H. EQ Effects Roundup

For more detail on EQ effects, see the EQ'ing Page.

Q Filter

Probably the best way to pre-eq an amp or distortion effect. Use as band-pass with low Q to boost the amp. Dial in the frequency you want with the mix level you want. Increase Q to make the tone sound more focused but it'll start sounding more like a wah pedal as you go higher. Gain compresses the frequencies - this can help draw out the focused frequencies at lower levels or add more saturation to a distorted tone but can kill too much dynamics if too high.

Parametric EQ

The Lows and Highs parameters control shelf filters with fixed Q and cutoff frequency. They can help even out a tone, but don't rely too much on them. Frequency goes from 60 HZ to ~ 5000 HZ, with ~900 HZ at 50%. Low Q = wide boost/cuts, high Q = narrow. This effect is very useful for narrow cuts, to remove a fizz or harsh spot. It also works well for pre-EQ'ing, as you can dial in a nice mid-range hump in the exact sweet spot to get the distortion tone you want. It's also useful if you need to adjust a nice chunk of frequencies that fit between any two of the amp EQ controls. I find I often boost the punch or warmth that lies between the bass and mids knobs.

Mid-Focus EQ

This is useful to trim or roll-off the high and low ends of the tone. This is useful for both pre-EQ'ing and post-EQ'ing. I find it's necessary when using the SM57 on axis mic, especially with the Hiway 4x12, to get rid of the crackly high-end. The Gain parameter is a final output level, and has no control over how much filtering the EQ actually does. 50% Q is a quick drop off. Moving the Q higher will make the drop-off steeper, but also ends up boosting at the cut-off frequency (which may produce the opposite effect that you intended). 0% Q is a gradual roll-off. HP freq goes from 0-525 HZ; LP goes from 500-18,000 HZ - this is the only EQ that lets you really fine-tune the ultra high-end.

Studio EQ

Basically two parametric EQ's, but you cannot control Q (which is set to be quite wide) and have a limited number of center frequencies to choose from. It is most useful as a post-EQ to balance the tone when you need to get in between the amp's bass/mids/presence/treble controls. The Gain parameter boosts/cuts independent of the filtering, so I actually like this effect for a clean boost or otherwise to adjust the signal level without regard to EQ'ing.

Graphic EQ

5-band graphic EQ. Notice the highest adjustable frequency is 2200 HZ. This EQ is not suitable for fine-tuning presence or treble after the amp. It works best for pre-EQ'ing. Also, notice that even with completely neutral settings, it tends to brighten the signal a tad. It is useful where you want a W or otherwise irregularly-shaped curve - if you just want a simple hump or valley, use the Parametric EQ.

Band Shift EQ

I never use this. It's kind of awkward and covers a lot of the same ground as the amp's bass/mids/presence/treble controls. See the EQ Page for more details.

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I. Top Ten Tweaks

Pre-EQ

Whether you use a distortion or EQ effect, pre-EQ'ing is the secret to getting the amp tone you want from the stock amps. You can remove mud or grit, make the tone warmer or more djenty, or draw out other nuances from the amp models.

Mid-Focus EQ

Using this behind the amp/mixer is great to roll-off excessive high-end and to dial in the perfect low-end. This is very helpful when using the SM57 on axis mic, or other excessively bright tones. It also works great to pre-EQ an amp - you can dial in exactly how much low-end flub and high-end grit to remove. You can also use it to set the final patch volume.

Res. Level Cab DEP

This really lets you fine-tune the cab tone, reducing some resonance to get more clarity and crispness from the cab, or increasing it to change the frequency response and add smoothness.

Decay Cab DEP

At first I wasn't sure how to use this, but now I use it all the time to thicken up an otherwise-thin tone. Turn it up to add a bit more punch to your attack.

Bias X Amp DEP

I find this is the secret knob to make your amp sound more vowel-y, where the notes sound like they're blooming. Turn it up for killer leads.

Tube Drive

Whether used as the main distortion stage, or just to warm up the tone before the amp, this effect keeps the tone sounding like a natural guitar tone. I find it can really draw out the warm mids in front of a Marshall, without causing it to lose any bite.

7. Cab/Mic Selection

While I tend to gravitate towards a few select cabs and mics, there are a lot of nuances in the cab/mic models that make them each unique. Sometimes a cab or mic change puts the patch over the top, especially once dialed in using the Cab DEP's.

Parametric EQ

Whether used as pre-EQ or post-EQ, this effect is perfect to dial in exactly the boost or dip you want. You can use it for small annoying frequencies, like fizz or low-end drone, or set it real wide to completely shift the frequency response.

Dual Cabs

The secret to how I get my tones to sound full-range yet crystal clear using the onboard cab/mic modeling is to use dual cabs. I'll use the XXL for its low-end punch and warmth and a brighter cab that has a clean midrange and high-end response. I can use the SM 57 on axis mic on both, and the tone comes out thick and full, rather than thin and fizzy.

Input Settings

I'm a Input 2: Variax fanboy now. For a while I just didn't hear the difference, but after some serious A/B'ing, I almost always use Input 2: Variax now. Input 2: Guitar/Same doesn't just deliver higher signal levels - it seems to have one of the signals slightly delayed, causing comb filtering and mushier tone. Using a null input like Variax gets me crisper tone. I use a mono-summing effect in front the path split to guarantee Channel B gets a signal when I have dual amps/cabs. Any Dynamic or Distortion effect should work.

As for impedance, I like to set this manually per patch. For some patches, turning it down to 230 K can dial out some grit to my tone, where I don't have the DSP necessary to pre-EQ some highs out. Also, rather than let the first effect set the impedance, sometimes I want to override it to a higher setting. For my darker guitar, I like to use 3.5 M to compensate, not 1 M which is the default for most effects when using Auto. Also, a real Tube Screamer is 500 K impedance, not 230 K which the Pod uses. So I prefer to use 1 M and trim its treble parameter rather than use 230 K.

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J. Killing Fizz

I go into this process in more detail on the EQ'ing Page.

Sometimes a distortion tone will have some fizz to it. If this is just a lot of crackly high-end that can be fixed by rolling off the highs, I use a Mid-Focus EQ to do that. Also, consider a lot of the cabs/mics are rather noisy by nature, and you can't dial this out without losing a lot of the guitar tone. I like the SM 57 mics and the Hiway 4x12 as they seem to have the least noise.

Sometimes you still get an annoying fizzy sound stands out in the tone. You can eliminate it by using a Parametric EQ with a high Q value. Set your Looper to Pre position and record some playing that emphasizes the fizzy spot. Then use a Parametric EQ behind your amp, set the Q high (95%) and gain relatively high. Now sweep through the frequencies until the fizzy spot is overbearing, completely wrecking your tone. Set the Gain back to 50% and slowly dial it downwards. Stop when the fizzy spot is no longer standing out. If you cut to 0%, the fizzy spot will be gone, but it will also sound like someone took a knife to your tone.

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K. Mids for Metal

For more on EQ'ing, see the EQ'ing Page.

The key aspects of a metal tone are punch (200-350 HZ range), warmth (350-550), and "cold djent"(850-1400). Without these, your tone will simply sound weak or harsh when cranked up; and it won't cut through a mix. Which of these is most emphasized will define your tone; but even with one emphasized, you still want the others to be there.

I like to cut around 650 HZ (what I call "honk") to make the tone sound more metal and scooped, but if you cut too much your tone disappears, especially in a mix. Try to make the cut somewhat narrow - not too narrow or it'll sound off, and only cut a bit - don't completely kill those frequencies. I'll often complement this with a wide boost of all the midrange, with a peak around 1 kHZ.

If you want a good metalcore tone, you need plenty of punch. Old Metallica tone emphasized the hot djent area around 2 kHZ, which gets a good palm mute bite but can be a bit harsh. Warmth is the key to a really creamy lead tone.

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L. Dual Cab

For more on using dual cabs, see here.

I find none of the stock cabs give me a rock solid frequency response from the Earth-shaking lows to shattered-glass highs. So I like to set up patches that use 2 cabs. I almost always use the Hiway and XXL 4x12's. The Hiway is nice and bright and has great mids, while the XXL provides the punch and extreme low-end that thickens up the tone.

To do this I have to use dual amps, but I use the same amp on both, and the same amp DEP and drive settings. I want the amp tone to be nearly identical, but since the different cabs have different frequency responses, I do vary EQ between them. Sometimes certain frequencies will sound better on one cab than the other, so I'll emphasize them on that one and turn them down on the other. Sometimes it sounds best when they both have the same settings - experiment with each control for both amps.

You want to pan both channels to center in the mixer, and you may need to level them relative to each other. I'm going for a nice mono tone coming out the mixer, where the cabs are blended together. You can put stereo effects behind either amp or the mixer and still have stereo space to the tone.

The tricky part is depending on your cab/mic selections, you may get comb filtering, because one cab is slightly delayed compared to the other. I'd advise trying to stick to cab/mic combinations that seem to be in-phase. For instance, I like to use the Hiway with SM57 on axis and the XXL with SM57 on axis or 409 Dyn. These seem to work nicely together.

For other combinations, you may notice the tone is a bit wonky or the high-end is getting smothered. You have to try to phase correct the two cabs. You can do this by adding one or more EQ effects after one of the amps before the mixer. An EQ effect slightly delays the signal (even if it has no effect on the frequency response) and can achieve at least partial if not full phase correction. I'd advise you to follow the link above for a more detailed process on how to do this.

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Date: 2016-01-03; view: 1041