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Battery Box W/ Bass Roll Off Question

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vansmack

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Such a great question. I wish I knew what the norm is, myself. I don't have a bass rolloff box but it'd be nice to have sometimes. I've got one recording that got nicely overloaded by some real LOOOOW rumbling bass. Anyway, I found this old thread...hope it can help.

EDIT: Oops. Forgot the link...

Bass Rolloff For Dummies: http://forums.minidisc.org/index.php?showtopic=9095

Edited by Skradgee
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I'll be recording a  show this Sunday (System Of a down) It's at a very loud indoor venue.  Any tips on what level my bass roll off should be.  69Hz ,95Hz??

Depending on the venue, the acoustics, how close you happen to be to the stage, and how bass-heavy the sound guys have it set up.... I'd be thinking 95 or 107 Hz (the options available on the battery box I use)....

Edited by bigbeefdog
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Just so i get it straight..The higher the number the less bassy my recordings will be?  I'll be sittting very close to the stage at a very loud indoor venue.

Yes. The higher the number, the higher the frequency at which the attenuation begins. But keep in mind that it is a roll-off below that freq, not a hard cutoff.

As an example, the lowest E note on a four-string bass is 41 Hz. If you set the battery box rolloff to 69 Hz, there will be some tapering down of everything below 69 Hz, including the 41 Hz signal when the low E is played, but it will still be plenty loud on the recording. If you set the roll-off frequency to 95 Hz, the attenuation will begin there, and there will be a bit MORE roll-off at 41 Hz (that's a little over an octave from 95 down to 41, so if it's a 12 dB/octave taper, the lowest bass will be cut by a little more than 12 dB). Set it at 107 Hz, and there will be even more cut at 41 Hz - but it will almost certainly still be "in the mix".

Much of it depends on the "boominess" of the venue, of the settings used by the sound man, whether your mics happen to be in a corner (where bass frequencies can be stronger) etc. If the venue is very large, and the bass seems normal-to-weak, you might get away with the 69 Hz.

But as a bass player myself, one who records my own band's practices and gigs on a regular basis, I have the best results starting the taper at 95 or 107 Hz. And if you have access to an equalizer, it's usually possible to boost weak lows after the show. It's NOT possible to repair a brickwalled, bass-distorted recording.

Good luck; let us know how it works out.

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Yes.  The higher the number, the higher the frequency at which the attenuation begins.  But keep in mind that it is a roll-off below that freq, not a hard cutoff.

As an example, the lowest E note on a four-string bass is 41 Hz.  If you set the battery box rolloff to 69 Hz, there will be some tapering down of everything below 69 Hz, including the 41 Hz signal when the low E is played, but it will still be plenty loud on the recording.  If you set the roll-off frequency to 95 Hz, the attenuation will begin there, and there will be a bit MORE roll-off at 41 Hz (that's a little over an octave from 95 down to 41, so if it's a 12 dB/octave taper, the lowest bass will be cut by a little more than 12 dB).  Set it at 107 Hz, and there will be even more cut at 41 Hz - but it will almost certainly still be "in the mix".

Much of it depends on the "boominess" of the venue, of the settings used by the sound man, whether your mics happen to be in a corner (where bass frequencies can be stronger) etc.  If the venue is very large, and the bass seems normal-to-weak, you might get away with the 69 Hz.

But as a bass player myself, one who records my own band's practices and gigs on a regular basis, I have the best results starting the taper at 95 or 107 Hz.  And if you have access to an equalizer, it's usually possible to boost weak lows after the show.  It's NOT possible to repair a brickwalled, bass-distorted recording.

Good luck; let us know how it works out.

Thanks for the advice....I'm taping tonight in a mid size indoor venue(7,000 seats) I'm very close to the stage 14 rows back to the right...the venue I'm taping at (Universal Amitheatre) is extremly loud. I thing I'll st up at 95Hz.

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