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Which HPF to tame low-mid boom?

Which HPF to tame low-mid boom?

  • Broughton

    Votes: 33 100.0%

  • Small-Fi

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    33
mini-milli

mini-milli

Aug 6, 2020
236
475
#1
I just got a Trace Elliot ELF head and 2x8 cab, and there's a really annoying boomyness in the low-mids.

I can tame it by turning down the bass and turning up the mids, but I'd like to have a flatter EQ, so I think I need an HPF.

I've got two options I'm looking at right now:

Broughton
https://www.broughtonaudio.com/product-page/high-pass-filter

Small-Fi
SMALL FI 4 BASS CUT LO FIDELITY PASSIVE EQ HIGH PASS FILTER LOW METAL ENCLOSURE | eBay

The Small-Fi is way cheaper, so if there's not a big difference I'll go for that one.
What's going to be the difference between the two and which would you reccommend?
 
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#4
mini-milli said:
I just got a Trace Elliot ELF head and 2x8 cab, and there's a really annoying boomyness in the low-mids.

I can tame it by turning down the bass and turning up the mids, but I'd like to have a flatter EQ, so I think I need an HPF.

I've got two options I'm looking at right now:

Broughton
https://www.broughtonaudio.com/product-page/high-pass-filter

Small-Fi
SMALL FI 4 BASS CUT LO FIDELITY PASSIVE EQ HIGH PASS FILTER LOW METAL ENCLOSURE | eBay

The Small-Fi is way cheaper, so if there's not a big difference I'll go for that one.
What's going to be the difference between the two and which would you reccommend?
Click to expand...

A High pass filter isn't going to stop your low-mids boom. It's just going to lower your sub bass rumble, which is far far lower. What you probably need a 10 band EQ that happens to also have a HPF. You can us it to dial out your sub bass rumble (this saving your speaker wear) and using the 10 band to dial in a flatter curve.
Something like a Source Audio EQ2 would be perfect. Sure, it's not a cheap option but it'll be the last EQ that you'll buy. You can also plug in an expression pedal and turn it into a volume swell, Low pass Filter (xerograph / moog) or Wah. You could even map a sweep able mid dip and control it with your foot pedal....
 
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#5
Between the two, the Broughton is a lot more durable, and if you got the Small-Fi in the footswitch enclosure, suddenly the price difference is smaller.

Sound-wise, I can't say for sure what the difference is, but I personally enjoy having a high-quality buffer always present, not to mention reference numbers for quick knob setting. That made me lean toward the Broughton footswitch HPF over the actual always-on one, esp as I use different basses and adjust the HPF position frequently.

Edit: I do wonder if the boom issue is related to acoustics in the room where you're set up. There could be a lot of value in finding if there's a certain band that needs to be cut... though either way, having HPF in the chain is always useful IMHO
 
Last edited:
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#6
Real Soon said:
Between the two, the Broughton is a lot more durable, and if you got the Small-Fi in the footswitch enclosure, suddenly the price difference is smaller.

Sound-wise, I can't say for sure what the difference is, but I personally enjoy having a high-quality buffer always present, not to mention reference numbers for quick knob setting. That made me lean toward the Broughton footswitch HPF over the actual always-on one, esp as I use different basses and adjust the HPF position frequently.

Edit: I do wonder if the boom issue is related to acoustics in the room where you're set up. There could be a lot of value in finding if there's a certain band that needs to be cut... though either way, having HPF in the chain is always useful IMHO
Click to expand...


It might have something to do with the room, I'll try it in another one to see if that's the issue.

I also may have not described the problem correctly, it's more like a really loud peak somewhere in the low-mids, that gets a lot louder when I play certain notes.

I think an EQ and an HPF might be the right way to go.
 
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#8
@mini-milli Sounds like a standing wave! They can generate from the amp being in certain places in a given room, and some rooms just naturally bounce certain frequencies around a lot.

Maybe try putting the cab in a different place in the same room while also testing different ones. If the cab's a different config from the prior one, that can definitely play a role, so there's a number of variables at work.
 
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#9
GMC said:
A High pass filter isn't going to stop your low-mids boom. It's just going to lower your sub bass rumble, which is far far lower.
Click to expand...

Well said - a high pass filter doesn't solve problems above its cutoff frequency. Most "mud" is in the low mids - you want an eq that can dip there if that's where your problem is spectrally.

High pass filters are useful devices, for certain problems. For other problems they're not the right tool. I don't have an issue with folks recommending a high pass filter when it's appropriate, but when it isn't, it's like recommending an appendectomy when you have a cold.
 
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#10
+1 to GMC I to think an eq would better serve your needs, HPF will clean things up but will do so by removing all your bottom end frequencies, boominess usually does not come from the very low frequencies but rather in the 120 to 200hz depending on the cabinet, placement and the room you are in.
Hope this helps
 
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#13
low MID boom? that normally isn't a HPF fix, right? more of an eq fix? once you take out the low mids, you've lost a ton of your tone. HPF will take out the very low rumbly junk just great, but imho low mids are in the hundreds of Hz, so something you'd take out with a parametric notch filter, or a low mid control on an amp or on your active bass.

Maybe? I'm just thinking out loud about how I would deal with it, rather than with a hpf.
 
#14
dkelley said:
low MID boom? that normally isn't a HPF fix, right? more of an eq fix? once you take out the low mids, you've lost a ton of your tone. HPF will take out the very low rumbly junk just great, but imho low mids are in the hundreds of Hz, so something you'd take out with a parametric notch filter, or a low mid control on an amp or on your active bass.

Maybe? I'm just thinking out loud about how I would deal with it, rather than with a hpf.
Click to expand...
Never mind.... I see you guys already came to the same conclusion. Glad that an eq pedal did it for ya!
 
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#16
mini-milli said:
I just got a Trace Elliot ELF head and 2x8 cab, and there's a really annoying boomyness in the low-mids.

I can tame it by turning down the bass and turning up the mids, but I'd like to have a flatter EQ, so I think I need an HPF.

I've got two options I'm looking at right now:

Broughton
https://www.broughtonaudio.com/product-page/high-pass-filter

Small-Fi
SMALL FI 4 BASS CUT LO FIDELITY PASSIVE EQ HIGH PASS FILTER LOW METAL ENCLOSURE | eBay
The Small-Fi is way cheaper, so if there's not a big difference I'll go for that one.
What's going to be the difference between the two and which would you reccommend?
Click to expand...
Bass frequencies boom when you boost them too much. Low-mids don't boom. Low-mids (~200Hz to 550Hz) will honk at you if you boost them too much, so dial them back a bit if you get a honking sound.

With my passive Jazz bass and Eden amps I always dial in a little boost at ~250Hz. That gives my bass the presence and definition it needs in the mix. With my WTDI I dial it in at 500Hz because it won't address 250Hz and 500Hz works nicely too. Too much bass is what booms and that's where the HPF comes in.

Remember that a high pass filter (HPF) blocks all the frequencies below where you set it. Usually they have a dial and the trick is to slowly turn it up until it stops booming. That may be 30Hz, 40Hz, 60Hz or even 80Hz. Just depends on your bass, your amp, and your cab (primarily your cab). An HPF is used to cut the low frequencies that typically the cab can't handle. I can't imagine trying to use one to cut the low mids. You would disappear in the mix if you did that. Those low mids are the sonic space the bass can occupy and be heard distinctly without blowing the rest of the group away. So if you're getting a booming sound, odds are it's you low bass frequencies.
 
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#20
mini-milli said:
I just got a Trace Elliot ELF head and 2x8 cab, and there's a really annoying boomyness in the low-mids.

I can tame it by turning down the bass and turning up the mids, but I'd like to have a flatter EQ, so I think I need an HPF.

I've got two options I'm looking at right now:

Broughton
https://www.broughtonaudio.com/product-page/high-pass-filter

Small-Fi
SMALL FI 4 BASS CUT LO FIDELITY PASSIVE EQ HIGH PASS FILTER LOW METAL ENCLOSURE | eBay

The Small-Fi is way cheaper, so if there's not a big difference I'll go for that one.
What's going to be the difference between the two and which would you reccommend?
Click to expand...
either a pre amp or an EWS mid control you can find the Mid control used for about $100
 
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