Unbelievable newb question

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Will25

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Someone said to me the bass needs boosting in the 500hz range...in reference to my 4 EQ knobs (hihh, mid, mid, low), what does this mean?! Thanks :D
 
So I'm guessing you're on a mixer or something?

Sound can be measured by the amount of times a frequency cycles per second. This amount is known as hertz. The average person can hear from around 20hz to 20,000hz. At least young whippersnappers can :D

Anyhow, the lower the number, the lower the frequency. Therefore sound is divided into your "low" frequencies, mids (low and high mids), and your highs. 500 hz is a pretty low number, so you'd want to turn the low eq knob on whatever you're using. Don't overdo it, as these knobs are basically shelf eq's, meaning it'll boost most of the low frequencies (therefore you don't want to turn it too much).

Whoever said that is most likely just looking for a bit more clarity from the bass guitar...that's usually what that 400-500 range brings out. Gives you some more presence :)
 
it's actually hard to say without knowing the freqs of your controls. The designers can choose very different freqs for those controls to center on.
Having said that, I'd be inclined to think of 500 hz as low mids ........ I'd consider that to be pretty high for a 'low' knob.. So maybe try the lower of your two mids first .
 
Someone said to me the bass needs boosting in the 500hz range...in reference to my 4 EQ knobs (hihh, mid, mid, low), what does this mean?! Thanks :D

second from left???


LOL...just kidding with ya man...
 
Assuming you now have the answer to your question, if you can't hear the need for your bass to be boosted in the 500Hz range, then it's pointless fiddling with any knobs at all, because you won't know when you've reached what that person would consider correctly boosted.
 
500hz would be approximately the C one octave above middle C on the piano. A bass can't even play that high.

Yes you should start turning knobs. Turn each knob by itself one at a time and hear what it does. If you like it, then you found the answer. Just because someone else likes a boost at 500hz doesn't mean that's a hard rule that every recording on earth adheres to. Was the person who said that a bass player?

Most of all remember that fiddling with the EQ knobs while the bass track is playing solo might give you a great bass sound, but it is not necessarily the same settings that will allow that bass track to blend well with the rest of the mix. And don't do any of this on headphones.

For extra credit, get the manual and specs on your mixer so you will know what freqs you are actually boosting/cutting when you turn those knobs. My guess is the Low knob will give you thump and mud, Low Mid will give the bass body and loudness, Hi Mid will give it presence, and High will give you finger noise.

Of course, it's possible that your 4 band EQ is actually 3 bands with a knob to sweep the mid frequency. Most mixers that home users can afford have either 2 band fixed, 3 band fixed, or 3 band with a sweep, or 4 band with a sweep (5 knobs).
 
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