Hello there,

I'm really frustrated. I can't seem to achieve a tone, that I'm looking for. and I tried everything. I need some more input from you guys.

I'm trying to match the tone from Slipknot's song "Before I Forget".

Here's what I'm looking for (starts at 0:10)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzPjQWw6odo

It's not very hard to achieve a rough version of the tone, by matching the EQ.

Here's what I've done so far:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC-7w2zdC8o

So far so good. If you listen, you'll notice that the basic sound of the distorted amp is pretty different. There is so much more life and definition in the original version. The transients of the original are way more present. The whole thing sounds bigger and brighter.

How do I achive that tone?

Here's what equipment he used during the recording of the song (pretty sure):

The original guitarist, Mick Thomson, uses a Rivera Knucklehead with Celestion G12T-75 speakers and a Randall Iso-Cab. His guitar should be a mahogany body strat type guitar, with EMG-81 pickups. It might also be that he used prototype versions of the Seymour Duncan Blackouts.

Although it sounds pretty heavily overdriven, I think it's more of a crunchy tone. Otherwise this kind of clarity wouldn't be possible in my opinion.

I believe it's the signal chain before the amp. Any ideas, what pedals might add some definition? Any super secret producer hint? Parallel compression? Mixing of different amp settings? Did I miss any groundbreaking recording rule? Equalization before the amp?

Any advice would be very very nice!


Thanks for your time


matrix151080

It is an Duncan Blackout Mick Thompson's going into a Boss NS-2 with an Ibanez TS-808 Overdrive in the NS-2's FX Loop then out of the NS-2 into a Rivera Knucklehead K7 using Celestion G12T75's or G12 70/80 or G12H 100's (which one's he ended up with in the final Rivera Cabs i do not remember), Before that it was a Pitbull UltraLead. Pickups are Active Alnico magnet based jobs, You see or rather can easily hear that the EMG81's of old which he used for along time were Ceramic based and have that typical scrathier/harsh higher frequencies. Also Dunlop Jazz III plectrums

Don't know about the other one as i am not really into his style or gear setup. I do not know software wise what the heck to suggest or even processing as you gotta have the sound pretty much there with an MD421/e609 and/or 57 on the cab(s) raw going in as there is not much in the way of trickery involved in the processing used to mix

Sorry i can not help further

Dean

Thanks for your quick reply, Dean!

Are you sure about the equipment? The Blackouts and the K7 were both released after the publishing of the song. I'm not really sure if Mr. Thomson had access to them at the time of the recording. Although it might be. Maybe, since it's all signature equipment, he had prototypes.

So it's the Tube Screamer TS-808? Hmm. ok. I'll check it out. Maybe this one can add more definition to the distortion/overdrive of the signal chain.

Edit: I just watched some promotional videos of the Pitbull Ultra Lead... I think this is it! I might just have recognized the same amount of punch and clarity, I'm looking for. Dean, if this works out. I'll be in your debt!

Thank's mate

No problems and let us know how you get on

Dean

Sure it's an Ibanez TS808? I remember seeing a promo clip on YouTube when that Subliminal Verses album came out, where Mick made quite clear that he only used Maxon FX Pedals.

EDIT:
Jim Root used a Maxon OD-9 to occasionally boost the signal.
Just saw another clip where Mick's talking about what songs use which FX etc., and he's clearly talking about the Subliminal Verses album. He only seems to have used his Rivera heads and cabinets, along with the mighty Bassballs and a Boss pedal for boosting. But he's talking about "they're gonna send me some Tubescreamers, the real ones".
But I could still swear I saw Mick praising a rack drawer full of Maxon FX as the holy grail somewhere...
Last edited by chokehold on Fri Mar 02, 2012 3:03 am; edited 1 time in total

Maxon OD-808 is the one and the same as the Ibanez TS-809, Same as the Maxon OD-9 is the same as Ibanez's TS-9 chokehold fwiw dude

I can clearly see you're not a purist.
Because NOTHING is the same as a real Tube Screamer!

That's what I'm always afraid of. Tube Amps, and sometimes even pedals never sound alike.

Well, since I'm looking to roughly improve the clarity of my overdrive tone, I think this might help me out.

Once again, thank you guys for your opinions!

Well again fwiw I retired my Ibanez TS-808s, TS-9s and Maxon OD-808s, OD-9s when i tried out and swiftly bought Digitech Hardwire Series CM-2 'Tube Overdrive' pedal which works just as great and is build wise/casing is far more durable. It can and does both an 808 and/or 9 impersonation. It is much cheaper than any of my Tube Screamers. Heck The Ibby TSs and Maxon ODs are even built in the same factory. Also the CM-2 instead of having a few simple components under the hood the mimic the difference between the 808 and 9 it has two seperate circuits! I can not recommend it more highly to Tube Screamer lovers. I am one but yeah not a purist at all here chokehold
I do not actually use much of the actual overdrive as such but rather volume full, drive on around 1 to 2 depending on pickups and tone to taste, Its for whacking an amps pre-amp front-end hard which really tightens things up/adds clarity and the NS-2 keeps everything quiet at high-gain settings. Anyway that is me/personal preference