as part of the overall mix of a body of sound, to enable it to be
perceived as full, natural or balanced. An alternative view would be
that carefully tuned active EQ boost and cut can be used creatively
beyond just problem solving
10.4.4 BEATING PIEZO “QUACK”
The infamous piezo “quack” is a transient spike which upsets the
smooth operation of amplifiers and creates a brief unpleasant noise
or distortion. It occurs between about 950 Hz and 5kHz, but is
usually centred between 1.5 kHz and 3.5 kHz, depending on the
instrument, pickup and setup
EDB-2 VAP performs this function more effectively than other
methods when the valve is dialled into the mix in sufficient
proportion
Try cutting Presence Control or a more severe and accurate bearing
down on it by setting Notch Q-Width Control at the most narrow
ACW position and turning Notch Frequency Selector CW to around
2-4 o’clock, listening carefully while strumming hard on top 3 strings
and damping off the sustain with hand techniques. This enables
hearing the initial attack which is where most “quack” resides. Then
try moving the Notch Frequency Selector control slightly either way
until it is minimised
Next try widening the frequency cut by turning Notch Frequency
Selector CW to further “hollow out” the worst culprit frequencies
In addition, you may compensate for your possible loss of
brightness, by turning up Treble Control CW and/or H.E.A.T High
P. 61
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