I discovered something today..

[comfortablynumb]

Sometimes I have trouble with my solos not cutting through like I'd want. I've been using an EQ set flat with the volume boosted for solos. It's worked okay, but with pedals like the Beaver, they just didn't cut through. So, on a random thought, I just put the volume on the EQ at unity and bumped the mids just a little bit. BIG difference. Not so much sheer volume, but the mids really made me cut through. My tone was deliciously thicker, too. Now I feel like everyone can hear me, and I'm not overly loud to where I can't hear anything else.

 

I don't know why I posted this. Maybe just to let people know that sheer volume isn't always the answer.

 

[SerpentyneXIII]

In the song on My Soundclick I used mid boosting on the second riff to make it stand out to you more.

[gil1]

I think mids are where the Rock + Roll is in a guitar sound - It's the body of the sound.

 

I guess that's why a lot of people liked the Tubescreamers.

 

And now people are trying to find pedals without mid hump, and probably put them back in with EQ.

[MorePaul]

Note that the very concept in orchestration is embodied in the term
"cut through"..to cut, you are applying a FOCUSED energy

to just crank the volume is just hammering the listener and overpowering other sounds..which can lead to a muddle in certain spectral areas where too much is going on..so you don't get definition, quite the opposite...it's really bludgeoning as opposed to cutting...blunt trauma


The basic idea is to put sound in a (spectral) region that is complimentary to other instruments in the the ensemble so that you have clear identity and don't "step on each other's toes"

[gil1]

 

Note that the very concept in orchestration is embodied in the term "cut through"..to cut, you are applying a FOCUSED energy to just crank the volume is just hammering the listener and overpowering other sounds..which can lead to a muddle in certain spectral areas where too much is going on..so you don't get definition, quite the opposite...it's really bludgeoning as opposed to cutting...blunt trauma The basic idea is to put sound in a (spectral) region that is complimentary to other instruments in the the ensemble so that you have clear identity and don't "step on each other's toes"

 

 

Yep, exactly right, which is why I don't like those pickups that have a huge frequency range.

 

The bass drum and bass can cover down low, the cymbals/HH, acoustic guitar and the distortion in your amp tends to live up high.

 

Guitars often work better with stronger mids and a lot of character - especially if it's covering a rock/distorted or chunky sound.

 

Unless your using a clean electric guitar, and the Bass is running a bit more of the mids.

 

IMHO.

[kittycaster]

Sometimes I have trouble with my solos not cutting through like I'd want. I've been using an EQ set flat with the volume boosted for solos. It's worked okay, but with pedals like the Beaver, they just didn't cut through. So, on a random thought, I just put the volume on the EQ at unity and bumped the mids just a little bit. BIG difference. Not so much sheer volume, but the mids really made me cut through. My tone was deliciously thicker, too. Now I feel like everyone can hear me, and I'm not overly loud to where I can't hear anything else. I don't know why I posted this. Maybe just to let people know that sheer volume isn't always the answer.

 

I agree! I noticed that if I dial in my guitar sound so it sounds good by myself, once the band shows up and everyone's playing, it seems too dark and indistinct. This applies to mixing as well, either for live sound or for recording. Actually for mixing, the trick is to do subtractive EQ - if you get rid of the frequencies that are muddy, it will reveal the frequencies you want to hear - so a low cut on the EQ can make the midrange appear to be louder. I think the guy that figured out subtractive EQ had his epiphany in a strip club.