Scooped:  Missing the mids or middle frequencies of the tone.  Bass and treble tones stand out.  Made popular in 80’s and 90’s era music, the guitarists would make a “smiley face” with the sliders on the equalizer to scoop the mid-range out.  If a guitarists scoops the mids and plays with a band, the guitar will sound quite thin and most likely be drown out by the highs and lows of the drums and bass.  Scooped mids will sound much different with the guitar only.

 

Video Explanation:  

Video: Guitar Answers “Scooping”

Video: Tutorial: How to Scoop Your Mids

Video: Cutting Mids Is Good for Guitars

Video: That Pedal Show – Mid-Scooped & Mid-Pushed Amps: What Do We Mean? Plus: Amp-In-A-Box Pedals

 

Written Articles: 

Article: EQ Tips: Scooping your Amplifier

Article: The Recording Guitarist: Is It a Sin to Scoop Your Mids?

Article: Finding your Distortion Tone (Hint: Mids)

 

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