• 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.

Q for SWR Workingmans 15 users - settings?

T

Thombas

Guest
Apr 28, 2009
376
37
#1
Hi,
I rehearsed yesterday with a with a band where the amp supplied was a SWR Workingmans 15 - and had trouble finding a tone that worked for me. No matter what I did, I couldn't smoothen the tone out. I ended up turning the "Aural enhancer" all the way down, and the same with "Transparency". Took out a little kids at 800hz too. But no matter what I did, I couldn't get rid of the "gankyness". I sounded harsh all evening - well, my bass did - I do too I've been told, but that's incurable. Since I'll probably be using it again, and out plain curiosity - what do you guys who own these do in order to get a more smooth sound out of this otherwise fine amp? As I have no idea what the enhancer and transiency knobs REALLY do, I might be doing things all wrong. I play a bass with Bart soapbars and pre, which is in no way harsh or hanky by nature.
THANKS!
Thomas
 
#2
I used to have that amp but with different speakers.

The SWR pre as a built in notch sucked out in the lowmids, and a large boost in the uppermids (that might be your gank). I'd start by pushing the 250hz control up quite a bit to help un-do that, then maybe back the low bass off a notch if you need to clear up any mud.

The transparency I believe is like a high treble knob, up in tweeter territory.

The Aural Enhancer adds more gain, makes it louder in the first half of the dial, but once you get to noon and higher, starts sucking out more mids.

Some graphs and other explanation of the controls here.

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/swr-aural-enhancer-bypass.643201/
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thombas
#3
I haven't used the combo version but that speaker will be throwing it's own voice on top of all that, so, eq settings could end up looking pretty wacky if you're trying to undo its baked-in voice. Adjust with ears, not eyes, and don't worry if some controls look to be set to an extreme.
 
#4
will33 said:
I haven't used the combo version but that speaker will be throwing it's own voice on top of all that, so, eq settings could end up looking pretty wacky if you're trying to undo its baked-in voice. Adjust with ears, not eyes, and don't worry if some controls look to be set to an extreme.
Click to expand...
THANKS Will, that's very helpful. I'll give it a try next time I'll be using it. Your description of the baked-in voicing and function of the enhancer/transparency makes good sense to what I experienced yesterday - but couldn't get fixed. Thanks!
 
#5
will33 said:
I used to have that amp but with different speakers.

The SWR pre as a built in notch sucked out in the lowmids, and a large boost in the uppermids (that might be your gank). I'd start by pushing the 250hz control up quite a bit to help un-do that, then maybe back the low bass off a notch if you need to clear up any mud.

The transparency I believe is like a high treble knob, up in tweeter territory.

The Aural Enhancer adds more gain, makes it louder in the first half of the dial, but once you get to noon and higher, starts sucking out more mids.

Some graphs and other explanation of the controls here.

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/swr-aural-enhancer-bypass.643201/
Click to expand...
...and thanks for linked to that other thread - explains quite a bit of the "problem".
 
#6
Thombas said:
...and thanks for linked to that other thread - explains quite a bit of the "problem".
Click to expand...


Doing that mod to those amps takes out that voicing and makes them pretty flat in reponse.

When I did it to mine, it sounded much stronger as you got the "beef" back in your tone. To my ear, it kinda behaved more like an Eden amp.

You're working from the stock factory curves...before the mod.

Again, I don't know how the speaker voicing works into all that. Most combo boxes are small, so have the very low bass choked off and replaced with more output in the "boom" range, somewhere around 120hz.
 
#7
will33 said:
Doing that mod to those amps takes out that voicing and makes them pretty flat in reponse.

When I did it to mine, it sounded much stronger as you got the "beef" back in your tone. To my ear, it kinda behaved more like an Eden amp.

You're working from the stock factory curves...before the mod.

Again, I don't know how the speaker voicing works into all that. Most combo boxes are small, so have the very low bass choked off and replaced with more output in the "boom" range, somewhere around 120hz.
Click to expand...
I'll probably start off next time by dialing in around 250hz, leaving the enhancer somewhere before noon, turning the transparency off, and taking it from there. I also have some twiddling-options on my bass' preamp, which I might use to dial out some high mids.
 
#8
Thombas said:
I'll probably start off next time by dialing in around 250hz, leaving the enhancer somewhere before noon, turning the transparency off, and taking it from there. I also have some twiddling-options on my bass' preamp, which I might use to dial out some high mids.
Click to expand...


As good a place to start as any.

You may just not like the amp, which is fine. Ought to be able to get some sort of workable sound out of it though if you kmow where your starting from. At least if it's capable of being loud enough for what you need to do.

It'll never sound "aggresive" or anything like that, just different flavors of clean, though maybe a bit of a "muffled" tone compared to the higher end SWR's, or a Genz, or other varieties of "clean amps"....to me anyway.
 
#9
will33 said:
As good a place to start as any.

You may just not like the amp, which is fine. Ought to be able to get some sort of workable sound out of it though if you kmow where your starting from. At least if it's capable of being loud enough for what you need to do.

It'll never sound "aggresive" or anything like that, just different flavors of clean, though maybe a bit of a "muffled" tone compared to the higher end SWR's, or a Genz, or other varieties of "clean amps"....to me anyway.
Click to expand...
It was actually surprisingly loud. I'm not looking for an aggressive sound with that band, "clean" is fine. Viewing that eq curve has given me something to work with next time.
 
#11
For example, we haven't even touched on the bass being used, musical style, volume needed, or worse yet speaker positioning that might be causing a tone-suck no matter what amp you're using.

Would be nice to take all this into account, as well as the other musicians mix-slotting abilities, or lack thereof, and knock it out of the park next time.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back