• 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.

Thunderbird Club

#177,862
D.M.N. said:
I mean it looks like all your definition is being sucked out of the equation to me. Hard to tell without the frequencies listed on the graph, but if that's a big cut in your upper mids, say goodbye to your definition and cut through. We were recently EQ'ing our next single, and the bass wasn't doing it for me in the mix. Isolated I liked it, and I know I liked the tone when we recorded, so I started playing with the eq. Rolled off some of the lows, and boosted in the mids (lows and high mids) and there it was, cutting through the mix without being overpowering, and not being an indistinct bass woof interfering with the kick. It certainly sounded bigger, and like there was more lows, when in reality there were less, and part of that is perception and how it's fitting like a jigsaw puzzle with the other parts of the mix. That would be my guess as to what's happening here. While the lows are retained, the definition of the notes, which may be occurring higher, is being cut out, making it hard to perceive the lows, and making it seem like there is less bass. It could also be that some of the lows of the bass (and the sub-bass) is being subsumed by the kick.
Click to expand...
Thanks! It's weird, what I hear through the FOH is really thin but the EQ looks like it would be mostly lows and big sounding. What comes out of my amp is big and punchy sounding. I was thinking from what I was hearing with the thin sound that he was adding maybe some top end that filled in someplace. But it's confusing because what I'm hearing doesn't match what I'm seeing and what you're confirming.

Another odd thing is is that we have a sub, but I no longer hear anything coming from it. I know they can definitely muddy the sound up, but they also conserve an important function. Ultimately I think I'm going to have to figure out a way to go out to the front of house to hear what's actually going on. It may be fantastic or it may be his idea of what sounds good is his personal preference.

Lows are important: there was a study that was done a few years ago that showed that the low frequencies and the "big" sound associated with them is what people experience/perceive as more transcendent that other frequencies. I think I'm wording this correctly. I'll have to see if I can find that study again.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miles_ONeal, GBassNorth, MCF and 1 other person
#177,865
dagrev said:
Thanks! It's weird, what I hear through the FOH is really thin but the EQ looks like it would be mostly lows and big sounding. What comes out of my amp is big and punchy sounding. I was thinking from what I was hearing with the thin sound that he was adding maybe some top end that filled in someplace. But it's confusing because what I'm hearing doesn't match what I'm seeing and what you're confirming.

Another odd thing is is that we have a sub, but I no longer hear anything coming from it. I know they can definitely muddy the sound up, but they also conserve an important function. Ultimately I think I'm going to have to figure out a way to go out to the front of house to hear what's actually going on. It may be fantastic or it may be his idea of what sounds good is his personal preference.

Lows are important: there was a study that was done a few years ago that showed that the low frequencies and the "big" sound associated with them is what people experience/perceive as more transcendent that other frequencies. I think I'm wording this correctly. I'll have to see if I can find that study again.
Click to expand...
Sounds like you need a wireless system!
 
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, GBassNorth, PillO and 1 other person
#177,869
dagrev said:
Thanks! It's weird, what I hear through the FOH is really thin but the EQ looks like it would be mostly lows and big sounding. What comes out of my amp is big and punchy sounding. I was thinking from what I was hearing with the thin sound that he was adding maybe some top end that filled in someplace. But it's confusing because what I'm hearing doesn't match what I'm seeing and what you're confirming.

Another odd thing is is that we have a sub, but I no longer hear anything coming from it. I know they can definitely muddy the sound up, but they also conserve an important function. Ultimately I think I'm going to have to figure out a way to go out to the front of house to hear what's actually going on. It may be fantastic or it may be his idea of what sounds good is his personal preference.

Lows are important: there was a study that was done a few years ago that showed that the low frequencies and the "big" sound associated with them is what people experience/perceive as more transcendent that other frequencies. I think I'm wording this correctly. I'll have to see if I can find that study again.
Click to expand...

I had the same problem at a gig, turned out that My amp was dpoing some phase cancellation with the subs that removed all the lows. I turned off the amp, just using the DI and then the sound was just fine in the room.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nocturnal, Miles_ONeal, MCF and 3 others
#177,871
Rocker47 said:
Great explanation! Other than having my mistakes heard(haha), it's the same reasons you state as to why I went back to my trusty 800RB and, thankfully, found my all time favorite cabinet again, the Traynor TC412. Without a single pedal plugged in they just sound like a bass is supposed to sound. Nice and full and sorta "in your face". Nothing beats a solidly built cabinet paired with a good amp head, in my opinion. Obviously, there are as many opinions as there are players, but for me that's what sounds best. That and the all important Thunderbird to be the bass playing into said set up.
Click to expand...
Others call the sound that comes out of a 360 stack "muddy" and "indistinct" and some other things. There's a way to EQ those with the variamp and the simple bass and treble controls that cleans everything up without eliminating the huge size of the sound. I almost always have the bright switch on as well. The one that was on Reverb or eBay that had a treble horn array built into the cabinet intrigued me for exactly this reason. The Grexa reissue has a treble horn in it, and it makes it the perfect amp so far as I'm concerned.

For what its worth, I played the 2001 through the same 126 combo last night but tweaked the EQ on the amp just a little. Adding just a hint of scoop to the sound solved the problems I was having with the sound. Black Beauties can stay on that bass after all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miles_ONeal, MCF, GBassNorth and 5 others
#177,872
Nocturnal said:
My cousins boyfriend is a pro bassist. He plays and subs at a few churchs and gets paid for any work he does. These are all large churchs and seem to be able to pay for the pro's to play. He is not a member at any of the churchs he works at. Like many musicians he took a real financial hit during Covid.
Click to expand...
My son is in that position. He says he's pretty solidly booked through the end of the year now that things are opening back up again. All the weddings and other events that didn't happen are going to happen now, so he's going to be OK for a while.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nocturnal, Miles_ONeal, MCF and 5 others
#177,874
Jebberz said:
I had the same problem at a gig, turned out that My amp was dpoing some phase cancellation with the subs that removed all the lows. I turned off the amp, just using the DI and then the sound was just fine in the room.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Something to look into. Possibly my DI is doing something odd. I don't use the one on the head, but a Sansamp VT Dx.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, PillO and GBassNorth
#177,875
Gaolee said:
My son is in that position. He says he's pretty solidly booked through the end of the year now that things are opening back up again. All the weddings and other events that didn't happen are going to happen now, so he's going to be OK for a while.
Click to expand...
Happy for him-and the rest of you that are picking up gigs. In FL, the season ends Memorial Day. We ain't got spitsp?
for the rest of the year 'til maybe late October and the few places booking cut the hell outta their budgets.:banghead:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Nocturnal, MCF, PillO and 1 other person
#177,876
7enderbird phun!

What I did with my old Epi CAR Bird.

FdpIex6.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rocker47, Nocturnal, Miles_ONeal and 9 others
#177,879
dagrev said:
Here's a pic of how my bass channel is EQed. Looks like some of highs are taken off, but it sound like the lows are removed. Sounds really thin through FOH. Anyone translate what they see here into what's going on? Given the sound I hear vs what I see here I don't think I understand what I'm seeing.
View attachment 4295049
Click to expand...
Quite frankly, IMO, it appears your sound person doesn't know what he's doing. The High mid is set at about 2K and is cut by -15db. The high is a shelving EQ that is also set around 2K, and is cut by-13.5 db. I cant tell if the high pass filter is active, but it's set at 20HZ, which is doing nothing. Unless you have a lot of volume coming from your stage rig and he's augmenting that with some "creative" equalization, i cannot see this sound ing good at all.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MCF, PillO, GBassNorth and 2 others
#177,880
Bassmike62 said:
Good stuff, maybe one day I'll join.
In the meantime, if this forum sets up a virtual GT, I'm in :)
Click to expand...

Northwest of Montreal would be a little bit of a drive - I daresay!
I'm just trying to kick Will (Gaolee) into motion, I may need a date :laugh:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Miles_ONeal, MCF, PillO and 4 others

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back