Avantis Acoustic Guitar starting point
Beginner Skill level for the five steps below. Optional intermediate and advanced tips are in Going further.
Dial these in, then adjust by ear in the full mix. Feedback with pickups shows up as a low 'hum-swell' around 100-250 Hz. Cut that narrow-ish band rather than turning the whole channel down.
Avantis note: If you have dPack, a Dyn8 on Insert B can tame the 100-250 Hz boom only when it builds up, instead of a static cut.
1High-pass filter
80-120 Hz (full band), ~60 Hz (solo/duo)
Illustration in the style of the Avantis low cut / HPF, not a screenshot. Drawn at 12 dB/oct; the shaded area is what gets cut. Drawn at 100 Hz, the middle of the card's 80-120 Hz. The card also lists ~60 Hz (solo.
In a band, the bass covers the lows; in a sparse set, keep more body.
On the Avantis: Select the channel (touch its Name Block on the touchscreen, it shades green), set Screen Mode to Processing, then the Filter tab: HPF 20 Hz-2 kHz, slope 12 or 24 dB/oct, Butterworth or Bessel type (there's also an LPF). Gain, Pad, 48V (hold 1 s), Trim (+/-24 dB) and Polarity are on the Preamp tab.
2Gate
- Use
- No
Not needed.
On the Avantis: Processing > Gate tab: Threshold, Depth (Avantis' name for range), Attack, Hold, Release. Side Chain lets you pick the key source and switch in an HPF/LPF key filter. The Gate Library also offers a Ducker in place of the gate.
3EQ
- HPF 100 Hz, 12 dB/oct
- 1 Bell 175 Hz, -3.0 dB, width 0.9 oct
- 2 Bell 1 kHz, -2.0 dB, width 0.6 oct
- 3 Bell 4 kHz, +0.0 dB, width 1.5 oct
- 4 High shelf 11 kHz, +1.5 dB
Illustration in the style of the Avantis EQ screen, not a screenshot. Curve shows the midpoint of the suggested ranges; HPF drawn at 12 dB/oct; where the card lists alternatives, the first is drawn; a band whose range runs from cut to boost sits at 0 dB.
| Frequency | Gain | Q / width | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100-250 Hz | -2 to -4 dB | Medium | Boom/body build-up; also where feedback often starts with pickups. |
| ~1 kHz | -1 to -3 dB | Medium-narrow | Piezo 'quack'. Sweep to find it. |
| 3-5 kHz | 0 dB (up to +3 dB if it lacks presence) | Wide | Presence/strum definition. Start flat and add only if it lacks presence; too much makes it harsh. |
| 10-12 kHz shelf | +1 to +2 dB | Shelf | Sparkle/air. |
On the Avantis: Processing > PEQ tab: 4 bands, +/-15 dB each. Width is set in OCTAVES, not Q (roughly: 1.5 oct = Q 0.9, the widest; 1 oct = Q 1.4; 1/3 oct = Q 4.3). LF and HF bands switch between shelf, bell, or 12 dB/oct cut. Drag the dots on the graph, or pinch for width. PEQ runs before the compressor by default; swap per channel via Options (saved in the Show, not in Scenes).
4Compression
Attack 10-20 ms · Release 100-250 ms (timing, not shown on graph)
Illustration in the style of the Avantis compressor screen, not a screenshot. The threshold is an example only: it is set so a −6 dB peak gets about 3.5 dB of gain reduction, the middle of the card's target. Set yours by ear while watching the gain reduction (GR) meter. Drawn hard-knee with no makeup gain. Attack and release shape timing and don't change this curve.
- Ratio
- 3:1
- Attack
- 10-20 ms
- Release
- 100-250 ms
- Gain reduction
- 3-4 dB
Strummed vs fingerpicked parts vary a lot in level.
On the Avantis: Processing > Compressor tab: Threshold, Ratio (1:1 = no compression up to Infinity = limiter; the steps in between aren't published, so read the value on screen), Gain (makeup), Soft Knee, Attack, Release, Manual RMS or Manual Peak detector, Parallel Path for dry/wet blend, and a sidechain HPF/LPF. dPack adds DEEP compressor models (Opto, 16T, 16VU, etc.).
5FX send
Small reverb send
Plate / small hall, about 1.4 s decay, send around -18 to -12 dB.
Illustration in the style of the Avantis sends view, not a screenshot. Bus numbering depends on how the venue file is patched; set the level by ear.
Pickups sound dry and boxy; a little reverb helps.
On the Avantis: 12 RackExtra FX slots. In the FX screen's Back Panel, set the unit to Mix->Return and pick the FX send bus. To set a channel's send: press that FX send's Mix key on its master strip (input faders become send levels), or open Routing for the channel (On/Off, Pre/Post, level). Hold Pre + touch a Name Block to toggle pre/post.
Avantis specifics
- Avantis Solo runs the same Continuity UI, processing and 64-channel/42-bus engine as dual-screen Avantis, just with one 15.6" screen and 12 faders (Avantis has two screens and 24), so the steps above are the same on both.
- Dyn8 (multiband dynamics + dynamic EQ) only exists if dPack is installed (paid; 16 instances, or 24 on firmware 2.0+; check Setup > Config > Add-Ons). Insert it from the channel's Processing > Inserts tab: Insert A sits after the gate, Insert B after the PEQ/Comp. Handy for de-essing vocals or taming boomy acoustic guitars, but these cards don't assume you have it.
- Continuity UI: the strip rotaries handle gain or pan, and one button press folds the bank view to show EQ or compressor settings for every channel in the bank. Three soft rotaries take parameters you assign. Firmware 2.0 adds Smart Rotaries and PEQ, Source Expander and Dyn8 rotary options.
- Save a finished channel to the Input Channel Library (Preamp tab, or touch the selected-channel area). It stores filters, gate, PEQ, comp, delay and name/colour (plus preamp if you choose, and sends on 2.0 firmware). You pick which parts to recall.
🎧 What to listen for
Feedback with pickups shows up as a low 'hum-swell' around 100-250 Hz. Cut that narrow-ish band rather than turning the whole channel down.
Going further (3 optional tips)
Not needed to get a good start. Try these once the basics above sound right.
- AdvancedDynamic EQ on 100-250 Hz instead of a fixed cut
It only cuts boom when it builds up, so the rest of the time the sound stays full.
On the Avantis (needs dPack): Processing > Inserts > Insert B > assign a Dyn8, open the dynamic EQ view, set a band at 100-250 Hz. A stock Avantis Solo has no dynamic EQ; Solo-U ships with dPack. Check Setup > Config > Add-Ons.
- IntermediateNarrow cuts for feedback
A narrow cut at the ringing note keeps the guitar loud without feedback.
On the Avantis: PEQ, a middle band at a narrow width (1/3 oct down to the narrowest, 1/9 oct), sweep until the ring drops, cut 3-6 dB.
- IntermediateCopy one channel's settings to the others
Saves time when several mics need the same starting point.
On the Avantis: hold Copy and touch the processing block (e.g. Gate) on screen, select the next channel, hold Paste and touch the same block. Save finished channels to the Input Channel Library (Preamp tab).
Common gear for Acoustic Guitar
- Radial ProDI · Passive DI box
- LR Baggs Venue DI · Acoustic preamp/DI
Scene / preset file
Coming later: downloadable Avantis channel preset for this card.
Sources
- Sweetwater InSync: How to EQ (Almost) Anything
- Sweetwater InSync: EQ Frequencies of Musical Instruments Explained (Music Instrument Frequency Cheatsheet)
- Allen & Heath Support: Avantis Processing (Preamp, Filter, Gate, Inserts, PEQ, Compressor), updated 13 Apr 2026
- Allen & Heath Support: Avantis Continuity UI (screen modes, Name Blocks, Pre/Copy/Safes keys), updated 13 Apr 2026
- Allen & Heath: Avantis Firmware Reference Guide V1.30 (PDF; Routing > Aux and FX sends, FX Back Panel)
- Allen & Heath Support: Avantis 2.0 FAQ (dPack, Dyn8, Smart Rotaries, models)
- Allen & Heath Support: Avantis Solo Getting Started Guide
- Allen & Heath Support: Avantis Getting Started Guide (Mix key send modes)
- Sweetwater InSync: 8 Essential EQ Tips for Live Sound
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