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Graphic EQ Settings - question

What is the better setting for a (in my example) more middy sound.

Is it better to boost (red) or to cut (green) frequencies ??

Is one of them better or worse?

eq.jpg
 
Way too broad of a question. Why not just try it for yourself?
Indeed. However, as a general rule of thumb (and rules are made to be broken)...
If you cut, you will need to increase master to maintain overall level which 'may' introduce unwanted noise/hiss. If you boost you run the risk of distortion/clipping. Whilst this may be desirable in the first gain stage it tends to sound terrible in the EQ stage which is not designed to clip 'nicely'. In the end you need to trust your ears. :-)
 
Indeed. However, as a general rule of thumb (and rules are made to be broken)...
If you cut, you will need to increase master to maintain overall level which 'may' introduce unwanted noise/hiss. If you boost you run the risk of distortion/clipping. Whilst this may be desirable in the first gain stage it tends to sound terrible in the EQ stage which is not designed to clip 'nicely'. In the end you need to trust your ears. :)


thank you
 
I tried: red is louder than the green setting but pretty similar in sound.
But when you boost all the time doesn't it damage the speakers more than when you cut?

Provided your speaker can easily handle the maximum output of your power amp then no. Personally I have always tried to use cabs with at least 50% higher rating than the amp. Damage is more likely when the power amp is clipping hard and the speaker(s) is/are under-rated for the amp. It will also depend on the power supply to the power amp. 'Saggy' tube power amps are less likely to damage speakers as the output stage saturation is more like 'soft-knee' compression than the hard clipping typical of some solid-state power amps.
 
In recording, it is a general rule that "it is better to cut than to boost."

The reasoning being that cutting unwanted frequencies will keep the signal cleaner as any boosting will add the additional noise from whatever circuit is creating the boost in the signal.

Again, it is just a rule of thumb. If you love the sound of the eq, then you might boost all the frequencies to add more of what you are lovin to the channel.

This is less of a concern with a guitar or bass through an amp as we are not often chasing the super cleanest pristine signal that is so cherished in a fine micropone.
 
Provided your speaker can easily handle the maximum output of your power amp then no. Personally I have always tried to use cabs with at least 50% higher rating than the amp. Damage is more likely when the power amp is clipping hard and the speaker(s) is/are under-rated for the amp. It will also depend on the power supply to the power amp. 'Saggy' tube power amps are less likely to damage speakers as the output stage saturation is more like 'soft-knee' compression than the hard clipping typical of some solid-state power amps.

No, you didn't just go there...;).
Please let us keep this thread about eq and not get into the whole, "underpowered speakers" thing. Lol.
 
In recording, it is a general rule that "it is better to cut than to boost."
The reasoning being that cutting unwanted frequencies will keep the signal cleaner as any boosting will add the additional noise from whatever circuit is creating the boost in the signal.

This is a fallacy that is often repeated. It IS better to cut than to boost, but not for that reason.

First, By cutting frequencies, to have to make up the gain anyways, so it comes down to how much noise the eq makes vs the power (or pre) amp. Usually there isn't a lot of difference, but it's easy to check.

The two reasons that it's better to cut are:

1. The problem with boosting vs cutting isn't the noise, it's the distortion. Unless we are talking about linear phase eq (which we are not), boosting frequencies results in more phase distortion than cutting because of the way it's achieved. The more it's boosted (or cut, for that matter), the worse the phase distortion.

2. Often, eq has a narrower Q when boosting than when cutting. That means that you get a "spikey" freq response when boosting - ie it boosts a narrow band. Cuts often have a wider Q (wider band), which results in a less "spikey" curve. This isn't always the case, but it's common enough to be mindful of.

I actually think that you've missed a 3rd option - that is the midpoint between the red & the green. Boost the mids, drop the lows & highs. That way, you're only bossting or cutting 1/2 as much for any particular band, which will reduce the amount of phase distortion compared to only boosting or cutting. You'd want to bias it a little bit to the cuts because of reason #1, but not too much.

That all being said, you might like the resulting tone of the phase distortion. Use what sounds good!
 
I actually think that you've missed a 3rd option - that is the midpoint between the red & the green. Boost the mids, drop the lows & highs. That way, you're only bossting or cutting 1/2 as much for any particular band, which will reduce the amount of phase distortion compared to only boosting or cutting. You'd want to bias it a little bit to the cuts because of reason #1, but not too much.

That's the response I was waiting for. Keep the overall level at zero and boost or cut the only as needed.

Also listen to your sound in the mix and see if you need to have such an extreme curve to begin with.
 
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My Peavey Mark IV 3 band low range 7 9 8 high range 4 5 4 1 out of 10 each band if that makes any sense. Amp Bh 420 has range from - 15 to +15 there are 2 low knobs 2 midrange knobs and 2 treble knobs Low 1st knob is at 7 2nd is at 2 mids 1st knob -1 2nd knob + 1 Highs both knobs set at +1 crossover i have set at 12 0'clock limiter set at 12' o clock and enhancer switch is on it automatically will switch to passive or active and to practice I have gain and volume at 1 there is another EQ that I have not even tapped into yet everything is set at 12 o'clock. I feel the sound I have is perfect its deep its also very smooth. Thats the best way I can describe my Eq settings The Peavey has levers and the AMP has Knobs