Metal Recording Advice?
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Posted on Dec 28, 2006 06:16 am
jimmyboy
Member Since: Sep 08, 2005
So last summer I recorded my friends band for him (free of charge) basically because him and his band could not afford a studio and i want to gain as much experience as i can so i dont mind doing things free if it will help build my portfolio.
Anyway, the band plays black metal and he gave me a few cds to get the feel of black metal/death metal prior to recording.Anyway this stuff is supposed to sound rough and dirty as apposed to very polished. The band were very happy with the final sound but I met with them recently to discuss what changes wed could make and what we could improve.
I sugguested:
- using a different snare
-less cymbals in the mix
-more kicks in the mix
-thicker guitar sound
-distorted bass in places to add to "heavniess"
For the guitar tracks on the last recording, for the rhythm we did 3 tracks , 1 panned left , 1 panned right and 1 in middle. I was thinking would not having one in the middle help clear thing up? Al the leads ect were in the middle also.
Any thanks for taking time to read this!
heres the link to the bands myspace with track samples. If these dont work for anyone i can post separate links here.
www.myspace.com/altarofplagues
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CptTrippsCzar of Turd PolishMember
Since: Jun 20, 2006
Dec 28, 2006 01:36 pm I would definitely think removing a 3rd guitar from the center would free up some space for other instruments. I indeed run solos in the center though (unless you have dualing leads then I'd pan em also, just maybe not 100%).
I tend to notice that Death Metal (or black metal) has alot of click to the kick drum to cut through the wall of madness, usually by means of triggering. I think the older thrash metal is the styling that has more of a garage sound to it.
I also hate really loud cymbals but am somewhat plagued by that myself (still learning my monitors).
meltdown5Faze 2 StudiosMember
Since: Aug 15, 2005
Dec 28, 2006 05:54 pm hmm, i wish i could help. metal is hard for me, when i record it it just doesnt sound... metal enough. I think my recordings lack a real defined bottem end. and i usually get way to much snare in my overheads and not enough cymbals.
the one thing i have learn though is that for metal, you want to add more reverb on the snare then you would to basically any type of music. lots of reverb on the snare adds a nice like.. dark hollow feeling to songs i think.
hope that helpd in any way
-melty
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 28, 2006 07:53 pm Hey jimmy, were is the link to the myspace page for them. I don't see it there.
Dec 29, 2006 03:58 pm whoops! forgot to post it. its there now anyway..
thanks for the tips so far. Im gonna get rid on the 3rd guitar track. Iv often read/heard that when recording metal music, a good way to achieve a thick guitar sound is lots of layers with slight distortion. I assume to just set the guitars to the thick distortion i want if im only gonna be having 2 guitar tracks. I guess its all trial and error anyway!
Noize2uCzar of MidiAdministrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002
Dec 30, 2006 03:07 pm Had a listen this afternoon. Not too bad really. Maybe a little heavy on the low end side sometimes but the drums are standing out and the vocals can be heard over the guitars, so that is a plus.
As for the multiple guitar tracks. I have done as many as 8 guitar tracks to thicken things up. But the key is to space them properly in the mix, both in panning and tone. For the fat guitar sound I will usually do 4 tracks and they are all panned off center to keep space in the middle for other instruments and vocals. And as well they each have their own respective tone. So EQ plays a huge role in getting them to fit well together and sound good in the mix.
Aug 04, 2009 10:39 am Hey there Jimmyboy. I just listened to the music on the myspace link, and as an avid metal head, I have to say you did a pretty good job overall. There are a few tweaks I would suggest that might help you to get that sound you're going for though. First thing I would suggest is to back off the mids on your drum tracks just a little bit. Boosting the high end frequencies on the snare just a dash will help you get that "cracking" sound in the snare. You also might want to double the snare track, just copy and paste (don't have the drummer lay down another track for this purpose, unless you want to spend time lining up the snare tracks which can be a real pain). Doubling the track gives you more options when it's time for mixdown. I would also suggest doubling the kick track, rolling off the mids just a little, and boosting the high end some. Boost the low end a little on the first track. This way you'll get a super punchy kick sound. Also, since you're recording metal, don't be afraid to play with copious amounts of gates and compressors. For guitar tracks, panning left and right definitely helps with clarity. I would suggest using a combination of close and room mic's. Do the more extreme panning with your close mics. Leave the room mics a bit closer to center. This should fatten' up the guitar sound without making it too muddy. EQ, compress, limit, and gate to taste. Most important, have fun with it. Hope this helps you some man.
