31-band EQ has too many sliders!!

[Spaceboy]

I bought an Art EQ351 31-band rack equalizer to put in the loop of my Ampeg VH140C to thicken the sound and get that brutal death metal tone, like Suffocation or Dying Fetus, and to replace the MXR 10-band pedal I was using. Well, there's too many sliders and I spend so much time fiddling with them, always thinking my tone could be better than whatever it currently is. It definitely sounds much better, and it's relieving to switch to bypass for a moment and back to reassure myself I'm actually making it change for the better, but how am I going to remember these settings or remember which frequencies seem to get the best overall impact? Bah... I'm just complaining, but if you have any tips on how to use these damn things or suggested settings to try, shoot 'em my way.

 

[JakeAC5253]

31 band EQ's are mainly used for studio work and live productions. I can't imagine you would need that much tweaking power in a guitar rig. Looking at the frequency bands right now I can tell you aren't even going to use the outside eight to ten sliders right off the bat. You could slide them down to nothing and not hear a difference, or very little.

 

[Spaceboy]

31 band EQ's are mainly used for studio work and live productions. I can't imagine you would need that much tweaking power in a guitar rig. Looking at the frequency bands right now I can tell you aren't even going to use the outside eight to ten sliders right off the bat. You could slide them down to nothing and not hear a difference.

Yep, I've noticed. There's not much choices for cheap rack EQs, most of them are around 31-band or dual channel 15-bands, and since I only needed something in the loop, I went for the 31 thinking the extra detail could be useful, but now it's only a headache. I want to get a G Major and then I would use the built-in EQ instead, but it's going to be awhile before I have the money for that.

 

[Shark Diver]

Why are you replacing the MXR? That's a pretty sweet eq.

 

[Spaceboy]

Why are you replacing the MXR? That's a pretty sweet eq.

I don't use a pedalboard lately, and I don't like a random pedal being in the back of my rack for whatever reason. I've never used anything but the GE-7 and MXR, so I wanted to see if a rack EQ could do more, and well, it does too much.

 

[locoed]

I use a Rane parametric EQ,have you tried something like that? Furman etc?
Also I saw a TC Electronic rack EQ for sale in the classified.
Might wanna try a parametric for those tones your talking about,cut and boost each signal.
Edit- Rane PE-15 it's a 5 band.

 

[1big1]

31 bands is a LOT of eq. 15 might be better.

 

[thegame]

The more sliders, the more phase shift you introduce to the signal. A 3 or 4 band parametric is your best best for a guitar rig.

 

[1big1]

The more sliders, the more phase shift you introduce to the signal. A 3 or 4 band parametric is your best best for a guitar rig.

that makes sense.

 

[Spaceboy]

I stayed away from parametric even though most people think they're better. I don't really know how to use them.

 

[Chris6870]

I bought an Art EQ351 31-band rack equalizer to put in the loop of my Ampeg VH140C to thicken the sound and get that brutal death metal tone, like Suffocation or Dying Fetus, and to replace the MXR 10-band pedal I was using. Well, there's too many sliders and I spend so much time fiddling with them, always thinking my tone could be better than whatever it currently is. It definitely sounds much better, and it's relieving to switch to bypass for a moment and back to reassure myself I'm actually making it change for the better, but how am I going to remember these settings or remember which frequencies seem to get the best overall impact? Bah... I'm just complaining, but if you have any tips on how to use these damn things or suggested settings to try, shoot 'em my way.

Hah, sounds like me with my MK IV. I spent more time twiddling then playing.

 

[Spaceboy]

The more sliders, the more phase shift you introduce to the signal. A 3 or 4 band parametric is your best best for a guitar rig.

Yeah, that does make sense. Would parametric effect the signal any differently?

 

[JakeAC5253]

I stayed away from parametric even though most people think they're better. I don't really know how to use them.

It's easy, it's a "Parameter" based EQ, as its name would imply. You use one control to set the center frequency that you want to attenuate, then you adjust the gain for that band, usually up or down. Some come with a Q adjustment that basically sets how far from the center frequency the effect reaches. This is useful because you can choose to make a small spike or a wide subtle hump all with one control. Overall it's a more powerful type of EQ as it gives the user more power, but we all know the age-old addage about putting power in the wrong hands... it sounds like shit!

 

[1big1]

I stayed away from parametric even though most people think they're better. I don't really know how to use them.

It's easy, it's a "Parameter" based EQ, as its name would imply. You use one control to set the center frequency that you want to attenuate, then you adjust the gain for that band, usually up or down. Some come with a Q adjustment that basically sets how far from the center frequency the effect reaches. This is useful because you can choose to make a small spike or a wide subtle hump all with one control. Overall it's a more powerful type of EQ as it gives the user more power, but we all know the age-old addage about putting power in the wrong hands... it sounds like shit!

my old yamaha g 100 210 has a parametric with q and level. it's nice to have. throw some pedals in front of it and have fun.

 

[Spaceboy]

I reckon I should grab a parametric EQ and see if I can figure it out. It's probably going to be hard to resell this graphic EQ, but I might be able find another use for it or something. I'm too tight on money to be experimenting like this!



I might be eating ramen for awhile, but I'm okay with that if I can get my tone.

 

[thegame]

The more sliders, the more phase shift you introduce to the signal. A 3 or 4 band parametric is your best best for a guitar rig.

Yeah, that does make sense. Would parametric effect the signal any differently?

Well, the parametric can sweep into user definable frequencies, unlike the predetermined frequencies of a graphic. A parametric can also adjust the width of the targeted freqs.

That said, I have a newish 6 band MXR graphic EQ pedal, which has a certain warmth and character that sounds great with guitar amps. I can't get that coloration from my TC 1140 parametric rack EQ, which is a much more powerful unit. The MXR just sounds more musical. It will probably sound better than your 10 band MXR because it has less circuitry inside.

 

[Code001]

Want something cheap?

http://www.musicgoround.com/detail.aspx?id=998944

The faceplace is a little fucked up (someone took off the lettering), but it has a parametric EQ in it, and the bypass is good. It also has various effects and can channel switch an amp.