software

I have been toying with this idea of having no battery and an active or even a kill switch for the battery and going direct to board.

they have low impedence so the signal would be able to travel a great distance but keep the high end and they would also be quiet.

i think this could be a useful setup in a studio for people going direct to board with a guitar-moddler-board or what ever. use a trasformer to convert the signal from an 1/4 to an xlr before it hit the board.

granted the signal would be weak but the mixer would beable to bring up the sound level and it should be clean and clear.

i figure it would be much like Gibson Les Paul Recording or Personal.
it had low z pups and was made to go direct to board.

think it would work?
am i missing anything?

Nope it won't work. As soon as you take the battery out the EMG's don't work anymore. They won't work passive. They aren't designed to. And if you found a way to bypass it. (by hacking up the pickups) they would sound like total garbage. It's just not something they are meant to do.

exactly...they have almost ZERO output without a battery, if any


Originally Posted by Docrockexactly...they have almost ZERO output without a battery, if any

There is slightly more than zero output, but not much. Definitely nothing usable.

Just out of curiousity, why would you want to do that?

clean, clear sound, run straight to board, long wires with minimal tone suckage.

and no batteries, apparently.

i was going to skip that batterys because i did not want to overload the input of the mixers.

since this will not work does anyone know of low impedence passive humbuckers?


Originally Posted by ericmeyer4i was going to skip that batterys because i did not want to overload the input of the mixers.

since this will not work does anyone know of low impedence passive humbuckers?

it won't. Here's the thing, having an active preamp on your guitar is actually kind of a good thing when you go direct to the board. In the studio we often record bass direct through a tube preamp then into the board. And that often ends up sounding good BECAUSE of the active preamp in most basses. If you go straight into the board with passives, especially without putting it through some kind of tube preamp first, and then maybe a plugin like amplitube or guitar rig it's going to sound like complete poop.

you're completely missing the point. I'm not sure what your goal is.


Originally Posted by ericmeyer4i was going to skip that batterys because i did not want to overload the input of the mixers.

Turn the volume knob down. EMGs do not lose as much of their tone as passives do when you turn down.


Originally Posted by JB_From_HellTurn the volume knob down. EMGs do not lose as much of their tone as passives do when you turn down.

That is what I was going to say.

Pad the input of your board if necessary, but like X said, you should get a better, hotter, cleaner, truer signal using active electronics for direct recording.

Active pickups will not overload a mixers mic preamp. Even the cheapest mixers have trim pots to set the input level at each channel input.

I'm not sure if low impedance guitar pickups are so low in impedance that they match a boards low z input but relative impedance and pickup output really aren't your problems.

The cheapest thing to do to run direct into a board effectively is to run your signal into the low z balanced/mic inputs. To do that you only need a direct box and a Behringer direct box can be had for about $30.

A mic/instrument, solid state or tube preamp is another great way to go. Tube preamps are generally more expensive than solid state preamps and both are generally more expensive than direct boxes but both will add some dimension to your tone. The better mic preamps also have insert strips so you can add compressors or EQs directly to the preamp signal chain. Its simular to an effects loop on an amp. When I record direct with bass, acoustic or electric guitar I use an Aphex 207 mic preamp with a DBX 166xl compressor and a DBX 1231 EQ inserted. Its not cheap but it is very effective and it also solves the balanced in/out problem of recording a guitar direct.

The third method I can think of now is a modeller of some sort. While most modellers are not balanced output devices, they do boost your signal from instrument to line level and you won't suffer the massive tone loss that you get when you run an instrument level signal into an unbalanced input on a board.


Originally Posted by ericmeyer4i was going to skip that batterys because i did not want to overload the input of the mixers.

since this will not work does anyone know of low impedence passive humbuckers?the buckers from a Les Paul recording or a Les Paul Signature are low impedence...


Originally Posted by the guy who invented firethe buckers from a Les Paul recording or a Les Paul Signature are low impedence...

yes... i know. that is what i am working to get.


Originally Posted by Robert S.Active pickups will not overload a mixers mic preamp. Even the cheapest mixers have trim pots to set the input level at each channel input.

I'm not sure if low impedance guitar pickups are so low in impedance that they match a boards low z input but relative impedance and pickup output really aren't your problems.

The cheapest thing to do to run direct into a board effectively is to run your signal into the low z balanced/mic inputs. To do that you only need a direct box and a Behringer direct box can be had for about $30.

A mic/instrument, solid state or tube preamp is another great way to go. Tube preamps are generally more expensive than solid state preamps and both are generally more expensive than direct boxes but both will add some dimension to your tone. The better mic preamps also have insert strips so you can add compressors or EQs directly to the preamp signal chain. Its simular to an effects loop on an amp. When I record direct with bass, acoustic or electric guitar I use an Aphex 207 mic preamp with a DBX 166xl compressor and a DBX 1231 EQ inserted. Its not cheap but it is very effective and it also solves the balanced in/out problem of recording a guitar direct.

The third method I can think of now is a modeller of some sort. While most modellers are not balanced output devices, they do boost your signal from instrument to line level and you won't suffer the massive tone loss that you get when you run an instrument level signal into an unbalanced input on a board.

all stuff i will have to look into. thank you for the reply.

question.... if i use an active pup and go straight to board can i run it into the low z/mic input? granted i will need a transformer... but would that be the same as guitar-direct box?

edm


Originally Posted by ericmeyer4yes... i know. that is what i am working to get.Why??? Have you ever played any?


Originally Posted by Xeromusit won't. Here's the thing, having an active preamp on your guitar is actually kind of a good thing when you go direct to the board. In the studio we often record bass direct through a tube preamp then into the board. And that often ends up sounding good BECAUSE of the active preamp in most basses. If you go straight into the board with passives, especially without putting it through some kind of tube preamp first, and then maybe a plugin like amplitube or guitar rig it's going to sound like complete poop.

you're completely missing the point. I'm not sure what your goal is.

my point- i was wondering if active w/ no battery would be the same as a passive low-z pup....i see that it is not. everyone thank you for clearing that up.

im not trying to have an active without a battery i was just curious if they were the same thing.

my goal- direct to board with as clear sound as possible, minimal tone suckage with long wires.

so i am assuming that an active pup with achieve this for me?

Err... if you take the battery out of an EMG, the transistors in the OP-amp will be constantly closed, therefore you won't get ANY sound.......atleast my EMG's are that way


Originally Posted by the guy who invented fireWhy??? Have you ever played any?

yes and i really liked the sound, but i dont want to buy one.

You can use rediculously long cables with actives, with very minimal signal loss.