What metal drummers get wrong…

Is your snare too high?

One thing metal drummers almost always get wrong in the studio? The snare drum!

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The source of the confusion is simple and understandable: they want a tight, punchy sound that cuts through the mix. But the key to achieving that sound in a mix is NOT a small, tightly-tuned snare… it’s actually not what you probably think. Kristian Kohle (Aborted, Crematory, Powerfwolf) explains…

So… what do YOU think?

Nail The Mix

Nail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Meshuggah, Machine Head, A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon. Join now for instant access!

Are metal guitarists better (or worse!) than ever?

The great debate…

Are the metal guitarists of today better than ever? Ryan Wolanski tries to answer that question in this video essay.

ARE METAL GUITARISTS BETTER THAN EVER?

Are the metal guitarists of today better than ever? Ryan Wolanski tries to answer that question in this video essay.

A few of the things Ryan touches on:

  • Artists like Jason Richardson (Chelsea Grin, Born Of Osiris), Polyphia, and Tosin Abasi of Animals As Leaders who push metal guitar to new levels
  • Frank Gambale and the rise of sweep picking
  • The role of new tools like Guitar Pro and DAW editing
  • A look at greats from the past like Jason Becker and Michael Angelo Batio of Nitro

So… what do YOU think?

Nail The MixNail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Meshuggah, Machine Head, A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon. Join now for instant access!

Have you tried programmed guitars??

Keep an open mind!

For many producers, programmed guitars are a dirty word, even though many of those same people use programmed bass (via plugins like Trillian) and programmed drums (via libraries like Drumshotz or Superior Drummer).

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY PROGRAMMED GUITARS! Solemn Tones Odin

For many producers, programmed guitars are a dirty word, even though many of those same people use programmed bass (via plugins like Trillian) and programmed drums (via libraries like Drumshotz or Superior Drummer). But in this video, we show how programmed guitar virtual instruments (in this case Solemn Tones Odin) can be a great addition to your workflow, especially during the pre-production or demo phase.

But in this video, we show how programmed guitar virtual instruments (in this case Solemn Tones Odin) can be a great addition to your workflow, especially during the pre-production or demo phase. Nick Pilotta shows how programmed MIDI guitars can help you by quickly changing the pitch or key of a part, the articulation (eg, open vs palm muted) using its velocity keyswitch feature, and how it can work with your existing Guitar Pro files.

To be clear, we aren’t saying that you SHOULD use programmed guitars– only that it’s a tool you should at least try. If it helps you, keep using it. Either way, you learned something!

Nail The MixNail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Meshuggah, Machine Head, A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon. Join now for instant access!

Mixing Fall Out Boy guitars w/ Sean O’Keefe

More than meets the eye

Sean O’Keefe demonstrates using the raw multi-tracks for “Lake Effect Kid” by Fall Out Boy from their 2018 EP of the same name.

MIXING FALL OUT BOY GUITARS w/ Sean O’Keefe

In this clip from his Nail The Mix session, Sean O’Keefe shows how he mixed the guitars in Fall Out Boy’s “Lake Effect Kid.”

What’s notable is that although the song is focused on the vocals, and at first glance is a pretty straightforward pop punk song, there’s actually a lot of subtly and nuance in the guitars (courtesy of Joe Trohman and Patrick Stump)– and the trick is to bring those out without getting in the way of the vocals.

Want more? Click here to get instant access to Fall Out Boy multi-tracks and Sean’s full mix session!


Nail The MixNail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Meshuggah, Machine Head, A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon. Join now for instant access!

Unboxing The Haunted raw multi-tracks!

Get your melodeath fix!

Get a guided tour of the raw multi-tracks for “Preachers Of Death” by melodic death metal veterans The Haunted, originally mixed by Russ Russell on their 2017 album “Strength In Numbers.”

The Haunted “Preachers Of Death” raw multi-tracks [UNBOXING]

Get a guided tour of the raw multi-tracks for “Preachers Of Death” by melodic death metal veterans The Haunted, originally mixed by Russ Russell on their 2017 album “Strength In Numbers.”

If you’re a fan of melodic death metal, then sharpen your pencil and get ready to take some notes because this is exactly how it’s done: no frills, no gimmicks and nothing fancy, just an extremely well-done session created by a team of people who have spent some serious time in the trenches.

Want more? Click here to get instant access to these multi-tracks and Russ’ full mix session!


Nail The MixNail The Mix is our online mixing school that gives you REAL multi-tracks from REAL bands, plus a mixing class from the producer who recorded it. Past guests include Periphery, Gojira, Meshuggah, Machine Head, A Day To Remember and Bring Me The Horizon. Join now for instant access!