EV ZLX 12p my two cents

This is my main drive, but I use some others: eternal love, esoteric, zendrive, BBPre, FullOD, FASBoost....plenty of options here
 
Use the EQ built into the Axe, not the EQ in the monitor, because you'll have the same problem in FOH, and monitor EQ can't touch that.

Cut 8 KHz by at least 5 or 6 dB. Back 16KHz all the way down. You might have to trim 4KHz as well.

Pull 31 Hz all the way out. Drop 63 Hz a whole bunch. Maybe pull out some 125, depending on context.

You can also experiment with a slight bump around 2-4 KHz.

I cannot overstate how vital Rex's advice is for the EV. I've had my ZLX for almost two years and I'm just recently getting to where I am totally happy with this monitor. My problem was always that it was too boomy, and this is with my ZLX sitting on an amp stand about waist height. So I would try to dial out the bass and play with the EQ in the monitor which did not help. For some dumb reason, I never wanted to mess with the Global EQ in the Axe because in my twisted mind I felt like it was cheating and if I couldn't get a good sound with the monitor then it must be the monitors fault. Wrong........totally operator error.

So a few weeks ago I decided to blow everything up and start over from scratch, and for once, I went into that scary place called the Global EQ. That did the trick! My settings are almost exactly the same as what Rex wrote too.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Rex
I cannot overstate how vital Rex's advice is for the EV. I've had my ZLX for almost two years and I'm just recently getting to where I am totally happy with this monitor. My problem was always that it was too boomy, and this is with my ZLX sitting on an amp stand about waist height. So I would try to dial out the bass and play with the EQ in the monitor which did not help. For some dumb reason, I never wanted to mess with the Global EQ in the Axe because in my twisted mind I felt like it was cheating and if I couldn't get a good sound with the monitor then it must be the monitors fault. Wrong........totally operator error.

So a few weeks ago I decided to blow everything up and start over from scratch, and for once, I went into that scary place called the Global EQ. That did the trick! My settings are almost exactly the same as what Rex wrote too.


I hear you mate.
- boomy… tick!
- "So I would try to dial out the bass and play with the EQ in the monitor which did not help"….tick!
- "I went into that scary place called the Global EQ"….tick!
- "I felt like it was cheating" … tick!
Sounds very much like me…but Rex and Etolkien have been very helpful and my world is starting to look good again! Still working on that though.
 
Let us know how it goes.
ETOLKIEN
As promised, reporting back after the gig last night. Unfortunately there was no extra time for proper testing, just a quick 'sound check'. The biggest 'issued I've found' was that that i had to turn up the vol to about 2 o'clock for FOH. This had me thinking about the general volume of my preset. As i said I'm no tweaker and leave pretty much everything at default. IE. if the default drive is 5 and Input -14 i'd pretty much leave it there. I my set Input to -10 only to level it with the volume of another preset.

On the other hand if a set the Input, say to -7 I can reduce significant the Output level and gain some headroom?!? You though guys on this would be greatly appreciated.
 
...i had to turn up the vol to about 2 o'clock for FOH.
It's possible at FOH had the input trim set differently for your channel. I like to feed them with the knob set at noon. It's their job to set their own input level.

It's also possible that you had so much bass and treble that, when you trimmed hem back, you lost some overall level.
 
It's possible at FOH had the input trim set differently for your channel. I like to feed them with the knob set at noon. It's their job to set their own input level.

It's also possible that you had so much bass and treble that, when you trimmed hem back, you lost some overall level.

Rex, There was a difference.

My previouse setup was as follows:
- Axe-fx with on the stage and a feed (Output 2) through a DI box to FOH. Output one only for my EV.

Last Saturday I've changed to this:
- Axe-Fx next to FOH (it's a jam and other musos are going on and off the stage. Didn't want my Axe-fx there anymore, too risky!). Long XLR plus Eth cable from Axe-Fx to the stage for my MFC-101 and EV. The difference was that the DI has got a boost as well…now I know!

Knowing that, I've modified my preset's input level. Is this something you'd do?

Rex, one more thing…just for peace of mind. I've used your eq recommendation to tweak Output 1 (the EV) thanks again for that. Sounds way better now!

Does this have to be done for output 2 (FOH) as well? Or do I leave them at default and FOH does all the hard work for me? I just want to be sure what needs to be done.

Thanks again for helping out :)
 
The difference was that the DI has got a boost as well…now I know!
Life is better when the mystery is solved. Nice detective work.


Knowing that, I've modified my preset's input level. Is this something you'd do?
Whatever it takes to make the Axe see the same level it was seeing when you plugged directly into it. Sounds like a good solution.


Rex, one more thing…just for peace of mind. I've used your eq recommendation to tweak Output 1 (the EV) thanks again for that. Sounds way better now!

Does this have to be done for output 2 (FOH) as well? Or do I leave them at default and FOH does all the hard work for me? I just want to be sure what needs to be done.
Depends on how skilled and attentive the FOH guy is. I like to keep my FOH signal as mix-ready as I can. That way, I can ask the sound guy to start me out flat, then adjust what he thinks he needs to. Some FOH people just apply the same EQ "rules" to every guitar signal they get, without listening much. Others do nothing at all.
 
Life is better when the mystery is solved. Nice detective work.



Whatever it takes to make the Axe see the same level it was seeing when you plugged directly into it. Sounds like a good solution.


Depends on how skilled and attentive the FOH guy is. I like to keep my FOH signal as mix-ready as I can. That way, I can ask the sound guy to start me out flat, then adjust what he thinks he needs to. Some FOH people just apply the same EQ "rules" to every guitar signal they get, without listening much. Others do nothing at all.



Thanks Rex …. the FOH guy is actually the bass play / owner of the PA system :). He's on the stage with me during our gig….so can't really count on him.
 
In that case, definitely apply the changes to your FOH signal. Your band doesn't have any ears in the house, so you can never be sure what it sounds like out there. Your best guess at what works in FOH will be what works in your monitors.
 
In that case, definitely apply the changes to your FOH signal. Your band doesn't have any ears in the house, so you can never be sure what it sounds like out there. Your best guess at what works in FOH will be what works in your monitors.

Sounds good to me, will do that. Mate, thanks so much for all your help with this. Very much appreciated. :):):)
 
As promised a short update...we had a gig last Saturday evening....YEAH! no I'm getting somewhere. Fair to say that one of the guitarist wasn't at the gig hence less of a wishy-washy on stage which was a good thing. Rex, the extra DB in the preset's input level makes a huge difference. Now I can give FOH way less signal then before and have plenty left in case as it's needed. That wasn't the case at all. My EV sounded pretty good at a lower volume but I thing I still need to do something. I'm sure I've heard some boomy lows. So far I'm very pleased with the result.
 
As promised a short update...we had a gig last Saturday evening....YEAH! no I'm getting somewhere. Fair to say that one of the guitarist wasn't at the gig hence less of a wishy-washy on stage which was a good thing. Rex, the extra DB in the preset's input level makes a huge difference. Now I can give FOH way less signal then before and have plenty left in case as it's needed. That wasn't the case at all. My EV sounded pretty good at a lower volume but I thing I still need to do something. I'm sure I've heard some boomy lows. So far I'm very pleased with the result.
Sounds like major progress on the tone front. Congratulations!

As for the boominess, the Cut switch in the Amp block is often an instant cure for that.
 
Last edited:
Are there any users of ZLX-12P with current fractal devices here? I use a pair with my FM3 now and as I see the thread “flattening the headrush curve” with some global PEQ settings found by enthusiasts I’d like to know if someone already found such settings for these units also. I don’t have any monitors at home to try and find out by myself.
 
I am still using mine... and have not considered upgrading, because I am satisfied with the sound quality. As posted above, I use them with "live" and "post" settings to achieve the flattest response (according to EV). I got a great deal on some JBL EON12s and have been using them with my AX8... but I do not like them as well as the EVs. They are fatter in the low end and noticeably boomy. A key difference is that the sounds I hear through the EVs translate very closely to what I hear in my headphones when recording. They are so close that I don't bother adjusting tones much between live sound and recording. I have not found the need to make any adjustments using PEQ or other methods. I have found them to be a fantastic and economical solution to full range flat response FOR ME. Of course, everyone's ears are different, people hear different things, and what works for me might not work for you. If anyone has some they want to sell... let me know... I could use a second pair. Cheers!
 
Back
Top Bottom