Mud?

[buzzard bass]

I'm seeing threads about mud here. WTF is this? How do you create mud? Mud to me is bass played through Peavey gear. Seems like everyone who plays guit (bass included) owns a Peewee at some time. That's mud. Is there mud I'm missing?

 

[Chili]

It is a term used to describe a build up around the 150 - 300 hz range.

 

[AbuseTheMuses]

evidently someone hates his peavey

I have had some good Peaveys over the years, and like with most brands, some crummy ones too. No reason to get all insulting about it.

But anyway, so far as I can tell, 'mud' occurs with too much buildup of low end. I don't know much about frequency specifics, I just know that one track with a heavy bottom sounds good and thick and solid, where with four layers of tracks with a heavy bottom, all that low-end muffles each distinct part. It all becomes a kind of 'woomp'y sound instead of punchy. With trebley tracks there isn't a problem, they don't all pile up on each other as noticably as bassy ones, so you can still hear distinct separation. The oompf of a bass, a kick drum, a proximity effect of a vocal, or a big guitar chug all get muddled together to the listener if they aren't carefully isolated into different low frequency areas, and the result is "muddy"

 

[bouldersoundguy]

I'm seeing threads about mud here. WTF is this? How do you create mud? Mud to me is bass played through Peavey gear. Seems like everyone who plays guit (bass included) owns a Peewee at some time. That's mud. Is there mud I'm missing?

Yeah, you missed the mud in your thought processes. There's some mediocre Peavey and there's some pretty darn good Peavey. People by the entry-level stuff and judge the whole brand to be junk. Oddly, the same people buy low end JBL P.A. gear and somehow convince themselves it doesn't suck (which it does).

 

[buzzard bass]

Maybe Peavey have improved since the late 80's, back then it was all tosh and I've not looked back.

Sorry if I insulted any Peavey fans here.

Thanks for the answer on what mud is.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

If mud is the build up in the range of 15-300hz then what do you think the build up of 3 to 12 k is?





pissss

 

[moresound]

Breaking glass!

 

[Big Kenny]

Maybe Peavey have improved since the late 80's, back then it was all tosh and I've not looked back.

Sorry if I insulted any Peavey fans here.

Thanks for the answer on what mud is.

they had some great tube amps back then and. by the way, ever pick up a cirrus?

 

[carnoc]

If mud is the build up in the range of 15-300hz then what do you think the build up of 3 to 12 k is?

Icepick to the forehead.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

once i played a game with someone. we played a sine wave at 20k and raised the volume till it was too painfull. dont do tht anymore not interested in destroying my hearing.

 

[NYMorningstar]

I'm seeing threads about mud here. WTF is this? How do you create mud? Mud to me is bass played through Peavey gear. Seems like everyone who plays guit (bass included) owns a Peewee at some time. That's mud. Is there mud I'm missing?

Mud is what you get when two different frequencies are being amplified simultaneously creating what is called intermodulation distortion. That happens when higher frequencies are modulated with the lower and the high's lose their transparency. That causes individual instruments to be hard to separate because their harmonics all blend together in a wall of sound.

It also is a product of phase abberations and cancellations of passive crossovers in a speaker system, there is actually a phase reversal between the low frequency and the mid+high frequency outputs. The low to mid crossover frequency is usually in the 300hz range which is where the intelligence of vocals begins thus the vocals are hard to understand when things get loud. (mud)

Bi-amping or tri-amping your speakers using an active crossover is a way to clean up the mud and get more power to your individual speakers.

 

[RicoNEgro]

Maybe Peavey have improved since the late 80's, back then it was all tosh and I've not looked back.

Sorry if I insulted any Peavey fans here.

Thanks for the answer on what mud is.

I have a Peavy 5150 tube amp, i think its great (loud as all get out too). My cousin's oldest son also has a Peavy, and it's a total piece of crap... its just the difference between tubes and solid states.

 

[buzzard bass]

Mud is what you get when two different frequencies are being amplified simultaneously creating what is called intermodulation distortion. That happens when higher frequencies are modulated with the lower and the high's lose their transparency. That causes individual instruments to be hard to separate because their harmonics all blend together in a wall of sound.

It also is a product of phase abberations and cancellations of passive crossovers in a speaker system, there is actually a phase reversal between the low frequency and the mid+high frequency outputs. The low to mid crossover frequency is usually in the 300hz range which is where the intelligence of vocals begins thus the vocals are hard to understand when things get loud. (mud)

Bi-amping or tri-amping your speakers using an active crossover is a way to clean up the mud and get more power to your individual speakers.

Had to read this a couple of times mate, but I get what you're saying about harmonics blending, that makes sense. Thanks a bunch.