Avantis Electric 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. In small rooms the amp on stage is often louder than the PA. Use the PA channel for definition in the far seats, not for volume.
Avantis note: The LPF on the Filter tab (20 Hz-20 kHz, 12 dB/oct) is the quickest way to apply the 6-10 kHz high-cut.
1High-pass filter
80-100 Hz
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 90 Hz, the middle of the card's 80-100 Hz.
Guitar cabinets put out low-end rumble that competes with bass and kick.
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
Attack Fast · Hold ~50 ms · Release ~200 ms
Illustration in the style of the Avantis gate screen, not a screenshot. The gate is optional here (high-gain amps only); the graph shows it in case you use it. Range drawn at 12.5 dB, the middle of the card's 10-15 dB. The threshold is an example only; set it by ear.
- Use
- Optional (high-gain amps only)
- Threshold
- Above amp hiss/hum between songs
- Attack
- Fast
- Hold
- ~50 ms
- Release
- ~200 ms
- Range
- 10-15 dB
Only if a noisy high-gain amp hisses between parts.
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 90 Hz, 12 dB/oct
- 1 Bell 300 Hz, -2.5 dB, width 0.9 oct
- 2 Bell 3 kHz, +0.0 dB, width 0.9 oct
- LPF High cut 8 kHz, 12 dB/oct
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; a band whose range runs from cut to boost sits at 0 dB.
| Frequency | Gain | Q / width | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200-400 Hz | -2 to -3 dB | Medium | Mud/boxiness, especially with the mic close to the speaker (proximity effect). |
| 2-4 kHz | -2 to +2 dB | Medium | Presence/bite. Boost for cut, cut if fizzy or harsh. |
| Above 6 kHz | High-cut / shelf down | LPF ~6-10 kHz | Fizz from distortion. Start high and lower it until the fizz goes; about 5 kHz pushes the guitar back. |
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 ~20 ms · Release ~150 ms (timing, not shown on graph)
Illustration in the style of the Avantis compressor screen, not a screenshot. Compression is optional here (None or 2:1); the graph shows 2:1 in case you use it. The threshold is an example only: it is set so a −6 dB peak gets about 1 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
- None or 2:1
- Attack
- ~20 ms
- Release
- ~150 ms
- Gain reduction
- 0-2 dB
Overdrive is already compressed; clean parts may benefit from light control.
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 send if the amp is dry
Plate / room, about 1 s decay, send around -20 to -15 dB (only if the amp is dry).
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.
Most guitarists bring their own reverb/delay.
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
In small rooms the amp on stage is often louder than the PA. Use the PA channel for definition in the far seats, not for volume.
Going further (2 optional tips)
Not needed to get a good start. Try these once the basics above sound right.
- AdvancedDynamic EQ on 2-4 kHz instead of a fixed cut
It only cuts fizz and harshness 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 2-4 kHz. A stock Avantis Solo has no dynamic EQ; Solo-U ships with dPack. Check Setup > Config > Add-Ons.
- IntermediateUse the real low-pass filter
The Avantis has a separate LPF, so all four PEQ bands stay free.
On the Avantis: Processing > Filter > LPF (20 Hz-20 kHz, 12 dB/oct), set 6-10 kHz.
Common gear for Electric Guitar
- Shure SM57 · Instrument mic
- Sennheiser e609 · Guitar amp mic
Scene / preset file
Coming later: downloadable Avantis channel preset for this card.
Sources
- Sweetwater InSync: EQ Frequencies of Musical Instruments Explained (Music Instrument Frequency Cheatsheet)
- Sweetwater InSync: How to EQ (Almost) Anything
- Shure: Microphone Techniques for Live Sound Reinforcement (PDF)
- 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)
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