Thunderfunk Bass Amplifiers - Volume Control

10 | ThunderfunkBassAmpliersUsersManual
ToneRevisited
HowyousetyourEQdependsonstyle,equipment,theroom,cabinetplacement,audience
quantity, etc. When playing in different rooms, cabinet placement and room acoustics play a criti-
calroll,foreveryonebutespeciallyforbass.Manyclubs,auditoriums,rehearsalhalls,etc.tend
tonaturallyenhancethefrequenciesbelow50Hz,whilepeopleintheroomabsorbthehigher
frequencies.ThisiscalledFrequencyEnhancement,andsometimesitisgood,sometimesitcauses
difculties.Lowfrequenciesdotendtobeomni-directional–youcan’treallytellwheretheyare
comingfrom.Placingthecabinetonaraisedwoodenstagewillacousticallycoupleitandsigni-
cantly boost fundamental frequencies. Setting it against the wall can couple the walls to your
speaker cone, and placement in a corner can add even more effect. Combine all these and exces-
sive “boominess” is a common result. It is not heard on stage, but often is at the back of the room.
To be felt as well as heard, try backing off the bass a little while boosting the upper-mids or treble
a bit.
When playing with other musicians, it is not unusual for instrument frequencies to interfere with
eachother.ThisisFrequencyMasking.EQsettingsthatonceseemedsoperfect,don’tworkwell
inadifferentroom.WhileaThunderfunkisoftenused“at”withnoadditionalEQ,thesound
next to the cabinet WILL be different than it is in other places in the room. This phenomena is
universal and is often more noticeable in the audience than on stage, and it is not uncommon for
the bass sound to seem a little thin on stage and the same time sound quite muddy at the back of
the room.
ThegoodnewsistheThunderfunkcanbeadjustedtonearlyanytoneimaginable.Ultimatelyit
boils down to experience, a good trained ear, and practice. If you get a sound check, or play the
same place often, move around to hear what it sounds like in different places. Try new things. Get
someone you trust to help, but remember: a little goes a long way, and a couple of dB’s of EQ, or
relocation of the cabinet, or a different cabinet may be all you need to solve these issues. One
other item: if you have guitar players in the band, ask them to follow the Les Paul rule. Les Paul’s
cardinal rule is this: point guitar speakers directly at the guitar player’s ear. Between us bass play-
ers, everyone will be glad when that happens.
Volume Control
Adjuststheoverallamplieroutput.Theactualvolumeofyourelectro-acousticsystemisdeter-
mined by many elements, the most important being the sensitivity of the speakers. A speaker sys-
temwithasensitivitythatis10dBmorethananotherspeakersystemwillsoundTWICEasloud.