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Less “bass”
- Thread starter Kipp Harrington
- Start date
Is there a best bass, too? We might as well be playing all the same hardware...
Two mutes on my strings. Limiter on during filter use.. I have a ISP Gate on lightly.. multiple compressors.. at different points of gain. Eq for spot freq adjustment.. Band pass filter.. 2khz and 36hz.. I find I use a little of each stacked is the trick.. I'm looking at nano attack to replace my string reviver pedal.. for use with distortion..
Low-mids, around 200Hz is key to clarity. Too much, and you get all mud. Too little, and you loose all your tone.
Cutting the lows with a HPF is always a winner for me. I use the FDeck, dial it in anywhere from approx 60 to 45Hz
Cutting the lows with a HPF is always a winner for me. I use the FDeck, dial it in anywhere from approx 60 to 45Hz
Here's the simplified version. It doesn't do any good to amplify frequencies that are too low for your speakers to reproduce. It wastes power and degrades your sound It can be a good strategy to use a high pass filter (HPF) to roll these frequencies off. However, something you should be aware of is most bass amps have a fixed HPF which may or may not be well suited to your speakers. This is where a variable HPF could be beneficial. You may also simply like the sound you get when you run an HPF up a little higher than your amp's built in HPF.
@fdeck has been around today. Perhaps you should send him a private message if you are interested in his HPF.
Still available.
However... it's worth trying a few things first. A lot of electric bass amps are "voiced," meaning that the response curve emphasizes some frequencies when the EQ knobs are all centered. The idea is to make a good first impression in the showroom, and to create a signature sound that satisfies most players. No problem with that approach. But it means that your amp might be goosing up your low end too much for your personal tastes, your bass, speakers, venues, etc.
For this reason, I suggest fiddling with your tone controls before adding another gadget. Don't be afraid of what seem like rather drastic tone control settings, such as turning the bass knob down a lot.
If after you try those things... still available.
But there are a number of good HPF products out there, worth researching.
I’m ok with turning down the ultra low bass frequencies, but cutting you low mids will make it harder to hear yourself in the mix. A high pass filter will no doubt eliminate what you cut, but my experience is that if you leave the bass at flat, boost the low mids (130- 150hz) a tad, and leave thigh mids and treble to flat, you get best of both worlds, and a very natural sounding bass.
What cabs did you find to work best with the D800+? I have a Berg HD112 right now.
Seems like 40-80Hz is where most people are setting their HPFs - how many of you play five-string or drop-tuned basses?
Admittedly I don't tend to go below the low D on the B string much, but I'm wondering how many HPF frequency recommendations assume a four-string bass in standard tuning.
Admittedly I don't tend to go below the low D on the B string much, but I'm wondering how many HPF frequency recommendations assume a four-string bass in standard tuning.
That's the question. What knobs are there and what do they do?
I read on the Fender web site that the bass knob on my active Squier works at 50Hz. That would be right in the lowest range. I see cheap preamps on ebay where the bass works at 80Hz. I suppose it should do, but does it? Is it low enough? Where does the bass control on my amp cut? And on other basses? I don't know. Trying is easy enough, but I suppose investing in a Invalid Link Removed with a 50Hz control is a good way of being prepared to use anything.
I just checked the low frequency control of one of my favorite amps, Genz Benz GBE1200
Low Frequency - 80 Hz and below
Low-Mid Frequency - 250 Hz
Mid Frequency – 650 Hz
High-Mid Frequency – 1650
High Frequency - 4000 Hz and above
Keep in mind the low frequency control is typically shelving. So 80hz is the knee and you get a cut or boost at all frequencies below 80hz.
The GBE1200 also has three global shaping filters that come after the two preamps.
1. L.F. Extend lowers the low frequency rolloff of the preamps between 30-45hz (I believe this is a variable HPF)
2. Mid Scoop provides a wide bandwidth cut around 450hz.
3. H.F. Attack emphasizes brightness at approximately 4khz.
IMHO, the tone controls on the amp are fabulous. If yo moved the low frequency knee down to 50Hz, you would also need to shift the low mid control to fill in the 100hz range where the fat is. The would set up a domino series where you would probably have to shift all of the tone control frequencies down for them to integrate well.
Do you think an EQ pedal like the Behringer I linked above with a 50Hz and a 120Hz band (or the Boss of which it is probably a straight copy) would do that job?
It depends upon which job you want it to do. Tone shaping yes, but I don't think it is good substitute for an HPF. All of the frequency bands on the BEQ700 use peaking filters. An HPF rolls off the at fixed rate such as 12dB per octave.
Here's an example of what the range of a peaking EQ's frequency response looks like:
Shelving and how it works is a really important consideration when setting your sound. You explained it well.
But if you are looking for better EQ control, parametric controls are far superior to shelving types. You can target individual frequencies to cut or boost instead of cutting or boosting a range of frequencies. This is the reason, and for my money, the best reason to consider the new Mesa D-800 when buying a new amp. It’s also why I love my Eden rigs where it will be a cold day in h*ll when I give them up.
The shelving type EQ contributes to that “baked in sound” often discussed here that either you like it or not. I had an Acoustic 370, and a SWR Workingman that had certain annoying frequencies you couldn’t get rid of that drove me to distraction.
