Am I the Only One Not Using High or Low Cuts Anymore?

[reclavea]

I tweak to what sounds good to my ears, then refine that with a full mix, it won't be DRASTICALLY different, but it will likely NOT sound as awesome on it's own.

My overall philosophy is that the less the soundman has to touch my sound is the better for both me and the band - the audience will then hear the same I hear, and the band sounds good. The soundman gets to focus on other things and make the vocals sound great, and all is well with the world.

I prefer to have a sound that works in context, so there is more consistency from gig to gig, and the soundman just has to adjust levels. May sound not as great as on it's own, but that's what presets are for - I can have a preset that sounds great on it's own too for me to jam, the soundman can get the 'band context' version of that preset and it's a win-win all round.

This....precisely

 

[GtarLover]

I tweak to what sounds good to my ears, then refine that with a full mix, it won't be DRASTICALLY different, but it will likely NOT sound as awesome on it's own.

My overall philosophy is that the less the soundman has to touch my sound is the better for both me and the band - the audience will then hear the same I hear, and the band sounds good. The soundman gets to focus on other things and make the vocals sound great, and all is well with the world.

I prefer to have a sound that works in context, so there is more consistency from gig to gig, and the soundman just has to adjust levels. May sound not as great as on it's own, but that's what presets are for - I can have a preset that sounds great on it's own too for me to jam, the soundman can get the 'band context' version of that preset and it's a win-win all round.

Great post. I agree without a doubt.
I want the audience to get the “the best” and “most consistent” tone in context of the band mix. THE END.
What sounds amazing on IT’S own, is NOT usually the best in a band mix...as evidenced by the myriad “SOLO’D” recordings one can hear on YouTube.

Some miss the point of this. IMO, it’s about the PAYING audience. Not about any individual.

All that said, I’m very interested in trying/creating a couple new presets with no cuts and listening to how the new firmware reacts with some of the recommendations peeps have listed.
Thanks for the great support!!!

 

[Snouttrout]

To FOH: yes. 120 Hz / 6 kHz

Yek, I use at 120 Hz cut and thought that might be too high because other people cut at 80 Hz. I’ve been setting my high cut to 7500 Hz. Is that too high?

 

[Snouttrout]

Don't use cuts, I have some in the past but don't think I have since switching to the III.

Don’t you need some low cuts for live use? Or do you let the sound guy cut the lows?

 

[Snouttrout]

Agreed 100%. Almost every preset I've made recently is 57/121 with no cuts. It's the magic formula.

What about for live use? To me, I get great sounds with no cuts if I’m jamming at home with no band, but I have to cut some low and highs in the can block when I play with a live band

 

[REDD]

Don’t you need some low cuts for live use? Or do you let the sound guy cut the lows?

I just set it the way I like it to sound and send it to the FOH. The soundman and my other guitarist said it sounded great out front at soundcheck at the last show.

 

[peteri]

Regarding your guitar tone knob on my main guitar (old Les Paul) I have the treble pickup tone normally at five.

Means you can really make it pop out on the fly if you like or darken it slightly. Same on number 2 - an old Tele

 

[TheOtherDave]

Yek, I use at 120 Hz cut and thought that might be too high because other people cut at 80 Hz.

80Hz is a common starting point because that's pretty close to the fundamental frequency of the low open string on a six-string guitar in standard tuning (approximately 82.41Hz, IIRC). It's not like these filters are brick-walls, though. HPFs (on audio consoles, anyway) are frequently defined by their -3dB point. That is, if you set a HPF at 80Hz, it will attenuate an 80Hz signal by 3dB. Off the top of my head, the other week I think I used 120Hz for one guitarist and 60Hz for the other. It just depends on what their tone is and how it fits in with the rest of the mix.

 

[trancegodz]

The low and high cuts in the amp block seem to work very differently from the low and high cuts in the cab block.

I noticed that on about half of the Friedmans that the default low cut in the amp block was 400.
I found that setting the low cut in the amp block to 60 made several of my go to clean Fenders sound better.

 

[yek]

The low and high cuts in the amp block seem to work very differently from the low and high cuts in the cab block.

I noticed that on about half of the Friedmans that the default low cut in the amp block was 400.
I found that setting the low cut in the amp block to 60 made several of my go to clean Fenders sound better.

They are different things. The Low Cut in the Amp block for ex. works on the input on the amp block.

 

[jon]

Yup, totally different! Usually if I have to cut I prefer it on the cab block, as it just cuts the overbearing boomy frequencies but if the amp is sounding too busy or muddy on the low end I might use the amp block cut

 

[Rex]

The low and high cuts in the amp block seem to work very differently from the low and high cuts in the cab block.

I noticed that on about half of the Friedmans that the default low cut in the amp block was 400.
I found that setting the low cut in the amp block to 60 made several of my go to clean Fenders sound better.

That 400 Hz cut in the Friedmans works great to tighten up the low end on high-gain tones.

 

[VidarAus]

That 400 Hz cut in the Friedmans works great to tighten up the low end on high-gain tones.

Thanks to Leon @2112 I am finding setting the input EQ to between 200hz and 300hz is really tightening up the low end in high gain presets and bringing that extra 10% of awesome (I may have mentioned this already so sorry for the repost if so).

 

[Andy Eagle]

I find the better your FR FR solution is the less you need cuts. For me it entirely depends on the speaker and cab I'm using. My new Xitone cabs with F12-X200s (on the floor) and a GT1000fx seem to work well flat global EQ and no cuts. The same speaker and amp with a different cab needed both . I still think Fractal should add some preset EQ curves and combination hi lo cuts in global settings so you could fly through maybe 10 or so at a gig to tweak the overall tone without altering the rest. Like Apple Music EQ then just set it back flat after the gig. The EQ on Duncan power amps is useful for just this reason.

 

[muudrock]

The Impedance curve controls in the speaker tab of the amp block has been my go to for a long time as opposed to hi and low cuts in the speaker block. Sounds more natural to my ears. With 11.0b , it's even more detailed.

 

[lwknives]

Building my first preset in the iii coming from an Ax8. I’m still needing a similar amount of high and low cuts... building tones to fit in a mix.

 

[hensh!n_vfs]

I just rediscovered the value of high/low cuts, especially if you’re playing with a band or backing track. You have to carve out that sonic space for your guitar to fit into. Sure, it may not sound as good on its own. But if you’re looking to emulate an “on the record” tone, cutting is a good place to start.

 

[trancegodz]

Is there a way to just type in the exact lo and hi cut numbers you want under the cab tab with axe edit?
You can do it under the Preamp tab in the cab section, but not under the cab tab. There you have to dial it in with the knob and it won't let you dial in exact numbers.

Also is it possible to save your global eq 1 setting, but have it turned off? I don't use it in the studio but do live. I'd rather not have to dial the global eq in and out all the time. It would be nice to have it saved for live use and just turn it on for live use and off for the studio when I need to.

 

[Rex]

Is there a way to just type in the exact lo and hi cut numbers you want under the cab tab with axe edit?
You can do it under the Preamp tab in the cab section, but not under the cab tab. There you have to dial it in with the knob and it won't let you dial in exact numbers.

It's easy to select precise values for High Cut and Low Cut:

1) Hover the mouse over the knob. The numeric value of the parameter will be displayed.

2) Click on the knob to select it. A box will appear around the knob.

3) Use the up and down arrows to change the value. Hold down the CTRL key to make very fine adjustments.

 

[trancegodz]

It's easy to select precise values for High Cut and Low Cut:

1) Hover the mouse over the knob. The numeric value of the parameter will be displayed.

2) Click on the knob to select it. A box will appear around the knob.

3) Use the up and down arrows to change the value. Hold down the CTRL key to make very fine adjustments.

Hi Rex,

Thank you so much!

It works using the up and down arrows to change the value, but I still can't make fine adjustments. It just makes the axe edit window smaller or larger when I hold down the CTRL and hit the up or down arrow. I'm on an iMac.