EMG 81/85 Bridge position shootout! (and first Dual Rec test!)

Then again, though, there's no bass in this, so perhaps the 81 would work better in a mix...arrrggghhh, what do you think dude?
 
cobhc said:
Ok, shitty reamp into my Triple XXX using the EMG85 tracks (fudging it since I don't have a proper balanced line out, which is why I think there is some nasty weird mids in there).........but yeah I was bored lol.

https://dl.getdropbox.com/u/371262/metaltastictriplexxxemg85.wav
Click to expand...

WOW dude, was that mic'ed up or using impulses? Either way, it's got a fair amount of the off-axis cloudiness and is a bit muffled, and the amp noise at the beginning and end sounds really strange, more like white noise...you have a Redeye, right? So I would think that'd take care of your level/impedance matching needs, but something seems off here...

Don't mean to shit on you (so to speak), I appreciate the effort, but I'm just wondering if you don't have an error somewhere in your signal chain.
 
Metaltastic said:
Then again, though, there's no bass in this, so perhaps the 81 would work better in a mix...arrrggghhh, what do you think dude?
Click to expand...

Hey man,

My preference has always gone toward the 85. It's a personal thing.

Trying to judge your clips as objectively as possible I tend to hear 2 things:

1) The 81 is a little edgier and more aggressive in the core and upper mids.
2) The 85 is mellower and a bit fuller in the lower mid, and perhaps a tad muddier.

I think the 85 will be voiced better for your amp since the Recto already has 10 megachunk cans of all kinds of harsh flying out of it. When in doubt, recall Killswitch! They use 85s and the End of Heartache tone speaks for itself (if that's up your alley anyway).
 
Well while some might call the Recto harsh, I prefer to think of it (at least the 2-channel version) as aggressive (and find the 5150 to be too smooth for my tastes) - however, I think I am gonna stick with the 85, mainly because the 81 definitely has this sort of sterility that I'm not that big a fan of (great for tech-metal stuff, but that's really not my bag baby), and I'm sure I could dial out any unpleasant mud on the 85. Thanks a lot dude! (and sorry Kyle :D)
 
Metaltastic said:
WOW dude, was that mic'ed up or using impulses? Either way, it's got a fair amount of the off-axis cloudiness and is a bit muffled, and the amp noise at the beginning and end sounds really strange, more like white noise...you have a Redeye, right? So I would think that'd take care of your level/impedance matching needs, but something seems off here...

Don't mean to shit on you (so to speak), I appreciate the effort, but I'm just wondering if you don't have an error somewhere in your signal chain.
Click to expand...

The fuck up in the chain is the Delta1010LT not having a balanced line out, so the signal is quiet as fuck, and gives a nasty cloudiness.
 
Man I really want to try an 85 in the bridge. The 81 to me, sounds more aggressive and tight, while the 85 sounds a bit warmer and not quite as tight. I think that is perceived as mud initially, but if it can be tweaked out then I would prefer it over the harshness of the 81. I'm a fan of the 81, but again I have never tried the 85 in the bridge position. It's hard to find a balance between the two, but I bet it can be done with amp tweaking.

Also, isn't the 85 an Alnico magnet as opposed to the ceramic of the 81? I'm guessing that has a lot to do with it as well.

-Joe
 
Yeah, the 85 is Alnico, which is definitely the more organic and dynamic sounding magnet compared with ceramic. And your right Joe, it was the tightness and clarity of the 81 that at first had me picking it, but then I realized that it still is a very sterile sounding pickup, and so many great tones (e.g. OPETH) have been recorded with passives, which I'm sure are way less clear than the 85, so if they can sound amazing, I'm sure the 85 can too! (and I didn't change settings at all between each pickup, btw).
 
Metaltastic said:
Yeah, the 85 is Alnico, which is definitely the more organic and dynamic sounding magnet compared with ceramic. And your right Joe, it was the tightness and clarity of the 81 that at first had me picking it, but then I realized that it still is a very sterile sounding pickup, and so many great tones (e.g. OPETH) have been recorded with passives, which I'm sure are way less clear than the 85, so if they can sound amazing, I'm sure the 85 can too! (and I didn't change settings at all between each pickup, btw).
Click to expand...

Yeah bro, there are plenty of tight passives. I pretty much will use EMGs only for metal. Everything else I love passives on. They can be tight as hell, as tight as EMGs. EMGs just have the hi-fi output and tone that I really dig for metal.

I'll probably try the 85 due to this thread.

Cheers

-Joe
 
Kickass Mark, thanks! I just got home and am waiting for my birthday tomorrow to open my monitors, but I'll definitely check it out then!
 
Metaltastic said:
Haha, thanks man! 22, about the best thing I can think of is it's symmetrical :erk: :lol:
Click to expand...

What's symmetrical?

This threads been awesome, in the new year I'm gonna do some 81/85 shootouts myself, and get some Blackout action in too (eventhough I'm 95% sure I'll end up back with passive Seymour Duncans). In my old EC-1000, I put the EMG 60 in the bridge and definitely preferred it over the 81. I've had the most satisfying results from passive pickups though, for sure. EMG's, for me, don't have that massive thickness to them, but I find they are better for faster thrashy stuff. When it comes to real heavy, chuggy riffs, or held power chords, I really miss that chunk when using EMG's.

It's really important to match your hardware to the type of music you're playing, though, so YMMV :headbang:
 
So Marcus, what gear did you use to track the DIs? These have been the highest quality ones I've dealt with out of all the ones anyone on the forum has given me. It's quite amazing how much the quality of the DI tracks impacts on the tone of the reamped product. I've tried very similar settings with others and the results have always been muddier and duller (similar to my experiences tracking DI via the mbox... bad DI/pres & conversion.. trifecta of shit baby).
 
Damn, thanks Ermin, glad to hear my setup is working out! I used the Redeye as a DI box, which I think is a big reason for the quality (it's a sweet ass transformer in there), as well as top quality cable and Neutrik connectors (a 2 ft. Canare inst. cable from my guitar to the Redeye, and a 5 ft. Mogami XLR cable from the Redeye to my Onyx Satellite). Meister, I actually have a 60 in the neck of my Ibanez, I might have to try that too, arrggghhhh, too many options! :erk: :lol:
 
Thanks for the insight on what you used. Can't believe it was an Onyx Satellite! Guess the DI and cable quality really do make a ton of difference. You've made me quite proud to own a Red Eye :lol:. Fortunately all my guitar cables are canare with Neutrik connectors, but the one running to the reamp unit is a ProEl. Thinking of stocking up on some Mogami myself...
 
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