Problem Creating Patches

boltrecords

boltrecords

Fractal Fanatic
So ive had the axe II for about a month now and im having one problem that ive had with my ultra as well. when i typically set up a patch, whether it be clean or distortion, i have a tough time getting the lowend just right.
Its not that there is too much low end, it actually feels like the opposite. Let me explain...

when im setting up a patch at home through my atomic cab, it always feels like the room is shaking from the lowend so i tend to turn it down until it sounds right. but then when i get to a gig, it sounds a little too thin.

Is it typically a little more difficult to judge the amount of low end when you are in a smaller room? i try to make sure that i always create a patch at higher volumes so that the tone is more accurate.

i want to make sure that i have enough tight lowend coming through the mains when i play live. unfortunately, when i play live i dont get enough of a change to hear the sound out in the crowd. it may sound much better in the mains than what im hearing through my cranked atomic cab on stage.

any advice?
 
back when i was using wedges i found that lifting them off the floor and keeping them at least a foot or two away from the wall and not in a corner helped to tame the boomy bass.
 
When I mix records I always have to think about the room. To me the room plays the most tricks on the bas (low end) so to me yes if your in a small room the low can fill up quickly plus what ever is in that room can contribute to it. Carpet, lots of empty corners (the bass just builds up in comers)

Even with regular amps I would change the bass knobs in a small room then get to big venue turn the knob up a bit more chase it would seem to be not enough in the big space.

Like the post above try lifting the cabinet off the floor, also don't put it up against any walls or in a corner at home. They both will amplify the low end too much and give you a false idea of the bass. You'll think it's too much and start tweaking it out and when you get to the gig you'll miss it.
I also check with studio monitors at low volumes, incredible studio headphones that sound better than my genelecs and some kind of system loud to get a balnce of what's really going on.

Hope that helps
Larry
 
Run a sine sweep through your Atomics. (You can get one, along with other useful files, here.)

That'll
a) give you a rough idea just how uneven an untreated ordinary room can be, esp. with bass freqs,
b) help you find the optimal speaker placement in your home base.
 
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I think adjusting the low end is pretty tricky. I tend to play in a small to medium sized room and have a SV sound cylindrical sub for my lows. Room placement is critical because of the long frequencies and room resonance will without a doubt be problematic. There will be "dead-spots" for the base in certian areas of the room. I decouple the sub from the room with the Gamma grama foam pad which helps a little as well as mount the satellite monitors on recoil stabilizers since they sit on small stands which helps to clarify the highs and lows. This ultimately helps your tweaked sounds translate better to other settings.

Then there is the problem with the Fletcher-Munson curve where volume changes will ultimately be perceived in the base and highs. Unfortunately you will need to tweak settings based upon what setting you play in which can be discouraging. I d not see a way around this. If you use cabs then these can be place on decouplers which will help. The advice on room placment and height mentioned above helps as well.
 
when i play live i use in ears. the atomic is really just for a little stage volume. i really only use the atomic for making patches. im essentially looking for the best way to create a patch that will sound good through the house system. i guess the best way would be to make my patches through the pa system but that just isnt an option.

should i play with the global eq when i get to a gig if i feel something is missing?
i really dont care how good it sounds in the room at home, as long as it sounds good for a gig. im trying to ignore the fact that the bass is soooo boomy when im playing at home.

would it help if i used two atomic cabs to spread the sound out a bit while dialing in tones?
 
Larry Mitchell said:
When I mix records I always have to think about the room. To me the room plays the most tricks on the bas (low end) so to me yes if your in a small room the low can fill up quickly plus what ever is in that room can contribute to it. Carpet, lots of empty corners (the bass just builds up in comers)

Even with regular amps I would change the bass knobs in a small room then get to big venue turn the knob up a bit more chase it would seem to be not enough in the big space.

Like the post above try lifting the cabinet off the floor, also don't put it up against any walls or in a corner at home. They both will amplify the low end too much and give you a false idea of the bass. You'll think it's too much and start tweaking it out and when you get to the gig you'll miss it.
I also check with studio monitors at low volumes, incredible studio headphones that sound better than my genelecs and some kind of system loud to get a balnce of what's really going on.

Hope that helps
Larry
Click to expand...

I've been noticing this kind of changes when moving gear from place to place, between my home and the place where I rehearse the bass changes tremendously.
 
Brick_top said:
I've been noticing this kind of changes when moving gear from place to place, between my home and the place where I rehearse the bass changes tremendously.
Click to expand...

It practically invariably does. Like I said above, running a sweep through your monitors will inform you just how wildly the bass response changes from room to room (and position to position in each room). Being aware of the phenomenon, you can take steps to minimize its impact on your sounds (like choice and treatment of room, placement of cabs relative to the listener and learning the quirks of your particular space and tweaking around them.)
 
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