how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

[benji657]

im trying to get a very warm distorted tone out of my strat through a laney lc15R and my sd-1 boss super overdrive..

question: my tone sounds quite harsh when im standing about 2 meters away from my amp. but it actually sounds quite nice when i move about 5-7 meters away. is warm tone supposed to come directly within a meter from the amp or amp i supposed to stand at least 7 meters away from it for my ears to perceive my tone as warm?

i realize this is a very confusing question..

what im trying to say is, when i stand close to my amp, i get harsh tone, when i move away, the tone is warm. is there a way i can get warm saturated distorted tones while im standing relatively close to my amp? i mean, sometimes i'll even stand outside of my room to hear my amp pleasantly..

benji

 

[benji657]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

and my pickup is a JB if that helps..

 

[benji657]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

^

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

Treble frequencies get dispersed as you get further away.

I don't know what you can do except boost the mids and cut the treble on your amp until it sounds good to you from where you are standing or sitting.

When I gig, I always check my sound both onstage and from the audience.

Usually the tone I hear onstage is not exactly what I'm comfortable with because I've tweaked it a little to sound good to the audience.

Unless my amp is miked and what the audience is hearing is actually coming from the PA speakers rather than from my amp.

In that case I'll tweak my tone so it sounds good to both me and the microphone sitting a few inches from my amp.

It's always a bit of a compromise...even in the studio.



Lew

 

[WITH FULL DISTORTION]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

well... a WARM sound = DIMARZIO SUPER DISTORTION
this one is the warmer, hotter sound i ever played(i played it in a Mini GUITAR for less than 1 minute. so i need ot play MORE)
Hails
J.P

 

[lex666]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

Treble frequencies get dispersed as you get further away.

I don't know what you can do except boost the mids and cut the treble on your amp until it sounds good to you from where you are standing or sitting.

When I gig, I always check my sound both onstage and from the audience.

Usually the tone I hear onstage is not exactly what I'm comfortable with because I've tweaked it a little to sound good to the audience.

Unless my amp is miked and what the audience is hearing is actually coming from the PA speakers rather than from my amp.

In that case I'll tweak my tone so it sounds good to both me and the microphone sitting a few inches from my amp.

It's always a bit of a compromise...even in the studio.



Lew

Well said. I've noticed these changes in my home rig. If I move around the room or away from my amp, the tone changes. I always try to tune my amp to what the audience hears...

 

[Mkf411]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

I've found that rolling back the treble knob on my guitar helps to tame harshness. Sometimes I'll roll it back 1/2 way or more. Also, boosting the mids or bass on the amp will help. Man it can be tricky dialing in tone. Sometimes if I get it just right I don't want to touch a dial but I alway start fiddling. Then I have to fiddle with all the other knobs. Even if I leave the knobs the same, the next time I play it may not sound exactly right. I hope someday I'll learn how to easily dial in tones in any situation.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

It sounds to me like you're hearing a bit more of the room when you step away from the amp. Kind of like close miking and room miking when recording.


I think. :burnout:

 

[Rich_T]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

Gimme three years and i'll have finished my sound engineering and production degree, i'll tell ya then.

 

[GenoBluzGtr]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

A couple of things to consider... Amp Cabinet Dispersion is difficult to grasp, but it is likely dispersion that you are dealing with. The Speaker(s) project different frequencies in different patters. That's on reason engineers don't mic amp speakers "dead center"... the center of the speaker is dedicated to the "highs" and the remainder of the cone (the largest part) is designed to project the lows and low mids. Most micing techniques recommend an off-center axis for close micing. This is how they avoid some of those "gritty" and "ice-pick" shrill high frequencies.
One thing you didn't tell us is whether or not the amp is a 1X12, 2X12, 4x10 or otherwise and whether or not it is in a stand or on the floor or tilted back. All these change how the amp sounds to you.
I notice that my Boogie MK IV (1X12) sounds too dark and somewhat gritty if I have to stand too close, but as I move away the sound becomes more balanced. The sound guy usually "dial in" the correct tone for the Mains and Subs, but my stage volume is what I usually am concerned with.
Also, the level at which you play makes a big difference. There is a phenomenon called the "Fletcher-Munson Effect" that is due to human hearing limitations. At lower to reasonable volumes, our ears create a Mid-Frequency Hump and "rolls off" the Bass and Treble (the extreme high and low frequencies). This is one reason alot of guys will "cut" or "scoop" the mid freqs. That creates a "flatter" sound or one that sounds more like your cranked tone, even at lower levels. Regardless, as the level increases to standard gig volumes or higher, those extreme lows and highs are better perceived by human ears and the mids become somewhat attenuated.
It's the Fletcher-Munson Effect that causes us to regret using Attenuators. We buy them to get that same "cranked Tube Amp Tone" at bedroom volumes, but it sounds like the attenuator has "sucked" all our tone. The problem is the tone is generally better BECAUSE of the volume.

 

[Artie]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

I wonder if its something along that line that I experience in my own little home "studio". If I play my guitar at a reasonable level, my own playing sounds like a recording. If I bring the volume up just enough to approach the bottom rung of "loud", my whole rig takes on a new character. Especially the pups. They start to sound like an electric guitar should.

Its hard to describe, but its like a mid-range "honk" is added to the sound. Like the reactive affect of the speaker is brought in.

 

[FAT MIKE]

Re: how do our ears perceive tone as warm?

just keep experimenting with the sounds...the JB is not a "warm" sounding pup for the most part anyways, but probably could be a little warmer with the tone rolled back a bit and the highs rounded out and little cut in the mids and a little boost in the lows....that's what works for me anyways?!