amp issues...

[HetfieldRules]

i have a peavey XXL 1/2 stack and i have issues with my tone going from bedroom to band practice, at lower volumes i get the exact tone i want, but when i crank it for practice i get a lot of lows and lose a lot of the tone i have at lower volumes. this really only happens with my high gain channel. my settings are like this: Volume 10, Highs 10, Mids 0-1ish, Lows 6/7 ish and gain at about 6 or 7. now these are all active EQ's so i dont know if that makes a difference. the wattage is at 100W and the speaker setting is on Tight, and im running it at 16 ohms. i play in my room with the volume at about 2 or 3, at practice i turn it up to about 5 or 6. when i turn up i get a lot more bass, and i know that it's partly because of the cabinet, but is there any way to keep my tone more constant. and is it that my EQ's are all screwy and up to high?

 

[FretFire]

Re: amp issues...

Your EQ settings will have to change as you turn up the volume, look up info on a little thing called the "Fletcher-Munson curves". It talks about the way the human ear detects different frequencies (highs, mids, lows) at different decibel levels. I might also suggest adding a bit more mids, you'll sit down in the mix and sound muddy the way you're set up right now. In a band setting, the bass handles the lows, the guitar covers the mids, and the drums (because of the cymbals) take care of the highs for the most part.

 

[HetfieldRules]

Re: amp issues...

well right now we dont have a bassist and we play old metal/thrash so we have that scooped mid sound, i tried having the mids at around 2-3 because i now people say you need at least some mids, but when i do it seems to take away from the tone i wanted

 

[FretFire]

Re: amp issues...

Once you get a bass player you'll probably want to make some changes. The guitars need to supply the crunch, the bass will provide the thump. Remember what you hear on a CD is guitars AND bass...

 

[some_dude]

Re: amp issues...

At low volumes, the ear picks up more treble and bass. As the volume goes up, it becomes more reliant on midrange.

In short, as the volume goes up, add some mids, and cut some highs and lows.

PS - Hettfield sets up his Triaxis (Early to mid 90s, T-6.5, M-0.0, B-4.5) and (late 90's, T-4.5, M-2.0, B-4.5), if it's any help.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: amp issues...

Sometimes, it's a good idea to stand in front of your amp at full operating volume, and tweak the EQ's without looking at them, just hit chords and listen while turning knobs.
Usually, people complain about the bad tone at low volumes, NOT high volumes.

I've never heard of anyone putting the treble on 10, so I think you should start making some changes. I'd start with the P 5, B 9, M 5, T 6, then dial things to taste from there. If you're getting way too much bass, maybe look into different strings, pickups, pickup height, and speaker cab. And, don't be afraid of mids. Scooped EQ sounds like white noise and disappears in the mix as soon as bass and cymbals are added.

 

[some_dude]

Re: amp issues...

Sometimes, it's a good idea to stand in front of your amp at full operating volume, and tweak the EQ's without looking at them, just hit chords and listen while turning knobs.

What can also be cool is to run a 20' cord out and play out in front of your cab. Get someone else to f*ck with the knobs, and you tell them better/worse while they do it.

 

[HetfieldRules]

Re: amp issues...

i tried changing the settings, but when i added mids and cut back the treble and bass it seemed to lose his bite, right now i have the treble at 9, bass at 7/8 and the mids at like 2. i tried putting the treble at like 6 or 7, the bass at 5 and the mids at around 2 or 3, but the tone seemed to be less aggressive, am i just used to my old tone or something, i prefer having the treble all the way up, the bass at lke 7 or 8, and the mids at like one or 2....am i just tone deff?

 

[some_dude]

Re: amp issues...

i tried changing the settings, but when i added mids and cut back the treble and bass it seemed to lose his bite, right now i have the treble at 9, bass at 7/8 and the mids at like 2. i tried putting the treble at like 6 or 7, the bass at 5 and the mids at around 2 or 3, but the tone seemed to be less aggressive, am i just used to my old tone or something, i prefer having the treble all the way up, the bass at lke 7 or 8, and the mids at like one or 2....am i just tone deff?

Did you do that at your practice volume, or your gig volume?

 

[FretFire]

Re: amp issues...

Yeah, and remember, once your bass player and drummer are added into the mix things will sound VERY different.

 

[DeadSkinSlayer3]

Re: amp issues...

I'm sorry...but I've played XXL's a ton, and I cannot see how you get a good tone with that thing scooped.

 

[HetfieldRules]

Re: amp issues...

I'm sorry...but I've played XXL's a ton, and I cannot see how you get a good tone with that thing scooped.

do you mean you found the amp crappy or that there is a better way to approach my tone. i no longer have the thing scooped, i have the mids at about 9 o'clock, the treble all the way up, the bass at about 2 o'clock, and the gain at about 2 o'clock. the channel volume is all the way upso i can get the best distortion, and when i play in my room the master volume is at about 9 o'clock. at practice the master volume is at about 10 or 11 o'clock...if that helps at all