EQ settings for Genos tutorial

[Dave Nuttall]

I use the original EQ Gold settings for all venues – home and away. When I record the Genos into my DAW, I reset it to Flat and use the DAW effects and EQ, which are far more accurate and flexible.

Where can we see "the original EQ Gold settings", Lee?

TIA.
Dave

[Lee Batchelor]

That all makes sense, John.

Good point about your DXR8 speakers being set for front of house versus flat. I have never used them but that's a handy setting. You're sure right about a square room being the worst place to get the bass correct. The standing waves issue is huge! You're better to run the speakers flat and tweak the settings inside the Genos. I wish the Genos parametric EQ was graphic, just like in Cubase.

I think the EQ Gold settings, which I have tweaked from the originally posted ones, are perhaps a bit extreme but seem to work in most venues outside my home. To be fair, I have never messed around with some of the other preset EQ  curves offered by Yamaha. I should give it a try sometime, if this Covid thing ever goes away. On the other hand, after setting up for a show, there's seldom time to be playing with those settings and all bets are off once the people start streaming in. As performers, we must acknowledge that getting the perfect sound balance in any venue is a guess at best. Those who play strictly at home have the greatest advantage. They can tweak their Genos to perfection.

I'm lucky to have a well-padded room for my music. The room is somewhat odd shaped and is 34 feet by 22 feet (or about 11 meters by 7 meters for all you non U.S. folks). It also serves as my home theatre. When I set up to practice for a show, I use all my external PA gear (Bose and homemade 15 inch sub). I aim the system at myself from about 15 feet away. I get a pretty good idea as to what the final mix will sound like.

Yes, sound is a mad scientist. We must acknowledge that we can get it close but never perfect.

[Lee Batchelor]

Where can we see "the original EQ Gold settings", Lee?
TIA.
Dave

Thanks for bringing that up, Dave. I re-read my post and realized I made an error. I should have written, "I use my modified EQ Gold settings..."

I don't use the original EQ Gold settings because they contained a few extremes. I attached the settings. Notice the massive 12dB boost at 32 Hz?! A 10dB boost represents twice perceived volume. Also, there is no Q setting available, which means the creator was probably trying to push the frequency selection up into the 40 to 50 Hz range where much of the low bass guitar frequencies reside. There are better ways to enhance bass. To be fair, it may have worked for whatever speakers he used to create these settings. The 10dB boost at 4 KHz is extreme too.

I think these extreme settings were created in an attempt to compensate for poor speakers - possible those that came with the Genos ?

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[JohnS (Ugawoga)]

Hi lee
The Gold settings to me sound is more powerful and may be better for gigging.
Sound is a really funny thing as i remember when i used to do disco's in the 70s and 80s
I had a speaker cone that went in my Citronic Europer bins and i could hear the tweeter horns playing.
It sounded like a transistor radio and very distant sounding, but when a new speaker was put in it becomes very powerful and brings out all the highs like hi -hats for example.
Another one was at a gig listening to a band warming up. A lead guitarist practicing, it blew your ears off with that high pitched sound they can make, but soon as the bass guitarist joins in and drums the guitar sounds more warmer and not so loud. Sound is very deceptive at times for your ears and also perception.
Well lee it looks like your studio room is more rectangular than mine and that is better for the mix environment, but i have the secret weapon now in Sonarworks.
I am getting better a mixes slowly , but that is a dark art to get to the level of a studio masterer.
It is all about experience and learning. What a long curve

All the best
John

[Lee Batchelor]

Fully agreed, John. It takes years to get the mix right - both on and off stage.

There's one thing about guitar amps that few people realize. Guitar amps do not respond linearly like a good PA system. The higher the note played on the guitar neck, the louder the sound is. That is why playing an electric guitar straight through a PA speaker sounds terrible and lifeless. It also explains why in large concert venues, the guitarist still uses his or her regular Fender amp with a mic placed in front of it or through a line level signal sent to the main board. When the signal makes it to the large PA, the sound is the same as that from the guitar amp, just louder.

There is a cost though. Every time you see a guitarist setting the guitar level, he or she tends to play chords or notes on the low end of the neck. They set the amp volume up so those notes are plenty loud enough. The problem starts when they go high up on the neck for solos and fills. They're WAY too loud and drown out every other instrument and vocal. This is due to the logarithmic response curve of the guitar amp. I love having a good guitarist for backup but there should be a rule: they need to put their amps on a speaker stand aimed right at their ear level. Only then, will they understand how loud they are playing in the stage mix.

Sorry for wandering off topic, but we are talking dynamics !