The Elements Mid eq controls

[graelignites]

I got a binary white Elements this weekend and am loving it so far! I do have a question about the mid eq controls however. The bass and trebel eq seems to have a very expansive boost/cut range, however the mid control on mine seems to be quite the opposite. Reguardless of the mid frequency focus, boosting or cutting the mids seems to have very little effect. There is a subtle difference when switching between the modes, but I feel like it is extremely small (like a deble or two) compared to the bass and trebel. Is this normal? I love the pedal either way, just found it odd that all the other controls seem to be extremely flexible, and I figured it doesn't hurt to check.

Thanks!

[Bartimaeus]

The mids switch changes the mids frequency which is cut, but not the amount.

If you find that the mids knob isn't giving you enough, perhaps try lowering both the treble and the bass by the same amount, which should as a result cause the mids to be more prominent.

[graelignites]

Thanks for the reply. Yup, I fully understand the mid focus toggle and eq knob, just saying that any adjustments to the mids range from either extremely subtle to barely noticeable on my pedal regardless of frequency, boost, or cut. Since I got it used I'm just curious if this is normal for the pedal. Again, it's a phenomenal pedal either way, just surprised that the mids don't seem to have the versatility/range that the highs and lows do, with that mid focus knob I thought it would be one of the most tweakable aspects

[goroth]

That doesn't sound right. It should be able to go from super scooped to really middy. I dunno, maybe try setting treble and bass at 12 o'clock and mid switch on 800 hz. Make sure your amp isn't too scooped. Try mids knob fully ccw and fully cw. If the difference isn't fairly radical pm Ryan and see what's up with your elements.

[Scruffie]

That doesn't sound right. It should be able to go from super scooped to really middy. I dunno, maybe try setting treble and bass at 12 o'clock and mid switch on 800 hz. Make sure your amp isn't too scooped. Try mids knob fully ccw and fully cw. If the difference isn't fairly radical pm Ryan and see what's up with your elements.

Mine's the same, I can't get a mid-scoop really, think it might be a bit amp dependant as I don't think anything's wrong with mine.

[misterstomach]

mine is fairly similar. i don't think i could get it scooped, per se. it's still a very versatile pedal and fucking awesome, but yeah, the mids controls are pretty subtle.

[goroth]

Wow. Interesting!

[Achtane]

Same
It's subtle like the mids switch on my TAFM. It does something, but I wouldn't necessarily lament it if it wasn't there.
Either way, I still keep it at 100% like all mids knobs.

[Ryan]

Hey graelignites, welcome to ILF and thanks for picking up an Elements!

The mids knob is as powerful as the bass and treble controls, 20ish dB of boost or cut, but people aren't very objective about their mids.. a lot of people have no mids in their signal and don't even know it.

You have to have mids for the mids knob to work... if you play a bass, it won't do much. Play a really low tuned guitar? It won't do much. Have the mids knob on your amp all the way down? It won't do much. Play on your neck pickup or the cancelling middle position? It won't do much.

When I play through a Tele on the bridge pickup the mids control is crazy powerful... when I play through my really low tuned Les Paul, it doesn't do much.

I always use the mids knobs at the extremes for the most midrange-bang for the buck, don't be afraid to turn it all the way up or all the way down, the most interesting sounds are definitely at the extremes. Also make sure to use the right midrange setting for the right sound... like if you want a scooped sound, turn the knob all the way down and then use the upper or lower midrange toggle settings for the most dramatic eqing. Click to the upper bass toggle as well, makes it more dramatic sounding vs the lower position.

[graelignites]

Hi Ryan, (and everyone else who has responded) thanks for the welcome and input.

So far I have only had a chance to test it with my Duncan JB equipped SG, but will try in on my strats and teles tonight. I play in standard or drop-d at the lowest generally, so my fundamental frequencies shouldn't be too extreme. The JB is notorious for having a fairly strong mid-presence, so I don't think I should be lacking anything there (but who knows!). I'm running into either a late 60's/early 70's silver face Fender Bassman or the clean channel of a Fender X2, so plenty of headroom and adjustable mids on the x2.

Absolutely love the pedal either way (might even have to get a second!), but since I did get this one used I would like to make sure there is nothing suspect with it, and the mids definately don't seem to have the 20ish dB range of the bass/treble, I would say its more in the 1-3dB range, like a really small eq bump you would make while mixing/mastering. If I have time tonight I'll try to make a quick knob sweep clip to compare.

Thanks again!

[Ryan]

I wouldn't expect much midrange response through a Bassman...

It's hard to say though if your pedal has a problem or not.. I highly doubt it and have never seen that happen before, a control just become 'weak'.. and from the testimonies here it sounds like a few guys don't find the midrange very powerful. That surprises me but I think it's highly gear dependent, like everything with guitar pedals.

[Bartimaeus]

Not that I really intent to do so, but more out of curiosity, would there be any way to mod for even more mids? Change in Pot and/or resistor values? My knowledge of circuitry is painfully weak, and with something like the Elements I don't mean to be oversimplifying the mids boost section. More just wondering if there's some sort of quick fix SUPERMIDS mod that could potentially be done.

[Ryan]

Naw, I don't think so... all the EQ controls are optimized for as much bang for the buck as they can be.. if they could do more I'd already have it set that way.

[sylnau]

On my setup (PRS CE-22 / Bogner Duende), the mid knob and switch are working fine (lots of range).
There's no mid knob on my amp.

[Scruffie]

Thinking about it, it acts a lot more like an amps mid control really compared to thinking of a 'metal' pedal which probably has a gyrator notching frequencies to make it super scooped.

It definitely works and has a more musically useful effect and live it gives a great scooped tone without actually stealing your mids too much even thought it is if that makes sense.