Bad Tone? Don't Trash It, Transform It

Описание: Can you dial in killer modern metal guitar tones using a 30-year-old Peavey Rage amp and a cheap Shure BG 1.0 mic? Discover proven mixing techniques to rescue subpar home recordings and achieve pro-sounding results without premium gear.

Watch Dan Ferguson from Riff Haven Audio revisit his roots, capturing guitar with a 30W vintage combo amp (no overdrive pedal) and the "worst mic" he owns. He transforms the raw fizz and mud into tight, aggressive metal tones using EQ, compression, saturation, and bus processing in Logic Pro—proving it's the engineer's ear that counts, not just the tools. Perfect for metalcore, deathcore, and hardcore producers battling limited setups.

Key Techniques Covered:
High/low-pass filtering: Cut below 80-90Hz for low-tuned riffs (e.g., Drop A) and tame upper fizz with steep curves.

Smoothing harshness: Neve-style overdrive (e.g., Nebrini Mini OD) at low gain to refine highs before compression.

Compression & multiband fixes: Logic's Silver Compressor (fast attack/release, 4:1 ratio) plus Pro-Q3 notches at 400-500Hz, 2k, 4k, and 6kHz for whistle-free clarity.

Palm mute control: FabFilter Pro-MB around 200Hz to prevent low-end buildup.

Saturation & vibe: FabFilter Saturn on mids for analog warmth, followed by Waves Renaissance Axxe (dual mono, slow attack) and Cornif Audio Wow Thing for width.

Bus polish: Final DS-101 highs tamer and EQ for mix glue.

Why Watch This
If you're a home-recording metal band tired of "bland" self-tracked guitars, this episode shows thousands of hours of experience turn "terrible equipment" into "decent" (even "slammin'") tones. Dan mixes it into context, compares studio vs. home results, and shares why pros still prioritize capture at the source. Bonus shoutout to Riffs Beards and Gear for similar inspo.
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Timestamps
00:00 - Intro: Gear vs. Skill Challenge
01:00 - Meet the Peavey Rage & Shure BG 1.0
02:30 - Raw Recording Demo
04:00 - EQ Cleanup (HPF/LPF/Notches)
06:30 - Overdrive Smoothing
08:00 - Compression & Gain Staging
10:30 - Problem Freq Hunts (2k-6k)
13:00 - Pro-MB & Saturn Saturation
15:30 - Guitar Bus Magic (Axxe, Wow Thing, DS-101)
18:00 - Final Mix Reveal
20:00 - Lessons & Studio Services Plug

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