I have HPF/LPF combo (Broughton RFE) at the end of my signal chain (before DI box) plus another HPF (Broughton HPF-DI) towards the beginnings of my signal chain (after wireless receiver, compressor and octaver).
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Low + High Pass Filter location
- Thread starter eottjake
- Start date
The only option I didn’t see was end of chain but AFTER the DI, especially for HPF. If you’re using them to EQ your rig, my preference is to send the house everything post effects but keep things that eq what you hear on stage after.
The HPF / LPF combo pedal is akin to putting salt & pepper in the same shaker...I prefer separate dedicated components as their applications vary widely as contributors have attested. Normally, I would put the HPF in front of the compressor but there are no hard & fast rules.
Riis
Riis
this is why the correct answer is 2 hpf/lpf pedals. One at the beginning of the chain to control what goes into your dirt pedals, and one at the end of the chain to control what goes into your amp and adjust the 2nd one to fit the room.
The reason I only put those 3 options in the poll was to try to come up with the best option with what I have available (aka without purchasing another filter).
Anyone able to chime in on the Oracle's HPF?
Anyone able to chime in on the Oracle's HPF?
It wont take away from your b string. It will clean it up. Grab a good set of headphones and watch this video. I have it saved - great video.
HPF Video
Because that 40hz filter is probably actually a shelving filter that cuts frequencies well above 40hz
Not to pick on anybody's approach...I just want to note that sub-audible signals can be generated at other parts of the signal chain as well-especially if one uses octaver or synth...
Just saying.
Yes, they can, and you might want a second high pass to clean that up - if the octaver or synth doesn't do that on its own (it should if it's designed properly). I will also throw in that you want your octaver or synth to see just the musical (intended) signal, and not be trying to figure out what's intended and what isn't. If you throw all of that at that pedal unfiltered, it'll probably track like crap, and make even stranger than normal signals, or put a delay into getting to the right note, as it's letting the transient die, and trying to figure out what to do.
Last edited:
Amp EQ is generally a shelving EQ (as mentioned above). The HPF being discussed is a 2-pole filter which is a -12 dB per octave slope, and that is much more aggressive than shelf cuts.
Here's a way to visualize the difference.
Correct.
To some up: there should be at least one HPF/LPF pedal placed before and after any other pedal...
Just kiddin'..
Where you set your high pass filter's cutoff is key to getting things to work properly. I play ampless gigs, where the PA is more than capable of reproducing the fundamental of a low B. There, you just need to remove the sub-audible stuff (My high pass filter is set at 20 Hz), and you're good. If, however, you're playing through a bass amp, you'll find that the speaker cabinet won't reproduce a low B well (it's not even good at a low E), and a higher cutoff on your high pass filter is appropriate to keep from overdriving your speakers.
There is an ongoing thought/"common wisdom" around here that really low frequencies are a source of mud. That's not usually the case - the presence of really low frequencies themselves isn't the problem (If you have the chance to do FOH in a place with a really capable, PA, this is obvious - really low frequencies give you great impact, not mud), though sometimes a room mode will be the prominent in that spectral area, and there you might need to deal with that mode. The "bad" thing that really low frequencies do is they drive your bass guitar cabinet into too much excursion, and it distorts - that distortion (which occurs higher up spectrally) is the mud in most cases. So, it SEEMS like really low frequencies are the issue, as a HPF helps, but...if your bass guitar rig was capable enough, you wouldn't need the HPF for anything but the sub-audible stuff. Of course, your bass rig would be the size of a concert PA, and it wouldn't fit into your car or be easy to move....
Last edited:
Salt+pepper in the same shaker is my go-to for seasoning brisket. Just saying
Well this was great. Thanks for the link! Seeing him demo live with the tone basically unchanging and seeing the speaker no longer suffering was huge. I had never pushed my HPF above ~80 hz before, so I was worried that a HPF permanently set at 100hz would affect my sound too much.
The Zeus has an octaver in it, so thanks for mentioning this. Will likely find myself using it more often now.
So I'll be putting the Broughton at the end of the chain and utilizing the Oracle's HPF. Nice, clean chain throughout.
Now I just have to wait for the mail...
In my case, it's totally different. I'm waiting for UPS..... ;-)
I'll add this. I truly enjoy the academic discussion on finding optimal deployment scenarios with all pedals, but if circumstances do not allow for it, it's probably not worth wrecking your head over.
I drop my HPF+LPF after everything else but right before a VTDI, because I like it at the end of chain but had to eliminate my standalone DI for reasons. I still get 90% of the desired effects.
I drop my HPF+LPF after everything else but right before a VTDI, because I like it at the end of chain but had to eliminate my standalone DI for reasons. I still get 90% of the desired effects.
I had to look up cromulent. Simpsons reference and a new word for me
My approach also. I always prefer HPF first. I like to hear what my fundamental tone is hitting the rest of the signal chain. I understand some players want to control the low end of the combined signal chain as a whole, but for me, that always seems counter-intuitive to getting the best out of the rest of the effects. And still, every chain is unique, which is another way of saying there genuinely is no right approach.
You've gotten me thinking now. I use a helix into a headrest frfr speaker and to FOH. I have a per patch hpf/lpf at the end of each preset to pull my frfr into typical bass combo eq response (I don't like cab blocks or IR, but that's another discussion) I generally set this at around 50hz and 5khz respectively - the low cut is set to match the rolloff of the frfr speaker and protect it.
I also use the hpf and lpf within the global eq that only affect my onstage frfr signal to adjust for acoustic anomalies.
I'm now thinking to split my per patch hpf/lpf block so that the hpf is at the start of the chain and the lpf at the end.
That said, some patches add low end frequencies, such as synths, octave and pitch shifting effects. So maybe I should have a conservatively set hpf at the start of the chain to remove unnecessary low frequencies and clean up my signal, another at the end as I currently do to protect my speaker, and lastly the hpf/lpf in global eq to adjust for room acoustics.
Is there such thing as too my hpf? Will it be too "lumpy"? I believe the helix hpf blocks are -12db per octave, so fairly subtle.
Thoughts?
I also use the hpf and lpf within the global eq that only affect my onstage frfr signal to adjust for acoustic anomalies.
I'm now thinking to split my per patch hpf/lpf block so that the hpf is at the start of the chain and the lpf at the end.
That said, some patches add low end frequencies, such as synths, octave and pitch shifting effects. So maybe I should have a conservatively set hpf at the start of the chain to remove unnecessary low frequencies and clean up my signal, another at the end as I currently do to protect my speaker, and lastly the hpf/lpf in global eq to adjust for room acoustics.
Is there such thing as too my hpf? Will it be too "lumpy"? I believe the helix hpf blocks are -12db per octave, so fairly subtle.
Thoughts?
I don't think there will be too much HPF. I'm thinking of it as keeping everything neat and tidy, and doing my part to help the mix (especially when soundguys aren't available or aren't experienced)