Messing around with tone control!

May 12, 2018

I'm thrilled with my newest silver (brushed aluminum) box from Schiit Audio Ltd... the Loki. If you're curious about it, these 2 links by Jason Stoddard and Robert Hunter can give you more background about the product.

I’m having a blast screwing around with the knobs. For the curious, the following is my method:

a. I hit the books. I borrowed a copy of Home Studio Recording For Dummies from my library. It had an entire chapter on equalizing ones' work. I made copies of Tables 14-1 (EQ Frequency Sound Characteristics) and Table 14-2 (EQ Recommendations per Instrument [15 different ones]). For newcomers like me, I'd recommend this resource for night-time reading.
b. Add labels to my Loki. 1, 2, 3, 4 to match the knobs.
c. I used Schiit's Loki manual to define "bass", " mid-bass", "mid-range", and "treble".
d. Now the interpretation starts: I attempted to match the Loki's adjustment frequencies (20 Hz, 400 Hz, 2 kHz, and 8kHz) to tables 14-1 and 14-2.
e. When I want to "add body or depth"... or "reduce muddiness"... or "cut sibilance [I think that's the hissssssss I used to hear in cassette tapes]", I use my tables and gently muck about with the appropriate knob.

f. I keep my expectations in check. It's a great toy that helps me appreciate the ART of producing audio recordings.

May 23, 2018

STRICTLY FOR YOUR INFORMATION:

I wanted to dig deeper into tone control... how EXACTLY does my LOKI work? I read @Baldr & @Jason Stoddard 's blogs at head-fi dot org and realized that I'm NOT an electrician (and we should worship those people [and preach, let your baby grow up to be a sparky]). Anyway, I discovered guitar builders have many resources about how tone control is used to affect output (i.e., a guitar isn't simply plugged into an amp and then into a stack of loudspeakers). For those who want more background, here are 2 suggested resources:
Which control pot to use.
...and...
How a tone control works.