Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Metal EQ settings
- Thread starter page0103
- Start date
For the love of christ, no matter how many people tell you, don't completely scoop your mids. What sort of metal are you playing? What sort of bands do you like tonally?
- Sep 16, 2008
- 874
- 7
- Disclosures
- Master Luthier: Ironclad Bass Guitars
Mr. Foxen
Commercial User
Loads of obnoxious mids, cause you're guitarist/s will be scooping their mids, and that is where you can make yourself present, they'll not put their mids back, but they'll try and turn up, so get earplugs.
Create an ugly tone with a lot of mids. Bass tones that sound ugly on their own, generally cut through in live situations. "Pretty" and nice sounding bass tones do not cut it live for metal bands.
If your guitarists are using a good chunk of low end, make sure you don't boost anywhere below 100hz. It's just going to add to the stage rumble and will NOT help you with hearing yourself.
Don't focus on the knobs of the amp, just get your bass sounding good, your technique under control, and leave the amp controls flat (no boost or cut). Start with those steps every time you play. Rooms all sound different and the tone settings that work great in one room, will not work in another room. After the initial setup, listen to the room and adjust your bass tone a little more so you can hear yourself alright. Typically after a song or two, you will have to adjust your stage tone - it's going to sound different with the band kicked in. Along with that, don't just boost controls, try cutting problem areas to hear yourself better. I typically cut around 100hz and below - this allows me hear the midrange and string detail a lot better.
Small adjustments and adjusting your technique are the most important things to keep in mind.
If your guitarists are using a good chunk of low end, make sure you don't boost anywhere below 100hz. It's just going to add to the stage rumble and will NOT help you with hearing yourself.
Don't focus on the knobs of the amp, just get your bass sounding good, your technique under control, and leave the amp controls flat (no boost or cut). Start with those steps every time you play. Rooms all sound different and the tone settings that work great in one room, will not work in another room. After the initial setup, listen to the room and adjust your bass tone a little more so you can hear yourself alright. Typically after a song or two, you will have to adjust your stage tone - it's going to sound different with the band kicked in. Along with that, don't just boost controls, try cutting problem areas to hear yourself better. I typically cut around 100hz and below - this allows me hear the midrange and string detail a lot better.
Small adjustments and adjusting your technique are the most important things to keep in mind.
I got a Sansamp DI because our drummer mentioned that he couldn't hear me before.
After just adding a little bit of distortion (with the eq set to flat across the board), he told me I was ALL he could hear. Same situation, same practice space.... ONly change was adding a little bit of drive with the Sansamp.
At first I scooped the mids, that's proved to not cut thru for 2 practices.
After just adding a little bit of distortion (with the eq set to flat across the board), he told me I was ALL he could hear. Same situation, same practice space.... ONly change was adding a little bit of drive with the Sansamp.
At first I scooped the mids, that's proved to not cut thru for 2 practices.
Not thrash metal pal. maybe some black sabbath or something. thrash/death/etc bass often duplicates the other guitars, just deeper. its the drums that are in line with the other 3. in fact, the double bass drums mirror the alternate picking, which is 180 degrees from what rock guys would think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGVyk_TObCo
- Jun 16, 2005
- 3,584
- 31
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector, Aguilar, Darkglass
actually its depending on the type of metal...
if you have a dense mix like say... cannibal corpse.. then you want lots of mids.. as Alex Webster states..
then on the other hand... Dave Ellefson says he scoops his EQ because in thrash metal the guitars has LOTS of mids.. thus making it pointless to try and cutthru with the mids..
- Jun 16, 2005
- 3,584
- 31
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Spector, Aguilar, Darkglass
It gave it a pretty wicked boost across the board. I'm not too techy with this stuff but I have a general understanding of bits and pieces of it.
I elaborate more in a thread I created when I was asking about adding a 1X15 to the mix to be heard....
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=706257&highlight=
I didn't even have to put a lot of drive into it. I think it's turned to about 9-10 o'clock and I maybe boosted the bass just a little. It's about to be even louder because I'm using a bigger head with twice the power now.
I got the Sansamp because of this advice in that thread "Adding moderate distortion will improve presence in the midbass and midrange."
Well not JUST that advice, but from wanting some more gear that was geared a little in the "metal" direction.
low lows cut, lots of higher mids and some treble would be my call for that annihilator sound, but then again... I'm no expert...
again, never ever scoop your low mids...
These guitar players do have lots of low mids btw...
