SWR Baby Baby Blue Owner's Manual page 8

EQ DEFEAT SWITCH
Located on the Aural Enhancer Control knob, this feature gives you the ability to easily defeat whatever EQ
settings you have dialed in on the semi-parametric active tone controls of your Baby Baby Blue. To activate
the feature, simply pull out on the Aural Enhancer knob until you hear a "click." Push the control back in to
re-activate the EQ circuitry. This simple feature can be very useful in studio situations (imagine the engi-
neer telling you, "OK, let's hear your EQ. Now let's hear it without it."), or for your own "A/B test" in ana-
lyzing how you have set your tone controls in comparison to a flat response.
THREE-BAND SEMI-PARAMETRIC EQUALIZER: A BASIC PRIMER
The EQ section of the Baby Baby Blue is our top-of-the-line tone-shaping circuitry, an elaborate system that
allows you to choose three separate frequency center points and cut and boost them at a level of detail
scarcely found on small combos on the market today. They have the ability to: a) correct "dead" and "hot"
spots that may be inherent in your instrument; b) correct the effects of poor room acoustics on your bass
sound; c) bring life to old strings; d) correct peaks or dips in speaker systems; and, best of all, e) bring
out the best sonic qualities of your instrument and your playing technique. At first glance the number of
controls and variables may seem fairly complicated. But once you get acquainted with how to use and
apply the three bands of EQ, the possibilities for tone-shaping are practically limitless.
WHAT DOES "SEMI-PARAMETRIC" MEAN?
In this case, the term "semi-parametric" means that each EQ control contains two functions:
a) A level boost/cut function
b) A frequency select function
A semi-parametric EQ has the advantage of allowing you to select which frequency is cut or boosted by the
level control. A regular EQ as found on most amps has fixed center frequencies which cannot be altered by
the user. (For the record, a fully parametric EQ contains three functions: the two listed above, plus a band-
width or "Q" control.)
USING THE SEMI-PARAMETRIC EQ CONTROLS
On each band of the semi-parametric EQ there are two concentric knobs. The inner knob is the LEVEL con-
trol. It cuts or boosts the frequency set by the FREQUENCY control, which is the outer knob. If the LEVEL
control is in its center position (or "flat"), that band will be essentially off. In this case, moving the fre-
quency (outer) knob with the level control in the flat position will have NO AFFECT on the sound or tonal
structure. The level control MUST be in a cut or boost (off center) for any change in tone to be audible.
How will you know when the level control is in the center (or "flat") position? Easy—a center click has
been provided, which you'll feel "snap" into place when the indicator points to 12:00. In addition, the fre-
quency control knobs are equipped with twenty-four stepped positions so that you can easily return to a
desired setting.
BECOMING FAMILIAR WITH FREQUENCIES
Most people intuitively understand boosting and cutting "bass," "mid" or "treble." But how do all these
frequencies relate to what you think of as "bass" or "treble"? Try this on each of the three controls:
a) Raise the level control close to +15
b) Play one note repeatedly (open "A" is a good choice)
c) Rotate the frequency control slowly from one end to the other
On each band, you should notice an audible "sweep," like of like a wah-wah pedal opening up. Each of the
three bands will accentuate a different range of frequencies, and you can begin to correlate numbers with
certain sounds. Chances are that, with each section, you'll find a couple of positions that are either pleas-
ing or unpleasing to your ear. As you notice this, adjust the level control of that band to the desired
amount of cut or boost.
After finding a position on each control, activate the EQ DEFEAT switch (located on the Aural Enhancer
6 • BABY BABY BLUE OWNER'S MANUAL