Tool-like bass sound

[Severu]

Hey guys! I'm new to the forum, actually I've been silently following you guys for a couple of years and I've learned a lot (I think) from around here.
Now skipping to the main question, I really love the texture of Justin Chancellor's sound, I don't necessarily want to emulate it, but I would like to hear some of your opinions about what setup one should use to get it sound in that ballpark/style/genre whatever. For starters, I don't have a Wal, so let's skip that part I have a couple of Fenders, a Sandberg, a Sansamp RPM, a dbx163x compressor and an Ampeg SVT3 Rig with 4x10 and 1x15. But please feel free to suggest anything. Thanks in advance!

 

[GarethSE]

a wal a massive fuckin amp a sick picking hand...


and the final ingredient:
the non stop thrusting pelvis. thats the secret behind his sexual tone, none stop pelvic thrusting

 

[JeffTD]

Honestly dude, it's the Wal and his fuckin fingers... that guy is straight up nutty on his right hand.

 

[Severu]

Yeah! So I've noticed! But how does he get that sweet distortion? Am I hearing lots of layers of distortion or am I nuts? Anyway, sick sound!
Thanks guys!

 

[findingthesound]

Hey, love his tone too!
From here:
http://mixonline.com/recording/projects/audio_making_tools_days/

"Barresi captured Justin Chancellor's bass tracks with a combination of cabinet miking and DI. Chancellor played through Gallien-Krueger heads and Mesa Boogie cabinets. One amp was set to a clean tone and the other had a dirty sound. They were separated trackwise, so they could be blended at any point later. Barresi used Neumann U47 FET microphones on both cabinets. Additionally, Chancellor's bass went through a Demeter DI box directly to the console."

I tried a Gallien-Krueger with a MM bass, and the tone is really near. Add a DI and a large condenser fet mic and you should be in the ball park, even if with the wal he can push the highs more without having much hum/noise in his tone. Before the wal he used a MM, on Ænima. New strings, push the highs.
The Gallien-Krueger is a special very "clinical" amp with less "sub/boomy/full" bass than your ampeg, and that, with a tight playing, is the key, IMHO.

Hope it helps.

 

[GarethSE]

isnt justin all into playing with a pick n stuff jeff?

 

[Severu]

100% Pick!

 

[ahjteam]

Atleast Aenema (the song) sounds like it's played with fingers

 

[Morgan C]

He's definitely pick. Fingers gives a really tight 200-300hz sound, which this doesn't have. This is just awesome.

Check out Juicy77, cannot recommend this enough. Either on its own, or as distortion AFTER amping it. Every mix I've used it on everyone loves the bass tone. And its free.

 

[Severu]

Thanks Morgan C! I'll try it out!

 

[drew_drummer]

Definitely pick on Aenema too. You can hear it around 2:00.

 

[muckypup1]

He's definitely pick. Fingers gives a really tight 200-300hz sound, which this doesn't have. This is just awesome.

Check out Juicy77, cannot recommend this enough. Either on its own, or as distortion AFTER amping it. Every mix I've used it on everyone loves the bass tone. And its free.

Cool tip dude I'll check it out later today My bass tones always suck

 

[JeffTD]

Seriosuly? I thought he was fingers for whatever reason.


Weird - the dude from Karnivool gets a reeeally similar tone out of his Warwicks and he's 100% fingered.

 

[sprack]

He has a seriously sick sound. Between him and Tim Commerford (Rage/Audioslave) that's the sound to get.

 

[NicholasDWolfwood]

Seriosuly? I thought he was fingers for whatever reason.


Weird - the dude from Karnivool gets a reeeally similar tone out of his Warwicks and he's 100% fingered.

I believe the old bass player used his fingers, however Chancellor is 99.9999% pick (Wings for Marie Pt2, he uses his fingers for the first half of the song iirc)

 

[colonel kurtz]

He has a seriously sick sound. Between him and Tim Commerford (Rage/Audioslave) that's the sound to get.

dude tim c gets the most epic bass sound ever

evil empire and undertow, IMO, have the greatest fucking rock bass tones EVER

 

[GarethSE]

undertow is an amazing sounding album
i want that snare in my pants

 

[Exocaster]

I tried a Gallien-Krueger with a MM bass, and the tone is really near. Add a DI and a large condenser fet mic and you should be in the ball park, even if with the wal he can push the highs more without having much hum/noise in his tone. Before the wal he used a MM, on Ænima. New strings, push the highs.
The Gallien-Krueger is a special very "clinical" amp with less "sub/boomy/full" bass than your ampeg, and that, with a tight playing, is the key, IMHO.

Hope it helps.

The bassist in my goth band uses a GK rig and frequently plays a Musicman as well. With the Musicman into the GK, there's definitely a similarity tone-wise, especially picked.

 

[greyskull]

dude tim c gets the most epic bass sound ever

evil empire and undertow, IMO, have the greatest fucking rock bass tones EVER

yes.
yes they do.

 

[indignantaudio]

I believe the old bass player used his fingers, however Chancellor is 99.9999% pick (Wings for Marie Pt2, he uses his fingers for the first half of the song iirc)

Nope Paul D'Amour was a guitar player before Tool. He was a friend of Adam (Jones, the guitarist in tool). He played exclusively with a pick as well. The only song that I know of that either one played with fingers are Wings for Marie and 10,000 days.