stratjacket
Well-known member
Love mine too. Actually love 2 of them; one before the amp (in a frown) and one in the loop (in an evil smile) == pure heaven.
M
metal_master
Member
Boosting frequencies with an eq can sound artificial. Cutting doesnt seem to have that effect IMEDevin":3nfbi4uh said:I've tried it several times over the years and always felt it made my amps sound "artificial" for lack of a better word.
I know lots of other people get great results so I'm probably just doing it wrong
Mailman1971
Moderator
Nothing artificial sounding in my setup.
It just sounds more like the CD does.
Super clear and tight.
It just sounds more like the CD does.
Super clear and tight.
maddnotez
Banned
Well-known member
Definitely agree but I have actually had situations where my amp sounded better without it.
Just another one of those things. Try all your tools to see which combo will best suit your current setup.
Just another one of those things. Try all your tools to see which combo will best suit your current setup.
C
ClintN667
Well-known member
I always recommend to put one in the loop before modding an amp. A tech that used to work locally actually convinced me when I was asking about modding my 6505+ at the time. He basically said "I can do it but try an eq first". I bought a 10 band MXR put it in the loop and it was like a completely different amp. It was like switching to a HD tv from an old black and white. That was a cool thing for the guy to do as he could have charged me tons to do a bunch of mods that wouldnt have been as easy or as good as what the eq got me.
D-Rock
Well-known member
I agree it's like putting your tone in a girdle and shaving all it's body hair.Mailman1971":jzlp90f7 said:Nothing artificial sounding in my setup.
It just sounds more like the CD does.
Super clear and tight.
Although I'm not going to say I go for an all out super warm tube tone for my metal guitar sound.
More of a cross between a tight modern SYL Relentless (Mesa) type tone mixed with a saturated old VH sound with just enough warmth and sag (Marshall)
A EQ pedal up front helps me nail that sound.
Devin
Well-known member
D-Rock":1g7ucqqr said:
That self-titled album is sooo underrated
M
metal_master
Member
Mid heavy amps like the Peavey 5150 take equalizers very well. There is so much wide open tone there to shape to perfection. You can easily get a clear SYL tone by scooping out and tailoring the mids. The peavey can be made to sound close to a dual rectifier.
X
xiwiwix
Member
I've been using MXR EQ's in the loop since my first Powerball, which is why I never had problems cutting with it. hehehe
All y'all 10 band users need to try the 6 band. That 100hz, 800hz, and 1.6kz sliders are the magical gold you find at the end of the rainbow! That 100hz slider is perfect for mini heads.
For a while, I was using a Mooer Radar in the loop for the ParaEQ it has. If y'all wanna try some crazy shit, try that.
All y'all 10 band users need to try the 6 band. That 100hz, 800hz, and 1.6kz sliders are the magical gold you find at the end of the rainbow! That 100hz slider is perfect for mini heads.
For a while, I was using a Mooer Radar in the loop for the ParaEQ it has. If y'all wanna try some crazy shit, try that.
lll
Banned
Well-known member
For an even cooler trick, try putting an EQ (10 band or more) after the entire amp.
e.g. "Post EQ"
e.g. "Post EQ"
petejt
Active member
All of this has to do with the fundamental frequencies and the harmonics of those frequencies produced by the guitar. Distortion generates more complex harmonic frequencies, such as the "even order harmonics" and the "mix of even order and odd order harmonics". Otherwise a clean sound is mostly just the fundamental frequency of the note and maybe one or two orders of harmonics above it. The 'cleaner' a sound, the more you hear of that fundamental frequency, hence is more "defined", i.e. "definition".
If you just hear the higher order harmonics, without the fundamental, then it can become mush and fizz.
Running an EQ before an amp will affect which ranges of frequencies get distorted, i.e. which harmonics you hear. For instance if you boost 800Hz in front of the amp, then you'll hear the range around 1200Hz distorting.
Running an EQ in the effects loop of an amp, or after the amp via a Slave Out or Line Out then into a separate power amp and speakers, acts like a volume control for different frequency ranges. So if you boost 800Hz, you'll hear more around 800Hz in the mix, which can dominate the sound. If you scoop 800Hz, you'll hear less of that frequency in the mix, and so you'll hear more of the other higher register harmonics distorting. That's why guitar textures can sound sharper when you do the midrange scooping. If you just scoop mids from your guitar sound, then you scoop most of what the guitar is producing, the 'body' of the notes, and only hear some of the harmonics on the top end. It can sound good on its own, but in a band and especially live, those harmonics get absorbed by the shirts and dresses of the people in the crowd, so you hear almost nothing. That's why mids are needed to "cut through".
Some of the techniques described here boost a wide midrange frequency band into the amp so it sounds really 'full', but then notch particular frequencies to get that sharper, edgy sound. You can do similar things with mic'ing up speaker cabs, how moving the microphones apart capture different reflections that either add or cancel out certain frequencies.
If you just hear the higher order harmonics, without the fundamental, then it can become mush and fizz.
Running an EQ before an amp will affect which ranges of frequencies get distorted, i.e. which harmonics you hear. For instance if you boost 800Hz in front of the amp, then you'll hear the range around 1200Hz distorting.
Running an EQ in the effects loop of an amp, or after the amp via a Slave Out or Line Out then into a separate power amp and speakers, acts like a volume control for different frequency ranges. So if you boost 800Hz, you'll hear more around 800Hz in the mix, which can dominate the sound. If you scoop 800Hz, you'll hear less of that frequency in the mix, and so you'll hear more of the other higher register harmonics distorting. That's why guitar textures can sound sharper when you do the midrange scooping. If you just scoop mids from your guitar sound, then you scoop most of what the guitar is producing, the 'body' of the notes, and only hear some of the harmonics on the top end. It can sound good on its own, but in a band and especially live, those harmonics get absorbed by the shirts and dresses of the people in the crowd, so you hear almost nothing. That's why mids are needed to "cut through".
Some of the techniques described here boost a wide midrange frequency band into the amp so it sounds really 'full', but then notch particular frequencies to get that sharper, edgy sound. You can do similar things with mic'ing up speaker cabs, how moving the microphones apart capture different reflections that either add or cancel out certain frequencies.
X
xiwiwix
Member
petejt":12sl3eie said:
I think through the years I've become accustomed to the MXR 6 Band 800hz and 1.6khz freqs, which is why it feels at home in the loops of my amps.
J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
I’ve been thinking about this lately. Could I get away with a 6 band vs 10 band?
kmanick
Well-known member
Mxr 10 band is in the loop of every amp I've ever owned that had a loop. I actually have eq's in the FX8 but the MXR as the last piece in the chain
and being analog not digital always seems to add a lot more "life" than the digital eq's do.
and being analog not digital always seems to add a lot more "life" than the digital eq's do.
ZEEGLER
Well-known member
I used a GE-7 for a long time with my JCM900. It did wonders for that amp, especially for playing at lower volumes. The EQ really helps to make a not-so-modern sounding amp that much more versatile. With an SD-1 out front and an EQ in the loop, it could do just about anything.
I sold the 900 a few years back, but I always keep my GE-7 around in case I feel like fine tuning a particular amp.
IMO, everyone should have an EQ pedal, a volume pedal, and a boost (like an MXR Micro Amp) on hand.
I sold the 900 a few years back, but I always keep my GE-7 around in case I feel like fine tuning a particular amp.
IMO, everyone should have an EQ pedal, a volume pedal, and a boost (like an MXR Micro Amp) on hand.
J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
Nice. How did you typically set the 10 band? Do you think you would have been just as happy with the MXR 6 band?
Thanks for chiming in. Do you find you use all 7 bands or just a few?
stratjacket
Well-known member
As you might guess, 10 will give you more control and allow for finer tuning, but 6 bands will work great as well. I use a 10 band in front and the Mesa 5 band in the loop, couldn’t imagine paying without them. Works great.
ZEEGLER
Well-known member
The 900 is typically Marshall. At low volumes, it's somewhat light in the low end, but strong high mids and a bit trebly. I can't remember exactly how I had it set, but I was definitely bringing the lows up, and the higher mids and treble down somewhat. I also liked using the level control to give the amp a little boost. Honestly, I never tried a 10 band EQ because the 7 band seemed to have enough adjustment to get where I wanted.
kmanick
Well-known member
it really depends on what I am doing and which cab I am playing through. It's amazing the effect just subtle +/-'s can make in the sound
C
ClintN667
Well-known member
I used one religiously with the 6505+ I had. Also used it awhile with the Nitro and Quick rod but ended up preferring it without. Same with the KSR Orthos.
Having said that the MXR 10 band is a must have pedal.
Having said that the MXR 10 band is a must have pedal.