MadAsAHatter
Well-known member
Learning the circuit is what got me where I want to be.
It’s a technical subject, and mastering it via building an objective frame of reference is key.
This is where I'm at right now. Dialing it in by ear is one thing but understanding the circuit brings it to another level.
A general expectation is putting a knob in the middle of the sweep range (noon) is flat and you boost or cut from there. Depending on the circuit that's not always the case. Flat can be everything dimed and you're using subtractive EQ or vice-versa 0 is flat and you're boosting everything or anything in between. Then take into account which frequencies are being affected and by how much, if turning the bass affects the mids and highs, etc. etc. Even simple tone stack circuits can be fairly complex in how they work and understanding it gives you that frame of reference that's usually missing.
This concept started to click with me when I was wanting to get the most out of my amps and trying to figure out which frequencies were affected when I turned the knobs. That led me to learning about circuit designs which is now helping me dial in the tone better and easier.
It's hard enough for a lot of people to get dialing it in with your ears and incorporating circuit design is beyond that. Then what can you expect when you read the manual and get stupid shit like... Bass: crank this knob to bring the thunder. WTF am I supposed to do with that?