# Portal tone... just out of curiosity



## Distortion (Oct 5, 2010)

Someone at work recently suggested I check out Portal, a weird death metal band from Australia...

so I checked their MySpace (Portal on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads) out and was surprised at what I heard... Reminded me a lot of the "Onward to Golgotha" days of Incantation but what stood out the most is... their tone... It is nowhere near what I'm looking for but just out of curiosity, how on earth do you get such a murky, undefined but ultra abrasive sound like that? it's seriously haunting...

Anyone has a clue?


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## jllozano (Oct 5, 2010)

tight amp...low tone knob on guitar? just a guess


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## Auyard (Oct 5, 2010)

I know the one guitarist Illogium uses a Mesa Strategy 400.


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## Krucifixtion (Oct 5, 2010)

I saw a marshall in one of their pics. I'm thinking they are boosting with some type of fuzz or maybe like a boss HM-2? Plus probably heavily distorted bass and some real harsh sounding industrial like drummers are most likely adding to all that. Those guys are weird lol


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## groph (Oct 5, 2010)

YES, I must know how to do this as well. I need to know how to produce incredibly gross sounds, and Portal is one of the grossest. Thanked.

My best guess is some weird boost, probably some sort of distortion pedal like the HM-2 mentioned above. It seems like there's a TON of gain in the tone, and most death metal tones have retarded amounts of gain anyway (or multiple layered guitars) so that probably helps. Maybe Portal layers their guitars like crazy, but the stuff is so complicated I don't know how they'd get it sounding tight.... wait that might be how they do it. Write incredibly complex guitar parts and try to layer it. The inevitable failure will result in said horrific tone.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Oct 5, 2010)

They don't need layering to do that, find their namesake album "Portal", it's just two guitar tracks, one left and one right, with vocals. No bass or drums. Their tone is still murky and abrasive, and instantly recognizable.

I would love to know how they go about this, since after hearing them and becoming a fan, I've wanted to get me some of that textural distortion they seem to be so adept at creating.


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## teqnick (Oct 6, 2010)

all of the above, along with a grandfather clock on your dome.


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## Holy Katana (Oct 6, 2010)

groph said:


> YES, I must know how to do this as well. I need to know how to produce incredibly gross sounds, and Portal is one of the grossest. Thanked.
> 
> My best guess is some weird boost, probably some sort of distortion pedal like the HM-2 mentioned above. It seems like there's a TON of gain in the tone, and most death metal tones have retarded amounts of gain anyway (or multiple layered guitars) so that probably helps. Maybe Portal layers their guitars like crazy, but the stuff is so complicated I don't know how they'd get it sounding tight.... wait that might be how they do it. Write incredibly complex guitar parts and try to layer it. The inevitable failure will result in said horrific tone.


I can't even tell what they're playing whenever I listen to them.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Oct 6, 2010)

^If you listen to it enough some of it will start to make sense.
At least that was the case for me. There's still a lot of indiscernible audio chaos in there.



teqnick said:


> all of the above, along with a grandfather clock on your dome.


I've got a fever, and the only cure is more grandfather clock.


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## Distortion (Oct 6, 2010)

Cool answers guys, looking forward to hearing more!

I'm gonna start messing around with the ideas that are floating and report back if I get anything.


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## All_¥our_Bass (Oct 6, 2010)

They are usually playing dissonant chords, and their alternate picking on single strings is more like strumming a single note, they use a looser/saggier variety of palm muting-closer to/smack on the saddles. They claim to always used tubes-which will add more sag, and they certainly aren't using a tubescreamer boost-or any other type of boost that would cut lows/super highs and boosts mids. If they are boosting, maybe they do the opposite, having a scooped boost, but with more mids and less treble/bass on the amps.

It also seems that they pick pretty hard to get some pitch oscillation (warble) on the notes.


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## Illogium (Jan 3, 2011)

Just noticed this thread.

Each album has had different equipment used for our tone.

Swarth - Bogner Triple Giant thru Mesa Boogie Strategy 400 (ABY Pedal) mixed with a Peavey 6505. I like to have the mids & highs of the Bogner at around 1 or 2 O'clock, and the Lows at 1 O'clock, exclusively thru the Sharp Gain channel. The 6505 was used to fill out the tone with more dirt and fatness.

Outre' - I used a Digitech Valve FX preamp thru an Alesis reference power amp.

Seepia - An old Digitech Processor GSP 2101 or something through Peavey Revolution head.

Pre 2002 demos etc - I used the distortion from the Peavey Revolution head.


Lately when we have to travel and can't take our rigs we use the T.C. Electronic Nova Gain pedals.


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## Acatalepsy (Jan 3, 2011)

cheers for the info!


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## Distortion (Jan 4, 2011)

Thanksfor the info  Cheers!


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## groph (Jan 4, 2011)

All_¥our_Bass;2168657 said:


> It also seems that they pick pretty hard to get some pitch oscillation (warble) on the notes.


 
By that you mean "BWWOOOOOOWWW?"


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## All_¥our_Bass (Jan 4, 2011)

^Yeah.


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## highlordmugfug (Jan 4, 2011)

Awesome Illogium, thanks a ton.


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## Stealthdjentstic (Jan 4, 2011)

Thank god you still post here! I remember a bunch of idiots shut talking your music and then you stopped posting for a while 

Any chance of a tab book in the future???


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## Illogium (Jan 4, 2011)

groph said:


> By that you mean "BWWOOOOOOWWW?"





All_¥our_Bass;2168657 said:


> They are usually playing dissonant chords, and their alternate picking on single strings is more like strumming a single note, they use a looser/saggier variety of palm muting-closer to/smack on the saddles. They claim to always used tubes-which will add more sag, and they certainly aren't using a tubescreamer boost-or any other type of boost that would cut lows/super highs and boosts mids. If they are boosting, maybe they do the opposite, having a scooped boost, but with more mids and less treble/bass on the amps.
> 
> It also seems that they pick pretty hard to get some pitch oscillation (warble) on the notes.




Yes we pick very hard with 2.0 picks alot of the time, we use alot of vibrato when holding the notes aswell as bending strings on stretched chords. One of the key ingredients is to always use thick strings so that the tension is always very tight.


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## Illogium (Jan 4, 2011)

Stealthtastic said:


> Thank god you still post here! I remember a bunch of idiots shut talking your music and then you stopped posting for a while
> 
> Any chance of a tab book in the future???



I don't always pay attention.


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## goat violator (Jan 5, 2011)

Hey Illogium, do you still play that 7 string Ironbird? If not I am happy to take it off your hands!! 
serious....


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## Illogium (Jan 5, 2011)

goat violator said:


> Hey Illogium, do you still play that 7 string Ironbird? If not I am happy to take it off your hands!!
> serious....



Actually sold this last year to the guitarist of Diocletian to help out with USA touring costs.


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## goat violator (Jan 5, 2011)

Illogium said:


> Actually sold this last year to the guitarist of Diocletian to help out with USA touring costs.



Damn...at least it went to a good home! Cheers!


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