Tone Controls and Equalization a Basic Primer

guitar, reduce certain frequencies that help mask the fundamentals, and enhance the high end transients. Basically a tone-shaping control, the Aural Enhancer is a passive R/C network that alters the frequency response throughout the bass spectrum. This pre-shaping is "blended" into the original signal via the Aural Enhancer Control. Exact frequencies affected are dependent on the characteristics of the instrument used.

TONE CONTROLS AND EQUALIZATION: A BASIC PRIMER

The flexibility of the tone and EQ sections of the SM-900 is one of the most elaborate we have developed. They have the ability to correct “dead” and “hot” spots that may be inherent in your instrument, poor room acoustics, and can bring life to old strings, correct peaks or dips in speaker systems, and best of all, bring out the sonic qualities of your instrument and YOUR playing tech- nique. Although at first glance the number of controls and variables may seem fairly complicated, once you get acquainted with how to use and apply them, they will open doors you never thought possible.

First, let’s put everything into three groups: the Aural Enhancer; Bass and Treble; and one section of the 3 band semi-parametric EQ. Start with the Enhancer at minimum and the Bass, Treble and EQs set flat (mid “click” position). (The INNER knob of the 3-band parametric sets “flat” position.) At a comfortable listening level, run through scales using different positions on the neck—prefer- ably one near the headstock, at about the 5th fret, and up near the twelfth. Were all the notes even? Did some notes seem alive and others dead? Does your open E string and the octave on the twelfth fret sound too similar?

Play and sustain an open “E” note, then play the octave on the twelfth fret. Now repeat this process with the Aural Enhancer shifted from minimum to maximum. You should now hear a dis- cernible difference between these two notes with probably a little more brilliance. You should also be able to “feel” the open “E” better, too.

Repeat the process once again. After playing the octave on the 12th fret, rotate the Enhancer from maximum to 12 o’clock. As you rotate the Enhancer counter-clockwise, you will hear a midrange “growl” added to the sound. For your info, this growl is at about 160Hz and 320Hz.

With this one adjustment, you have added dynamic range and clarity for slapping, and added midrange for finger style playing. The best setting of the Enhancer for optimum results while slap- ping and playing finger style will depend on your fingers, instrument and speakers.

Listening to these settings may lead you to wanting a little more “bite” in the slap sound. Rotate the Treble control clockwise from its center click position until you’re satisfied. The Treble control should not have as much effect on the finger sound. Go from lows to highs with the slap tech- nique. If the lows don’t have quite the “punch” or “body” to round out the desired dynamics, boost the Bass control from its center click position until it is well-balanced. Of course, if you have too many highs or lows, reverse this process.

Listen closely once again, both to the slap and finger sounds. The bite of the highs in the slap is good, but there may be an irritating sharpness. One area that may be particularly irksome is at about 1.5k to 2kHz. Go to the third band on EQ 1. Make sure the EQ slide switch is in the EQ 1 position (far left). If your footswitch is plugged in, make sure the LED next to EQ 2 is not lit. Turn the frequency knob (the one on the outside) on the third band so that the pointer is set at about 2 kHz (8 o’clock). Turn the level control (the one in the middle) from mid position to approximately –6 dB (9 o’clock). If the irritation is gone but the presence is still there, you may need to boost the Treble slightly to maintain crispness.

OK, you’ve got the high end of your slap sound perfect. The lows and mids still could use some work. Being a perfectionist, you want the impact of a hard-hit snare riding on the wave of a kettle

SM-900 USER GUIDE • 5