Out of all the engineers/mixers in the metal world today, your guy's mixes just keep getting better! In my opinion the last 2 black dahlia albums and jfac's latest have the best tones ive heard in metal. Ive been striving to get a guitar tone similar to any of those albums and noticed your tones have alot of balls, but doesnt lead to a muddy mix. My question deals with mixing/processing....Are doing anything to the low end of the guitars besides a hp filter? Also can you give any details on the bass processing off those albums? Nocturnal in particular, love that record, the kick/bass/guitar works so well together. Any info would help man, thanks.
question for Mark Lewis
- Thread starter turbidnorth
- Start date
Jaymz
Stymphalian Productions
Hey dudes will get to this question soon! Been very busy this week. Tracking death angel drums, good times.
This isnt a short answer... i find myself getting in analog vs plugin eq type subjects... so it might take a while.
This isnt a short answer... i find myself getting in analog vs plugin eq type subjects... so it might take a while.
JeffTD
Senhor Testiculo
This might be completely off of what you're getting at, but I have noticed that plugin-based EQ actually causes a change to the track's DC offset, which hardware EQ doesn't do. It might be completely inaudible and irrelevant, but it's something I've noticed.
Thanks so much dude... really its so great people dig what we do. Makes our jobs that much cooler.
Anyway...
Honestly on all those records, there is no processing besides eq on the guitars.
We probably high passed about 65hz and then low passed between 11-12 depending on the filter. On nocturnal (we mixed that on an SSL) we may have low passed all the way up to 9k because the SSL filters arent to steep. Just to whatever sounds good.
The guitar tones on all 3 of those records are the same model amp but i consider the tones pretty different... especially on nocturnal. On nocturnal i remember we used all outboard and console EQ. We actually took the guitar tracks and multed them out to another stereo channel on the board and i took a NEVE portico EQ and literally eq'd the fucking hell out of em. Like 9-14db per frequency. Then we snuck that channel up under the original tracks. So its like parallel eq. Keep in mind though i didnt do this until we were completely happy with the original tracks. So thats kind of how we got that crazy almost exploding guitar sound on that record. Its not something an amp would really ever produce, ya know? We just wanted that raw, exploding midrange and that crazy crunch... it just magnifies all the crazy stuff going on with the amp.
As far as JFAC. That was mostly jason's mix i was pretty busy producing the BDM at the time that mix went down. But it was definitely the basic 5150 mesa cab setup and i remember when i did some mix engineering on that session that there was URS and SONNOX eq on the tracks. These tracks were not eq'd nearly as much as the BDM. It just wasnt called for in the final mix. No crazy processing either...
On deflorate we used a similar eq setup, and EVH 5150III this time. We didnt have the SSL but we used SSL plug on the guitars and i used the portico again too do that parallel thing. Obviously its a much smoother and more refined sound to me... more fitting for the album and songs to me.
And remember... we used KILLER guitars and KILLER players played these riffs. We spend alot of time choosing guitars and string gauges etc...
Alot of this tone is in these guys hands and the riffs they play.
I'll get to the bass later...
Anyway...
Honestly on all those records, there is no processing besides eq on the guitars.
We probably high passed about 65hz and then low passed between 11-12 depending on the filter. On nocturnal (we mixed that on an SSL) we may have low passed all the way up to 9k because the SSL filters arent to steep. Just to whatever sounds good.
The guitar tones on all 3 of those records are the same model amp but i consider the tones pretty different... especially on nocturnal. On nocturnal i remember we used all outboard and console EQ. We actually took the guitar tracks and multed them out to another stereo channel on the board and i took a NEVE portico EQ and literally eq'd the fucking hell out of em. Like 9-14db per frequency. Then we snuck that channel up under the original tracks. So its like parallel eq. Keep in mind though i didnt do this until we were completely happy with the original tracks. So thats kind of how we got that crazy almost exploding guitar sound on that record. Its not something an amp would really ever produce, ya know? We just wanted that raw, exploding midrange and that crazy crunch... it just magnifies all the crazy stuff going on with the amp.
As far as JFAC. That was mostly jason's mix i was pretty busy producing the BDM at the time that mix went down. But it was definitely the basic 5150 mesa cab setup and i remember when i did some mix engineering on that session that there was URS and SONNOX eq on the tracks. These tracks were not eq'd nearly as much as the BDM. It just wasnt called for in the final mix. No crazy processing either...
On deflorate we used a similar eq setup, and EVH 5150III this time. We didnt have the SSL but we used SSL plug on the guitars and i used the portico again too do that parallel thing. Obviously its a much smoother and more refined sound to me... more fitting for the album and songs to me.
And remember... we used KILLER guitars and KILLER players played these riffs. We spend alot of time choosing guitars and string gauges etc...
Alot of this tone is in these guys hands and the riffs they play.
I'll get to the bass later...
MetalJonesy
more metal, more booze!!!
Mikaël-ange
Member
- Nov 7, 2008
- 2,368
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Yea its crazy how the simple idea of just blending a over EQed track with the normal never came up during mixing for me.......I gotta try this now!
Erik Monsonis
Member
K Odell
\=/Varnisher\=/
hey mark thnks for the info!
how much do you guys charge per song?just to know
I think that question is more suited for their management or for them through email.
arv_foh
Brian K
joeymusicguy
Member
So as far as the bass on these records.
Nothing really out of the ordinary on here. Our typical setup. Bass tracked direct in and we used the sansamp plugin for the amp sound. URS channel strip pro on the tube2 setting with tons of 60hz boosted. Each bass requires different eq in the low mids. You just kind of have to use your ears.
I could give all the techniques in the world but when it comes to bass, low end is so sensitive that any eq points really may not work for you bass setup.
Just becareful of the low mids and the rumble. Also, we do sometimes limit the bass pretty hard depending the level flucuation.
I remember on nocturnal that Alan Douches really did a great job on the low end in mastering. It was about the 2nd or 3rd revision he sent and we were just knocked out with how great it sounded.
Nothing really out of the ordinary on here. Our typical setup. Bass tracked direct in and we used the sansamp plugin for the amp sound. URS channel strip pro on the tube2 setting with tons of 60hz boosted. Each bass requires different eq in the low mids. You just kind of have to use your ears.
I could give all the techniques in the world but when it comes to bass, low end is so sensitive that any eq points really may not work for you bass setup.
Just becareful of the low mids and the rumble. Also, we do sometimes limit the bass pretty hard depending the level flucuation.
I remember on nocturnal that Alan Douches really did a great job on the low end in mastering. It was about the 2nd or 3rd revision he sent and we were just knocked out with how great it sounded.
::XeS::
Member
Mikaël-ange
Member
- Nov 7, 2008
- 2,368
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Sorry for this question Mark but do you remember what SSL plug do you generally use for that (E channel or G eq, or maybe "new" G channel)?
Because E channel and G haven't same eq "curve" and I tend to think that E channel are most dedicaced for more chirurgical equing in comparison with G eq.
Just my 0,2cents euros question
lol:Almost always the original E channel. I actually find the G channel to be a bit more surgical and boring sounding. Even though it doesnt have the bell switch on the high and low the G eq is a bit tighter to me. The e channel is just warmer and grainier to me. Both are great, in the right situations.
