LM II and Markbass Cab Issue

turn off the filters and turn up the treble.

 

Hello and welcome to TB!

At least part of your issue is that you are EQ'ing a LOT of mid mids and upper mids out of your sound. Here is why. The VPF filter extends the deep low end, cuts the mid mids, and boosts the upper treble. At the 11 o'clock level (very extreme), AND combined with your slight boost of the bass and treble controls, you have what many call a 'scooped tone' going.

That type of tone sounds pretty good when played solo, but quickly becomes muddy and 'non articulate' in a group setting.

IMO, turn that VPF filter completely off, and put the rest of your EQ back to flat. Then, just subtly adjust the two mid controls (maybe cutting the upper mids a bit if your bass sounds a little 'clanky' up top, or boosting the lower mids a bit if you find the attack a bit too slow).

IF you still need some smoothing of the mids to sound more 'warm and fat', engage the VPF just slightly (I can't imagine a setting above about 8 or at the most 9 o'clock that would be useful).

You should get a nice even, warm, punchy tone with that rig and those more 'flat' settings. Also, if you have an active bass, go easy on the EQ boost there also (boosting the bass boost of an on-board preamp is death to your tone in most cases).

Finally, you are running the head at 'half power' into a small 8ohm cab, so there's just so much volume you can get out of it. Eventually, if you need more punchy low end and volume, adding a second cab will make a massive difference in volume, even tone (i.e., a non compressed low end) and punch.

Good luck. That's a nice rig, and as long as you don't over EQ those mids out, and as long as you aren't playing stupid loud, it should sound great.


Edit: Also, work with the tweeter level control. Sometimes, interestingly, to get a brighter tone, it's better to dial the tweeter down a touch and use the upper mid response of the driver with some upper mid boost to get a brighter sound that won't get eaten up by the cymbals (i.e., go for more upper mid brightness than super upper treble sizzle).

 

Its not the amps fault. Its a great amp and cab. You just need to play around with the eq on your bass and amp till you get it right!

 

The VPF filter scoops out your mids and significantly boosts your lows, while also slightly emphasizing highs. This may be part of your problem. Those mids are what gives you detail and punch. You'll need to start with both filters off, and all eq settings at 12 o'clock. Adjustments made from here are one at a time, and incrementally.

Second, what kind of bass do you have and how is it eq'd? I know that with my Ibby I can make any rig sound terrible using the vari-mid in the wrong way. Check that your bass is flat also.

Third, what kind of environment is your rehearsal space? If it's all bare walls and floor you may be getting some slap back echos which will reinforce some frequencies at the expense of others. A few pieces of 2'X4'X3" Roxul (mineral wool) insulation set in the corners will absorb low frequencies and paradoxically let you really hear your set up.

Good luck!