PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER:
(Continued)
the bandwidth and expect to have a great sound. Make small moves and then
allow your ears time to adjust to the difference. With controls this powerful EQ Hangover is part of the buzz. Don't be surprised if after
tweaking for an hour with the PARAMETRIC, you go back to your starting point and think the amp is broken it's not, your ears are
suffering from an overdose of EQ.
May we suggest that the old saying “less is more”, applies here beautifully. More often than not a better sound is achieved by notching
(cutting) frequencies that you want less of with the respective GAIN control, than boosting desirable frequencies. In this way your ears
can evaluate the differences better and get a bead on the next adjustment because you are not escalating the volume level as you go.
More importantly, you are less likely to create a sound with excess noise.
FREQUENCY CONTROLS:
These 3 rotary controls divide up the frequency spectrum into three sweepable Q bands that allow
you to center-in on any frequency within each band and then cut or boost each with its accompanying GAIN control. As you may have
noticed, the bands overlap so that you can use adjacent bands to manipulate frequencies that are very close to each other frequency
wise. One great thing about a 3 Band PARAMETRIC is in its ease of use. Because of the limited number of bands, each of them fall
into the immediately recognizable regions of Low, Mid and High. While some say that this limits shaping
power by offering divisions that are too broad for accurate equalization, others greatly prefer this more
straight forward approach - citing its more direct line to a great sound. Because there is truth in both
these lines of thinking, we build both styles of EQ (
M-PULSE 600
and
360
offer 5 Band PARAMET-
RIC EQ). However, the
WalkAbout
certainly doesn't suffer from its 3 Band SEMI-PARAMETRIC EQ
simplicity. Its quite the opposite, many players actually prefer this style and are able to get everything
they need quickly and accurately. The bands are labeled in order from low to high frequency at their
center (12:00) point as 60Hz, 340Hz and 2Khz. These numbers represent the bands center point and
the FREQUENCY control sweeps the range from the two numbers at opposing ends of the control
range. For example, the 60Hz band can be set to focus on frequencies between 30Hz and 300Hz with
60Hz being the control Center at 12:00 (straight up). The 340Hz band is especially powerful as it can
sweep between the high-bass/low-mid region of 200Hz and the high-mid/low-high region of as high as
2Khz. You will come to find this band possibly the most useful as it affects the most used and audibly sensitive regions.
Certain frequencies are heard by the ear differently, and it is a fair assumption that the majority of us are much more sensitive to
midrange and lower treble frequencies, while we are more “tolerant” of sub-low and super-high frequencies. Because we all hear
differently and this frequency sensitivity exists in all of us to some degree, it is normal for some FREQUENCY control settings within
the bands to seem more powerful and others to seem weaker for the same relevant GAIN setting. This is normal and no, your
WalkAbout
is not misbehaving. Usually the lowest (60Hz) and highest (2Khz) are the most susceptable to this with the most
extreme low and extreme high showcasing this phenomenon. These settings may require a slightly higher GAIN setting than you are
used to seeing to achieve the desired shaping result.
NOTE: The highest band (2Khz) of the SEMI-PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER can be extremely powerful. For this reason use care with
the GAIN controls in these ranges as high settings will produce unwanted background noise in the form of hiss or white noise. This is
made worse if the TREBLE control is set in its higher range. If you need a sound with a large amount of these Treble frequencies in
your mix, approach it from a different angle. Begin by notching lower frequencies in the other bands, as opposed to boosting the
higher bands with the lower bands set more flat. This scheme will greatly improve the noise floor and still allow you to achieve the
desired boost in higher frequencies.
NOTE: May we again humbly suggest using the PARAMETRIC EQ to fine-tune your sound with subtle adjustments. Much like a car
with an engine capable of ridiculous speeds, the
WalkAbout
incorporates this shaping device capable of ruining a great tone in the
hands of the unwary driver. Use this powerful tool with taste and music in mind and avoid settings that are so extreme that they blow
holes in what could otherwise be a great sound.
FRONT PANEL CONTROLS:
(Continued)
0 db 0 0
60 Hz 340Hz 2K
PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER
30 300 200 2K 1.2K 12K
-15 +
- +
- +15
PAGE 7