Note: the images included in this post are not intended to be used as a reference for “settings”. There are no magic numbers, and it’s the concepts, approach and workflow that are important. Where the dials and EQ bands end up will depend entirely on what you’re starting with and where it needs to go. […]
May 26, 2022
I’ll start with the good news: guitars are often easier to mix than every other instrument you’d find in a typical metal track. Most people overthink it.The bad news: 90% of the battle is starting with good tone right off the bat. There’s a bright side to that, though. Even though it’s true that you […]
May 19, 2022
In the extreme metal genres, nothing can ruin an otherwise great song and recording faster than poorly programmed, fake-sounding drum tracks. In this article, I’m going to share some tips that will help you to create natural, convincing drum tracks. For a long time, programming drums for high-speed, blast-beat laden genres like death metal and […]
May 12, 2022
How do you get a great-sounding metal bass tone with nothing but plugins? First, you need to record a great-sounding DI, which you can achieve with a quality bass, and a bassist’s skilled performance. (Which is often easier said than done, but let’s assume you’ve got that part covered.) But what’s next? In this post, […]
May 10, 2022
In this article, I’m going to recommend a handful of my favourite DAWs (and one I don’t like) for recording and mixing metal projects. Right upfront, I’ll admit that trying to identify the “best DAW for metal” is a somewhat silly approach. Bluntly, any software capable of multi-tracking audio, with MIDI features, that includes a […]
May 7, 2022
So here’s the situation: you’re a pretty good guitarist, and an adequate bassist. You’ve got the idea to start one those one-man-band projects. But there’s a complication: you don’t have a drummer. You don’t play drums, or you tragically suck at drums. And you wouldn’t be able to fit an acoustic kit in your small […]
May 4, 2022
In this post, I’ll be digging into low-cost audio interfaces. Instead of listing every budget interface known to man, which seems to be the custom in articles like this ($$$), I’m limiting this round-up to my own personal recommendations. I’ll provide some more options in summary at the end for a broader overview of what’s […]
May 3, 2022
In this post, we take a look into the plugins needed to mix and master death metal, black metal, and other genres of metal. Why only plugins? Two reasons: good hardware if often prohibitively expensive, and digital technology has come far enough that plugins aren’t just for hobbyists: many professionals rely on them daily. You […]
April 24, 2022
In this post, I’m going to take a look a few of the best guitar amp sims for metal, and particularly for death metal, black metal, grindcore, and other extreme genres. In other words, we’ll be focusing on VST, AU and AXX plugins that seek to model high gain and modern sounding amps, like that […]