The deck is a Alpine 9886 with Imprint Processor and Hertz audio components..

Under x-over is a menu which allows a user to change setting in the slope, fc and gain for the high, low, mid high and mid low..

I understand gain as well as what high, low, mid high and mid low does..

I do not understand slope and fc..

I read up on definitions for both slope and fc but I may as well read a medical journal on something complicated..

As a example my set up look like this:

slope 12 high
fc 5khz gain -(minus) 7


slope 12 low
fc 200khz gain -12 (lowest setting)

slope 18 mid low
fc 100khz gain -5

slope 18 mid high
fc 8khz gain -5

For the mid low as I adjust the fc above 100khz such as 125 or 160 the bass in my mids goes away..That's fine b/c subs produce bass..although I believe a little mid bass sounds 'rounded' when the subs are off..

for my tweeters and mid highs as i set the gain it gets very loud (obviously)..So I set the gain to something not ear piercing..

For the question at hand..I cant hear what the slope does although I imagine what it looks like on a graph..Does slope matter?

Suggestions on setting the fc? Any other suggestions on adjusting my settings..I know the ear is the best tuning device but I'm lookin to understand why it is i'm using my ear to understand the values of the settings..

If my post is confusing I will address clearifying questions..

 

What speakers are you using? Are you using amps? Did you choose your crossover frequencies by ear? The woofer to mid and mid to tweeter crossover points should match in most cases. As for slope 12 is fine if you don't have any measurements to go by. As for individual gain settings you can set them by ear.
If you're going to get into the more advanced areas of audio like crossover calibration you should get a book and learn what the terms mean and how each parameter affects the sound. It will be more rewarding than guessing and tuning by ear. You'll get more out of your equipment too. Answer the questions above and we'll be able to help more.

 

Crossover Slope

 

basic definitions, using for example subwoofer to mid crossover frequency

sub low pass:
Fc of 80 hz means that at 80hz the output is 3db down.
It is low pass so frequencies below 80Hz pass thru and frequencies above get cut.
How much the get cut are set by the slope. 12db slope means that one octave (double the frequency) above 80hz, or 160Hz the level of the signal is 12db down.

Use the reverse for the mid.
higher slopes means that the power level goes down faster with frequency and allows tweeters to see less power, or it also means that resonances in speakers will not be activated.

for example if you have a midbass driver that has some unwanted resonances or distortion at 6khz. You may set the cross over fc at 3khz. With a 12 db slope, the signal will be down by 12db by the time it gets to 6khz. Some crossovers can be set at 6, 12, or 18 db.

another example is for a tweeter. If you use a highpass at 3Khz with 12db slope, then at 1500Hz, the signal will be down 12db, preventing the very large lower frequency midrange signals from damaging the tweeter.


6db slope crossovers may be smoother and have less phase shift than 12 or 18db slope crossovers.
Hope this helps.