ON A DIFFERENT FREQUENCY: SIX REASONS YOU NEED AN EQ PEDAL

by Dunlop Staff Contributor
// MXR
08-25-2023

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by: Dunlop Staff / 08-25-2023
MXR

What is an EQ pedal? A tone shaper, surely. But they can be much more than that.

MXR® offers two great options: the Six Band EQ and the Ten Band EQ. Modern classics, both feature noise-reduction circuitry, true bypass switching, brighter LEDs for increased visibility, and a lightweight aluminum housing. The Six Band covers all the essential guitar frequencies, from 100Hz to 3.kHz, while the Ten Band EQ gives you control over a wider range, from 31.25Hz to 16kHz—perfect for bass players and extended range guitar players.

With these pedals in mind, we talked to the gigging and recording musicians on our team and collected a list of compelling reasons that show why you should have an EQ pedal at all times.

MATCH UP WHEN YOU MAKE THE SWITCH

If you use multiple instruments during a show, or even during a recording session, having an MXR Six Band EQ or MXR Ten Band EQ can save you a lot of time you’d otherwise spend reconfiguring your settings every time you make the swap.

Let’s say you’re switching from an active bass to a passive bass. Or from a guitar with single-pickups to a guitar with humbuckers. Or even from an electric guitar to an acoustic one. That’s going to change up the overall sound of your signal chain.

But with an EQ pedal, you can adjust the frequencies—and input and output with the MXR Ten Band EQ—as needed to keep a consistent sound. Just set the sliders where you need them to make the second instrument match, and then kick the pedal on when it’s time to make the switch.

SHAPE EFFECTS

Sometimes, the EQ controls on a pedal just don’t give you enough control. Or a pedal might not offer any tone shaping at all. Putting an MXR Six Band EQ or MXR Ten Band EQ pedal in front of or after that effect, or even a group of effects, will allow you to create the exact sound you want to hear.

Want to tighten up a fuzz? Put your EQ pedal after it, and try cutting lower frequencies. Or give your overdrive and distortion pedals extra punch and presence by boosting the midrange. In other instances, you might want the EQ to come first—namely, when you want to control what the input signal is feeding into a particular effect. Experiment, and discover which setups work for you and your sound.

AN EXTRA PREAMP FOR YOUR AMP STACK

At the end of your signal chain, just before your amp, the MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ pedals shape everything that comes before—it’s like having an extra preamp. A pre-preamp, if you will. Sometimes, effects combos become unruly and imbalanced. An EQ pedal allows you to shape it all into a more cohesive sound before your amp works its magic.

Relatedly—if you have an amp that’s prone to tubby or thin sounds, placing an EQ pedal in the FX loop allows you to do some “under-the-hood” tweaks to pull off your perfect sound.

POP THOSE LEADS

The MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ—especially the Ten Band—can be used to draw all focus to your fancy leads. On the Six Band, just boost and cut the frequencies you need to make your notes stand out in a mix. With the Ten Band, do the same, but with Volume and Gain sliders, it’ll boost your whole signal into the stratosphere if you want it do. Just, you know, make sure that’s cool with your bandmates.

HANDY HOME RECORDING

Gaining control over your tone before it reaches the mixing board ensures the best version of your sound gets recorded. Just as with running the MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ pedals right before your amp stack, running them before the mixing board allows you to meld all the effects in your signal chain together—or put the finishing tonal touch on the sound of your instrument, especially if you’re unable to include your usual amp stack in the recording session.

What if you wanted to record at the mixing board AND mic your amp stack? The MXR Ten Band EQ has two outputs, allowing you to split your signal chain in two while keeping them both polished up and sounding great.

TAKE OVER THE STAGE

Playing live is unpredictable. Every venue sounds different. You might be forced to use backline gear. That means all your careful tweaking and testing during band practice goes out the window. An MXR Six Band EQ or MXR Ten Band EQ pedal on hand will save you a lot of time and frustration, allowing you to adapt sound of your rig to strange gear and stranger places.

FINE TUNES

The MXR Six Band EQ and MXR Ten Band EQ pedals give you all the sonic control you need to sound great and express the best version of your musical vision—whether you’re a home recorder in pursuit of the perfect tone or a live performer needing to adapt on the fly.[/read more]