Mixing Death Metal
Everything you need to know in order to dominate death metal mixes.
$150
$75
- Real world, client-tested death metal mixing techniques that actually work.
- An in-depth drum bus compression demonstration and how to set it correctly.
- A mixing workflow that you can adopt to work quickly from A to Z and finish your mix.
- How to effectively EQ snare and toms so they are fat and punchy.
- Proven methods for balancing and controlling the low end of your mix.
- Creating massive rhythm guitars that are brutal, but also articulated.
- Techniques for balancing all of the instruments of the mix.
- Sculpting and molding a solid, thick, bass tone that adds 3D dimension into the mix.
Student Ratings & Reviews
Thanks Scott!
Overview
Tell me if the following situation hits close to home:
You have spent several years learning how to mix, but you have made no breakthroughs. Sometimes it’s hard to keep going at all because you’re so demotivated.
You rarely finish mixes…
It seems so simple, right? All you want to do is release music as you hear it in your head… If that hits close to your situation… It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Think about it… how are you supposed to take low-end mixing advice from a YouTube video about mixing a classic rock song at 90BPM?
It’s not even the same thing!
Truth be told, most mixing tutorials online don’t come close to dealing with the nuances of death metal. It’s time to trade in the endless rabbit hole of generic mixing tutorials on YouTube that are getting you nowhere.
Mixing Death Metal is highly specialized and dives deep into addressing the unique challenges of death metal that aren’t covered in other mixing resources. Now you can finally have the security in knowing that you’re moving in the right direction when you start your next death metal mix.
Genre-Specific Mixing Techniques
Dive deep into death metal mixing, addressing the unique challenges of death metal that aren’t covered in generic YouTube mixing tutorials. Learn how to:
- Tackle and control the immense amounts of low end found in death metal.
- Craft impeccable death metal guitar tones that are heavy and drive the song, but are still articulated so that you can hear every single note and chord.
- Deal with and automate out-of-control low end so that your mix isn’t boomy or a muddy mess.
- Balance fast double bass so that it doesn’t overtake the entire mix.
- Create a perfect bass tone with the “Split Bass” mixing method so that you have total control of your bass sound.
World Class, Punchy Drums
The drums were recorded at the legendary Hertz Studio in Poland in January 2023. Hertz Studio is responsible for engineering and mixing some of the most well-regarded bands in metal, such as Behemoth, Hate, Vader, Decapitated, and Hour of Penance.
You’ll learn how to make these drums big, fat, and punchy… without the use of samples!
- Watch me show you how to properly set your drum bus compressor.
- Control double bass kick drums so they don’t blow out the low end of your mix.
- Learn how to clean out tom tracks so that you can reduce cymbal bleed.
- Implement a sneaky snare processing trick to ensure consistent hits between rimshots and blast beats
- Bring in the extra room and hall microphones to add character and vibe to your drums.
Exclusive Drum Samples
After we recorded the drums, Slawek meticulously sampled the snare and drums. I’ve decided to make these available as an add-on to the course. (You can choose to grab them during check-out.) Hertz Studio has, probably, the best live room in all of Europe and when you hear the overhead and room samples, you’ll understand why!
Thick, Full-Bodied Bass
One of the things that’s really hard to get is a great bass tone in death metal. This is due to the low tuning of the bass and fast tempos. Essentially, it’s nearly impossible to do it with a single bass track. This is why I’ll show you the power of the Split Bass Method.
- Now your mix will have depth, dimension, and the width you crave so your songs sound huge.
- Create a perfect high-end grind instantly with Bogren Digital’s BassKnob STD plugin.
- Learn how to glue the low and high aspects of the bass into a cohesive, tight sound.
- See how I manipulate the different aspects to keep note clarity that cuts through the wall of guitars.
- Learn how to introduce extra harmonics into your bass so that it can be heard on smaller speakers.
Bone Crushing Guitar Tones
It goes without saying that tinny, thin, weak guitar tones in death metal just aren’t going to cut it. That’s why I partnered with Bogren Digital in order to make sure I had a top-of-the-line amp simulator to work with. Death metal guitars never sounded so good!
All of the guitar sounds you hear in this mix were created with amp simulators from Bogren Digital.
Learn how to:
- Use the MLC Suberzo 100 from Bogren Digital to create a massive, well articulated, mean-sounding death metal guitar tone.
- Select the right IR and EQ it properly with my refined techniques originally taught in Guitar Tone Mastery.
- Make sure fizzy/fuzzy “digital” distortion doesn’t overshadow your guitar tone.
- Create the perfect delay for solos using one, simple plugin.
- Add extra guitar effects such as flanger (a special request by the guitar player) to make the song more interesting.
Aggressive, Evil Vocals
Sometimes vocals are just an afterthought in death metal music. Don’t make that mistake!
If your vocals don’t match the ferocity and intensity of the rest of your mix, then your overall song will fall flat.
Inside Mixing Death Metal, learn:
- The real, actual secret to getting insane, aggressive-sounding vocals.
- Common problem areas in vocals and how to EQ them out.
- Effective techniques for reducing sibilance in harsh vocals.
- How to introduce reverb and delay into your vocals and tips for automating them for maximum impact .
Mastering Death Metal
In this course I teamed up with well known Producer, Mixer and Mastering engineer, Alex Nasla to show you how to professionally Master a Death Metal mix. Alex goes in step by step detail about what to listen for and what your best options are for the mix at hand.
Learn how to:
- Listen for what can be improved.
- Build a foundational Mastering chain.
- Making the mix sound huge and wide.
- Get a really loud mix without crushing it to oblivion.
A Real-World Approach That Works
Everything you learn in Mixing Death Metal works in the real world. You are going to see a real, actual process that you can follow, replicate, and practice. No more “winging it!”
I have mixed tons of bands and music over the years and these are my most up-to-date mixing techniques that I’m using right now for clients that pay me to mix their songs.
No nonsense or clickbait B.S. Just actual mixing techniques that WORK.
Course Curriculum
Introduction
Session Overview
Join The Spectre Digital VIP Group
Course Materials
Mixing
Drums
Bass
Guitars
Keyboards & Synths
Special Effects
Vocals
Automation
Mastering
Polish, Volume, & Finalizing
Meet Your Instructor - Scott Elliott
You may recognize Scott Elliott (Chernobyl Studios) from his YouTube channel where he does mixing tutorials and reviews amp simulators, among other things, all geared towards extreme metal.
What many might not be aware of is that Scott’s music mixing journey began all the way back in 2003. After spinning his wheels for over a decade he finally decided to set his ego aside and began reaching out to professionals who were more skilled than he was.
Fast forward to 2023, Scott now mixes and masters extreme music professionally full time.
His journey was much longer and tougher than it needed to be, and he doesn’t want others to undergo the same frustrations.
Scott’s mission is to sift through the noise, filter out the irrelevant, and produce content that helps others steer clear of the years of struggle and frustration he endured.
DEPRAVITY
Formed in 2017, hailing from Poland – create their own vision of death metal using dissonant sounds, low tunings, intense guitar solos and a chaotic, yet consistent songwriting approach.
In 2021, their debut EP was released, titled “End of Games”, of which Irreversible Destruction was included. (The song featured in this course.) Depravity are currently working on the next full-length album.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the drum samples included with the course?
The drum samples have been made optional so that you have maximum choice and flexibility. If you have Slate Trigger 2 and you would like to add some exclusive, unique drum sounds to your arsenal, you can add them to your cart during check-out. If you don’t need the TCIs, then you won’t have to do anything extra–simply add the course to your cart and have at it!
What is the difference between Mixing Death Metal and Mixing Extreme Metal?
Mixing Extreme Metal was originally created in 2020 and many techniques shown have matured or been replaced with methods taught in Mixing Death Metal. Additionally, Mixing Extreme Metal covers more symphonic/choral aspects that really aren’t in play when mixing death metal. Both are amazing courses, but Mixing Death Metal is the most up-to-date with techniques I use right now to mix clients and is specifically tailored for death metal music.
What DAW is used?
For the mixing stage, Cubase Pro 12 is used. For the Mastering stage, Wavelab 11 is used. However–a DAW is just a tool and you don’t need to have Cubase or Wavelab in order to create a great mix or master.
What is included in Mixing Death Metal?
Mixing Death Metal has just over 10 hours of instruction, with an additional 3 hours of technical instruction showing how to create and organize a session, insert and dial in a drum bus compressor, and how the drums were edited for this song. Additionally, there are two exclusive videos that won’t be found anywhere else: a mini-documentary recording the drums at Hertz Studio in January 2023, and a hour-long interview with Wojtek and Slawek.
Can I post my own mix of the song on my portfolio?
Unfortunately, at this time, the song mixed in this video can’t be posted in your portfolio.
Do I need the exact same plugins as you?
You don’t need the exact same plugins that I use. I do mention some alternatives for a few of the plugins that I use.
What if I get stuck and need help?
Inside is an invitation link to my exclusive Discord where you can join and ask for help from myself. Additionally, there are hundreds of members inside who are happy to help as well. This is an exclusive Discord not available to the public.
How is the course delivered?
Once you have bought the course, you can stream at any time, right from our website on our custom platform which lets you keep track of your progress and interact with your instructor.
