 for some balls, then a bump somewhere in the 800-2000 range for clarity/grind/hearable tone, and then again around 5k if its needed (it probably wont be.)

 

[SteveV74]

Tell them to keep thier hands off your gear or youre gonna ghost.

 

[SanDiegoHarry]

So my bandmates keep adjusting my EQ and it's starting to get on my nerves.

Last practice I put my foot down, when they tried to cut my low end completely and boosted my highs.

I strive for a deep, fat, warm tone. Push the lowes, flatten out the mids, and bleed off the highs.
Apparently they think that I should be a lot brighter.

Any suggestions on what I can do to keep them away from my EQ and possibly find some middle ground?

No one touches my amp. If they want more mids, they tell me and I adjust.

And it usually IS more mids that is required - and is likely what your bandmates want.

Or are they doing this in your PA because you have to go through FoH to rehearse... (???)

 

[lfmn16]

Any suggestions on what I can do to keep them away from my EQ and possibly find some middle ground?

Grow a backbone. That is one of the most disrespectful things I've ever heard of. Sorry, but if you let them touch your amp, you deserve what you get. The first time it happens it's their fault, the second time, it's your fault.

 

[cableguy]

I would also ask what your band tuning is. Sometime guitarist in drop tuning push to much low end adding to the mud. Everyone in the band need to be aware of their eq alot and be respectful of the other slots for a good mix. My 2 cents

 

[nashman]

What about using a mutually agreed, experienced, third-party "sound arbitrator" instead of "you versus them".

 

[xxfaux_punkxx]

LOL, at this point, I *really* want to hear the other side of the story!

FWIW, I think the whole knob-twiddling was a passive aggressive play in the hopes that the OP would rage quit, and that his bandmates are at the end of their collective rope with his apparent inability to see past his tone to the band's tone. That's just a guess but:

Let's face it, twiddling the knobs on someone else's equipment is a pretty well understood taboo. Most of us wouldn't do it because we wouldn't want someone doing it to us. Sure there is probably someone out there who will, but the smart money says the OPs band isn't entirely composed of such people. Further the smart money knows we're only getting half of the story. Has the band tried to broach this subject with the OP prior to twiddling his knobs? Did the OP summarily dismiss the topic as being unworthy of discussion? No, I wouldn't suggest that would be grounds to twiddle his knobs, but, in the past, in a very similar situation, I simply fired the bass player (and then ended up with the job...)

The picture that is being painted, as much by what has not been disclosed as anything else, is that the "bad band member" is probably the OP, but his bandmates ain't going to be winning any congeniality awards.

What's there to tell... this is my first death metal band, they have 20+ yrs experience on me, and we've only had 2 practices together.

So I'm just trying to let them take the lead, but don't want to loose my own sound in the process... but hey I guess I'm an ******* for thinking that way right?

It really depends on how comfortable you are with your band mates ?

If one of my guys wanted to try something on my amp, I'd be all for it, and if it sucked, I'd put it back.

Once in a while one my guitarists gets frustrated with his tone, so I fiddle with his amp and see what happens.
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

Again, how comfy are you with these folks ? that says a lot.

I trust them well enough. I doubt they'll break anything, and I can undo anything I don't like.

I would also ask what your band tuning is. Sometime guitarist in drop tuning push to much low end adding to the mud. Everyone in the band need to be aware of their eq alot and be respectful of the other slots for a good mix. My 2 cents

We play in Drop D, and Drop C.

 

[Humbled]

Free your mind...




...And the rest will follow...

 

[electracoyote]

In my first band ever, the guitarists had a few years on me. I'll never forget one of them coming over to my rig during rehearsal and tweaking my EQ without a word.

Funny thing is, he was right, and it improved my tone and how I sat in the mix. I made it a point from then on to educate myself and be a little more mindful about my tone.

Not sure how that applies to OP, except maybe you could discuss your tone with your band mates, what you're trying to achieve, and then listen with an open mind as they share what they're hearing and hoping for from the bass tone.

 

[Nephilymbass]

So my bandmates keep adjusting my EQ and it's starting to get on my nerves.

Last practice I put my foot down, when they tried to cut my low end completely and boosted my highs.

I strive for a deep, fat, warm tone. Push the lowes, flatten out the mids, and bleed off the highs.
Apparently they think that I should be a lot brighter.

Any suggestions on what I can do to keep them away from my EQ and possibly find some middle ground?

Set your eq flat. Tell them if they don't like the mix of the bass with the rest of the band to adjust their tone not yours. Using EQ for tone is one of the worst ways to do it imo. You gotta develop your own tone with your hands to the point that no matter what bass you pick up they all sound like your the one playing them even though the different basses might have inherently different tonal characteristics. Eq for the most part kills tones. If your bass rig has so much low end it's a real issue don't adjust the eq, get a high pass filter.

 

[BAG]

I think the problem is that it clips every once in a while, and stuff kind of rattles off the shelves.

I had to trade in my head for a smaller one (going from an HA3500 to an HA2000) so I'm hopping that will help out a little bit as far as being overpowering, and I'm willing to make changes.

You do know that you can turn down a big amp don't you??

I could be wrong but this jumps out at me and says that it's not really your tone they have a problem with but the fact that you are blasting away with volume and gain set to 11 and they're sick of your bass being loud and overpowering the mix. They really just want you to pull back a bit so everyone else doesn't go deaf by having to push their amps so hard just to hear themselves. Have you actually asked them the question "is it the tone, or do you want me to turn down"? You guys need to talk or there's going to be some bigger issues in the near future.

 

[Reverend T]

I think the right tone is somewhere between what you dial in and what they dial in. But a lack of the right approach is hindering it.

Firstly ask them politely to not do it and take ten minutes next session to discuss it... With an open mind. Be firm but also receptive. I have an affinity to warm boomy Bass tones and always thought they were cool and awesome and my band used to complain that I needed more highs because I was loosing note definition and I just kept thinking they don't get it "What do they know" "Am I telling you what your guitar sounds like" etc.

Once we had a video recording I realised I was actually thinking about what tone I want and not what tone the music requires and haven't been selfish ever since (well...almost). Make sure that isn't the case. Tell them not to twiddle your tone knobs but you can do it nicely - "I need to learn to sculpt my own sound, let me do it".

All this is moot if you think they are just being intrusive and imposing their taste.

 

[friendlybass]

Messing with knobs is taboo. Asking you to turn down, cut lows, boost highs, whatever, is commonplace.
OP, your eq settings do sound like a recipe for great R&B or blues tone, but for metal of most kinds you need the highs and mids to give you clarity and presence for precise articulation. Other wise nice thick chugging sounds like a wall of noise.
They were wrong to skip the asking phase, and honestly cutting lows may be a little extreme but I don't know your rig. It sounds like there's a lot more talking that needs to happen between you guys. Like most band disputes clear, if awkward, communication is the solution.

 

[hrodbert696]

No offense please, but honestly pushed lows and flat mids really doesn't make for great eq settings. I know it's called "bass guitar " but mids is where all your definition lies (tonally). I just played a show this weekend where the bass player in one of the opening bands had his rig eq'd similar to yours. In the crowd, he sounded like mush. No articulation, no definition. You couldn't really even hear what he was specifically playing. So try this: drop the lows down and concentrate on low-mids thru hi-mids, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
But no, they shouldn't touch your stuff.

True, but too much mids and your bass can sound honk honk honk instead of thoom thoom thoom. And the OP is also talking about them cranking his highs.

Since he says it's a death metal band, I wonder what THEIR EQ is. A lot of those guys scoop their own mids, boost their lows, crank the gain and wind up with mush that can't be distinguished from the bass. It may be they're trying to get him out of their frequencies, EQ the bass high and the guitars low. Which doesn't make much sense to me, but I can imagine them wanting to do it.

Total agreement, though, they shouldn't touch his amp without his permission. They should tell him what they'd like and let him find a setting that works. If he's the new guy and these other guys have been around awhile, this may be why they had to find a new guy in the first place - maybe the old guy got sick of this kind of thing.

Or the OP may just be oblivious to how he sounds in the mix.

My guitarist/EQ story: in a previous bar band, the BL was way more experienced than me. He asked if I'd let him experiment with my EQ, and I decided to let him. Previously I had been bumping my lows and mids up a bit and rolling off the highs, about 7-7-4. He basically scooped my mids, like 9-3-7, and we all agreed we liked the sound. Next gig, we start the first song, and he leans over to me, "turn down! Turn down!" "Turn down?" I asked. My volume wasn't any higher than usual, I didn't think I was too loud. "Yeah, you're way too.... boomy!" Boomy. OK. So I left my volume where it was and turned my EQ back to 7-7-4. "How's that?" "Great! Perfect!"

 

[GMC]

Ask them if they are unhappy with your playing and tone. Maybe they are trying to find a different bass sound that the one your current bass is offering. Maybe ask them what they are looking for and they they can pay for that new bass for you...I'm sure THAT sound can only be achieved with a certain Pedula or allembic. Naturally, you are happy with your current tone...so that cost needs to be covered by THEIR tastes.

 

[lfmn16]

What's there to tell... this is my first death metal band, they have 20+ yrs experience on me, and we've only had 2 practices together.

So I'm just trying to let them take the lead, but don't want to loose my own sound in the process... but hey I guess I'm an ******* for thinking that way right?



I trust them well enough. I doubt they'll break anything, and I can undo anything I don't like.



We play in Drop D, and Drop C.

This is quite a bit different than your original post. If you had provided all of this information from the start you would have gotten very different responses.