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"scooped mids for slap"

#21
Gard said:
Funny, when I slap, I BOOST my mids, about 200/250K, makes it cut more!

I've always HATED that scooped mid thing, makes you just VANISH in a mix.

:spit:
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Yep - I like my mids to be present when I slap as well. I used to scoop like hell, but I got tired of, as you mentioned, the "vanishing". I stopped cutting the mids (I basically run my EQ flat on my amps and on my basses, with the treble boosted slightly when I slap) a while back and my slap tone has a nice grit with the presence of the mids. Listen to guys like Claypool and Rob Derhak - they don't scoop their mids and, if you like their slap tone, you know what mids can actually add to it.
 
#22
Planet Boulder said:
Yep - I like my mids to be present when I slap as well. I used to scoop like hell, but I got tired of, as you mentioned, the "vanishing". I stopped cutting the mids (I basically run my EQ flat on my amps and on my basses, with the treble boosted slightly when I slap) a while back and my slap tone has a nice grit with the presence of the mids. Listen to guys like Claypool and Rob Derhak - they don't scoop their mids and, if you like their slap tone, you know what mids can actually add to it.
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+1 :D
 
#23
With a J-type bass with the pickups set up right just blending the two p'ups 50/50 and thereabouts will naturally scoop some mids. But sometimes I want a bit more scoop yet (and sometimes I don't); I usually pull out a few more dB centered around 1.25 K to 1.6 K, with medium to high Q. Or I use the V-Bass's MusicMan COSM model with some MM-preamp trbel and bass boost. Just depends on the tone I want.
 
#25
This seems to be a lot of work for one or two songs, I mean how do you find the time to do all these changes between songs. The bands I've played with our sets didn't have any or many breaks in them to do all this re-ajusting. I can understand it in the studio, but not on stage, do you put tape where you need to set thing, and please don't anyone say they just know where to set things, because no two rooms are alike so you have to work with it a little.
 
#26
woody357 said:
This seems to be a lot of work for one or two songs, I mean how do you find the time to do all these changes between songs. The bands I've played with our sets didn't have any or many breaks in them to do all this re-ajusting. I can understand it in the studio, but not on stage, do you put tape where you need to set thing, and please don't anyone say they just know where to set things, because no two rooms are alike so you have to work with it a little.
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You can have an EQ pedal between your bass and amp. So you set your amp for fiunguerstyle, and cut the desired mids for slap on the pedal. So you engage the pedal for the slap passages.
 
#28
dadodetres said:
You can have an EQ pedal between your bass and amp. So you set your amp for fiunguerstyle, and cut the desired mids for slap on the pedal. So you engage the pedal for the slap passages.
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OK this I can understand, it sound as if ppl changed their settings on their amp or bass. I'm going to have to come out of the dark ages and get me one of those stomp boxes.
 
#29
woody357 said:
OK this I can understand, it sound as if ppl changed their settings on their amp or bass. I'm going to have to come out of the dark ages and get me one of those stomp boxes.
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There are many more alternatives. For example to have an onboard Pre amp on your bass, some have mid control with a set frequancy, some have a knob for selecting the frequency, and in some you can pre-set the freq in inside cavity of the bass.

So cutting the inwanted mids can be easy as a little knob twist in your bass.

I recoment the EQ pedal, i have 2 BOSS 7 band EQ, they are VERY helpfull for LOTS of situations, inclugint EQing for slap. Other use i give them is when i gig in pubs without my rig, and i dont know what amp ill be using, it can help me mod the sound...
 
#30
dadodetres said:
I recoment the EQ pedal, i have 2 BOSS 7 band EQ, they are VERY helpfull for LOTS of situations, inclugint EQing for slap. Other use i give them is when i gig in pubs without my rig, and i dont know what amp ill be using, it can help me mod the sound...
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Doese it work as a DI also?
 
#32
greenboy said:
Also look at heads or preamps with footswitchable EQ/channels.
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Thanx it looks like those years off from playing did more to my knowledge of equipement than it did to my playing, in fact the playing part is easy, but learning todays tech is kicking my a$$
 
#33
NecroticImbecil said:
I seem to run into people who think they need to cut the mids out for slap at Guitar Center a lot. Some guy will be sitting there with the amp all smiley faced EQ'd, wanking away like mad and sounding like carp. Good tone is as important as one's degree of wankability.
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Yeah I hear the same thing. The highs are boosted to the point that there's 100db of hiss coming out of the amp. The lows are an indistinct sonic mush, mids are totally MIA, and the highs a hissy marbles-down-a-flight-of-metal-stairs sound. Nasty!

I dunno, maybe they're just testing the exteme highs and lows of the cabinet in question. Probably not! :D
 
#34
woody357 said:
Thanx it looks like those years off from playing did more to my knowledge of equipement than it did to my playing, in fact the playing part is easy, but learning todays tech is kicking my a$$
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Ah, it doesn't take long, and a lot more head/preamp companies now are getting hip to two-channel/footswitchable which I think is usually superior to stomp boxes.
 
#35
syciprider said:
If you get a Musicman, then it doesn't matter where you have the onboard EQ set when you slap. It always sounds good.
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+1

I get a great slightly gritty slap sound when I leave all my eq where it is; on the amp and bass. Even so, I have my bass at 2 o'clock, low mids at 7/8 o'colck, mids at 11 o'clock and hi mids and treble at 10 o'clock, and the deep button engaged (8 db bosst at 50hz). On the bass, I have the bass all the way up and the treble all the way down if not a little up. Oh and my bass is a 1986 2 band stingray. Let there be slap.:bassist:
 
#36
I think the term "scoop" is why some of you have a vanishing problem. I will "notch" the mids at a point that feels and sounds good to me. By notching, I am referring to either having a eq with narrow bands, in my case my Aguilar DB 680 or Avalon 737sm, allows me to tighten up the midpoint at which to cut. Even when using my trusty old GK800RB, the notch mid filter setting is better than a scooped sound. Never "smiley face" for bass as you would cut too much of the needed upper and lower mids to work with. I hate it when they scoop the PA eq as well and on breaks, I'm known to go over and reset the eq on anyone's house board so that some mids are present and notch only one band. The sound guy will always complain, but later keep my mix settings. However, the closer you can get to a flat eq setting will sound most natural in most cases.
 

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