The Hidden FLAW in Black Metal Guitar Tones

[@RÅNÇIÐ]

They easiest way to fix a Black Metal guitar tone is to put an impulse response after the amplifier.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Haha!

[@Saint_Rigal]

This whole time while I was listening to black metal, I thought it was the vocalist shrieking, but in reality it was the 3k frequency of the guitar tone. interesting

[@ChernobylAudio666]

A thing about that, with the 3kHz out of the way, the vocals will cut through a lot more as well!

[@aklosabbaothofficial]

😂😂😂 Good one.

[@benwebb4424]

I tend to view mixes as aesthetic rather than objective. I would hesitate to say cutting the high frequencies like that sounds "better" but it does definitely sound cleaner which is worth knowing. Understanding how to use your tools helps achieve those aesthetics more easily. However, if someone said they wanted all that hiss for artistic reasons I couldn't say they're wrong. That is just what they want from their mix. Art is about expression and I think knowing more how to achieve certain sounds helps expand the range of possible expression which is good.

[@aklosabbaothofficial]

Recently I've been using Hornet's HarmonIQ and Soothe to tame the harshness and other things I don't need on the audio and it helped give more space and obviously clean and produce a much better sound for the guitars and overall mixing. Even Ozone Stabilizer will help a lot.

[@usarrr]

I don't mean to listen with my eyes, but what about putting a dynamic cut from around 2k to around 5k, with a wider bandwidth? The big notch might still be needed. It sounds to me IRDX does something like this, especially pronounced on pick attack shrieking on solos and edge of breakup leads. I rarely work with such heavy guitars, so I cannot try it right now.

[@devouringfamine2427]

It's all relative to what you want to achieve. If you cut around 2k or 3k, if you eliminate those "ugly" frequencies but make the guitar move further away in perspective, in some productions it may look better. In others where you want the guitar to have more presence, no. This applies the same to a voice, a kick and a bass when you want it to be behind another element because they cannot all be in the same place at the same time.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Frequency masking is a very important topic in mixing. Nothing to do with the video I made, though.

[@devouringfamine2427]

@@ChernobylAudio666 I am not referring to frequencies that mask others. If you cut at 3k, the guitar or a voice sound farther away, it is a physical phenomenon of how we humans perceive things. If your idea is that the guitar sounds more distant, it's ok. But in productions that do not want guitars with a distant perception, they have to move away from these cuts in those frequencies and live with that "ugly" sound.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

@@devouringfamine2427 Guy, watch the video, because you clearly haven't.

[@devouringfamine2427]

@@ChernobylAudio666 I saw it all, friend, if not, why am I going to write to you and I don't know why you are so defensive...if you yourself listen to the recording of your video, you will notice that after applying your EQ, the guitar sounds further away, it is something common for the frequencies you are cutting and it is something to mention because there is no magic solution without losing something

[@ChernobylAudio666]

@@devouringfamine2427 The guitar has reverb on it, which is what you're attributing to the 'far away' sound. Taking away the ear-splitting 3kHz is what allows you to hear the reverb in the first place. Once again, watch the video.

[@StigmatizedProductions]

Excellente explanation and a great way to control frequencies...Awesome tutorial as usual 🔥🔥🔥

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Thank you!

[@rodrigovieirastudies]

I like tones that remind me of the wood grinder in the snow on one of the last scene of Fargo.

[@HonoraryBreathTaker]

Pretty good black metal in the end, man

[@ChernobylAudio666]

That's with Ugritone Kvlt 2 drums completely raw out of the box--I forgot how kickass they were.

[@AndrewWukusick]

I fucking love this NAM Black Metal set, I bought it a week or 2 ago and have been having so much fun with it. Last night I also grabbed the Ugritone Blackmetaller ampsim and it's great as well.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

For the price it's a steal--an amazing selection of tones to work with!

[@codycreepcore]

Oh boy, that new Black Curse album could have used this move. I can't even listen to it, but I like the band.

[@jakesunshine1594]

Few people know this, but in an obscure passage from the Bible Satan clearly states that His favored frequency range is 2.83k to 4.48k. If you cut this range you mock the master and tempt his unholy wrath. Might as well be playing Christian rock for youth group.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

See you at church!

[@matthewwalsh974]

This is a really excellent tutorial for those of us trying to make this sort of metal. You still have that gnarly guitar sound but high mid whistle tones fucking SVCK no matter what genre of metal tbh. Even if I was purposefully trying to make my mix lofi as possible, I'd still attenuate that shit lmao

[@LordEarthWolf]

In order to be a true non-conformist you have to conform to our rules and regulations amirite???

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Precisely!

[@inmemoryofin]

The worst part about leaving in all the whistles and peaks is how unlistenable it gets IN A CAR. I check out most of my new music while I drive, and often I can’t make out what’s going on at all so i move on to something else. The lofi sound only works in really limited circumstances

[@stackedfat]

Your "3k Trick" literally makes it sound like a Brittney Spears album. I immediately threw up as soon as I heard it. I had to go to the hospital and almost died. You'll be getting a letter from my lawyer very soon. No one wants to hear the instruments above the hiss. Hate from a far away forest in a winter filled land.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Haha, that got a good chuckle out of me... I'll be sure to have my lawyer let your lawyer know that we can only proceed in court in full corpse paint and spiked cod pieces!

[@stackedfat]

@@ChernobylAudio666 Hahaha

[@inmemoryofin]

Lawyers ist’nt krieg only spiked clubs and swords and medieval…uh, stuff

[@stackedfat]

@@inmemoryofin Well my cod piece will be shooting flames and lasers. So he'll get burned and go blind at the same time. Lawyer is only there to hit him in the money balls which is protected by his spiked cod piece.

[@JUNK_ZONE]

I really don't like how you present these. Of course its possible/easy to make black metal guitar tones sound good in 2024 with a surgical EQ like Pro Q. But.. they weren't working with what we are these days.. so the sound people want to emulate.. has all of that nastiness in there still. Simply. I get what you're saying and where you're coming from, but I think it entirely misses a whole aspect of music/mixing/art. Abrasive on purpose. You don't like it because you just don't want it enough and that's fine. But some music can be abrasive and rewarding. There can be a softer/smooth song/section at the end of that release that makes all of those painful frequencies worth something. That being said.. there's no guarantee that the people emulating these sounds are any good at emulating the rest of what makes black metal good for it to even seem worth listening to at all.

[@shaunlafountain7189]

I really love that new Urgitone Black Metaller amp sim 👌

[@garretcullman6957]

Just an idea but you should do Ulver’s Nattens Madrigal I for the next “if they sounded good” video

[@PewciSlayer]

I don’t wanna sound like a poser… but that sounds awesome!

[@jeffbridges6110]

LMAO. I LOVE this video. You were very informative and VERY entertaining.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

Haha, thanks man! \m/

[@aklosabbaothofficial]

Of course we're elitists and intolerant. But agree, always aim for a better production. 🤘🤘🤘

[@morbidcorpse5954]

4:42 EQ Off Sounds better. Just turn the drums on and it will all make sense. The riff loses it's "hiss" and atmosphere with EQ on

[@musicjustice9330]

If you‘re not kidding i would suggest to clean your ears 😁

[@morbidcorpse5954]

@@musicjustice9330 Everyone has different taste. You go clean your ears.

[@ChernobylAudio666]

@@morbidcorpse5954 Turning on the drums doesn't make it "make sense," it just adds more harshness on top of the cymbals and makes the pain problem worse. That's not a matter of taste.

[@musicjustice9330]

@@morbidcorpse5954 it‘s not a question of taste , it‘s a question of noise , but if you like that you would love my Tefal Air Fryer , it make exactly the same noise , perfect for True underground black metal! 😁

[@musicjustice9330]

@@ChernobylAudio666 Absolutely! 🤘🏻

[@CyberChrist]

The pain reminds us we're alive ;)

[@ChernobylAudio666]

I'd rather it be more of a surprise sometimes... like slam my toe on the coffee table... 😂

[@CyberChrist]

@@ChernobylAudio666 This song needs more Lego !

[@painremains-p7c]

Black Metal tone mixing is an oxymoron

[@yonatron5684]

Epic video

[@crsnhppr8256]

Well, fuck. I think trve blkmetal should sound like shit. I do like the higher fidelity and processed stuff tho. Nattkront sounds sick.

[@EmperorWelkin]

Doing my best not to throw my neck out by listening to these riffs.

[@CoreyHunter]

Painful is listening to Kamala Harris cackle. Intro was hilarious. 🤘