Dynamics on guitar DI's...

Hey, I'm the other guy. To answer some q's, I'm not using a sock or towel to dead the other strings, I try to do that with the remaining fingers on my fretting hand. I don't use the 18v EMG mod either. Technically, we are playing through different guitar models; I've got Wolfemans's old Mh-1000 from 2004 with no tremolo, and Deffpony has the FR from 2007. I already said this to him but I do have the FR version as well (but I'm selling it soon), and the DI's from that did look just like the ones on his. I can upload DI's of me playing the riff through the other model if that is any help, but in that one I have an 85 in the bridge so I don't know how much difference that will make. Actually you know what I will do that, give me 5 mins.

Edit:

Okay, here's the distorted one first: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4855778/Idols 1.mp3

And the DI: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4855778/Idols 2.mp3

And forgive the hum, I have an earthing problem with this guitar that I need to get looked at.
 
May be a silly question, but how many points can logics match eq sample? Thats one of the things that makes some of the other match eq plugs so special, the high amount of sample points. This allows them to more accurately match the dynamics of the tone.

May be something to consider.
 
It still shouldn't look like that though. I have another FR guitar with the same pickup combo and it still has dynamics like the first clip.

Yea but the clip you just posted sounds ALOT more like my DI's than the original you gave me. Only difference is it sounds like your pickups are kissing the strings too much...

But still there should be a way to get dynamics back in my DI's I just dont know how
 
I posted a thread similar to this about my DI's clipping with the EMG combo that I had, and everyone just said that it was normal for these pickups. Some also suggested to try the 18v mod to make it a bit more dynamic.
 
There are a handful of useful tricks that you can do to get a better sound from a FR bridge guitar. Deffpony, PM me and I'll walk you through it.
 
XxSicRokerxX said:
Even your new DI sounds different than deff's, it still has a spike at 10khz that i'm not seeing on anyone elses.

Thats probably technique. I think the way my pick is angled gives a slight scratching sound.
 
why don't you reveal them here in public? :)

I will post the exact email I sent.

1. First off, you need to know how to do a guitar setup, and do it well. Don't rely on a local tech to do it for you, because they don't last. There are many tutorials on the net that teach the basics of string height and intonation, look them up and do it often.

2. Secondly, there is a trick which may add a little clarity to your guitar. While your guitar is setup in the tuning that you will be playing in, take a screwdriver and loosen the four screws that hold the neck onto the body of the guitar. Loosen them between a quarter and half turn each, and you should hear a 'pop' sound. This will let you know that the neck is now seated in the pocket correctly, then tighten them back up again. Once you do this, you need to setup and intonate your guitar again.

3. Thirdly, and this was a big one, go to this website and look into getting a brass trem block for your guitar. http://killerguitarcomponents.com/ It's pretty straightforward, but if you need it, their email correspondence is good. This company makes better blocks than other similar companies who use cheaper metals in production IMO. Get the biggest heaviest block that will fit in your guitar, thicker is better, I didn't get an L block though some people do.

Also, this doesn't seem to be along the lines of your problem, but if you feel that the action height around your nut is too low, which I find to be true for a lot of FR guitars, next time you change your strings cut a little piece of 3x5 card and slip it under the locking nut and this will raise it by just enough.

Once all this is said and done, take some cosmetic cottonballs and lightly press them against the tension springs in the back cavity and screw the cover on. This will help the springs not to ring out on cutoffs.

And as always... setup, intonate, setup, intonate, setup, intonate, setup, intonate... you will be sick of this process, but it is VERY important to a FR guitar.
 
That second one doesn't sound right. That "pop" you hear is just pressure being released in the joint.
 
It still shouldn't look like that though. I have another FR guitar with the same pickup combo and it still has dynamics like the first clip.

yeah but still FR guitars sound a bit different

I posted a thread similar to this about my DI's clipping with the EMG combo that I had, and everyone just said that it was normal for these pickups. Some also suggested to try the 18v mod to make it a bit more dynamic.

the DI you posted of the FR guitar indeed does clip pretty strange. non of emg guitars sound like that.
the di of yours defpony posted sounds normal to me.


If I was OP then Id try a fresh battery. but after all you seem to have a totally different picking technique compared to him, so there are 2 factors that vary the outcome that he doesnt seem to be happy with
 
Mago said:
yeah but still FR guitars sound a bit different

the DI you posted of the FR guitar indeed does clip pretty strange. non of emg guitars sound like that.
the di of yours defpony posted sounds normal to me.

If I was OP then Id try a fresh battery. but after all you seem to have a totally different picking technique compared to him, so there are 2 factors that vary the outcome that he doesnt seem to be happy with

Yes the guitar may sound different due to woods etc, but the electronics shouldn't be, so there is no real reason why it's looking limited/clipped like this.

And a lot of EMGs pickups do have a slight internal clipping, it's why they're used so much for metal. If you take a look at the DI tracks for that Rose Of Sharyn reamp thread, you'll see that they're virtually dynamic-less and look like they've been limited. On mine, the reason it's showing slightly more clip than usual is because it's an 85 not an 81, and the 85 is supposably runs hotter than the 81.
 
^ Make sure youre strings arent physically touching the EMG. I kept hearing a weird clipping sound in my DIs then I checked the distance of my Strings and Pickup and realized that when i was palm muting and picking hard sometimes the strings would touch the EMG. I lowered the EMG a tad bit and it went away.
 
XxSicRokerxX said:
^ Make sure youre strings arent physically touching the EMG. I kept hearing a weird clipping sound in my DIs then I checked the distance of my Strings and Pickup and realized that when i was palm muting and picking hard sometimes the strings would touch the EMG. I lowered the EMG a tad bit and it went away.

That was the first thing I did when I encountered this problem last year.
 
To me the sound difference is comming all from technique, you can tell Mm1066 has the pick angled and its "scratching" the sides. That also allows to effectively hit the string harder with less energy and the string will give a snapping sound. Devin townsend had a video about sounding heavy and showing how he picked and that is how I have always done it. The best way to practive this is with fresh strings unplugged, you want to strings to sound like you are pinching the strings and letting them snap against the fretwire. Its not from the strings hitting the fretwire, it comes from the percussive contact between the pick and the string.

String tension is a big thing, lighter strings will be more responsive to dynamics, sharper picks will have a brighter snappier tone as well, even how you hold the pick and how tight you grip is will effect the tone. There are so many variables in technique alone.
 
Yes the guitar may sound different due to woods etc, but the electronics shouldn't be, so there is no real reason why it's looking limited/clipped like this.
no I didn't mean the woods ect, I was talking only about the difference of floyd rose vs fixed bridge!
It doesn't has THAT much effect on the dynamik response, but it does.
Still, as I said, my guess is fucked battery + different picking

And a lot of EMGs pickups do have a slight internal clipping, it's why they're used so much for metal. If you take a look at the DI tracks for that Rose Of Sharyn reamp thread, you'll see that they're virtually dynamic-less and look like they've been limited. On mine, the reason it's showing slightly more clip than usual is because it's an 85 not an 81, and the 85 is supposably runs hotter than the 81.

afaik all active emg's clip the signal, aka result in a more compressed sound.
and judging from the date sheets 85's have the same output as 81's.
Still, the DI you posted sounds pretty fucked. EMG's dont clip the signal that hard, usually.