# The right boost for Death Metal



## DarkWolfXV (Aug 20, 2012)

So im finally happy with my amp(6505+ 112 combo) and guitar (VGS Eruption), if anything i would get Vader Cab and 6505+ head, but not needed for now, im happy with my gear and how it sounds, feels like it could be even more aggressive, brutal, and stuff. So im looking for a boost, i have MT-2 (Rage all you want, i could get pretty AWESOME tones by plugging it into speaker system, just DONT EVER use the mid freq knob and leave the mids alone, tweak all you want on amp) right now, going to buy additional cable tommorow so i can try it on 6505+ as a boost and decide if it helps or sucks. So my question is what pedals can you use as a tubescreamer style boost, just no Metal Muff please, point me to most brutal and aggressive boost you can find.

TL;DR Give me list of good tubescreamer-style boosts for the more extreme side of Death Metal, excluding Metal Muff.

List of ones i could find (Dont know if suitable, just tubescreamer style):
Boss SD-1
Maxon OD-808
Ibanez TS-9 (Obviously)
Digitech Bad Monkey
Boss Metalcore (Saw somewhere saying someone used it as boost)
Boss Metalzone (CC uses it)

Pick the most brootz one or lead me to more brootz one.

I prefer it to be Boss-style stompbox


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## Kali Yuga (Aug 20, 2012)

I use an OD808, TS9, TS808 Reissue, Bloody Murder, Dead Horse, and OCD... all great pedals.


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## Kali Yuga (Aug 20, 2012)

Btw, the Boss Metalcore and Metalzone are nothing like Tubescreamers, and the pedal CC uses is a Keeley modded Metalzone, which is a completely different animal than the stock version. CC's live tone is atrocious IMO anyway. I wouldn't really be looking at those pedals to boost a 6505. The OD808 is basically the standard go-to for most people, following by the TS9.


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## budda (Aug 20, 2012)

I wouldn't boost a 6505 for death metal, I'd turn the gain up to 7 on the crunch channel.


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## DarkWolfXV (Aug 20, 2012)

I dont like the rhythm channel, even with crunch is does not sound as grindy as lead imo.


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## Krucifixtion (Aug 20, 2012)

Can't go wrong with a Maxon OD808


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## VESmedic (Aug 20, 2012)

Depends on the death metal tone your After man... The green channel is perfect for a lot of death metal... So many people think its the amp, it's the TECHNIQUE man, a lot of it. A lot of death metal tones aren't these super gained out grindy, super tight tones you think they are...


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## DarkWolfXV (Aug 20, 2012)

Well i pick so hard on palm mutes that i basically beat the shit out of strings, not that hard on unmuted notes because then string(s) go slightly out of tune.
Actually i dont want super tight tone, its more of djent thing imo (Which im not big fan of), and i know gain is not everything, i dont play maxed out pre gain, hell its not even 7, its 4 on lead chanel and im happy with it, undecided between 4 and 5 though.
Did not tweak rhythm for distortion much so i left it as clean channel. Found that lead is easier to tweak, gonna do some tweaking on rhythm tommorow.


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## Alcoholocaust (Aug 20, 2012)

Try out a Maxon OD808 as a clean boost (drive 0 tone 12oclock and level full)
and back of the gain of the fiddy a little, should add a nice crunchy bite and tighten the amp up a bit.


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## mniel8195 (Aug 20, 2012)

maxon 808 no question.


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## theo (Aug 20, 2012)

I used to only use my 6505+ on the red channel, But after hearing the the black dahlia guys use the green channel I thought I'd give it a try, It takes a while to get used to it, but even un-boosted you can get some really awesome tight punchy tones.

As far as boosting goes, just grab a cheap tubescreamer, It doesn't make much difference which, you're using it for a clean boost not for distortion so they'll all effectively do the same thing. Typical boost settings are volume 100% Gain 0% (or close to) and tone a bit over 50% (or to taste, depends on your guitar and pickups)


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## Eric Christian (Aug 20, 2012)

DarkWolfXV said:


> So im finally happy with my amp(6505+ 112 combo) and guitar (VGS Eruption), if anything i would get Vader Cab and 6505+ head, but not needed for now, im happy with my gear and how it sounds, feels like it could be even more aggressive, brutal, and stuff. So im looking for a boost, i have MT-2 (Rage all you want, i could get pretty AWESOME tones by plugging it into speaker system, just DONT EVER use the mid freq knob and leave the mids alone, tweak all you want on amp) right now, going to buy additional cable tommorow so i can try it on 6505+ as a boost and decide if it helps or sucks. So my question is what pedals can you use as a tubescreamer style boost, just no Metal Muff please, point me to most brutal and aggressive boost you can find.
> 
> TL;DR Give me list of good tubescreamer-style boosts for the more extreme side of Death Metal, excluding Metal Muff.
> 
> ...


 
In my mind there are about 10+ rather distinct "Death Metal" tones. You should be more specific, like for instance name a band and album with the tone you're going for. Early Celtic Frost sounds nothing like Carcass for example. If you're going for that really buzzsaw Swedish sound then a MIJ Boss HM-2 might be a good choice. Otherwise, most other tones are EQ'ed variations of a Marshall tube head with an overdrive or distortion pedal. Be bold, come up with your own sound.


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## groph (Aug 20, 2012)

A friend of mine goes through boosts and tubescreamers like socks. You're not going to get a certain tone with any pedal as long as it's pretty transparent, just keep trying new pedals out until you find something that works for you. As far as I know most tubescreamer type pedals are more or less the exact same thing anyway, so just experiment.

That said, the Maxon 808 is an industry standard, and I've had wonderfully disgusting results using a stock Metalzone boosting a Randall RM100 tube amp using the Treadplate module. I totally forget how the Metalzone was set, but I was using a bit of pedal distortion and a bit of amp distortion and the resulting tone was great for something really sloppy and abrasive like deathgrind.

EDIT: ^ and if you're looking for the Swedish buzzsaw tone, Behringer makes a pedal that's based on the HM2 that sounds pretty similar. Not identical, but it's still a buzzsaw tone. MIJ HM2s are collector's items and they might prove to be a bit tough to find.


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## Thep (Aug 20, 2012)

BBE Green Screamers can be had for cheap. The differences between most good tube screamer variants is very subtle, you won't go wrong with any if you find a bargain on one.


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## DarkWolfXV (Aug 21, 2012)

Eric Christian said:


> In my mind there are about 10+ rather distinct "Death Metal" tones. You should be more specific, like for instance name a band and album with the tone you're going for. Early Celtic Frost sounds nothing like Carcass for example. If you're going for that really buzzsaw Swedish sound then a MIJ Boss HM-2 might be a good choice. Otherwise, most other tones are EQ'ed variations of a Marshall tube head with an overdrive or distortion pedal. Be bold, come up with your own sound.


 
I dont go for any tone, because it is only posible to have similiar one.
Though i like Carcass Symphonies of Sickness/Necroticism, and thats a jcm 800. Heartwork tone is also good, they used 5150 + Marshall into some mixed cab. I also love Necrophagist lead tone, they use ENGL Savage.

I basically want my own sound, though, not other band sound.
Probably going with Maxon OD 808, seeing good things here and people say they are good for 6505's.
Would get Bloody Murder if the guy still made them.


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## cwhitey2 (Aug 21, 2012)

I used to run the green channel with a ts9 live. It was badass.


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## EOT (Aug 21, 2012)

With a 6505+ either a ts9 or 808 would be my first choice. A metal zone into a triple/dual rec is pretty brutal.


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## ShadowFactoryX (Aug 21, 2012)

Thep said:


> BBE Green Screamers can be had for cheap. The differences between most good tube screamer variants is very subtle, you won't go wrong with any if you find a bargain on one.



+1 Green Screamer is a beast


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## LolloBlaskhyrt (Aug 21, 2012)

I play Technical Death and I built myself a TS808 replica ( Das Musikding ) and it sounds great with only 30&#8364;! I love also Maxon OD808 and the old but gold Ibanez TS808. Dead horse sounds good in the Keith Merrow YT video!


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## DarkWolfXV (Aug 21, 2012)

Looked on the rhythm channel, actually its darker, bit punchier and less smooth than lead one, and thats great, probably lead channel is better for leads because its smoother, boosted mids and volume and works great as channel for leads.
Now gotta get a footswitch too, and of course Maxon OD808, thanks guys.


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## Razor Eater (Aug 21, 2012)

ATM I have an early 90's 5150 and was using a ts-9 to boost the lead channel w/ the channel gain set at 3 or 4. It was good but then I got my Fulltone OCD and now my ts-9 is just for show. It adds a girth and depth that feels natural.


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## schizoidasylum (Aug 21, 2012)

Fulltone Plimsoul
Lots of sustain


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## VBCheeseGrater (Aug 21, 2012)

Here i come again with the Delta Labs plug. If you see a Delta Labs Tube Driver, get it, They are dirt cheap, and add a cutting type chug that should be great for death metal. I can't recommend this pedal enough as a boost at least, it just kicks ass. For $25, if you hate it, no big deal.


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## Esp Griffyn (Aug 22, 2012)

VESmedic said:


> Depends on the death metal tone your After man... The green channel is perfect for a lot of death metal... So many people think its the amp, it's the TECHNIQUE man, a lot of it. A lot of death metal tones aren't these super gained out grindy, super tight tones you think they are...



I can't disagree with this. Tossing too much gain in the mix just makes a harsh, unpleasant tone, like a crappy Children of Bodom rhythm sound, and while it sounds great in your bedroom (or just "less bad" perhaps) it sounds crap with a band. I tend to find that a good boost from a tubescreamer type pedal, and rolling the gain back a little less than you think you should have it yields better results.

I'd love to get rid of the X2N7 in my K-7, it's a frankly shit pickup that I put in there in my mislead youth when I thought that more gain = more tightness = better, when in reality it just makes for a harsh tone that gets on my nerves and grinds on my ears, so I have to have separate patches on my PodXt to get similar tones from my K-7 compared to my other EMG81 equipped guitar, because the XN27 has so much harshness in it. 

The day I rolled back the gain knob and upped the boost on the screamer a little was a revelation!


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## DarkWolfXV (Aug 22, 2012)

I dont run shit ton of gain, like i said previously i go 4 on lead channel and 7 on rhythm cause lead has more default gain, well just going to get Maxon OD808.
Actually after playing through the both channels i still prefer lead, though.
Checked Fulltone stuff new on thomann and its quite expensive. So definitely going Maxon.


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