tone help?????

[drago]

Hey guys.

I have bought a few mesa head's in the last 2 months, the MKIV and a dual rect.

I started playing in the band. Where the bass player has a weird sound, kinda like the TOOL bass players sound

the music is really cool, rock/metal stuff. I am the only guitar player

we just recorded a few song and the only time it sounded right TO ME is when I have my EQ scooped with the bass all the way up, the mids all the way DOWN, and the highs all the way up?

I had a marshall jcm800, but that is really bad, the marshall's are made for JUST a MID TONE crunch

I guess if you have killer gear it really doesn't matter. its the sound and tone for the band you are playing in.

see what I mean. do I try and match his sound? keep my rig with the lowend. go high all the way,,,any Idea :?: :?: :?: I know its hard to understand with out hearing but let me know,

 

[jbird]

I would tend to get the best tone possible from within the context of my gear! I don't think turning your controls all the way up or down is very logical!

 

[parsky1]

It's a dial for a reason, so you can tweak it. Having things all the way up or down isn't going to give you a very good sound at all. If that was the case they would've just installed EQ switches :lol:

Read the manual they tell you approximate sweet spots for a good EQ starting point.

 

[strumminsix]

Band mix is a favorite topic of mine!!! Each player needs to properly sit in their appropriate register. Too many musicians cannot comprehend this. I would strongly encourage you to read up on this before bringing it to your band but here is a start....

This requires knowing your part so well you don't have to think about it but instead listen to the whole band and your interaction with the other musicians not what you are playing.

Think of where everyeone sits:
Keys = mostly midrange but really can be full range
Guitar = midrange
Bass = bass

So, in a band with 2 guitars and keys realize that all 3 are fighting for the same register so everyeone should be cognizant of that. Each should listen to the other and by virtue of what notes are played and what octave and instrument tone steer clear of one another.


That said the bassist has no business hanging out in your range unless he is doing something for great emphasis and is momentary. Besides encroaching on your turf he leaves the belly exposed to the bottom end and your drummer is hitting the kick without the bassist's low end accompanying it. That doesn't sound good for too long...


My words pre-suppose a rock or hard rock or country or blues or R&B band. Metal I don't know enough about nor do I know nu metal or really dropped tunning 7 sting either which plays with the registers. But even if this is your genre what I am talking about still holds true and is a great starting point.

If it were my band, I'd have a sit down and talk through it while listening to a recording and showing him what you are hearing. I have been in your situation before while playing with a bassist who only used a 1x10 bass combo. He had no bottom end and I was annoyed.

Then I listened to the recording and found myself almost non-existent and realized my tone was too broard and need to be narrowed. Once I honed my own tone I realized I can cut into the mix with less volume DBs!

Some time later I started playing with another bassist who uses a 2x10 cab and a 1x15. It's great cuz he used the 2x10 to color and tighten his overall tone and the the 1x15 for the main thump.

They key here is to talk about it with your band mates...

 

[tele_jas]

I play in a band with a super great bad a$$ guitar player that SHOULD be louder than me, but his tone is so scooped out that my boogie stands out more than his solid state rig.

I guess you have to find your place in the mix to fit in and if you sound good scooped on the recording, I'd leave it alone... But in a live situation, try to remember that when you take a solo that bottom end is going to drop out and be missed more than if it wasn't there in the first place.

I have live tones and recording tones, pretty close to the same but the live tone does have more mids and less low end.

I don't think I answered your question, but I do understand where you're coming from.

But all that being said...... the Bass sould be in a lower range than your guitar, period. Even Tool has a nice low end thump....... Has he heard the recordings and is he aware of his Bass tone lacking the "bass" part?

 

[parsky1]

+1 to the last two replies.

Mids are the only thing that is going let to cut through in a live situation. Cymbals and and High Hat will cover up a lot of your treble. Bass and Bassdrum will cover up most of your low end. So this leaves you with mids. Just remember its a double edged sword. To much of your mids and your chording will get mushy. Too little and you wont cut though.

 

[Russ]

I fully agree with strumminsix. You need to talk to the guy and get him whipped back into his lower registers. If you plan on being the only guitar player in the band you need to ensure that you have room to be heard. However he can come up to cover rhythms if you were to play leads but must return to his place for you to return. The dynamics of music in general will only dictate that and precisely that. If you want to sound good everyone must play their part and not step on each other's toes.

 

[Elpelotero]

its possible the previous guitarist scooped his EQ and he was left to bump up his mids and treble. Maybe he hasn't realized you're not a scoop kinda guy yet, so it's worth it to explain the aforementioned in a polite approach so he doesn't get upset and kills your sound.

 

[drago]

Thanks for the info!!

I have a sweet tone with any head I use!!!

Its just the mix is weird!

The bass player just has crazy mid tone on his rig and the low to


But the bass player is more of a lead player then I am, I'll hold out a D note and he will dance around it with some of the sweetest fills and what not.

I really dont know TOOL at all but I have heard some of there songs and the bass tone is close to what are bass player sounds like.

The best way I can put this is he plays like Steve Harris from maiden but with a TOOL type sound?? WEIRD!

SO

DRUMS = HI'S AND LOWS
BASS = LOW AND MIDS
GUITAR =?

 

[Elpelotero]

i've seen pictures of adam jones' diezel rigs with his personal settings. he has lots gain and lots of ...... MIDS! yes, surprise surprise. the guy had the mids cranked almost all the way, much more than the other controls. then again, it's a diezel vh4. completely different amp. so try that out. if i can find th epics ill post em for you.

 

[drago]

O.K

I'll try and boost the mids,


there is a BIG difference with bass mid's and guitar mids!!!

 

[strumminsix]

SO

DRUMS = HI'S AND LOWS
BASS = LOW AND MIDS
GUITAR =?

No, a bass belongs in the lows only. It's not difficult. Don't overcomplicate.

If you want a good band mix put him there and keep him there.
And you, in turn, stay away from there cuz that's his domain.