Metal productions that rival 'The Big 3'

[Sickan]

And on a side note, The Way of All Flesh has the best snare drum sound I've ever heard in my life.

Haha, thats the only thing that is bothering me on that album Love everything exept the snare, the kick is probably the best kick I have ever heard!

 

[Ermz]

I think Fredrik told me that they use Marshall Valvestate with 5150 and one more amp on Clayman. And i belive he told me that theres allot of real drums on the album light blended with samples.

Clayman is excellent work i most say though i dont care that much for In flames.

Thanks! Is there any chance to get something more specific?

Sorry to sound pushy, but this really is one of my faves of all time, and it's an unknown quantity. With Andy we generally know what he does because he either tells us, or the bands tell us or w/e, but with Clayman it's a diff story.... all we know is how he likes to mic the damn amp!

@Marcus: Goddamnit! Well, at least it's nice to hear that you don't hate those productions altogether. I think it really illustrates our different tastes in guitar tones. The way the guitars sit on Clayman is almost ideal for me. They are just fat and chunky... the mids are totally in the right place, because they are fat, but scooped enough to let the ambience and drums breathe. Due to the dual-mic technique, a lot of fizz has been cancelled, so there isn't unnecessary stuff going on in the high end, and they just sound friggin smooth, chunky, and blend with the bass to constitute 'MASSIVE'.

There are a lot of little imperfections in Clayman. The bass can boom out, the kick pumps a lot, the vox and leads get buried, the OHs are a bit overbearing... but it almost adds to the charm. It's like the CLA record where everything is in check, but still on the brink of falling apart. It seems to do with mixing into the mix bus comp and having it take some of the load on. On that note I can't wait to get my GSSL and start having at it!

 

[Jaymz]

1. In Flames - Clayman
2. Soilwork - Stabbing the Drama
3. Decapitated - Organic Hallucinosis

Don't like any of them

 

[crillemannen]

Well it seems like many out there thinks they have some kind of magic trick they pull off everytime. But seeing Henrik and Fredrik work it all comes down to having good ears and know how to use the right tools in the right situation.
Practice makes perfetc right???

Cheers

 

[Metaltastic]

Due to the dual-mic technique, a lot of fizz has been cancelled, so there isn't unnecessary stuff going on in the high end, and they just sound friggin smooth, chunky, and blend with the bass to constitute 'MASSIVE'.

Massive yes, but too damn smooth for me, I like some fizz/crunch! (but I know you hate guitars that actually sound like they were played through a guitar cab ) I will unequivocally agree on STD though (and everything except the guitars on Clayman), so I guess we're 50% in agreement, which is progress!

 

[Ermz]

I definitely don't think that. I don't like any of Fredrik's productions apart from Clayman and Sweet Vengeance! What they did back before dropping their analogue gear. That's why I'm trying to understand what went right there to try and carry on the torch and learn to do things right!

 

[Metaltastic]

I dunno, I definitely seem to remember you saying you hate how amps sound in the room, and that's why you like using multi-mic setups to cancel that out...

 

[Ermz]

^ I didn't aim that post at you! Check the post above yours! But yes, I do generally hate how amps sound in the room, through the cab. Too imperfect in nature, painful, subject to too many weird non-linearities, positioning... generally hard to control and or stomach listening to. This is after being a guitarist for 7 years too mind you... not just an engineer with a weird perspective.

 

[abyssofdreams]

Ermz, the quote button is there for a reason
Marcus, he wasn't addressing you I suppose

 

[abyssofdreams]

Curse you, realtime double-posting FTL

 

[Metaltastic]

^ I didn't aim that post at you! Check the post above yours! But yes, I do generally hate how amps sound in the room, through the cab. Too imperfect in nature, painful, subject to too many weird non-linearities, positioning... generally hard to control and or stomach listening to. This is after being a guitarist for 7 years too mind you... not just an engineer with a weird perspective.

Cool, now I can stop raiding the search function for a quote to prove my point

 

[Cyanide_Anima]

clayman is great! and STD is great too, but i prefer A predator's Portrait, that production rocks, i love the drum sound.
my faves are Demanufacture (OMG the guitars are absolutely crushing! I'd drown 30 puppies for that tone). and i just love the snare on Holographic Universe. that whole album just has a nice sheen.

 

[Skinny Viking]

HAHAHAHAHA WWWOOOWWW

Fan-Fucking-Tastic

 

[KeithTidd]

I would really like to say Slaughter Of The Soul as one of the greatest death metal productions ever. Fat as any modern-day production, with all the charm and bone chrushing qualities of the oldschool.

Truth.

 

[bibz]

For me the latest mix that never fails to impress is Carnal Forge - Testify For My Victims. On my hifi speakers its punchy as, in my car it accentuates the amazing middy and chuggy guitar tones, and the snare to die for! Love it, whats you guys thoughts on it?

 

[Proggm]

To me, Fear Factory's Demanufacture is... timeless. Maybe it´s something subjective, but every time I listen to that album I think “man, this was done in 1994… unbelievable”.

Today´s productions are way too polished and everything sounds kind of the same. Listen to Pantera (Cowboys/Vulgar), Fear Factory (Demanufacture/Digimortal), Metallica (S/T)... those albums are huge and still very particular. Of course, there are some contemporary albums like Fear my thoughts “Volcanus” or Annihilators “Schizo Deluxe” that are a step above others production-wise, or, at least, that´s what I get when listening to them.

 

[The-Zeronaut]

Arch enemy - Doomsday machine


/Thread


BEST LEAD TONE EVER. (among other AWESOME things on this album)
the toms on my apocalypse are god-like

 

[Proggm]

For me the latest mix that never fails to impress is Carnal Forge - Testify For My Victims. On my hifi speakers its punchy as, in my car it accentuates the amazing middy and chuggy guitar tones, and the snare to die for! Love it, whats you guys thoughts on it?

I really like that album too, but it feels a little empty in the low end.

 

[lolzgreg]

Here comes something 99% of people will disagree with:

From Mars To Sirius flat out sucks. Production wise and musically.
The Way Of All Flesh is sickening in every single way though.

I'll AGREE that The Way Of All Flesh has OUTSTANDING production... how did I forget that one. I'll go with that being one of the best sounding Metal releases EVER.

From Mars... To Sirius has good songs, but the production isn't THE greatest. It's still not bad.

I still stand by Queensryche's Operation:Mindcrime, Gojira's The Way of All Flesh and UnderOaths Lost in the Sound of Seperation. I think those drums may actually be real and just compressed and EQ'd to the max... it's a DIFFERENT production that sounds great to me.

 

[slashvanyoung]

Nice... I'm raving about "The Way Of All Flesh" in the other topic, then I click this page... I think I know why Devildriver went with Logan Mader for their upcoming release.

Colin, Andy, Logan... I think they'll probably have the third record in a row that will make people drop their jaws.