Welcome to the big Sludge Studios/ERGNerds.com 7-String Pickup Shootout!

The idea is simple: We want to test as many 7-string pickups as we can get our hands on! Many of the obvious choices and pickups most of you are looking into for a brutal, high gain tone, but also some very special and unique ones.

All tracks are recorded with a Kemper Profiling Amp, the tone is an EVH5150 III profile by Lasse Lammert. We will add more pickups one by one in the near future, so stay tuned!

7-String Pickup Shootout

Welcome to the big Sludge Studios/ERGNerds.com 8-String Pickup Shootout!

The idea is simple: We want to test as many 8-string pickups as we can get our hands on! Many of the obvious choices and pickups most of you are looking into for a brutal, high gain tone, but also some very special and unique ones.

All tracks are recorded with a Kemper Profiling Amp, the tone is an EVH5150 III profile by Lasse Lammert. We will add more pickups one by one in the near future, so stay tuned!

8-String Pickup Shootout

This is some of the mastering work I've done in the last couple of years. I'm always up for requests, so hit me up, if you want me for a mastering job.

Test masters are always for free!!!



Mastering References

Welcome to the big Sludge Studios/ERGNerds.com 6-String Pickup Shootout!

The idea is simple: We want to test as many 6-string pickups as we can get our hands on! Many of the obvious choices and pickups most of you are looking into for a brutal, high gain tone, but also some very special and unique ones.

All tracks are recorded with a Kemper Profiling Amp, the tone is an EVH5150 III profile by Lasse Lammert. We will add more pickups one by one in the near future, so stay tuned!

6-String Pickup Shootout

I'm stoked to announce the ERGLabs Kemper Profile Pack, in collaboration with Dailyhero Recordings and www.ergnerds.com!

Our goal was to create Kemper profiles that would handle extended range tunings exceptionally well and offer the newest Kemper profiling features, including DI/merged profiles. We also tried to get our hands on some amps that haven't been profiled a million times already, but also went ahead anc profiled some classics in the second session. Here's the gear we used:

-Fender EVH 5150 III 50W
-Peavey EVH 6534+
-Peavey EVH 6505
-Single Rectifier
-Dual Rectifier
-Triple Rectifier (loaded with EL34s)
-Soldano SII Preamp through Engl 840/50 Tube Poweramp
-Orange PPC412
-Mesa Boogie Rectifier 4x12 Oversized
-Engl 4x12 Standard
-Rodenberg Flux Capacitor Overdrive
-Maxon OD808
-Shure SM57
-Ibanez RG2228A w/ Instrumental Pickups SFTY3-8

You can buy single amp packs and bundles here: http://erglabs.bigcartel.com/

Most of you are probably going to want to know why and how these profiles are working better with lower tunings than others.

The answer is simple: We used an 8-string guitar for the refining process. Using a guitar with an extended range enabled the Kemper to learn how the amps we profiled would handle the lower frequency range of the 7th and 8th string. We were also able to use one of the most clear sounding pickups in the market - the Instrumental Pickups SFTY3, which has a very tight and articulate low end and great string seperation.

If you were wondering if there are any shortcomings with normal tunings, or if you have any other questions, they are probably answered in the FAQ of our BigCartel store.

ERGLabs Store

ERGLabs Kemper Profiles

Pickup: Seymour Duncan Pegasus 7
Guitar: LTD SCT-607B
Tuning: Dropped G#

This is the only 7-string pickup we're testing in a different guitar, but both of them have a 27" scale and I honestly don't believe that woods make an insane impact on the tone you're getting out of a high gain pickup.

The Pegasus is probably my least favourite pickup out of the ones we have tested so far. It has a much lower, or as Duncan calls it - "moderate" output - than the Nazgul. You really have to dig in to make this thing scream, and the sustain suffers from that, especially when you're playing palm-muted chords. I also find it a little muddy in the low end chord/note separation, which is really the opposite of what I am looking for. One thing I really liked about the Pegasus is its incredible tightness, though.

If you're looking for a more crunchy-sounding pickup, the Pegasus will be your thing. It might also be a good choice for those of you who like "Djent", since it's very tight. For my style of playing it is too tame and a little bit too muddy.

Riff I - Seymour Duncan Pegasus 7

Pickup: Seymour Duncan Nazgul 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

I got the Nazgul because I am in the process of having a Hapas Sludge custom guitar built, and since all of my other guitars are loaded with D Activators already, it was time to try something else for this one. This pickup has received raving reviews so far and seemed to fit what I am looking for in a pickup.

The Nazgul sounds very similiar to the DiMarzio D Activator, but is a little more tame in the high end. It also has the twangy pick attack of the Polymath B, which gives the low end a percussive and sorta "squelchy" attack - and I like that. 

The tame high end will fit well with a guitar made of a more bright sounding selection of woods. That is where I feel like the Nazgul will shine!

Riff I - Seymour Duncan Nazgul 7

Pickup: DiMarzio Polymath B 7 Prototype
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

The Polymath B is a prototype built for my buddy Ben Eller. Only two of them have ever been made and he was nice enough to borrow one of them to me so I could try it. 

This pickup is awesome and incredibly tight in the low end! It shares a very similiar tone with the D Activator, but has a more pronounced pick attack and produces more overtones in the high mids, which makes it cut through the mix just a hair better than the D Activator. It might be my favourite sounding pickup so far and has everything I am looking for in a Metal pickup.

So listen up, DiMarzio: Put this thing in production, please!

Riff I - DiMarzio Polymath B 7 (Prototype)

Pickup: DiMarzio D Activator 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

The DiMarzio D Activator is my go-to pickup for 6-, 7- and 8-string guitars. It has a very clear low end with a nice attack, pronounced high mids and great note separation across the fretboard. The high end can be a little sharp on baritone scale guitars, though.

It's a perfect alternative for active high gain pickups and beats the the famous EMG81 series in every regard, when compared side by side.

Riff I - DiMarzio D Activator 7

Pickup: Lundgren M8
Guitar: Ibanez RG2228A
Tuning: F Standard

Riff I - Lundgren M8 (27")

Pickup: DiMarzio AirNorton 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

I am extremely surprised by the AirNorton 7 and didn't expect it to be such a great Metal/high gain pickup. It is chunky, but very well defined and has a nice midrange crunch to it. It does awesome in the mix and is a great alternative for people, who like a more moderate output and still want to be able to Metal it up. Definitely the surprise of this shootout so far.

Riff I - DiMarzio AirNorton 7

Pickup: DiMarzio PAF 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

The PAF 7 is pretty much Korn's signature 7-string pickup and handles high gain tones quite well, but it sounds more scooped than the AirNorton 7. Their output and character is similiar, but the PAF is chunkier and doesn't cut through the mix as well. It also is a little less snappy on low end single notes.

Riff I - DiMarzio PAF 7

Pickup: Kiesel Pickups Lithium 8
Guitar: Carvin DC800
Tuning: F Standard

Riff I - Kiesel Pickups Lithium 8

Pickup: Instrumental Pickups SFTY3-8
Guitar: Ibanez RG2228A
Tuning: F Standard

Riff I - Instrumental Pickups SFTY3-8 (27")

Pickup: Instrumental Pickups SFTY3-7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - Instrumental Pickups SFTY3-7

Pickup: Seymour Duncan Retribution 7
Guitar: Ibanez DCM100
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - Seymour Duncan Retribution 7

Pickup: EMG 81-7
Guitar: Ibanez DCM100
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - EMG 81-7

Pickup: Instrumental Pickups SFTY-8
Guitar: Ibanez M80M
Tuning: F Standard

Riff I - Instrumental Pickups SFTY3-8 (30")

Pickup: Bare Knuckle Aftermath 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - Bare Knuckle Aftermath 7

Pickup: DiMarzio D Activator
Guitar: Ibanez RGT220Z
Tuning: C Standard

DiMarzio D Activator

Pickup: DiMarzio Dominion
Guitar: Ibanez RGT320Z
Tuning: C Standard

DiMarzio Dominion

Pickup: Bare Knuckle Painkiller
Guitar: Ibanez RGT220Z
Tuning: C Standard

Bare Knuckle Black Hawk

Pickup: Instrumental Pickups SFTY-8
Guitar: Ibanez RGT220Z
Tuning: C Standard

Instrumental Pickups SFTY3

Pickup: DiMarzio Ionizer 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - DiMarzio Ionizer 7

My very good friend Florian and ex-bandmate Filip joined Ära Krâ after the final War From A Harlots Mouth tour and approached me for a Summer 2014 demo recording session.

All the instrumentals were done here at Sludge Studios. Ära Krâ recorded the vocals themselves while I was out of the country for the rest of 2014 and sent them back over to me for the mixing and mastering, which was finished in early 2015.

Now I'm stoked to present the first song to you. I'm really happy with the outcome and it was a lot of fun working with these guys.

Ära Krâ - Strang & Schwert (2015)

Pickup: EMG 81-7X
Guitar: Ibanez DCM100
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - EMG 81-7X

Pickup: Bareknuckle Pickups Juggernaut 7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - Bare Knuckle Juggernaut 7

New mastering job for Germany's Hardcore powerhouse Risk It! - and they deliver as always. Order the record:

http://farewellrec.limitedrun.com/

Risk It! - Gettin' Low (2015)

Pickup: Instrumental Pickups Decomp7
Guitar: Ibanez RG2077XL
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - Instrumental Pickups Decomp7

Debut EP of my band NIGHTMARER

Pre-order the limited vinyl here: 
http://nightmarer.momentofcollapse.com

Pre-order the digital release here:
https://nightmarer.bandcamp.com

Guitars/bass recorded by Simon Hawemann at Sludge Studios
Drums recorded by Mark Wüstenhagen at Dailyhero Recordings
Vocals recorded by Jay Newman of Unearthly Trance
Mixed by Marc Wüstenhagen at Dailyhero Recordings
Mastered by Simon Hawemann at Sludge Studios

Nightmarer - Ceremony of Control (2016)

Pickup: DiMarzio X2N
Guitar: Ibanez RGT220A CAH (RG20061)
Tuning: C Standard

DiMarzio X2N

Album master for the Austrian band It's the Lipstick on Your Teeth.

It's the Lipstick on Your Teeth - Skin Trade (2017)

Buy profile at: erglabs.bigcartel.com/

Available on 07/18.

EVH 5150 III Stealth / Orange PPC412 / Merged Profile

Pickup: Bare Knuckle Pickups Black Hawk
Guitar: Ibanez RGD2127FX
Tuning: Dropped G#

Riff I - Bare Knuckle Black Hawk 7

Pickup: EMG 57-8
Guitar: Ibanez RGIR28FE
Tuning: F Standard

Riff I - EMG 57-8

Mesa Mark V / Mesa Recto Oversized 4x12 - Modern Metal

http://erglabs.bigcartel.com/product/fryette-deliverance-120

Fryette Deliverance 120 / Mesa Recto Oversized 4x12 - Heavy Metal

Yes, our profiles work for bass as well! This is our Marshall JMP 2203 profile through our Mesa Boogie Rectifier 4x12 OS cab (bass). Guitars are tracked with our EVH 5150 III Stealth profile.

CREDITS:

This​ ​track​ ​is​ ​used​ ​with​ ​permission​ ​by​ ​Unvisioned​ ​and​ ​URM​ ​Academy.​ ​The​ ​original​ ​production and​ ​mix​ ​were​ ​done​ ​by​ ​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass.​ ​This​ ​new​ ​mix​ ​is​ ​an​ ​unofficial​ ​version​ ​and not​ ​on​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​release.

Band:​ ​​Unvisioned
Song:​​ ​The​ ​Cycle
Producer:​ ​​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass
Vocal​ ​Production:​ ​​John​ ​Douglass
Engineering:​​ ​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass
Original​ ​Mix:​​ ​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass
Original​ ​Master:​ ​​Alan​ ​Douches
Band​ ​URL:​ ​​https://unvisioned.bandcamp.com/releases

Marshall JMP 2203 - BASS / EVH 5150 III Stealth - GUITARS

Yes, our profiles work for bass as well! This is our Marshall JMP 2203 profile through our Mesa Boogie Rectifier 4x12 OS cab.

CREDITS:

This​ ​track​ ​is​ ​used​ ​with​ ​permission​ ​by​ ​Unvisioned​ ​and​ ​URM​ ​Academy.​ ​The​ ​original​ ​production and​ ​mix​ ​were​ ​done​ ​by​ ​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass.​ ​This​ ​new​ ​mix​ ​is​ ​an​ ​unofficial​ ​version​ ​and not​ ​on​ ​the​ ​actual​ ​release.

Band:​ ​​Unvisioned
Song:​​ ​The​ ​Cycle
Producer:​ ​​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass
Vocal​ ​Production:​ ​​John​ ​Douglass
Engineering:​​ ​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass
Original​ ​Mix:​​ ​Eyal​ ​Levi​ ​and​ ​John​ ​Douglass
Original​ ​Master:​ ​​Alan​ ​Douches
Band​ ​URL:​ ​​https://unvisioned.bandcamp.com/releases

Marshall JMP 2203 - BASS

Riff I - Fishman Fluence Modern 7 (Passive Voicing)

Riff I - Fishman Fluence Modern 7 (Active Voicing)

Riff I - Fishman Fluence Modern 8 (Passive Voicing)

Riff I - Fishman Fluence Modern 8 (Active Voicing)

Mastered at Sludge Studios Berlin.

Taken from the EP "Welcome to Corpse Wonderland".

Walking Dead on Broadway - We are Legion (2012)

Jericho Edge Premium 6 Baritone / SD Nazgul - Drop G

Hapas Læviathan I

Hapas Læviathan II

Hapas Incæption I

Hapas Incæption II

Hapas Bæhemoth I

Hapas Bæhemoth II

Guitars and bass recorded at Sludge Studios Berlin.
Drums and vocals recored by F. Nowak at Dailyhero Recordings.
Mixed by F. Nowak at Dailyhero Recordings.
Mastered at Sludge Studios Berlin.

Taken from the LP "VOYEUR".
Release: 19th October, 2014
Available via www.season-of-mist.com

The album VOYEUR marks my first recording job ever. I tracked the guitars and bass for this WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH album in my - at that point - unnamed home studio. It was only supposed to be a pre-production, but we were happy enough with the results, so we ended up using the tracks for the final album. The vocal and drum recordings as well as the mix have been handled by Dailyhero Recordings in Berlin, the mastering was done here at Sludge Studios again.

Buy at iTunes

War from a Harlots Mouth - Vertigo (2012)

WFAHM - Terrifier | E-II NT-7B WH | Fishman Fluence Modern

ESP PU Shootout - Riff II | E-II NT-7B WH | Fishman Fluence Modern

ESP PU Shootout - Riff I | E-II NT-7B WH | Fishman Fluence Modern

Rif II | Koca Lightmare 7FF

Riff I | Koca Lightmare 7 FF

WFAHM - Terrifier | Koca Lightmare 7FF

Riff II - Instrumental Pickups SFTY4

Riff II - Seymour Duncan Black Winter

Riff I - Instrumental Pickups SFTY4

Riff I - Seymour Duncan Black Winter

Instrumentals recorded and mixed at Sludge Studios Berlin.
Vocals recorded and mixed by C. Schwarz at Schwarz Productions.
Mastered at Sludge Studios Berlin.

Taken from the LP "Exhaust".
Release: 14th June, 2013
Available via www.shop.bastardizedrecordings.de

Buy at Amazon.de

Science of Sleep - Dogma (2013)

Sludge Studios is the next step in the evolution of Moulder Masters. Having started as a mastering only studio in 2008, we are now offering full production services, which include recording, mixing and mastering.

Our studios are digitally based, so we don't offer drum recordings at this point but will hopefully be able to in the future. We currently have two studios - one is located in Berlin, Germany, the other in Tampa, Florida. We are specializing in Metal, Hardcore/Punk and Indie/Alternative Rock music. Our most recent productions include:

War from a Harlots Mouth - Voyeur (guitar/bass recordings, editing, mastering)
The Sleeper - Aurora (guitar/bass recordings, mixing, mastering)
Science of Sleep - Exhaust (guitar/bass recordings, mixing, mastering)

Simon also plays guitar in War from a Harlots Mouth (Season of Mist Records).

Message us if you need some work done!

Sludge Studios

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