# Djent on a budget?



## guitarfreak1387 (Nov 12, 2010)

So the last 6 or so months now I'm realy getting into meshuggah/periphery type bands. I'd realy like to play in the style but just can't get it right. My playing dosent seem to fit nor does my tone.

So my question is,
can you get a "djent" tone on a budget?

Currently my set up is,

ibanez rg1527 (drop a, down a half step)
into
monte allums tri roxx modded ds-1
boss ge-7
straight into a ibanez tb100

the the fx loop
boss ce-5
boss bf-3
boss dd-3

can anyone help me with getting a basic tone?

Also is there anywere I can read up on the styles rhythm playing?


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## abstract (Nov 12, 2010)

Well, if your playing doesn't fit the style, the only thing you can do is get better at it. I remember when I first got into 'djent'. I had a figuring out period where I sort of shifted the way I approach guitar. There are a lot of subtleties in the muting (with both hands), your legato techniques have to be pinpoint-accurate on the low strings, and you have to have a good ear for the tones and frequencies that shift around depending on how you pick. Especially with Periphery and Bulb's stuff you have to have a feel for bends that don't go all the way to the next semitone.

Gear wise, I just use an Ibby TS9 boost (Drive 1, Tone 6, Volume same as off). I have a tube amp, on which I push the mids fairly hard and try to dial back the gain to the point where the midrange doesn't get too muddy, yet it's still pretty brutal sounding. I know that's a little tougher with most solidstate amps, but it's certainly doable.


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## guitarfreak1387 (Nov 12, 2010)

Iv read the "djent" how to in the forums. I'm getting closer to the sound I'm looking for. With the modded ds-1 it acts more like a overdrive, iv got the gain set to the point were it's breaking up nice but not over doing it. What I need help with is the eq'ing on the ge-7. Anyone by chance have a pic that I can use to compare? I'm using it after the ds-1


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## rectifryer (Nov 13, 2010)

Djent _is_ budget.

Its more in technique than anything. Having more mids and highs in comparison to lows is really the gist of it. Heavy palm muting with 4 string chords really sets it off.


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## Antenna (Nov 13, 2010)

Things that will bring out the Djentiness as well are going to be dialing back that gain a good bit on your tone. Using an OD or distortion pedal with the gain dialed all the way back so it's only a booster and tone shaper is a good start. There are definately amps that are ore djenty than others. 5150/6505's, Rectifiers, Randall's and Engl's can have very Djenty characters to them. Pickups are a big to do as well. You want tight pickups, you want to stay away from muddy pups and sometimes hotter pickups although have a decent djent, aren't the best choice either. With the RG1527, the Dimarzio Liquifire / Cruchlab 7 pickups are a great choice. A big thing that also helps is the Benson Technique when it comes to picking. The Benson Technique ensures you strike the notes with the edge of the pick to give a pronounced attack to the transient. So With what you have you don't need too much more to get the tone you want, remember no matter how much gear you have, the most tone you have is in your hands.


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## Gerbaschlonk (Nov 14, 2010)

I have a Michael Kelly and a Bugera 6262 and I can get a djent sort of sound out of that alone. It's mostly technique. Of course my Djent isn't as tight but it gets the job done. I find if you mute the strings about 2 inches above the strings as opposed to on the strings youll get a decent djent sound as you cut out the sustain a lot quicker and the notes are a lot tighter. Just mess around with your muting style and make sure you use your fingerboard hand to mute the strings aswell to get a really tight sound.


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## Gerbaschlonk (Nov 14, 2010)

two inches above the bridge. "facedesk"


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## Kr1zalid (Nov 15, 2010)

Antenna said:


> So With what you have you don't need too much more to get the tone you want, remember no matter how much gear you have, the most tone you have is in your hands.


 


And I'm getting to it~~ Technique is priority!


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## 6Christ6Denied6 (Nov 18, 2010)

+1 on all the technique comments, my rig was stolen and all i have left to play through is a spider 3 30 watt combo. and with the right technique i can get a nasty djent tone..

but as far as amp settings goes, basically set your mids way up, start will the bass in the middle and reduce until its gets too thin and then bring it up a light bit, and adjust treble up until it gets fuzzy then back off some. also boosting and compression helps too. 1 more thing, use less gain.

some tips for technique..

learning how to mute strings is crucial, the only time your not muting is when a note or chord is being played, if not then you should mute everything else. so basically you acting as a gate in a way.

learning where to palm mute is important, if you palm mute closer to the bridge you get that sort of droned out mute sound but if you move your hand up more towards the neck then you get that super tight almost extremely short pick scrape kind of sound.

i was showing my friend some groovy djent stuff that i came up with and it sounded real tight and controlled so he picked up my guitar and copied what i was doing but since djent is not really his thing the technique was sloppy and it didnt sound good at all. so dont worry about tone as much as how you play


hope this helped


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## Prydogga (Nov 18, 2010)

VSTs yo. TXE X30, some serious 'djent' tone available in that, I say djent tone, because some things really can't handle those palm mutes, and it just sounds like dick.


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## DrewsifStalin (Nov 18, 2010)

A djent is a palm mute o_0


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## Khaine88 (Nov 18, 2010)

6Christ6Denied6 said:


> +1 on all the technique comments, my rig was stolen and all i have left to play through is a spider 3 30 watt combo. and with the right technique i can get a nasty djent tone..
> 
> but as far as amp settings goes, basically set your mids way up, start will the bass in the middle and reduce until its gets too thin and then bring it up a light bit, and adjust treble up until it gets fuzzy then back off some. also boosting and compression helps too. 1 more thing, use less gain.
> 
> ...


 
+1 on all that, The technique is so paramount,

Myself im using a Caparison Horus HGS O/w EF with a BKP Aftermath+Sinner in it through a Keeley 4 Knob Comp, with the attack up quite high, a Maxon OD-808 wit the OD at about 2-4 then into an NS-2 which is off sometimes, then into a VK 100(Invader 100 is coming next week omnomnomn <3) with the gain on about 4, Mids at about 9 and a half, treble about 7, bass on 4-5, then a small bit of reverb helps abit, for the chordy bits + adds a small amount to the attack, with some presence etc thrown in aswell, then all of that goes into a Zilla Custom Cabs Fatboy 2x12 with V30s(Literally the punchiest, Mid heavy cab ever, with Lows booming and Highs singing through check it out, puts the Orange 4x12 to shame). But even through a the Spider 3 30 watt i have in my room for practice I find that technique is still the dominating factor as I can get a real nice Djent tone out of that even though in comparison it is alot more grainy then my main rig.


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## msalazar (Dec 25, 2010)

Definitely technique. You can play djenty as fuck with little to no gain at all. Not that it would be very heavy, just that it isn't about amp tone as much as it's proper muting with alot of pick attack


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## The Reverend (Dec 26, 2010)

For someone who loves djent, I find myself counseling people against it a lot 

Everything these guys said about the _technique_, I definitely agree with. As for tone, well...meh. There is for sure a somewhat uniform tone developing in the somewhat-vague genre that is djent, and I'd say stay away from it. Your tone is your sonic signature; it's part of expressing yourself with a guitar. Trying to copy someone else's IMO will only limit you in the long run. 

I suggest you try to find a tone that screams you, and tighten up your actual playing. 

I sound like a djent-hippie. Hmm.


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## wotofok (Jan 8, 2011)

@DrewsifStalin
No it's not a palm mute, tho it is required. Djent is more the way you play, and your settings on your rig might help as well.


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## GATA4 (Jan 8, 2011)

Make sure your action isn't too low, also. If you have it relatively tight, then you can dig your pick in harder and get a more of a scraping sound. Mids and technique, yo. That's all it is!


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## josh pelican (Jan 9, 2011)

wotofok said:


> @DrewsifStalin
> No it's not a palm mute, tho it is required. Djent is more the way you play, and your settings on your rig might help as well.



No, djent _is_ a picking technique. That's how it started.


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## The Reverend (Jan 10, 2011)

josh pelican said:


> No, djent _is_ a picking technique. That's how it started.



How it started and what it is now are two different things.


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## JunkMan13013 (Jan 10, 2011)

The Reverend said:


> How it started and what it is now are two different things.


 
This is one of the most sensible posts ive ever seen about djent on these forums 

More mid, less gain, and pratice, soon youll be able to get the tones you desire.


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## Ishan (Jan 11, 2011)

Djent on a budget -> Peavey Ampkit with the pack + Ampkit link + good technic.
If you have an iPhone, that's it


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## wotofok (Jan 23, 2011)

josh pelican said:


> No, djent _is_ a picking technique. That's how it started.



that's exactly what i said, it's the way you play; picking technique was included.


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## josh pelican (Jan 24, 2011)

The Reverend said:


> How it started and what it is now are two different things.



Which is unfortunate. It's sad that a picking technique turned into a serious genre to some.


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## heilarkyguitar (Jan 24, 2011)

been messing around w/ it a bit but w/out a noise reducer i have no stop persay


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jan 24, 2011)

Compression, high mids, lack of low mids, a bass tone that meshes with the guitar tone really well; and lots of noise gates.


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## The Reverend (Jan 25, 2011)

josh pelican said:


> Which is unfortunate. It's sad that a picking technique turned into a serious genre to some.



One word: Bebop.

.


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## grievous_coil (Mar 21, 2012)

seems like it morphed into a "way of life" for some . . . 

oh well . . .


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## asilayamazing (Mar 21, 2012)

WTF!? DJENT?! it sounds like we are sub-genre-defining again. WTF how about play some metal and get GOOD at doing it? stuff ive heard songs classified as djent on this forums recording section just sounded like typical post hardcore esque metal with an added lower string or pedal tone... am i missing something?!?!? if its playing fast and tight that sounds like metal to me. and comps an noise gates do that. and pick tecnique is importent different picks angles an such produce different tones. if you want a scratchy pick sound use a thin hard one an scrape an angle. big deal. i mean you add a lower string an now its djent? 

enough with my rant.... JW wth happened to metal...

EDIT: thatd be a LOT of money spent on picks!!!!


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## ImBCRichBitch (Mar 21, 2012)

The question is why would you want to get djent tone?  well i can say a djent is a detuned palm muted powerchord. so thats really the up and down of it. tune to drop a and palm mute. and there you go.


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## celticelk (Mar 21, 2012)

The Reverend said:


> One word: Bebop.
> 
> .



Not sure what you're getting at here - bebop didn't start as a playing technique.

As far as I can tell, "djent" became a genre because the guys that were ripping off Meshuggah's musical approach had to rip off their guitar tones as well.


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## The Reverend (Mar 22, 2012)

celticelk said:


> Not sure what you're getting at here - bebop didn't start as a playing technique.
> 
> As far as I can tell, "djent" became a genre because the guys that were ripping off Meshuggah's musical approach had to rip off their guitar tones as well.



OT, so I'll keep it concise: you're right. It was, however, an adjective used to describe a sound spanning a loosely grouped collection of artists. Djent describes a sound, bebop describes a sound, even metal describes a sound.

EDIT: I just realized this thread is over a year old.


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## asilayamazing (Mar 23, 2012)

The Reverend said:


> OT, so I'll keep it concise: you're right. It was, however, an adjective used to describe a sound spanning a loosely grouped collection of artists. Djent describes a sound, bebop describes a sound, even metal describes a sound.
> 
> EDIT: I just realized this thread is over a year old.


im gonna start making up adjectives for every single song i write. DIFFERENT adjectives of course cause we surely dont have enough.... and i mean jeez if DJENT can catch on....


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Mar 23, 2012)

asilayamazing said:


> im gonna start making up adjectives for every single song i write. DIFFERENT adjectives of course cause we surely dont have enough.... and i mean jeez if DJENT can catch on....



Search "djent" on Wikipedia. Read the first quote under "Reception." 

EDIT: Damn, I'm starting to use "google" in place of "search" all the time, and its affecting me.


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## asilayamazing (Mar 23, 2012)

HOLY SHIT lmao

wikipedia
here it is

_"In response to a question Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe stated:__ There is no such thing as 'djent,' it's not a genre.
&#8212;[19]
_​_In an interview with Guitar Messenger Periphery guitarist Misha Mansoor said:__ I was looking for gear that was djenty. I was like: &#8216;Are these pickups djenty?&#8217; For some reason it caught on, but completely in the wrong way, because people think it&#8217;s a style of music and they think it&#8217;s a style of music I play.
&#8212;[20]"_


BUT WAIT i was RIGHT! i got another string now LOL

" _Furthermore, the use of seven or eight string guitars is common in the genre, which provides the music its characteristic lower-end, heavier feel_"

hey DOOD lets call itzzz djent!​


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## shnizzle (Mar 24, 2012)

i think many guys here are a bit misinformed about djent. it´s a tone that can not just be accomplished by using an extra string and do heady palm mutes. you really do need the right equipment to get this clear metallic sound. with wrong gear it will most likely sound muddy or scratchy and overall unbalanced. djent is not generally considered a genre, more of a style you can incorporate into pretty much any kind of metal. as soon as a metal band uses those metallic palm mutes and open note syncopated riffs with this heavy grinding tone also known as djent it can be considered as a djent band, no matter if the general underlining kind of metal is progressive, heavy, nu, ...


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## VBCheeseGrater (Mar 24, 2012)

Gerbaschlonk said:


> two inches above the bridge. "facedesk"



you had me thinking pretty hard for minute there...."Is this some crazy technique i'm unaware of??"..... No worries, if i was judged solely on my typed messages i'd be fired from work for being "Disabled"


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## Najka (Apr 15, 2012)

You will need some gain if you are trying to get the sound at a bedroom volume. They get that really fat sound at really high volumes. If you watch misha's djent set videos you can hear he's not quite getting the tone you hear live because the volume is so low. The volume is where djent bands get the power. It's too different things playing loud enough to get the tone with a drummer. Noise gate is a gigantic part of the tone. You won't nail the periphery tone with out it. I'm nailing the tone, turn the noise gate attack low, and the release high. Mids high, treble slightly higher. Turn the bass down to tighten it up. Drive down on your amp. Tone on your OD pedal very high. Drive on the OD pedal low, turn it up if you're at bedroom volume. 6 strings tune to drop c. seven string tune to A. Pick hard. Grab another 5th on top of your power 5ths and scrape into it. Let the low string "burp" by hitting it open Nd unmutted between riffs. Hope this helps! You will nail the djent sound by doing this! Easy sound to find. Not going to be exactly like periphery because you can't spike the mid frequencies. If you want to go all out get an equalizer pedal and play with raise the mid frequencies


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## rock90 (Apr 17, 2012)

As a wise man once said: "Pick hard!"


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## OfArtAndArsenal (Apr 18, 2012)

Yes. 
All of these things.
Djent is an onamonapia. Its the sound made by a palm-muted power chord, extending four notes. Picked hard as hell. Lower gain, boosted front end, less bass, more mids and highs, they help shape that sonically into a very metallic tone.
Djent is not technique. Djent is not tone. Djent is both of these things.
Djent is Fredrik Thorendal.


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## Chuck (Dec 25, 2012)

Ishan said:


> Djent on a budget -> Peavey Ampkit with the pack + Ampkit link + good technic.
> If you have an iPhone, that's it



Haha I got Ampkit+ and a Apogee jam for Xmas today, and yeah it does the trick quite well


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## Narrillnezzurh (Dec 26, 2012)

Najka said:


> You will need some gain if you are trying to get the sound at a bedroom volume. They get that really fat sound at really high volumes. If you watch misha's djent set videos you can hear he's not quite getting the tone you hear live because the volume is so low.



Unless they're using a tube amp/power-amp, they get that tone from high _input_ volume, not output volume. An Axe-FX will get djenty tones at any volume level.


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## jimwratt (Dec 28, 2012)

Don't forget about the LePou plugins.


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## noise in my mind (Dec 28, 2012)

check out this thread I made a while back. It should help out

http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/recording-studio/204871-if-you-starting-out-recording-budget.html


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## Watty (Dec 28, 2012)

Necro-bumps an 8 month old thread. 
More people subsequently reply.
2nd post in 4 years? _Don't worry._

*Necromancy +1*


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