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how would YOU adjust my amp?

A

astrozombie2099

Feb 5, 2009
24
0
40
st.pete fl
www.myspace.com
#1
hey guys i have a hartke ha2500 runing into a hartke vx cab
(1x12 2x8 1x1")
the head hase a 10 band eq (im shure you more than filmiler with this head)
im haveing a verry ruff time geting the tone im looking for.
what i want is a verry tight lowend (lots of bass you feel) and lots of "click" in the highs. this may sound crazy but i do not want a "warm" tone. i like verry modern tone.
i also want to stay away from cloudy muddy or lose.
let me know if you need more info and thank for any help you can give me

also the rig i am running dosent seem verry loud i hafta run at like 9 to be herd in the mix with my band,is this just a under power issue (being a 250watt head) or can this be fixed in my eqing? or is this a bad mix of head and cab (ohms and waht not)..
thanks agin guys!
 
#4
Wasted Bassist said:
More speaker area will allow you to be louder. As for eqing, there are plenty of good guides out there. Boosting mids is the general consencus as to be the key to cutting tone. What sounds good in your bedroom usually sounds terrible in a band mix.
Click to expand...

+1
In the bedroom you can get away with having little to no mids or the "smiley face" on your EQ. Do that in a live situation and you're going to be drowned out fast.

To the OP: I used to own one of these heads and ran it through a Carvin RL410 cab. Have you tried using only the solid state portion of the preamp? That should take out what minute amount of warmth the head does have to offer.
 
#6
more cabs of better voiced cabs are agood idea.

click the link in my sig about the faq section and check out the eq thread. it gives you some starting points in terms of what the different frequencies will get you
 
#7
o damn sorry guys i ment 1x15!! do you think i still need more speakers?
this is my rig
2cffeyp.jpg
 
#8
IvanMike said:
more cabs of better voiced cabs are agood idea.

click the link in my sig about the faq section and check out the eq thread. it gives you some starting points in terms of what the different frequencies will get you
Click to expand...

i did read your eq post its great that was my next step. printing that out. just wanted to see if you all hade a "o you gota do this" kinda anaswer.
thanks!
 
#12
While lots of low lows and clicky highs might sound good in your bedroom, it will lack note definition live.

The main reason, it seems, why bassists have trouble being heard live, besides inadequate speaker area, is lack of mids. "But mids sound so nasal and terrible!" you might say. However, they are the frequencies which really cut through the full band's sound in a live situation.

Personally, I like mids a lot, and always not only avoid cutting mine, but actually boost them up more than the lows and highs. But then again, I've never been a fan of the "modern" or "hi-fi" bass sound.
 
#14
astrozombie2099 said:
i get the idea that what sounds good solo wont sound good in the mix..but what do you guys do when you do have a solo?its not like i have 2 ch so do you just bite the bullet and deal with a ify tone for the solo? haha
Click to expand...

For just playing by yourself, tweak your settings until you get something you like. For live playing, be aware that you need some mids.

As for what I do? I just got used to and grew to love the tone I use when I play with a full band. Sometimes I kick on the distortion and reverb to goof off with.
 
#15
I would leave the Graphic flat, those settings are extreme,
maybe a little bump at 250Hz and 3 or 4kHz
start your contour from off,
turn tube gain lower than ss,
Let your mids through, you're cutting them all out
and I would turn that compressor off as well...

As said above, live EQing is way different than Solo or "bedroom"
Play with it "Flat" for a few days and train your Ear to open up
It will also allow you to hear how your touch will affect your tone

word
 
#19
astrozombie2099 said:
not quite a smiley i know thats a no no.
Click to expand...
Says who? If it sounds good it is good, no matter what the graphic looks like, or what the pundits may say.
As unclekebm says, flat is always a good starting point.
Click to expand...
Starting point yes, but not ending point. If we weren't supposed to adjust the sliders to get the sound we want they wouldn't be there. The Holy Grail of 'Flat Response' is just as mythical as the other Holy Grail. No amp is flat, nor is any speaker. They all have coloration. EQ is there to be used. That doesn't mean you should go nuts with them, more than 6dB of either boost or cut is generally counterproductive, except for the lowermost slider, which often works best pulled fully down to serve as a rumble filter.
 
#20
billfitzmaurice said:
Says who? If it sounds good it is good, no matter what the graphic looks like, or what the pundits may say.
Click to expand...
Having used a Hartke amp many times, though, it's fairly scooped at that range on its own. I agree with "says who," but in his case that's a ton of mid scoop on top of a little more mid scoop. I'd at least bring them back some if he's looking for that mid scoop tone but can't hear himself (which he apparently is).
 

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