Overthinking pickup adjustments

[Martin Bergeron]

Hello! I've been tweaking the gain settings on my gear and realized that the height of the pickups plays a crucial role. I've done some research and think I've figured it out, but I'd love some expert advice.

Currently, I've set my pickup height to register a -12 dB peak on my audio interface when the input is at 0 dB (neither boosted nor attenuated). However, I play pretty hard with a pick on my Warwick bass, which has caused me to lower the pickup height to 7mm, even though the factory default is 2mm.

I'm wondering if it might be more effective to stick to the 2mm factory setting and just adjust the input volume on my audio interface instead. Also, for live performances, the DI volume is what's sent to the PA system.

So, what's the best way to set this up?

1. Should I use an SPL meter to calibrate it with my amp and cabinet?
2. Should I stick to the method I described, involving the audio interface?
3. Or should I aim for a balanced dB output across the strings, choosing a pickup height that sounds good to me while reducing the interface's input volume? Because while rising the height, i would have to reduce the channel volume at the same time to avoid peaking

Would appreciate your advice!

Is that clearer? Would you like to delve into the specifics of pickup height and gain staging for your bass?

 

[Warpeg]

Hmm....just start with the pickup height low and start raising until you like the sound of it.

 

[Martin Bergeron]

the last line in my text wasnt supose to be there

 

[micguy]

Pickup height is a tradeoff - more snarl* and level when you get closer, but there is a point where "stratitis", or the likelihood of hitting a pole piece with the string becomes a serious liability - at that point, you need to back the thing off. The bridge pickup can be closer than the neck one - the string is stiffer there, as the bridge is anchoring things nearby. In practice, it's often a good idea to run the bridge pickup closer - that helps balance levels.

*snarl here refers to the "distortion" created by having a pickup close to a moving string - if you have the string .100" from the pickup, and the string is moving .05", at one extreme the string is half the distance to the pickup that it is at rest, and at the other extreme it's 1.5 x as far away - if the string is moving sinusoidally (yes, this is not typical), the waveform you see on an oscilloscope will not be sinusoidal - it'll be squashed on one side, and peaked on the other - a close pickup generates a lot of even order harmonics, not unlike a tube amp that's starting to distort - FET's also do some of this when pushed hard.

 

[Martin Bergeron]

ok i've decided i'll start with the manufacturer 2mm specifications, and from there just lower the input a little bit from my interface to get that -12db. A balanced output the way i play at this heigth is 3mm on low and 2mm on high strings. Through DI i hear a bit more snap from the string that way.

 

[Killing Floor]

Depends how you play and what strings you play with too.

Like = Best.

 

[rwkeating]

Don't forget that you can also tilt the pickup to alter the sound (and level) between the high pitch and the low pitch strings.

 

[XLunacy]

Hello! I've been tweaking the gain settings on my gear and realized that the height of the pickups plays a crucial role. I've done some research and think I've figured it out, but I'd love some expert advice.

Currently, I've set my pickup height to register a -12 dB peak on my audio interface when the input is at 0 dB (neither boosted nor attenuated). However, I play pretty hard with a pick on my Warwick bass, which has caused me to lower the pickup height to 7mm, even though the factory default is 2mm.

I'm wondering if it might be more effective to stick to the 2mm factory setting and just adjust the input volume on my audio interface instead. Also, for live performances, the DI volume is what's sent to the PA system.

So, what's the best way to set this up?

1. Should I use an SPL meter to calibrate it with my amp and cabinet?
2. Should I stick to the method I described, involving the audio interface?
3. Or should I aim for a balanced dB output across the strings, choosing a pickup height that sounds good to me while reducing the interface's input volume? Because while rising the height, i would have to reduce the channel volume at the same time to avoid peaking

Would appreciate your advice!

Is that clearer? Would you like to delve into the specifics of pickup height and gain staging for your bass?

What I do that works for my playing style :

• isolate the first pickup
• adjust the pickup on the treble side to be as close to the strings as possible without causing issues (wobbling effects, touching the pole pieces when digging hard, etc)
• balance the bass side so that I get a similar amplitude / peak on the DAW for each strings when hit the same. For me, that always involves having the pickup slanted (closer to the strings on the treble side), and even more so the closer the pickup is to the neck, as pointed by @micguy
• do the same for the other(s) pickup(s), all while making sure the pickups balance well with each other
• adjust the interface input gain to work well with my new setup, and not the other way around

Hope that helps

 

[Martin Bergeron]

Yes it's exactly what i did:
i set the factory default for pickup
I isolated each one then for each pickup {
Then i adjusted the bass side so it is not doing microphonis noise when playing hard
I then balance the side of middle pickup on bass that is possible (P bass)
Made sure the output was equal on each side
Then on audio interface i adjust input so i get my -12 DB cap when playing hard
{

What i hate is that on bass like my dingwall, the neck pickup is so low output that it make no sense, i have to reduce the heigth of the middle and bridge pickup a lot to match it.

Thanks for your time

 

[Bruce Johnson]

I know this sounds over-simplified, but I'm a pro builder and I've been doing it for many years: I start out with the pickup set level with the fingerboard. That is, hold a straightedge down the neck, extending over the pickup, and adjust the highest point of the pickup to just touch the straightedge. That puts the pickup as high as it can go without mechanical problems of the strings hitting it. And that will usually apply regardless of how high/low the player has the action set, and how hard they pick/pluck. Because they are setting the action in relation to the fingerboard.

At that position, the pickup is basically Wide Open Throttle. That's the highest output level, widest frequency range and highest attack that you'll get out of it. And it may also have some small amount of distortion.

The question is: do you like it like that? If it's too much, then start lowering the pickup, which will reduce the overall output level, dropping the level more at the top and bottom ends, and reduce the power of the attack. The sound will be softer, gentler, narrower range. From that top point, the height adjustment is personal taste. How much do you want to back it off to fit the sound you are trying to make?

If, with the pickup up at fingerboard-even height, it still isn't enough for you.....Then you need to get another pickup. With stronger magnets, more turns, different coil geometry, whatever.

In a multi-pickup bass, start out with them all at fingerboard height. Compare the output levels of them, when you are playing. Then lower the loudest ones to be even with the quietest one. Unless you want to leave one of them louder. Personal taste.

 

[Martin Bergeron]

I know this sounds over-simplified, but I'm a pro builder and I've been doing it for many years: I start out with the pickup set level with the fingerboard. That is, hold a straightedge down the neck, extending over the pickup, and adjust the highest point of the pickup to just touch the straightedge. That puts the pickup as high as it can go without mechanical problems of the strings hitting it. And that will usually apply regardless of how high/low the player has the action set, and how hard they pick/pluck. Because they are setting the action in relation to the fingerboard.

At that position, the pickup is basically Wide Open Throttle. That's the highest output level, widest frequency range and highest attack that you'll get out of it. And it may also have some small amount of distortion.

The question is: do you like it like that? If it's too much, then start lowering the pickup, which will reduce the overall output level, dropping the level more at the top and bottom ends, and reduce the power of the attack. The sound will be softer, gentler, narrower range. From that top point, the height adjustment is personal taste. How much do you want to back it off to fit the sound you are trying to make?

If, with the pickup up at fingerboard-even height, it still isn't enough for you.....Then you need to get another pickup. With stronger magnets, more turns, different coil geometry, whatever.

In a multi-pickup bass, start out with them all at fingerboard height. Compare the output levels of them, when you are playing. Then lower the loudest ones to be even with the quietest one. Unless you want to leave one of them louder. Personal taste.

Love your explanation!

 

[JRA]

some axes require different methods and tweaks, but: i generally start with the pickups as high as i can get them (which also generally produces distortions and wobbles and the like), and then i lower them until i'm satisfied that the problems have been schmiced/eliminated. most of my height adjustments include the slanting business to even out the string-to-string balance. nothing tricky, pretty ordinary.