guitar Eq preset

[willjrockstar]

Just wanted to let you guys know how i approach my eq setup and also would like some feedback and/or different ideas.

I happen to use Ren eq for no particular reason and basically what i have done is store a preset with all of the frequencies that are on the waves stomp eq pedal. I also have a preset stored that coincides with my boss eq pedal. And yet another that is akin to my GSP 21 legend guitar effects processor eq.

Waves 125, 250, 500, 1k, 3k, 4k

Boss 100, 200, 400, 800, 1.6k, 3.2k, 6.4k,

GSP 21 63, 160, 400, 1k, 2.5k, 6.3k, 16k

The first question that comes to mind is why are all of these freq. so different? Is that something that is product specific, meaning does that particular product pronounce those freq's more and they have set bands to compensate. OR does the particular maker of that product feel that "thier" choice in bands is more beneficial to the guitar sound.

I was hoping that somebody could shed some light on this subject for me, and give some ideas on how they approach guitar eq. What frequency presets do you use.

Thanks for the read.

[Danny Danzi]

Originally Posted by willjrockstar

Waves 125, 250, 500, 1k, 3k, 4k

Boss 100, 200, 400, 800, 1.6k, 3.2k, 6.4k,

GSP 21 63, 160, 400, 1k, 2.5k, 6.3k, 16k

The first question that comes to mind is why are all of these freq. so different? Is that something that is product specific, meaning does that particular product pronounce those freq's more and they have set bands to compensate. OR does the particular maker of that product feel that "thier" choice in bands is more beneficial to the guitar sound.

I was hoping that somebody could shed some light on this subject for me, and give some ideas on how they approach guitar eq. What frequency presets do you use.

Thanks for the read.

I always wondered myself, Will. The reason being, in some of those eq's, for example the GSP...we don't need 63hz in a guitar tone. PERIOD. Everything under 80 should be highpassed at all times. That's bass guitar territory there. As a matter of fact, in most of my guitar tones, I'm high passing at 150 on down or at least shelving from 150 on down. Another thing on the GSP...16k shouldn't even be there.

The Boss and the Waves have what I call good starting points for a guitar eq. Especially the Boss. Let's take a look at those freqs for a second.

100hz is your meat. Some guys like a little rumble so they may boost 80hz or 90 hz, but anywhere from 80-100 is the meat of your guitar tone.

200hz: This is the low mid of your meat as well as 400hz. These babies can cut out some low mid congestion or add a bit of what I call "girth" to your tone. 800 is the magic frequency for most guitar players. Actually, around 640hz to about 869hz to be precise is where I work these days with the over-all mid or "honkiness" so to speak in a guitar tone.

1.6k: This add a bit of what I call sparkle mid into the equation..kinda mid-range, yet with a bit of sparkle. Pulling some of this out usually makes guitar tones have a bit more substance.

3.2-6.4k: This is what is gonna give you your cut in your mix or presence if you will. Personally, I like hitting up 4-4.5k a bit more than working in the 3's as 4k just seems to be the freq that gives me a nice presence that is not too harsh or abbrasive. 5k on up for me just gives me too much of a zzzzz or buzz type tone which I'm not down with. Anything after 6k in a guitar tone is just too buzzy for me.

It's weird, your GSP is way different than the default on my GSP 2101. Mine starts at 80hz and ends up and 5k. Of course I have like a million effects I can route with that thing internally into a custom algorithym, but the stock 7 band eq is pretty accurate for most applications. I do use a parametric as well that is built into my 2101 that allows me to carve up the tone nicely. I think it should be mandatory that every guitar rig come with a parametric. This is what allows you to really carve up the tone and create your voicing. A graphic alone has too many octaves in between the freqs that get raised or lowered. You just don't have the control you have with a graphic and a parametric

For example, let's say we use that Boss eq. Say we like the bite of 3.2k but it's biting a bit too much when you boost it at +2dB and when you cut it a little, it's not enough. If you had a parametric with a Q, you could soften the amount of 3.2k at +2dB using a more narrow Q, understand? This would control how much of 3.2k we really want to hear by the Q control.

If you've ever looked at an eq and selected a freq to boost or cut. The visual you see with a low Q allows the eq to pretty much grab more than just that freq and cut or boost it. The more narrow the Q, the more it just works on that freq alone. We need that type of control in a guitar tone in my opinion as it is a very personal type of tone. The same with boosting 80hz or even 100hz. Maybe we want a smaller Q for those so we have a bit more rumble. It's just nice to have that extra control, know what I mean? With a graphic, you're stuck with just adjusting that frequency and because it has no Q control, it's automatically set at the equal to a 0.0 Q which means it will grab and adjust other freqs withing that range...not just the one you are adjusting.

Follow me? If I've lost you, look at it this way. If you adjust 100hz on a graphic and your next eq is 200, adjusting 100 is going to grab some frequencies below it as well as all those up to 200 in one swipe of that fader. That's quite a bit of tweakage for one fader. Look at the GSP. If we adjust that 6.3k, it's going to adjust under 6.3 and upto 15k in most instances. That's way too much power for a fader to have in my opinion. You adjust 16k and it's gonna adjust slightly under that and maybe upto 22k. Way too much adjusting for one freq, ya know? This is why the Q in a parametric is so important in my opinion. You can adjust things and make them as tight or as loose as you want them to be. A super tight Q is only going to adjust THAT freq you're working with as opposed to a small Q that will adjust other bands within that spectrum, with me now?

Another thing to keep in mind is most of the processors built today showcase what the unit is capable of doing effects wise. They really don't expect anyone to just use the presets they provide. They can be decent starting points, but to be honest there has never been a preset I have used that worked right out of the box. My 2101 LE has 255 presets. Some of them are really good but most of them showcase the power the unit has over the tone it can get. This is why that particular unit didn't do too well. The presets were horrible and the "create user algorithym" method is a bear to learn. It took me a good 6 weeks to figure out how to create my own patches from the ground up while having to learn how to wire it internally to make all the effects work. The good thing about it is, to me, it is one of the most powerful processors ever made if you have the time to sit with it and tweak it. Most people don't want to do that though. Good tone is in the ears of the beholder. Sometimes you get lucky with a Marshall, a tube screamer and a Les Paul.

Other times you want a more processed type sound where you need to really create something from the ground up with all the right stuff. Eq can be a strange animal. We as guitarists try for such full tones we seem to walk on top of bass guitar frequencies. If you ever listen to a tone from a guitar god you love, it doesnt have as much bass as you may think. the key to honing in on stuff like that is to learn how and what to listen for. Don't ever use external eq's on your listening devices. You want the flattest sound possible with 0 coloration. When you try to cop a tone from one of your hero's, try to cop it in a spot when your hero plays a section of his guitar alone so you can really hear how much low end he's using. Sometimes when you hear him in a mix, the bass and other instruments are pushing the extra bass...not the guitar. Learn what freqs to boost and what ones to cut in a guitar tone and always try to cut before you boost.

If you have too much treble, don't boost bass. Cut the highs...but find out where they are. Too much bass, don't push the treble freqs...lowe the bass but find out which ones are contributing to the madness. Each eq has a pronunciation. They speak to me in syllables. Learn the eq language and try to see if you can identify with all the eq's in the spectrum. Knowing what to listen for and how to handle it is the most important thing I can try to teach with this stuff. Good luck bro, hope this helps.

[willjrockstar]

Thanks Danny D for yr thoughtful explanation but one thing im still a little confused about.

You had said that with a graphic the Q is preset to 0.0

Thats a really wide Q and when i cut or boost on lets say my waves or boss eq pedal, the Q seems really tight. I always find my self thinking that the Q is too narrow on those things.

[venuestudio]

Graphic eq's are not set to 0 Q. If they were one slider would affect the whole audio range. They are preset to a specific Q. What that Q is depends on the design engineer and what he/she is trying to accomplish, the type of filter used in the design (Sallen Key, Butterworth, etc.) and the order of the filter. Generally the lower the frequency the higher the Q and therefore the tighter the bandwidth. In order to have a reasonable transition from one frequency control to the next the Q of the two adjacent filters will be set to not infringe on the next frequency. Another words the 1Khz slider will not affect the 3Khz region. That would defeat the purpose of having a 3Khz slider! That is not to say it can not be made to function that way but it would remove a bit of the control you are trying to achieve in the first place.

How the designer approaches the eq settings is as much a function of personal preference as anything else. Like Danny I prefer a parametric approach in the designs I have done. They provide the greatest flexability (thanks for coming up with that Mr Massenburg!). I also prefer active vice passive designs although the former requires a good power supply and RFI/EMI shielding.

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by Danny Danzi

1.6k: This add a bit of what I call sparkle mid into the equation..kinda mid-range, yet with a bit of sparkle. Pulling some of this out usually makes guitar tones have a bit more substance.

3.2-6.4k: This is what is gonna give you your cut in your mix or presence if you will. Personally, I like hitting up 4-4.5k a bit more than working in the 3's as 4k just seems to be the freq that gives me a nice presence that is not too harsh or abbrasive. 5k on up for me just gives me too much of a zzzzz or buzz type tone which I'm not down with. Anything after 6k in a guitar tone is just too buzzy for me.

Good stuff as usual, DD!

Interesting on the 1.6k. I usually don't touch that area on guitar. Many times I find myself boosting the bass around 1.6K (i.e., let the bass handle that one. ....if it works in the mix of course).

Now you got me wanting to experiment!

You're right about the mid-freq range (3k - 5k). Just need to be careful that the guitar doesn't step on the vocals. Some mics (like the TLM-103 and MA-200) start boosting at around 4K. Some vocalists tend to "screech" (as Brandaon says "hurts the ears") in that range too. But mix it right with the vocals and you're be fine.

Good discussion!

[paul999]

Lot's of good stuff posted here already. With digital I find that eq's are pretty easy to predict before you turn the knobs. In fact supposedly typical daw parametric eq's are all the same.

The analog world eq is entirely different. With my API 550b on electric guitar when you crank the 700hz it sounds huge like you are adding supper low end and clarity. Driving the transistor makes the guitar kinda sound layered without the usual problems. If you add 4-9 db of 700hz on a daw you would think I was cracked with the honky sounding mess you would get.

Be careful with the 1.6k a lot of sim's have already taken this out. This is one of the frequencies that also really make a guitar sound distinct. I found I was always adding a bit of this back(1.0-1.8 range) to make up for the disappearing sim effect. Keep in mind that I haven't used sim's in 6 years and plan to die a bitter old man hating them

[willjrockstar]

Thanks for all yr input guys. I think that some of the information ,that is just worlds apart, can sometimes confuse people easy.
For instance 999 comes from a land in which boosting 700hz can be a good thing , but like he says try it in a DAW.
I also find it interesting that 999 has chosen 700 as thats not one of the usual options given to us.

So if im going to use a preset in my DAW for ditorted guitar, the best starting point COULD be, HP@80, BP@100, BP@200, BP@400, BP@800, BP@1.6,
BP@3.2, BP@6.4. So its going to look just like the BOSS EQ pedal except for the added HP at 80.??

Another thing, do you guys find yrselves low passing guitars much?

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by willjrockstar

Thanks for all yr input guys. I think that some of the information ,that is just worlds apart, can sometimes confuse people easy.
For instance 999 comes from a land in which boosting 700hz can be a good thing , but like he says try it in a DAW.
I also find it interesting that 999 has chosen 700 as thats not one of the usual options given to us.

So if im going to use a preset in my DAW for ditorted guitar, the best starting point COULD be, HP@80, BP@100, BP@200, BP@400, BP@800, BP@1.6,
BP@3.2, BP@6.4. So its going to look just like the BOSS EQ pedal except for the added HP at 80.??

Another thing, do you guys find yrselves low passing guitars much?

That's why AE is considered "the ART of Engineering" (i.e., using science in the most pleasing way for the human ear is an ART).

I low pass electric guitars at around 120 to 150; especially in crowded mixes.

[willjrockstar]

Tony you wild man, that would be a high pass there. Low pass would be up around 10k. I'm coming to fix you some of MY coffe.:

[TonyB]

Originally Posted by willjrockstar

Tony you wild man, that would be a high pass there. Low pass would be up around 10k. I'm coming to fix you some of MY coffe.:

Geez! I did it again! It's beer time now! Sheesh!

Because I'm concentrating on reducing the low freq's I Freudian-slip myself into saying "low pass" instead of "high pass."

I have an EE degree. I built many, many HPF and LPFs in my day (yeah, yeah, yeah, in my day, it was pre-IC for the most part....good ole RLC circuits). haha!

(and I can't blame it on my Blackberry again; I was at a regular computer this time).