Question: How to balance the EQ on MT-2 with the EQ on amp?

seventhsign · #1 03-16-2003, 09:01 AM

As you know, MT-2's EQ is very useful, but my question is that how to make MT-2's EQ and amp's EQ work together? Which one is more "dominant"? or which one should I adjust first? If these question are not so clear, I think I should ask, how do you adjust both EQs to create the sound you need?

Thanks!

VanWyck · #2 03-16-2003, 11:10 AM

Start by setting your amp's bass/mid/treble knobs to "5", on many amps this is a neutral setting that neither adds or subtracts frequencies. From there you can use the MT's EQ without additional color from the amp. Recently I was turned on to adding a little bit of mid boost from the MT for solos - instead of the usual "scooped mids" type sound. Enjoy!

seventhsign · #3 03-16-2003, 01:10 PM

Thank you!
After setting amp's EQ to 5 and then adjusting the EQ on MT2, if I am not satified with the tone, I can continue to adjust MT2's EQ, so in what situation I need to adjust amp's EQ? I know I have to adjust them, but I am not sure, for example, if I feel the bass is not enough, should I increase MT2's bass or amp's bass?
What I usually do is turn off MT2, and adjust amp's EQ through a clean sound. after that, amp's EQ will be fixed, and then I turn on MT2, add distortion, adjust EQ. But I am still not so clear about it. I don't know which principle I should follow. Or, maybe it's depends.

Reaper · #4 03-16-2003, 01:16 PM

perhaps you should try setting the MT-2's equalizer to flat (5), and try eq'ing the amp...

VanWyck · #5 03-16-2003, 10:10 PM

Right. Try anything that you can imagine - follow your ears! There is no "right" way to set EQ.

microdmitry · #6 03-17-2003, 12:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanWyck

Start by setting your amp's bass/mid/treble knobs to "5", on many amps this is a neutral setting that neither adds or subtracts frequencies. From there you can use the MT's EQ without additional color from the amp. Recently I was turned on to adding a little bit of mid boost from the MT for solos - instead of the usual "scooped mids" type sound. Enjoy!

This is just wrong. On ANY amp (except Oranges with 2 tone knobs and some other obscure models), setting knobs to "5" doesn't mean that you bypass tone controls or don't modify the spectrum of your preamp. The RC filtering network still shapes the tone. See http://www.duncanamps.com/tsc/index.html for more information about typical tone controls.

darren wilson · #7 03-17-2003, 01:42 AM

Set up your amp to get you the clean tone you want, then use the MT-2's EQ to tweak your distorted tone. Simple as that.

VanWyck · #8 03-17-2003, 08:03 AM

Easy there micro...

Oops... I did not mean to infer that there would be a bypass of the tone control. My bad.

Just that if a tone knob set at "0" would subtract EQ and the same knob set at "10" would add EQ. Well then at some point within that spectrum of adding or subtracting EQ there would be a place where there was a balance between the two. i.e. a neutral (not adding or subtracting) setting for the frequencies that are affected by that knob.

Notice that I said "without additional color from the amp" key word:additional - this implies that even if you could dial in a neutral setting on any given EQ control - there is still some measure of tonal shaping.

In the future if you find something to be "just wrong" do not hesitate to address it. You can, however, offer a little more relevant information - in your attempt to correct me you failed to address the topic of the thread.

mike777 · #9 03-17-2003, 02:52 PM

I agree with Darren. Start with your basic tone from the amp firstand apply the pedal later to sound the way you'd like it to with the amp's settings.

Mike 777 Haug

Drew · #10 03-18-2003, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VanWyck

Just that if a tone knob set at "0" would subtract EQ and the same knob set at "10" would add EQ.

Only in the case of an active EQ section would this be true. As most tube amps are passive, and thus only cut frequencies, technically the closest you will get to a truely "neutral" sound is with everything at 10.

That doesn't mean i think you should set it that way... If you're using the Metal Zone as your primary distortion source, then dial up a clean tone you like, and then use the EQ on the pedal to make the distortion sound work with the clean sound, like Darrin suggested.

I still have a Metal Zone lying around that i no longer use, and while the last time i set it was apparently as more of an "overdrive" pedal to kick up an already distorted amp sound, the EQ is probably the same as when i was using it for my principle overdrive, so try my settings: Low @ 2 o'clock, high @ 1, and mid and mid freq both about 1:30. I had the level at maybe 2 and the distortion all the way back, so if you're using it as a boost (suprisingly it isn't half bad), try those settings too.

The thing actually works best to my ears with a tube amp (particularly something fender-y) if you boost the upper mids, at least as much as i have here and possibly even more. It's a dark tone, but still with plenty of cut.

I probably ought to sell the thing, it's currently just an expensive paperweight.

-Drew