I hate mids on bass, vocals and all other things in life. But flat or slight cut is good enough in most cases.
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.
When I first started playing bass, I would roll mids down and bring lows and highs up...like a smile on a graphic EQ. Obviously, this sounds nice in a bedroom, but in a mix, it is mud. As I matured as a player I realized mids, and especially low mids, make the bass cut in the mix, so I dial them up a bit. I am playing through a Phil Jones BG400 right now and love it. How it lends to "my" sound? By cutting through the mix...just enough edge that it gets to the audience's (and other players' ears), but not so much that it is grating or over the top.
All my amp eqs are typically flat. I tweak if necessary. But usually I prefer a parametric eq so I can target a specific frequency. Any eq-ing beyond that is done on my bass. I figure, if you buy good instruments, you won’t want to eq.
Mids are the key to a good tone. But I find a cut in the 250hz range helps with mud and a cut in the 800hz range can help if you have honkiness. A full mid scoop with bass and treble boosted screams amateur, unless you are slapping.
I added a passive mid bump to all of my P basses, but I also mostly played in a three piece so filling out the extra mids lacking from a second guitar paid off.
1) mids: slight cut around 450hz & a touch of boost @ around 1.2khz
2) gear: a pair of usa millennium 5ers > mesa D800+ > Genz 3X12 vertical stack (damnation audio MBD2 is my secret sauce)
3) sound: imo a modernish rock/hard rock sound depending on how hot I dial up the gain on the amp.
I turn up my overall volume and dump the mids. Some people have there sound based on the mids… I base mine on the lows and highs.
I do something similar to the OP. On my amps, I boost both high and low mids - but high slightly more than lows. My high mids are usually around 2:00, with my low mids around 1:00. Bass and treble are at 12:00 (which isn't technically flat for my amps, but isn't a huge boost, and certainly lower than the mids...) This gives me a bit of "thump" and low end articulation without mud, as well as some snappy high end articulation and definition. Works for me. For reference, I play metal - mostly old school, and NOT "djent-y" stuff.
Many years ago when I bought my first semi-decent amp, (Peavey Combo 300, about 90 lbs on a single top handle!), it had suggested EQ settings on the back of the owner’s manual for Rock, Funk, & Country.
Since I didn’t know a lot about EQ or “the tone” I should have at that time in my playing career, set my EQ close to the suggested settings in the manual for Rock, which is 99% of what we played. It showed 250 Hz cut by about 6db, but it shows it boosted big time for Funk & Country.
Whether that picture influenced me for life or whether my ears got accustomed to hearing less 250 Hz, I still cut 250 Hz or the closest thing to it in almost all situations on almost any type of gear (PA, bass amp, PA vocal channel). If I just have “low” & “low mid”, as I do on a couple bass amps, I’ll cut the low mid slightly.
If I have a fully parametric EQ or a graphic EQ with a 250 Hz slider, it gets cut.
Since I didn’t know a lot about EQ or “the tone” I should have at that time in my playing career, set my EQ close to the suggested settings in the manual for Rock, which is 99% of what we played. It showed 250 Hz cut by about 6db, but it shows it boosted big time for Funk & Country.
Whether that picture influenced me for life or whether my ears got accustomed to hearing less 250 Hz, I still cut 250 Hz or the closest thing to it in almost all situations on almost any type of gear (PA, bass amp, PA vocal channel). If I just have “low” & “low mid”, as I do on a couple bass amps, I’ll cut the low mid slightly.
If I have a fully parametric EQ or a graphic EQ with a 250 Hz slider, it gets cut.
Last edited:
I use an Orange Terror Bass. That already kind of implies full mids, and I leave the mids at 10 (theoretically flat). I keep the treble down and add a little drive courtesy of the gain knob.
When I’ve used graphic EQ’s, I’ve tended to cut around 100 or 120, and use the upside-down smiley face after that.
I don’t have to turn up terribly loud to be heard. Disclosure: this is much more Motown than metal.
When I’ve used graphic EQ’s, I’ve tended to cut around 100 or 120, and use the upside-down smiley face after that.
I don’t have to turn up terribly loud to be heard. Disclosure: this is much more Motown than metal.
Depends on the music but go to is a frowny eq, sometimes with a few teeth poking up. Sounds angry.
A comprehensive answer to this question would cover a lot of ground.
That being said, guitar cabs usually have a dip between 1kHz-2kHz, so that's a good place to start boosting if you're lost in a guitar-heavy mix.
That being said, guitar cabs usually have a dip between 1kHz-2kHz, so that's a good place to start boosting if you're lost in a guitar-heavy mix.
Yeah, good point. I also think if you're playing with "overdriven power chords" on guitar, that 150-250 hz range (which is not as low as a lot of people think) is where those chords live. With a low mid bump against that it sounds like oil and water to me...the bass is very present, but separate...which can sound good, but I tend to like to envelope the guitar sound a little more.
1.) I still tend boost the low mids
2.) Genz Benz Streamliner 900 - which has a specific setting for boosting low mids that sounds awesome
3.) I started boosting 250-500 in a 9 piece Salsa ensemble and it really helped add that low tumabo thrum
to me, when people want "more bass" it's really the knobs that are labeled as "low mids" that deliver what they want
low mids are where "phat bass" is IMHO, while teh "bass" rtanges (sub 100 hz) tend to be boomy mud and are better reduced than boosted
But, style/genre has much to do with what sounds good. Country bass is not Metal bass.
Depends on the band (drummer and guitar player) depends on the bass, depends on the strings and depends on the room.
I boost low mids (250hz) a little and high mids (1.5K) a little depending on bass and venue. Cut the mids a little bit at 500hz. Then adjust lows and highs to taste depending on style of music. This has worked well for me for years.
