Numbers would help us remember where we were, but would otherwise give incorrect impressions. I expect there are others using Monique who can now suggest better than I, but I would think you'd have to take down some of the high and mid both to get where you want. By design, there is some overlap (mids) between the high and mid EQ knobs. Not so with the Low.
Cool, thanks. I do understand the Baxendall does things differently, and don't mind at all learning how one ticks and differs from other types. And thank you Baird6869 and Passinwind, for those links! Diving in now.
Monique isn't really a numbers kind of girl. Play with the knobs until it sounds good. Don't be afraid to be radical with the eq, but if you're expecting surgical precision you're going to be disappointed. Monique is an instrument rather than a box with knobs to be twiddled. The real action is the interplay between fingers/strings/bass and the sensitivity knob. The eq is more like salt/pepper to taste. It's not going to change meat into fish.
Hmm.
Box shape (rackmount)? Check.
Knobs that turn? Check.
Female, so if like most females, probably enjoys a little knob twiddling now & then? Check.
Kidding, I understand what you mean.
(Though to me, "twiddle with knobs" and "play with the knobs until it sounds good" are just two different ways to say the exact same thing, so you have me a little bit confused saying no to the former and yes to the latter.)
But no matter, I have a followup, which includes a little self-facepalm. I'm juggling far too many things at once, and it bites me once in a while:
First a clarification. I should have worded my question a little better, by "upper mid metal cut" I meant dialing in more of the upper mid frequences that can slice right through the wall of loud/thick/crunchy guitars one encounters in some metal. For example, with a parametric I'd maybe pull out a little in the mid-mids (maybe around 500Hz), and boost a little somewhere around 800-1000Hz, whereever it sounds right. Which I suppose is a sort of surgical precision that might need to happen elsewhere. Which is fine, was just looking for a little info that might help me decide what to do eq-wise and where to do it. For when I might know what I want, but have little or no time to look for it. (Maybe after going out in room with wireless, with many more bodies having filled in, and initial room adjustments aren't quite right anymore. Have done that plenty of times when carrying a room.)
I have a bunch of eq options available, most sitting otherwise unneeded and unused on the bass, in various pedals, and so on. I usually just dial in the amp for the room, including a low-mid bump wherever it sits right, and call it good... the rest is finger and pick positions and an occasional treble roll-off at the instrument. For this one band I sometimes goose the upper mids a little as described. Perhaps an atypical move... plus my cab isn't exactly upper-mid shy to begin with.
Anyhow, I discovered the lack of "cut" up there likely had nothing to do with Monique.
I had just put new strings on two of my basses a few days before, and had been enjoying exactly that sound at home. In rehearsal with the bass I brought it wasn't there... of course not, solo vs. mix tone being different animals. What sounds good in my room never works in any other room, let alone in a band mix. Commence the usual adjustments, start playing.
Now, it wasn't bad or anything, just not quite enough "up there". I was going all over the place with mid & high, trying to get something like that up there, but wasn't finding it. Was slamming through a set quickly with no pauses, and few moments for reaching up there for more adjustments. Never got as far as dropping the bass knob below noon (which might have been the ticket).
But when I plugged in later (after my post), it really wasn't there solo anymore, either. Wha? Plugged in the other bass with new strings... BANG. There it was back. Listened to the other bass again with no amp... whoah, new strings lost most of the zing already, didn't see that coming. Usually they take a little while to settle down, then are just right for a few months. They weren't dead, but far from fresh, more like the tail end of life when I'm starting to consider a new set. I swear I didn't eat a big pile of fried chicken before playing, so not sure what happened there. (OK, I actually did... but I washed my hands!
)
Took only a few seconds of listening to that bass unamplified to explain exactly what was going on, and that it had nothing to do with my new pre/power setup. (The most obvious "thing that changed" variable.) So... I guess I was looking for a "fresh strings" knob, and Monique didn't have one. Maybe that could be the next piece of magic Jule cooks up?
This weekend at a rehearsal (different band/room/bass/strings) had no such trouble. Go figure.
