Du hast
A tight, stop-start riff locked to a synth sequence.
What is the Du hast guitar tone?
The Du hast guitar tone is a tight, stop-start riff locked to a synth sequence, heard on Rammstein's 1990s industrial metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Rammstein reportedly tracked it with a rig that no source read here places on the take, from a band whose guitar sound Paul Landers describes as two approaches mixed: Richard Kruspe, he told MusicRadar, was always the amp guy and he was always the no-amp guy, and the band has always preferred that mix of amps, one a bit more live and the other a bit more direct, which he calls the recipe for the Rammstein guitar sound; Landers says he had a Tech 21 SansAmp PSA1 for years before his SansAmp GT2 and uses his Roland Jazz Chorus for his clean sound on the records, while Kruspe told MusicRadar that his main distortion sound today goes into one of three Mesa/Boogie Rectifiers, and told Bonedo that his favourite Rectifiers include very early models from the 1990s; Wikipedia says the music was written by keyboardist Flake and Kruspe, the intro and verses combining a synth sequence by Flake with a guitar riff by Kruspe and the chorus written around a chord sequence by Flake, and that the riff is similar to Ministry's Just One Fix; the title plays on the German homophones du hast, you have, and du hasst, you hate; it was the second single from Sehnsucht, produced by Jacob Hellner with the band and released on 22 August 1997, and it appeared on The Matrix soundtrack. Industrial metal guitar is tight, palm-muted high gain locked to programmed drums and synths, so the noise gate and a controlled low end matter more than extra gain, and the size comes from doubled parts.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Du hast amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 8, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup.
- Gain 8
- Bass 5
- Middle 5
- Treble 7
- Presence 6
- Reverb 1
- Signal chain
- Two guitars: a miked Mesa/Boogie and a direct SansAmp (the band's recipe)
- The control that matters most
- Tightness, then two sounds. The riff stops dead between hits in time with a synth sequence, so use a noise gate, keep the bass tight and the gain high but controlled, and if you can, double it with a second, more direct sound, since Landers says the band's guitar sound is one amp a bit more live and one a bit more direct.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. A first plan starts with 7 days free, $0 today.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
Does the Du hast tone sound off on your amp?
Pick what you hear. You get the knobs to turn from the starting point above, and how far.
What gear did Rammstein use on Du hast?
A rig that no source read here places on the take, from a band whose guitar sound Paul Landers describes as two approaches mixed: Richard Kruspe, he told MusicRadar, was always the amp guy and he was always the no-amp guy, and the band has always preferred that mix of amps, one a bit more live and the other a bit more direct, which he calls the recipe for the Rammstein guitar sound; Landers says he had a Tech 21 SansAmp PSA1 for years before his SansAmp GT2 and uses his Roland Jazz Chorus for his clean sound on the records, while Kruspe told MusicRadar that his main distortion sound today goes into one of three Mesa/Boogie Rectifiers, and told Bonedo that his favourite Rectifiers include very early models from the 1990s; Wikipedia says the music was written by keyboardist Flake and Kruspe, the intro and verses combining a synth sequence by Flake with a guitar riff by Kruspe and the chorus written around a chord sequence by Flake, and that the riff is similar to Ministry's Just One Fix; the title plays on the German homophones du hast, you have, and du hasst, you hate; it was the second single from Sehnsucht, produced by Jacob Hellner with the band and released on 22 August 1997, and it appeared on The Matrix soundtrack.
Sources: MusicRadar: Rammstein's Paul Landers on being the no-amp guy, MusicRadar: Rammstein's Richard Z. Kruspe on guitar sounds, Bonedo: Richard Z. Kruspe im Interview, Wikipedia: Du hast, Wikipedia: Sehnsucht (Rammstein album)
Tonelify's tone matcher reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Du hast tone on your own amp?
Tell us your guitar, amp, and pedals
AI researches the original tone of Du hast
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Du hast tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Du hast?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 8, Bass 5, Middle 5, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 1, with the bridge pickup. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same tight, stop-start riff locked to a synth sequence from different positions.
What amp did Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers use on Du hast?
Amp: Not documented; Kruspe's Mesa/Boogie Rectifiers and Landers' SansAmp are the band's recipe. Guitar: Not documented for this song. Sources: MusicRadar, Bonedo and Wikipedia.
What were Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers' amp settings on Du hast?
None of the sources cited on this page gives Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers' full amp settings on Du hast. The numbers here are a starting point for that kind of part, not the settings from the session, and Tonelify rewrites them for the amp and guitar you own.
How do you get Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers' tone on Du hast?
Tightness, then two sounds. The riff stops dead between hits in time with a synth sequence, so use a noise gate, keep the bass tight and the gain high but controlled, and if you can, double it with a second, more direct sound, since Landers says the band's guitar sound is one amp a bit more live and one a bit more direct. Play it with the bridge pickup.
Can you get the Du hast tone without the original gear?
Yes. The parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order, and those translate to other equipment. Tonelify's adaptation step works them out for the amp and guitar you own.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
A match for your own gear takes a plan, and a first plan starts with 7 days free with nothing charged that day: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
