sumitagarwal
Inspired
Brief background: my playing method is all about getting maximum dynamic range, while maintaining clarity, out of my guitar without touching any external controls or switches.
Currently that means running an EMG 81 in the bridge at full volume, close to the strings and digging hard with my right hand + running an EMG 60 in the neck at ~2 volume, backed far away from the strings, with a soft, dynamic touch.
With this setup running into a the dimed 6CA7 Plexi model I'm able to get some of the best aggressive bridge tones and sparkly clean neck tones I've ever had simply by flicking my pickup switch. I've always been a PAF guy, sometimes vintage-style Strat neck pups, but man am I loving the clarity that EMG's retain when dialed back!
Anyways, the only problem with this is what generally gets referred to with EMG's as compression. My take is that this isn't traditional compression, but rather a higher overall output level with an abrupt limiter. It makes sense that for a conventional metal tone this is perfect, because you can consistently drive a rig hard, keep downstream gain at lower levels, without overwhelming the rig with huge peaks. As everyone knows, that's basically a boost pedal.
But for my playing and style I much prefer richer finger dynamics, so I duct-taped an 18v hack into my tiny Explorer control cavity (pics of my 6x CR2032 stack). Sounds way better to me, and the EMG 60 especially sounds phenomenal. However, here's where the problem the question is: on the EMG 81 at 18v I regularly blip the red input LED on my FM3, even with the 18dB pad on. Backing down the 81 helps with these peaks, but loses some of that high-gain sound.
So FINALLY for the real real question here: I know the red LED is supposed to represent -6dB. I really am looking to fine tune my 81 pickup height and possibly experiment with other voltages too (i.e. 15v or 12v), to find my best maximum output without clipping. But in order to do this I need a real way to check the input clipping, not the loosey-goosey -6dB red LED. How can I do that?
Currently that means running an EMG 81 in the bridge at full volume, close to the strings and digging hard with my right hand + running an EMG 60 in the neck at ~2 volume, backed far away from the strings, with a soft, dynamic touch.
With this setup running into a the dimed 6CA7 Plexi model I'm able to get some of the best aggressive bridge tones and sparkly clean neck tones I've ever had simply by flicking my pickup switch. I've always been a PAF guy, sometimes vintage-style Strat neck pups, but man am I loving the clarity that EMG's retain when dialed back!
Anyways, the only problem with this is what generally gets referred to with EMG's as compression. My take is that this isn't traditional compression, but rather a higher overall output level with an abrupt limiter. It makes sense that for a conventional metal tone this is perfect, because you can consistently drive a rig hard, keep downstream gain at lower levels, without overwhelming the rig with huge peaks. As everyone knows, that's basically a boost pedal.
But for my playing and style I much prefer richer finger dynamics, so I duct-taped an 18v hack into my tiny Explorer control cavity (pics of my 6x CR2032 stack). Sounds way better to me, and the EMG 60 especially sounds phenomenal. However, here's where the problem the question is: on the EMG 81 at 18v I regularly blip the red input LED on my FM3, even with the 18dB pad on. Backing down the 81 helps with these peaks, but loses some of that high-gain sound.
So FINALLY for the real real question here: I know the red LED is supposed to represent -6dB. I really am looking to fine tune my 81 pickup height and possibly experiment with other voltages too (i.e. 15v or 12v), to find my best maximum output without clipping. But in order to do this I need a real way to check the input clipping, not the loosey-goosey -6dB red LED. How can I do that?
