skullduggery Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 I was wondering if anyone knew how to get Justin's and/or Paul's tone from the band Tool.I'm running a new Fender Pro series head with an Ampeg 6-10 cab with a sams amp BDDI and a G+L 5 string with and active preamp and 2 musicman style pickups.Any help would be great.I can't seem to find any of their setups any where. "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 play with a pick. then tweak away until you're happy (lots of low mids). chances are you're either gonna need an ampeg or a sansamp to get closer, but the g&l will help. Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Funny you should ask this. I picked up a Zoom 506 II pedal a couple of months ago. I picked up to primarily use it like a headphone amp, but I thought let's throw some effects in. I figured I might actually find something usable. Lo and behold, one of the distortion effects gave me "The Tool Tone" (pretty similar to the tone in "Sober", mostly) while playing with a pick. I should also add that low mids on the amp were part of my settings. And coincidentally, I also play a bass with two humbuckers (similar to your G&L). Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Originally posted by skullduggery: sams ampWhere did you find Sam's amp? http://www.tvland.com/shows/cheers/images/pic06_lg.jpg I bet he wants it back! Anyhow, if you have a SansAmp BDDI, try this: Blend - fully clockwise Treble - about 9 o'clock Bass - about 1 o'clck Drive - nearly fully clockwise Presence - around noon, maybe a bit more Adjust level to taste. Play with a pick. Enjoy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getz out Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Plenty of ways to get there... but... When recording Lateralus, Chancellor sent three signals to the board: a clean sound out of a Demeter VTBL 601, an overdriven tone from a miked Mesa/Boogie M2000 8x10, and a miked clean tone from an M2000 8x10. Justins live rig consists of two 8x10 Mesa/Boogie RoadReady cabs powered by two 600-watt M-2000 heads. According to tech Thom Lawry, Justin is currently checking out Mesa/Boogies new M-Pulse 600 heads and 8x10 cabs loaded with P-Audio speakers. His effects include a ProCo Rat distortion pedal, SansAmp Bass Driver DI, DigiTech Bass Whammy, and Boss EQ, Chorus, Flanger and Delay pedals. He uses Monster Cable for all connections.Try Google next time. Yahoo works too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Don't forget to boost those highs! I've always considered Justin's tone to be very bright and clean while Paul's was a little heavier and warmer. Paul's tone = Sober Justin's tone = Schism Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Originally posted by getz76: Plenty of ways to get there... but... [blahblahblah...] He uses Monster Cable for all connections.Be sure to use Monster Cables or you won't be able to fully emulate his sound! Sorry, didn't want to start any bar room brawls over cables and "potentially false claims"...just thought it might be funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davio Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Originally posted by Tenstrum: Don't forget to boost those highs! I've always considered Justin's tone to be very bright and clean while Paul's was a little heavier and warmer. Paul's tone = Sober Justin's tone = Schism I can't really help on the subject at hand (that's never stopped me from posting before) but I have to agree with Tenstrum here. As Schism is the only Tool song that I can think of off the top of my head I can't really say anything about Paul's tone but Justin's (at least in that song) definitely had some good highs in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 ...with the mid-mids (at least on recordings) carved out extensively. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ArwinH Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Well, if you want to cheat your way through it, I once used a hartke di/overdrive pedal in a store (read: very limited experience) but it had a preset for a tone based on the schicm sound. I suppose you could check taht pedal out or download the manual and see if similar setting on your bddi do anything. P.S. Justin Chancelor does NOT use a bddi, despite the quote from bp mag, he uses a sansamp gt2. www.myspace.com/movementwithoutmotion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 It's in the hands. Or bowels. I'll take a bowel for $200, Vanna. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skullduggery Posted November 11, 2005 Author Share Posted November 11, 2005 Good one getz76.Actually I did buy my sans amp at Sam Ash.....so I guess it was "Sam's". I did read that same artical for Justin's rig.I guess what I'm looking for is a cheaper way to get there than a Boogie rig.Maybe some different amp and effect settings.Thanks for the sans amp setting as well.I am using monster cables to go from my bass to my pedal board and from my pedal board to my amp.Should I get monster patch cables as well?I'm also running a boss eq,synth,digital reverb,and chorus pedal.And sometimes a tube screamer for light overdrive.I just borrowed a friends pro co rat pedal,but have yet to try it. I get frustrated when I try to get certain tones,and I'm just looking for a bit of help.I can get close to Justin's tone,but I'm having a herd time trying to get Pauls tone(like on opiate).Every time I get close to getting that type of note definition,I lose all of the bottom end on higher notes. Would any combo of these make a difference?I currently have a Trace Elliott GP7SM-250 with a 4-10,Ampeg B5R,Ampeg SVP-PRO preamp,Fender Pro Series 800 head,Ampeg 6-10,and an Ampeg 1-15 that I have loaded with a 600w eminence. As you can see from my post I need a lot of help.Anything will be much appriciated.I'm not looking to replicate their tone completely,I would just like to find a sound with that kind of attack,note definition,and overdrive. Thanks again~~Jay "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fonz Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 the point here is that cables don't actually matter. you have a lot of gear. anything that says ampeg will help you along here. use the ampeg with a fair amount of gain. boost your low mids and use getzs sansamp settings. add a dash of rat pedal (do go too nuts) and play with a pick. Eeeeeehhhhhhhhh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 you need whatever stuff the recording engineers and producer decided on when tracking and mixing - and that may vary for each album. so be prepared to spend. and if you have heard Tool in concert it wouldn't hurt to buy one of the large touring PAs that was used and hire one of the engineers. FOH is all the paying audience is hearing in all but the first couple rows. and don't forget to allow for your own stadium in the budget. airspace is important. ampeg! hahahah! ahahahahahaha! . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 and don't forget to hire Marty and Gene - you're going to need to procure some hands and have them sewed on and reanimated. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenstrum Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Originally posted by greenboy: ampeg! hahahah! ahahahahahaha! HEY! I resemble that remark!! I can get a pretty good TOOLish tone by really cutting up the highs on my bass and I even play with my fingers, although I do have to do quite a bit amount of thumb/finger picking to emulate the pick. Not perfect but it works! Tenstrum "Paranoid? Probably. But just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face." Harry Dresden, Storm Front Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seamus Posted November 11, 2005 Share Posted November 11, 2005 Do you own all that equipment above? If so, I might have a suggestion, but I can only claim having experience with three of the things you listed: G&L's, BDDI, and SVP-Pro. What I would do first is get the edgy part of Justin's sound dialed in on the BDDI. The settings someone listed above are a good starting point, and the Presence and Drive adjustments are key. Run that affected signal to Chan 1 of whatever you're using to amplify the signal. If it's a head, try to bypass the head's preamp if possible so you can capture only sound of just your bass into the BDDI. Next, run a cable from the parallel (unaffected) output of the BDDI to the SVP. Dial in a warm thumpin' clean sound with some low midrange to it. Set the Gain to where the light comes on with only the heaviest attack, Drive at 9 o'clock or less, Mid switch on position 1 or 2, Mid level somewhere in the 10-2 o'clock range based on preference, Bass at 2 o'clock, and Treble backed down to maybe 9-10 o'clock. Don't use the Bright or Low buttons or the graphic EQ, stick to the valve stage EQ only imo. Run that to Chan 2 of your power amp, once again bypassing the preamp if it's a head. At this point, I'd run the BDDI signal to the 6x10 and the SVP signal to the 1x15. I think at that point you could just make minor tweaks to the EQ, then strike the right balance volume wise between Chan 1 & 2. While the G&L (I assume you have a L-2500) has a strong midrange voice on it's own, it's worlds away from the sound of a Wal. The midrange voice of a Wal has tons of depth, and lots of range due to the versatile electronics and active/passive rolloff vs. the active passive toggle most basses have. If it were me, I'd probably try running the G&L with both pups selected, parallel mode, active + boost, and both bass and treble controls wide open. The series mode may mush things up a bit since you have so much powerful EQ at work on both signals as it is, but experiment with it and see what you like. I don't know if these suggestions will get you there, but maybe they'll at least open up a few ideas. Basically, Justin is one of many rock bassists who depend on splitting their signal to various clean and dirty setups in order to achieve their full signature sound. His clean sound would be nothing special without the edgy overdrive, and the overdriven signal would sound unfocused and weak without the bass laden clean sound beneath it. Tim Commerford, Geddy Lee, the list goes on and on for rock bassists (most with aggressive tones I might add) who utilize 2-3 amp/cab setups for stage and studio in order to get the sound in their head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skullduggery Posted November 13, 2005 Author Share Posted November 13, 2005 thank you very much seamus for the ideas.I will be sure to try them out. "Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything. Plato Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Bear Posted November 13, 2005 Share Posted November 13, 2005 I hate to be vague but on part of www.tech21nyc.com they have an audio sample that is(in the style of ) "Sober" by Tool. I think it was for the PSA 1. I really like the BDDI. Even though the RBI is supposed to be the BDDI with a MID knob and a few other hardware options, I do believe the "drive" sounds a bit better. Hopefuly after all our thoughts your getting closer to the sound you would like. A pick seems to be a big part of it. If you are a finger player you can hit your strings a bit more head on instead of pulling up to get a more full time percussive tone. Best of luck. Mike Bear Artisan-Vocals/Bass Instructor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil W Posted November 13, 2005 Share Posted November 13, 2005 Get a Wal, you won't regret it! Tool's bassist has 4. [ ] Wal homepage http://philwbass.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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