15
About Equalization
Then, one by one, raise and lower each slider, lis-
tening carefully to the effect of each. Note that
turning all EQ controls up the same amount will
have virtually the same effect as simply turning
up the main Volume; conversely, turning them
all down the same amount will have virtually the
same effect as turning down the main Volume.
Both approaches are pointless (after all, that’s
why we gave you a main Volume control!)
In many instances, the best way to deal with
equalization is to think in terms of which fre-
quency areas you need to attenuate, as opposed
to which ones you need to boost. Be aware that
boosting a frequency area also has the effect
of boosting the overall signal; specifically, too
much low frequency EQ boost can actually
cause overload distortion or even harm a con-
nected speaker.
The specific EQ you will apply to your Acoustic
signal is very much dependent upon your
particular instrument and personal taste and
playing style. However, here are a few general
suggestions:
• For that super-warm or mellow sound, boost
low frequencies slightly while attenuating the
highest ones (leave mid-range frequencies
flat or slightly attenuated), as shown in the
illustration on the right.
• To remove boxiness and make your instru-
ment sound more “hi-fi,” try attenuating
mid-range frequencies while leaving low and
high frequency settings flat, as shown in the
illustration on the right.
• For a bright, cutting sound, try boosting the
high and high mid-range frequencies, as
shown in the illustration on the right.
• Whenever you get a really good EQ setting
for a particular instrument or song, write it
down (you’d be amazed how easy it is to for-
get these things!).
• Finally, as you experiment with the EQ con-
trols of the AC75 or AC150, don’t forget that
your acoustic probably provides EQ control,
so experiment by using both.
