EQ Frequency Question

asimmd

HI All

Can someone please tell me when using EQ on a guitar track,what frequencies control what part

of the sound?

I am specifically interested in Boosting the Mids and Low End roll off,but any info would be fine.

Thanks

Alan

Cirrus

As it relates to guitar... the low end would be up to around 200Hz. Midrange is approx. 200Hz to maybe 3kHz.

These are very very coarse generalities - a midrange boost at 600Hz is a very different sound to a midrange boost at 2kHz.

Why are you asking?

asimmd

Thanks Cirrus

I am trying to emulate a specific tone and i am close but not quite close enough so cutting the low

freq's and boosting the mid's might help to achieve something closer to what I'm after.

I needed to know the freq's as i have not had much luck just poking round.

Alan

ecc83

Generally, audio and "hi-Fi" EQ circuits are centred about 1kHz .

Guitar EQ is often centred at 600Hz or so. Merlin Blencowe covers EQ circuits and graphs very well in his Tube pre amps book.

You might also find "Duncan amps Tonestack Generator" interesting. Sorry I don't have a link./

Dave.

Cirrus

asimmd said:

I am trying to emulate a specific tone and i am close but not quite close enough so cutting the low

freq's and boosting the mid's might help to achieve something closer to what I'm after.

I needed to know the freq's as i have not had much luck just poking round.

That's a tough one. There's a lot more to sound than just EQ as you're probably aware. If one sound doesn't have the same character as another sound, no amount of EQ will get it there which may be why you're struggling.

Without hearing the two sounds it's hard to offer specific advice - perhaps then I could say "well your sound doesn't have as much 400Hz and it's got too much 150Hz" or advice to that effect.

asimmd

HI Cirrus

Thanks for the reply, i know its difficult but 2 others i know of have managed it with great success and i want to try and do it myself.

My biggest problem is that i am using a Plugin Amp which is not the best start,but i have a Backstair ID30 which helps

but its not a Vox,which is where the original sound comes from.

I will give the frequencies you mention a go,i just needed a starting point.

I know its not fashionable buy the sound i want is the Shadows - Find Me a Golden Street,its on youtube if

you are not familiar with it.

My effort is close but it lacks the timbre of the original.

I will keep trying.

Cirrus

Well if it's a vox sound you're emulating (did the shadows use top boost models?) and you're starting from a relatively blank canvass,

Try a 6db/ octave high pass filter set to around 400 hz - that way the roll off starts a little higher, it's 3dB down by 400hz, 6dB down by 200Hz, 12dB down by 100hz etc. You'll probably need to fine tune it and it may be you want to then boost the low end down at 100 hz  a little if that gets thin, but that should be a good place to start since AC30s have a big bass roll off followed by a relatively bassy EQ which adds some lows back in. Then I'd probably suggest scooping out some midrange, wouldn't like to guess the frequency but try 1K with a fairly narrow Q and sweep it round a bit until it sounds right.

The bass roll off clears the way for some nice Voxy honk at ~500-800Hz, and the midrange notch around 1k (may be a bit higher though!) gives the mids a particular character. You might also want to boost a little higher up, maybe 2.5-3k.

Those are just guestimate ballpark figures of course and the result will be entirely dependent on the sound you're starting with. 

:-B

asimmd

Thanks Cirrus That does give me a starting point. I am considering getting a Vox AC15C1 but it will have to go through my Attenuator as I can't mic an amp because of neighbours. Still undecided but I bet it would be a better starting point than my Blackstar. It does have a Top Boost channel. Alan