Hartke Shape Toggle, What Is It Exactly?

[frankie5string]

I had always interpreted it as a filter that mimics the basic Fender Deluxe boost and cut pattern, but the control allows you to shift that loosely around and choose where it occurs in the spectrum.

 

[Count Bassie]

As far as the scoop thing, in our live set I'm making an effort to occupy a discrete space in the mix without pushing up the band's volume, if that were possible. It's a little like providing seating in a room without filling up the space with a couch...
I'm open to suggestions, and this thread is just an inquiry anyway... The a Trace Elf is an entirely different animal anyway, and it may permanently replace the Hartke amp (which needs attention, and why it's being sat in for by the Elf).
The Shape circuit, like it or not, does something effective, and there probably is a little more to it than just a simple notch, as @tshapiro mentioned.
I do think a single, adjustable frequency, parametric eq is a pretty cool idea, just for small-move fixes in a room. Small moves, I find, are where it's at once you're in the ballpark.

Thanks everybody! And please, carry on...

 

[tshapiro]

Isn't that what gives you that great "scooped" sound in the bedroom that sounds like crap in a live band situation?

Nope. A lot of funk players play with scooped eq - me included. Not to open a can of worms, but I associate “trying to cut through the mix” as a battle of those who are too loud. When a live band (usually professionals) have controlled stage volumes and a Soundguy who knows what they’re doing there’s no need to “Cut through the mix”. If the stage is flooded with guitarists that have yet to learn stage balance and drummer who plays too loud for the size of the stage, well that’s a different story.

 

[Count Bassie]

Nope. A lot of funk players play with scooped eq - me included. Not to open a can of worms, but I associate “trying to cut through the mix” as a battle of those who are too loud. When a live band (usually professionals) have controlled stage volumes and a Soundguy who knows what they’re doing there’s no need to “Cut through the mix”. If the stage is flooded with guitarists that have yet to learn stage balance and drummer who plays too loud for the size of the stage, well that’s a different story.

I'll chime in here, but it's not an argument... When I'm tuning in my sound I'm looking for a space to occupy that doesn't bump into, or get partially obscured by, other sounds important to the performance. It's a little like finding a seat in a room that'll be occupied with other players.
The bass tends to have a prominent place to be generally, and it's not difficult to find your place in an arrangement. Sometimes getting there sonically is a chore though, especially if you've got instruments that could crowd you- like a seven string guitar or a keyboard player who likes laying into his left hand. That and amps that go to "11"...
So one can find themselves searching their front panel for eq options... Sometimes notching out a mid-range bandwidth can pull you out of that blurry melee, and suddenly you're sonically in a calm place, and don't have to fight to be heard. Now you can steer without all that ballast in your windshield...