When trying out a new piece of gear, finding a starting point for the settings should be easy and methodical. Adjusting the controls to the halfway point on their spectrum creates equal room for turning them up or down and quickly shows the range of each particular control. In that position, knobs with markers will be pointing straight up, mimicking the 12 o’clock position of analog clock hands. This “12 o’clock test” works particularly well with instrument amplifiers and effects pedals. Although not as practical with eq, dynamics processors, virtual effects, etc, the principle remains the same; start at the mid-point of a control’s spectrum and dial up and down to hear what the control does to the sound, what the range of it is, and where the sweet spot is to your ear. Starting with the volume control all the way down and slowly turning it up to a comfortable listening level, or unity gain in the case of effects, is also a good trick to add to the 12 o’clock test.

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The 12 o’clock Test

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