Rackmount EQ?

Teej

Member
Hey guys,

First time poster, and new Axe-FX II purchaser here (I should be receiving it next week). I already started working on the new rig, and I got a pair of Carvin LS1202M monitors. I know they are lower-end, but I got a great deal on them along with speaker cables. The Axe-FX II is already the most money I've ever spent at one time on gear, so I have to pace myself. I also want to be damn sure I love the unit (I'm sure I will) before I build too much rig around it. That being the case, I brought them home and plugged in my PV900 power amp (have used it several times with different speakers at gigs, I've never had an issue with it) and ran some music through them. They were definitely a bit harsh in the high end and the bass frequencies were weak. At first I was going to just take the things back but then I remembered that I had a 1U Behringer Ultragraph EQ sitting around that had been collecting dust for years. I put the EQ between the audio source and the amp and played around with it. To my ears, it made a huge difference and the audio sounded "correct" as compared to what I could hear through my studio cans.

Has anyone else here tried rackmount EQs along with the Axe-FX to taylor the signal a bit for the sake of the speakers? I'm just curious as to whether or not the difference I heard with the music will translate to the output of the Axe-FX.

Teej
 
The global EQ on the Axe should work well for this. The problem with using an external EQ is if you're ever in a situation where you want to plug the Axe in directly to a house PA for a gig, your output could (and probably will) sound completely different from at home. I run into the same situation where my at-home setup is literally playing through a very small Boston Acoustics w/ subwoofer, and at band practice through stereo 2x15s + horn....so I end up doing a lot of tweaking while connected to the PA, and the global EQ makes a big difference for this.

I figure the external Behringer would work fine, but the Axe global EQ will too, and it's already in there.

Bill
 
The global EQ on the Axe should work well for this. The problem with using an external EQ is if you're ever in a situation where you want to plug the Axe in directly to a house PA for a gig, your output could (and probably will) sound completely different from at home. I run into the same situation where my at-home setup is literally playing through a very small Boston Acoustics w/ subwoofer, and at band practice through stereo 2x15s + horn....so I end up doing a lot of tweaking while connected to the PA, and the global EQ makes a big difference for this.

I figure the external Behringer would work fine, but the Axe global EQ will too, and it's already in there.

Bill

Yeah, if I was at a gig, I would just hit the EQ Out buttons anyway and that would just pass the straight signal. Didn't realize that the global EQ was so powerful, just the beginning of so many things I'm going to learn, I think.

Thanks guys.

Teej
 
The global EQ on the Axe should work well for this.
Not to mention the fact that the EQ's in the Axe-Fx itself are undoubtedly much higher quality then the one built by the infamous B company, and by using the internal Axe-Fx EQ you will also be eliminating the extraneous noise of the external unit and the cables that go with it.

In other words why muddy up the sound of a $2500 top of the line piece of gear with a piece of dime store Chinese junk?
 
Hey Teej. One other thing. There's a lot of obnoxious people who don't like Behringer and just say their product is crap, so be aware and take it for what it is;

Simply put.... Just an opinion, and nothing more.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BBN
If the behringer gets your carvins sounding good, then use it.
You can also use the eq in the axe....but it's personal preference. Neither is wrong.

If you are going to be dialing your patches on the carvins, then run music into the behringer then into the carvins....use the behringer eq to get the carvins sounding as good as they can with program music....essentially try to get them flat/neutral. This will give you best platform to set your patches and have them translate will into a PA (but don't send the signal for the PA through the behringer obviously).
Make sense?

Of course if you are dialing your patches on studio monitors, then use the behringer eq to make your carvins sound like your studio monitors.
 
Hey Teej. One other thing. There's a lot of obnoxious people who don't like Behringer and just say their product is crap, so be aware and take it for what it is;

Simply put.... Just an opinion, and nothing more.

Yeah, you get that opinion flying around anywhere people talk gear. I do think some of their products are poorly made, but others I feel are not. Historically I have had no problems with the rackmount EQs.

If the behringer gets your carvins sounding good, then use it.
You can also use the eq in the axe....but it's personal preference. Neither is wrong.

If you are going to be dialing your patches on the carvins, then run music into the behringer then into the carvins....use the behringer eq to get the carvins sounding as good as they can with program music....essentially try to get them flat/neutral. This will give you best platform to set your patches and have them translate will into a PA (but don't send the signal for the PA through the behringer obviously).
Make sense?

Of course if you are dialing your patches on studio monitors, then use the behringer eq to make your carvins sound like your studio monitors.

What you are saying is exactly my thought process. I'd rather dial things in using my good headphones or desktop monitors and just set the rack EQ for flattening out the Carvins only. If I plug into FOH somewhere I'll just set the EQs to OUT and let things run the way they are out of the AxeFX.
 
When I first got my Axe Fx II, I ran it through a pair of Carvin LS1202s, too, for the same reason: gotta pace yourself - costs a lotta money to get where you ultimately wanna be. I thought they sounded reasonably good once I played around with the EQ in the Axe. An external EQ would not have helped any more; they're just not transparent monitors. Pretty good for the money, though. I have no regrets. I use CLRs now, but they've been a long time coming.
 
Yeah, you get that opinion flying around anywhere people talk gear. I do think some of their products are poorly made, but others I feel are not. Historically I have had no problems with the rackmount EQs.



What you are saying is exactly my thought process. I'd rather dial things in using my good headphones or desktop monitors and just set the rack EQ for flattening out the Carvins only. If I plug into FOH somewhere I'll just set the EQs to OUT and let things run the way they are out of the AxeFX.

You can also use output 1 to your carvins (and your Eq).....and use output 2 to the FOH.
This gives you separate volume control for your carvins (for on stage monitoring), and your output 2 to FOH has it's own volume (and you just don't run it through the behringer).
This way you never have to press any buttons.....:)
 
when the axe arrives you my find that the freq of the guitar is not the same as the music you played through them and they may be great with out eq. You will learn a lot when you get started. welcome to the club.
 
I'd rather dial things in using my good headphones or desktop monitors...
If you have good monitors, dial in your sound through those. Headphones are notoriously difficult to make audio decisions with.
 
You can also use output 1 to your carvins (and your Eq).....and use output 2 to the FOH.
This gives you separate volume control for your carvins (for on stage monitoring), and your output 2 to FOH has it's own volume (and you just don't run it through the behringer).
This way you never have to press any buttons.....:)

Great tip, thank you.

when the axe arrives you my find that the freq of the guitar is not the same as the music you played through them and they may be great with out eq. You will learn a lot when you get started. welcome to the club.

Glad to be in the club. Should be getting my shipment this Thursday. I'll see how things sound.

If you have good monitors, dial in your sound through those. Headphones are notoriously difficult to make audio decisions with.

Interesting point, I hadn't heard that before. I'll keep it in mind.

Thanks again for the help, guys. You have been quite the impressive forum community thus far. I have experienced so much worse in other places.
 
Just wanted to post a little update:

I gave up on the Carvins, there was no amount of EQing that was going to satisfy me with them. Could not shake the weird midrange honk they had...

I picked up some Alto TS110a's and I actually like them quite a bit so far. I compared them with some Mackies at the store and the Altos sounded flatter to my ears. I'm sure I'll get something nicer in the future, but for starting off they work great for me.
 
I gave up on the Carvins, there was no amount of EQing that was going to satisfy me with them. Could not shake the weird midrange honk they had...

Yeah, that's what eventually happened to me, too. They're good for vocals, but not flat enough to take advantage of the Axe. I think they'd be great for a podium setup where people give speeches/announcements and whatnot, but they're not really FRFR units.
 
Back
Top Bottom