How Still Not To Dial A Metal Sound

ALL THE GAIN! NO MIDS! SLAYYEEERRR!
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[@Froffy_]

Just remember.. All the gain, you wont be haired Raise your mids, dont be scared

[@prscustom24forlife]

Hayden Hayden I

[@nicolasf.g.1239]

Tss tss tss tss poo ka poo ka poo ka poo ka poo

[@potzko2552]

what if I get confuzzled?: Raise your mids , you wont be haired All the gain, don't be scared

[@unwinsis]

he said "meds". raise your meds,

[@ThatBeTheQuestion]

This is gold....

[@brianburke808]

Death metal bands are very different than string ensembles. I can read the names of string ensembles.

[@sebsthexeno9460]

You're thinking black metal bands, or as they're more colloquially known; the squiggle sticks genre.

[@robpiy91]

To make a death metal band name you just have to throw all the bows of the string section in the air

[@daddyosink4413]

@@robpiy91 The Impaled Flutes

[@alexmurphy5289]

Why do they all use that awful font?! Just pick a damn name and let people read it

[@singleproppilot]

Alex Murphy For the same reason they use growling/screaming vocals: They don’t have anything good to say and they don’t want people to know how stupid their lyrics are.

[@bobleglob162]

But I want ALL the frequencies. rest of the band is fired

[@SvenTviking]

Turn EVERYTHING to 11!

[@gigavash]

"It's not the sound guy's job to fix your sound at the desk." As an engineer, I really appreciate it when musicians actually understand this. Thank you.

[@TheRosswise]

What's ironic is Slayer plays with their mids cranked. They always have.

[@PANICBLADE]

TheRosswise He mentioned that in the last video, he just loves the irony.

[@TheRosswise]

Yeah I know, I love the irony too :p

[@killedinadvance5921]

TheRosswise just a sort of thing ya know to scream fucking slayer all the time.

[@dionr1168]

TheRosswise And Slayer uses Marshalls, which are mid-heavy amps in the first place. And JCM800 users in particular use ODs, boost, and frown-curved EQ pedals in front of their amps to get their gain anyway, so there's your formula for being heard anyway.

[@wmxx2000]

They even have a 10band eq FOR EVEN MORE MIDS

[@MessiahofFire]

Crunch channel, all the mids, cheap EQ pedal, MORE MIDS, Cocked Wah pedal... ALL THE MIDS.

[@jackattack8044]

Messiah of Fire MESHUGGAHHHHH

[@nomad1713]

DECENT MID TO HIGH END AMP!!!! CLEAN CHANNEL!!!!! TASTEFUL COMPRESSION!!!! MAYBE SOME CHORUS!!!!! LIGHT REVERB!!!!! CLASSY DELAY!!!! BALANCED EQ BASED ON YOUR GUITAR AND PLAYING STYLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@skilz3210]

NO GAIN!!! Too far?

[@winterhisagi2921]

MrTaterWedges Roland Jazz Chorus 120 would also be very interesting.

[@bscotti68]

or when you hit 50, still play metal and going bald.... "ROGAINE!!!!!!!"

[@JohnvanCapel]

Fun fact, usually a venue's sound-guy will genuinely put more effort into mixing your band's sound if you do your part in dialing in a band-friendly tone to begin with - and doubly so if you, as a band, *ask* the sound guy "Is there anything we can do on our end to make mixing easier?". It's so much more rewarding to work with a band that actually wants to co-operate with each other and with yourself as the guy-behind-the-mixer. If they don't, well, it's minimum effort time.

[@acpaudio1782]

Professional sound guy here. Thanks for your comments at 6:35. That needed to be said!

[@DMSProduktions]

Same here! Agree 100%!

[@vlastneme]

Professional sound guy here also, yess i agree about leaving room for the rest but that doesnt mean using a plastic,boring, transparent sound for it....

[@mattholveck6419]

I agree, but there is also something to be said for "STFU and listen to the sound guy." As a bass player, I had a simple rack head and tuner with all my chords sorted and zip tied together along with an xlr coming out of my DI on the head labeled so I just dropped my covers plugged in 2 cabs and 1 power chord. Then in my bass case, I had an MXR preamp/DI pedal and a couple of chords in case the sound guy wanted to use that instead of the amp DI. I prefer a pretty flat EQ on my head, roll off a little highs on the bass itself and good to go.

[@RabeaMassaad]

This was a great video man! Nice one for using a Kraken to demonstrate your point too! Hope you're well :)

[@ScienceofLoud]

Thanks Rabea. It took me long enough, but I eventually got around to picking one up. Really great amp. I hope thing are well for you also.

[@sirspongadoodle]

i mean the info is helpful but god the "all the mids SLAYER!!" shit just isnt funny. "lol funni voice random quick cuts" like im not 7 i am capable of processing information without needing something to keep my attention span in check.

[@cutlass206]

​@sirspongadoodle it is funny. Also, it is making fun of people who set up tones wrong, so that is also funny. Maybe i am just a bad person..

[@SheriffAssholio]

*ALL THE GAIN!*

[@alejandroschmid88]

NO MIDS!

[@thomaschambers3588]

Spicy Bwoiii SLAAAAYYYYYERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR. \m/ \m/

[@Armageddon-yt3so]

MORE GAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@legatenaarifin]

METALZOONNEEEEE

[@ericcrapton2623]

You use washing machine powered. Gain

[@dionr1168]

So I was at Walmart the other day and saw Gain laundry detergent. I wondered how much detergent a Metal guitarist would use on a single load of laundry if he bought Gain laundry detergent.

[@Kingnoclout]

Dion R ALL THE GAIN

[@CJ_YT.]

Allll of it

[@faustohernandez3434]

3 tons of GAIN!!!!

[@Rendydany]

a lot of deterdjent

[@thorthunderlungs5171]

Dion R The washer is FUCKED.

[@tomstepp3954]

In my opinion, I think scooping the mids a tiny bit works well in the context of a band where you have two guitar players and the lead player is occupying more of the punchy mid range space. This can add a bit of texture to the sound to make it sound bigger.

[@ryanslauderdale]

Yeah, for a rhythm sound, it can be great, as long as you're not going to solo much.

[@godzilla964]

The real way to get a thick tone is to double track.

[@MrDmadness]

​@@godzilla964 so much true, maximum true dialed to 11 :)

[@antioche6276]

#StillCompletelyGayForColin

[@AndyLifeInVideo]

#AllTheGayn

[@SerjBassist]

According to youtube's automatic subtitles, at the end of the video he yells "OH THE GAY"

[@bringurownvibe]

apakep I'd smash

[@antioche6276]

Wait what

[@ColinAverill]

Which one?

[@danoflaherty1214]

your cheesy smiles when playing 😂

[@rileyjordan8114]

Dan O'Flaherty idk why it made me so uncomfortable through my screen

[@danoflaherty1214]

Riley Jordan it's the eye contact lol

[@dingleberry9813]

wadiyatalkinabeet

[@danoflaherty1214]

Raz Berry you druggo

[@vladsnape6408]

I preferred his cheesy frowns. Much more metal.

[@TheKBLarsen]

i love the fact that slayer is all mids with punchy bass and gain around 7/8 on a jcm 800

[@michaelinglis8516]

Volvorion Kerry king has been using the new dsl100H's for years actually. He probably has even moved on to the DSL100HR as I have since the upgrades have made it way better than it's predecessors.

[@michaelinglis8516]

Maybe he used the jcm800's back in the early days but he is all about the Dsl's now. If I remember correctly he use' s two side by side for his live rig.

[@TheKBLarsen]

Kerry uses he's marshall sig 2203KK with his custom eq and kt88,mode 4 cabs and think those are loaded with G12K-100's

[@TheKBLarsen]

Gary use the new silver jubilee's with slayer.but he use engl for exodus

[@danielfurmanskijr]

@@TheKBLarsen gary actually uses the dsl, and Kerry uses his signature 800

[@tsimp2891]

It's incredible how many guitarists still don't realise this stuff, but also the lack of info on it. I mean, a good scooped mid tone doesn't mean zero mids. I know the mid-focused tone was there for demo purposes, but it still good to use a little more bass, to help the speaker push air - especially in a live setting. But focusing the mids is an infinitely much more improved sound to the tiny scooped sound of your typical bedroom metal zone user (disclaimer: not dissing metal zone, or bedroom engineers, or bedroom guitarists - nothing with that).

[@SvenTviking]

In a lot of cases it’s the difference between getting a contract and not.

[@7James77]

Mids have no impact on a contract or not. Metallica is the most successful metal band and from Kill em All to AJFA their Mids were almost non existent. AJFA had them around level 2. lol

[@settratheimperishable4093]

@@7James77 I mean AJFA didn't habe any mids but their first three albums actually do have relatively high mids. It's still a "scooped" sound but the bass guitar at least gets some room (though not nearly enough).

[@7James77]

KEA was their last record until the Black album where they had Mids. Kea was around Noon, RTL was around 10 oclock, MoP around 8-9, AJFA around 6:30-7. Each album they lowered the mids by about a level of 2 each one. Then Bob Rock made them turn the mids back up to their highest with the Black Album.

[@ryanspencerlauderdale687]

@@7James77 but then they used mids on the Black Album and got paid.

[@AndreiGrozea]

who the fuck gets a 6505 just to use it on the clean channel with a dist. pedal tho? :\

[@rblyle382]

Andrei Garfang isn't that the new trend? Hot pups + clean channel + lower tuning + overdrive pedal = metal?

[@shockt9610]

Andrei Garfang I actually know someone who does a very similar thing with a different metal amp, one of those schecter hellraiser heads.

[@singleproppilot]

I wondered the same thing. When i was a teen i played a metal zone through the clean channel of a small Crate combo at volumes low enough to not drive my parents crazy. It works in that situation. But when you need to crank the volume up to play with a band, your sound has to evolve to make room for the other instruments. That usually involves dialing the gain way back and cutting off the extreme low and high ends of the signal.

[@AndreiGrozea]

i personally never tried it, but I heard people who were trying to play at medium volume like that and it's abysmal

[@Metalcorable]

rblyle382 no the new trend is to use an overdrive in Front of an already distorted amp and to complete shut off the drive but crank the tone knob ... that's how you'll get a tighter, more aggressive tone without changing the gain structure you've already dialed in ;)

[@obundoben82]

The first metal tone sounds like something from a Death album. And it isn't TERRIBLE, but its compressed and the low end is heavier than my mom.

[@jfoquendo]

Dick Baguette 🤣🤣🤣

[@Rick_Cleland]

Please don't burn down my church!!

[@obundoben82]

Rick Cleek No promises 😉

[@Andresmoomoo]

BUT BECAUSE OF THAT SHES LIKE A JACKHAMMER

[@eddthrasher]

Stop misinformation. Nothing's heavier than your mom ;)

[@adilO.o]

This video is really a game changing for me. I finally understood what are the frequencies, what do they mean and the importance of the mids. My tones sounds much much better in a band context. I wish I knew all this 15 years ago...

[@rexmorton4548]

I just want to thank you cause this video made me improve a lot not only my tone but my live mixes. knowing this as a guitar player or a sound guy fixes thousands of problems. You rock Collin, keep up this videos. Greetings from Mexico

[@thethrashyone]

This verifies the stereotype that guitarists are the biggest egomaniacs in a band (just below the vocalist of course). The whole "inaudible bassist" trope wouldn't be a thing if you'd stop hogging the entire low end of the frequency spectrum, you knobs.

[@Soldano999]

TheThrashyOne oh you can hear the bass. It’s just thatmot guitar player assume it’s part of the guitar sound !

[@taylorwestlund5130]

Run 7 and 8 strings and you dont need a bassist haha

[@mrexfree1736]

Taylor Westlund that’s what I do lmao

[@taylorwestlund5130]

Im a vocalist and a guitarist.... i resemble that

[@danielgallagher8713]

Bass is just guitar for lazier players anyway. Fuck em \ m / ( >.

[@DEFKNIGHT]

I've seen many amateur go through a year or so of it. And then one day the guitarists matches his tone to the bassist and then he finds out on that day that the bassist was right all along and the guitarists was way too loud compensating for that scooped EQ, all the gain. It's Metallica's fault though. Not Slayer. ...And Justice For All. It sounds good, really good....for a record with essentially the Bass tracked removed.

[@diegoandrade8221]

James McClellan At times the low bass was a good decision, whenever i play the ajfa record on a high volume the bass and guitar create this weird wave like sound when they play exactly the same thing, although it sounds great with more bass if you are listening with headphones

[@bobleglob162]

diego - sounds like you may be out of tune with each other.

[@zacevans1683]

AJFA had practically no bass, but that was one album. The first three and the Black Album had some very nice bass.

[@gamesandguitars3901]

James McClellan slayer has a lot of mids in their sound but people for some reason still scoop their mids and try to play slayer and it’s just missing the punch that the mids give the song they still don’t use much though like only 3-5 but more than kill ‘em all has at 1

[@ethann9433]

I blame Metallica's Black Album tone for the shitty "scooped mids cranked gain" tone that's become so infamous today. The guitar sound on that album is what the Boss Metal Zone was originally based on. The EQ on that album has the mids scooped to hell compared to the EQ of the bands other albums. AJFA had the opposite problem, it was all mids with no treble or bass so the guitars and vocals we're louder than everything else

[@ScottsTanks]

Really great video and audiophile conversation. And thank you for the close up shots of the settings.

[@Yupppi]

What I find funny is that metal zone is the epitome of scooped mid buzzsaw sound, yet it has one of the most flexible mid controls where you could shape and boost the mids just to your liking.

[@themallachtguyiguess]

I run one with a slight high-mid boost, with and overall midrange boost on an equaliser through a balanced amp EQ, it’s capable of some gnarly stuff 🤘🏻

[@mcswordfish]

You've hit an important distinction this time that the original missed - these tones aren't necessarily wrong, they just don't transition well from solo bedroom-jamming to playing with other people (Glenn Fricker's done a lot of backtracking recently for similar reasons). My tone is gash, but as the only person I play with is an 8-year-old with a drumkit, it's perfectly suited to the situation (though an octave-pedal to thicken the riffs is on my wishlist). If I ever find myself playing with other adults again (not likely for the foreseeable), I'll need to build my time from scratch but for now, I'm happy.

[@leocomerford]

There's another effect which may be in play as well. It seems that www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/watts-vs-volume.470811/ at low volumes mids sound more pushed to the human ear. So if you take an EQ that gives you the scooped sound you like at normal don't-annoy-the-parents bedroom volumes, then greatly increase the volume for a gig, the result is likely to be a (subjectively) even *more* scooped sound, even if objectively the EQ hasn't changed at all-and again, that's even before you think about how that bedroom solo-guitar sound mixes with bass and drums.

[@matthewhealy7607]

A delay pedal set to its highest speed can also help thicken up a guitar tone.

[@onpsxmember]

Exactly. We perceive mid-frequencies the loudest. Also keep in mind that the regular speakers in guitar amps are also more mid-frequency based. Not much lows or highs.

[@deangullberry5148]

Richard Keel the fact that you take the time to jam with your kid makes you a god among mortals. I'm also glad that yours took an interest in music, neither of mine did.

[@anthonypaquin8536]

Hey man, I've been watching your videos for a while and I've learned not only about the workings And science behind the guitar but about developing a good usable sound. I've taken your advice from older videos and since then my band has been getting nothing but complements on our live sound from other bands and sound engineers alike. Thank you!

[@smoreshaunted]

I love the mentioned comparisons to the strings and brass sections. THEY ARE SO RELEVANT

[@groverjuicy]

Concise info delivered with eloquence and humour. This is why we all keep watching (and re-watching), thank you so much Colin. You fucking Rock!

[@Podcastage]

PREACH IT!

[@followfornothing]

Being heard isn't about being loud. 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@MaelstromTheDemon]

This video and the one you did before it proved very helpful in helping me develop my own tone that sounds huge and yet isn't lost in the mix.

[@patjenkins3032]

Dude, your suggestions for tone in this video (with the tube screamer) is some of the best guitar advice I have ever received. Huge thanks man!

[@willtato8778]

Yes your tone has improved

[@OTCRock4one]

CSGuitars, You are 100% correct about scooping the mids and how if effects the overall mix!

[@ironfossil9963]

You'd be surprised how helpful this video is for other genres as well (post-rock here).

[@ryanjess5111]

Love your videos Colin, I've been inspired to sort my tone and try a few new things since I started flicking through your channel, great stuff! Many thanks from a fellow Scot :D

[@FluidRat]

You know, it's funny, when you brought up the point about playing in the bedroom all you want, you got it perfectly right. For some reason, the MT Metal zone with all the gain sounded "OK" on its own, but I think that's because you have that low end to make it sound more powerful, and with no other frequencies of the mid being played because of a lack of other instruments, it sounds complete-ish. This video really helps nail down the reasons why you can do both, under certain circumstances. Fantastic video, mate

[@georgibolshakov4897]

you look beautiful

[@ScienceofLoud]

Thank you, I do think I'm rather dashing.

[@tbt_jerry9238]

CSGuitars With the hair of ultimate majesty And the guitar skills bestowed by the gods of metal ;)

[@DOPIllustration]

You have no idea how much you've helped me, I kept wondering why I could never hear my guitar. Every "sound guy" out there told me it was my pedal setting but didn't give me specifics. I didn't trust them. But now I completely understand and I see I was doing the same thing you described. Thanks

[@ttgmusic9096]

Omg i remember that old video and never seen another video by you. Until a couple weeks ago that was a masterpiece

[@kennhern]

Thanks, now I know how to dial the Cowboys from Hell tone

[@broman260]

You'll need more than just pointers from this guy to get that tone, buddy.

[@R1s3n]

Dimebag's known for scooping all the mids though...I guess his tone sucks then.

[@onpsxmember]

Dimebag knew exactly what he was doing and how he walked that thin line before his high gain sound would turn into shit. And he didn't just scoop mids...He raised particular frequency-bands in the midrange with his MXR 6 Band EQ (around 700Hz). At another pedal, a Furman PQ3 he scooped the mids. Both of them gave him the chance to cut them back and still cut through the mix.He also used the MXR doubler/flanger a lot. You can find the settings on his Randall heads online. Best buy a 10 Band EQ to sort everything out.

[@sixonesix9429]

onpsxmember.. Correct. Mid scooping is a myth. There were some pictures of his rig in storage and the amp head setting were not what you would expect. The MXR and Furman, and his hands gave him his tone. The MXR was set with cut hi and lows with boosted mids if memory serves me correctly.

[@broman260]

You want to talk about myths... your fingers don't contribute to your tone. That's nonsense. Your amp, your pickups, your strings, and even your picks contribute to your tone, but not your fretting fingers. Your fingers contribute to your technique and playing style. They don't affect the way your guitar sounds unless you're talking about the difference between proper fretting and improper fretting, but that's basic day one stuff that doesn't apply to this discussion.

[@edgararias6601]

"Dial yourself a better tone" should be the new catch phrase. "Dial yourself a better tone" "Dial yourself a better tone" "Dial yourself a better tone" "Dial yourself a better tone" "Dial yourself a better tone" "Dial yourself a better tone"

[@ammardyaakob]

ALL THE MIDS

[@toad15fan]

Mega Regenerator LESS GAIN! OPETH!

[@williamdeely7836]

Edgar Arias LESS GAIN, MOZART

[@alexcole2443]

Dial yerself a be-er toan

[@surethebest]

Love it this time around just as much as the first! Keep it up, man!

[@niallcampbell]

This is a cracking video… I’ve gone from searching for distortion pedals to a tube screamer haha. I’ve recently picked up an EQ pedal and was amazed at the “volume increase” when I dialled in a mids based setting on it compared to my amp which was scooped. Every day a school day!

[@spekenbonen72]

Still one of the best "toan" tips haired on all the interwebz.

[@paahl1572]

When I was a teen and in lessons my teacher had me bring in my amp for a lesson. He showed me how EQ, more importantly, how mids can give you more presence without having to add volume. Completely changed how I EQ my amp.

[@DMSProduktions]

You had a GOOD teacher! I would teach the same principles!

[@guitargeek4208]

I've been playing for 15 years, and this has been one of the most helpful things I've ever come across. Thank you sir.

[@whiskeymike8010]

Subscribed! I've seen you about. Looking forward to browsing your library and watching your show. I thoroughly enjoy your energy!!!

[@budgetbasscovers]

I bought an 8-string bass so I can intrude on the guitarist’s tone. Screw that guy, folks FEEL my playing hahaha

[@joeconti3599]

OMG I love this

[@DiogoBaeder]

Very nice video, man! I'm not a metal guy, but that resonates a lot on other instruments as well and on any musical genre. It's very important that each musician finds his/her own place in the mix, and it's the most common thing to find musicians who don't understand this and try to dial in their favorite tone from when they practice at home, which is wrong. Being a bass player, I find that that resonates a lot on conflicts between the bass guitar and the bass drum, and sometimes I have to cut a bit of either bass or low-mids (depending on the situation) to try to stay out of the bass drum's sweet spot, and it's even more common to ask for keyboard players to pull down their bass (this is even worse, IMO, than the conflict between bass and bass drum, as a keyboard having even bass at "0" will screw up the bass guitar by making its most common frequency regions really muddy). So, in the end, it's the band's collective responsibility to make the overall band sound great, and this can be done if everyone is on a cooperative vibe.

[@Thunder978]

This video really helped me get my tone closer to the sound I’ve been chasing for years. Thanks man!

[@uhuhyesm435]

This was actually extremely educational. I stopped using the scooped mids sounds long ago as it just doesn't sound good to me anymore, but it was really awesome to see why you shouldn't do it in a mix. thumbs up!

[@airguitar1321]

2:48 Virgin black metal guitarist 3:02 Chad thrash metal guitarist

[@alrecks619]

funny enough most thrash albums i've heard actually scoop their mids with notable exception of Megadeth & Slayer

[@ayelmao1224]

Al R Slayer only scoops their mids in their recordings. Live is another story

[@CannibalSoggoth]

funny comment, but quite a lot of black metal guitars are more focused on the high end, they rarely are this thick on the bass freq

[@thisxgreatxdecay]

@@CannibalSoggoth Yeah, I feel like OP meant "death" instead of "black." Black metal often has a pretty bright guitar sound, like Johnny Marr if he worshipped Satan.

[@MB-rc8ie]

Black metal > anything else.

[@nathanjones1209]

Me: "What the hell is with all the 'haired' jokes? Also me, @0:56 : "heh, [slight chuckle] nice"

[@thatdirtyninja5829]

the tone is strong with this one,love these videos by the way

[@drabdullahchugtai5684]

Watching this at the end of 2020 makes me learn something new every time! Thanks bro your a life saver!

[@EricShreds]

Amen, Well Said!

[@killedinadvance5921]

Eric Shreds wild Eric spotted

[@Stretchwreckedem469]

Eric Shreds eric, it's you!!!

[@alanbiggle544]

That volume collapse has always been my least favorite part of that sound. When I was younger, I would occasionally crank my gain all the way up on my fender 10w amp, and turn the mids down so it wouldn’t disturb my parents. The result was pretty similar, except somehow worse. It felt like my brain was being sucked outta my ears.

[@trevorpugh6475]

Top man, top video. Many thanks for the accurate advice and humour!

[@petemoore8923]

Yes!! I learned the hard way. When I graduated from solid state to a tube amp, I drove it with a moded tube screamer and learned to dial in the mids.

[@Madbutcher305]

I think it's worth mentioning that a scooped sound does have its place. If you want your bass guitar to have a lot of mid range presence, as in a lot of death metal, it's often pretty good to have somewhat scooped guitars so they can take over without being swamped in the guitar's mids.

[@mattlambert3118]

You can hear the bass guitar in metal? I thought metal bass players were just there for show and didn't have their amps plugged in.

[@mattlambert3118]

​@idoj654123 Did you really just call The Sex Pistols a metal band? I would say Sid Vicious is rolling in his grave, but I know he was way too punk rock to give a fuck. I'm not sure why you brought up Nikki Sixx either. If you classify Motley Crew as a metal band, I don't see how you wouldn't also have to classify stuff like ZZ Top as metal. I guess I can't fault you for not coming up with famous metal bass players who were forced to unplug onstage. There aren't any famous metal bass players and nobody would be able to tell if they weren't plugged in.

[@Aaronaax]

well motley crue are a hair metal band so theoretically they are metal even if not the most serious or respectable genre of it...

[@mattlambert3118]

​@@Aaronaax Lol. I actually wrote a whole paragraph to head off that objection, but I deleted it because I didn't want to leave a big wall of text. Basically, it's true that the word "metal"has meant different things in respect to music at different times, but the meaning of "metal" that you could use to classify Motely Crue as a metal band isn't the same meaning of metal being used in this video. If that which is light is not dark and all feathers are light, does that mean no feathers are dark? The meaning of "metal" used here is a very specific genre of music defined by a pretty strict set of musical elements: vocals that try to sound like scary monsters, rhythm guitar parts that have only two modes (chug and machine gun), lead guitar parts written more to sound impressive than to sound good, and extremely liberal use of double kick drum pedals. There are a few other things, but basically as long as music has at least 3 out of 4 of those elements, it's probably in the genre of metal we're talking about. When I thought about it, I realized that it's not all that surprising that bass is pretty much irrelevant in metal. The elements that put music in that genre don't really ever leave any place for it. You can chug or machine gun along with the guitar if you want, but is doesn't really add anything, especially if the guitarist uses an octave pedal or the bassist uses much distortion because that can kill the low end. It wouldn't add anything to sync up with the kick when the drummer is going nuts with 16th or 32nd notes on it. You could play in unison with the guitar during solos and that can give sometimes a cool effect, but it leaves the rhythm out to dry if your tone is lower than the rhythm guitarist's. There just isn't anywhere for the bass to go. I personally don't think any metal is very serious or respectable, but I'm probably biased because I'm a bass player.

[@Aaronaax]

@@mattlambert3118 so i'm gonna go with the definition you brought up because i think you're right in the sense that this video obviously appeals more to the thrash/death metal community and yeah motley crue isn't really either. i think that what happens is that the guitarist, being most of the time the leader of the band and considering himself the most important member, ends up eating a lot of the frequencies the bass would normally shine in. i kinda look at another angle to the whole chugging and machine gunning with the guitarist, because in the end the bass still adds frequency depth to the song, especially because of the instrument timbre, which is why most of the time guitarists with octave pedals don't really fill up well the role of a bassist. the thing is, i'm gonna paraphrase something Trey Xavier said once in a video, when guitars are playing really low, in the first hand position, there's not really that much place to run as a bassist because you generally don't want to be playing higher than the guitars on a normal occasion, so you are just better off doubling it or doing something similar that also serves the song, a good example being master of puppets with the E F B E F C... riff in the guitar and the bass just keeping it steady with E F B throughout. still, i think that it depends a lot on the whole mixing of the band; some bass players like david ellefson from megadeth shine on the low/top end because the marshall powered guitars sit really well on the mid-range and some others like frank bello from anthrax or cliff burton from metallica prefer standing on the mid-range to cut through better (jean-michel labadie would be a good example of a death-metal-ish player with a mid-heavy tone that is distorted but really suits the song without needing a lot of bass to be present)

[@Aaronaax]

to me it's also a matter of being respected by your bandmates and imposing yourself musically well enough to make them see you deserve some space in the mix, and that's the bad part of being the bassist, because unless the guitarist also plays bass or the drummer, they probably won't fully realize the power that the bass has in the song. i like to use global warming from gojira as an example for this because the bass antecipates the vocal melody in the ending and if you're not fully paying attention to the bass like most people, you probably wouldn't see that it's basically making you familiar with the melody and therefore making the song way more enjoyable since it'll feel like you predicted what was going to happen even though it was within plain sight

[@michaeldebavay5914]

I've finally got a better understanding of so many things. Thanks mainly to well thought out, logical and informative videos etc from dudes like yourself

[@GanenRo]

this was great follow up to the that video. i really can see and hear what you meant then aswell. Thanks man

[@TheRealCaptainFreedom]

"Yew wunt ta be haired."

[@RaymondHegnes]

That is my sound :) I've been using the Tube screamer with 25% gain 75% volume and a little back of half on the tone into a low gain amp for years and it always cuts like a razor. All the metal guitarist need to trow away their metal zone! Boost pedal is the way to go just check out any gear tour video on KZbin 👍👍

[@danielmcbain8097]

Can use Metal Zone like a boost genius , have more control over mid frequency with that than a tube screamer if mids are so precious

[@RaymondHegnes]

Daniel McBain Yeah that is a tone sucker...

[@TheCrimsonIdol987]

But the Metal Zone being used as a boost also adds A LOT of noise to the signal, and when you're running that live, when the amp is really pushing air, over-saturation of the signal causes hiss and feedback. This holds true for all amps, but tube amps especially naturally distort as they start pushing more air, so as they get louder, you want to cut the gain. Moderate gain with a CLEAN boost (like the Tube Screamer or other OD pedals) will produce a savagely aggressive tone that cuts like a razor.

[@danielmcbain8097]

TheCrimsonIdol987 , i find with using either tube screamer or 808 or mt2 as a boost , i always have my gain on 0 and level or presence all the way up. The noise is there some what, but i use an ISP decimator and that fixes all that. I also use a sonic maximizer in loop also and the amp hiss , is really non existant to be fair.

[@braedonavants]

as a drummer I still found this incredibly informative and entertaining. Great job and thank you!

[@Wolfpunker]

I worked for years as a sound engineer, thank you so much for explaining this. Banss that dail often have guitarists that just can't or won't grasp this concept.

[@FerociousSniper]

The metal zone sounds like you are listening to it over a CB radio.

[@pee-in-the-wind]

People play like this alone and it sounds good, they are unaware that it sounds terrible live. Thanks for educating them Colin my ears thank you.

[@PushSueAside]

Agreed. Took years to figure this one out. Sit through a drum mix session and you really see how thin drums sound on there own. It's definitely a team effort.

[@EvanFifesMusic]

Absolutely beautiful how s*****the hi gain one sounds I love it! Thank you for making this video for all those people who don't know how

[@ghoststomper]

Those faces - constipated hermit playing ALL Gain no Mid MetalZone and then the "i know what colour panites you're wearing" smile for the pronounced mids.. Loving your Channel

[@benweissman2472]

Scottish accent = Canadian accent plus English accent "Oot"

[@nicolasf.g.1239]

add some more whisk

[@addigill6095]

Ocarina of time? 😂😂😂

[@Andresmoomoo]

I TRIED THIS AND OMFG YOURE RIGHT

[@kotymccallister5150]

Damn, I thought it was Irish. Well, close enough, I guess. Lmao

[@sandormacneil7580]

NAW!!! Just naw. Dinny be daeing that

[@alexandersmith3334]

Colin. You nailed it with the brass/string band analogy. Being mainly a drummer, I started out in 6th grade orchestra. The two things I learned was 1. Know where your Sonic space in the orchestra. 2. Leave space for the other instruments.

[@renemars-lunn4112]

I love the faces you pull while playing with the tube screamer

[@thewoolycontacts]

Hey man. The " ALL THE GAIN" part just sounds like every Bolt thrower song ever Haha clearer actually lmao

[@johndoe-mn2zs]

Yoooo that song was dope

[@JBmusicart]

Drummer here in New Orleans. I started on guitar then switched to drums as a kid but as an adult I have been playing guitar lately and I appreciate your info.

[@n.h.moreno]

At 4:40, I TOTALLY understand now. I have a Peavey Renown 400 with brand new Scorpion 12" and Celestion 50s. This dude abides! Cheers!! 💯✌👊

[@onpsxmember]

raise the mids and get a little more punch with some heavy bottom strings (thicker low-E-String)

[@daddyosink4413]

One band that I always thought was REALLY good at using the full sonic spectrum was Racer X..... everyone lived in their own part of a 32 band eq, so it sounded FULL.

[@mc12358]

Thank you for mentioning Racer X, Paul Gilbert is iconic on Superheroes!

[@Kleyver]

Great video!! Awesome continuation to your first one about this topic (which I loved) And I really enjoy your accent. I´ve worked with a couple of scotchs and really like their way of talking. Cheers.

[@kevmet84]

Of listening to tunes through an old 70's era transistor radio vs. a decent home stereo system that contrast of your's with the mid scoop & gain extreme vs. the moderated setup reminded me it did. :)

[@elgranvacio9489]

i think both examples sounded good in my humble opinion. I always say that tone is subjective: if you like metal zone, scooped mids and lots of gain and bass, then it's pretty fine

[@meatlejuice]

It really does depend on what you're playing. For example Cryptopsy's Blasphemy Made Flesh album doesn't usually have the guitar at the forefront so if you're playing something similar to that the no mids/all the gain tone would serve the music well.

[@D-Man_Jam]

_"Don't scoop the mids"_ But Panteraaa, and Slayeerrrrrr.

[@0DethronedEmperor0]

Slayer actually had fairly pronounced mids in their guitar tone

[@Matt-uh8ju]

Dimebag used to set up his EQ with a peak as well

[@7James77]

Metallica would be the better example for cut mids

[@D-Man_Jam]

@@0DethronedEmperor0 not on the specific albums that created the stereotype. Like on God Hates us All for example.

[@D-Man_Jam]

@@7James77 really only in AJFA was it extreme

[@davidtrevi2914]

OMG, dude. I like the major takedown you did about having maturity in your tone. And that comes with growing up, musically and sonically. Awesome comparisons on how your guitar sounds better with mids. Like your accent, although I had to re-calibrate a couple of times, Ha! Thumbs up. I subbed. I'm a fan!

[@toonsesthecat3950]

Fully agreed... Love the digital amp for solo chunking.... Valve to really scream .... very different tones .... and .... loud is where the valves shine

[@wzwguitar]

I would have liked to hear the two tracks doubled.

[@Crunchifyable2]

I liked the "scooped" tone better in the band context (warmer tone). The guitar got glued into the mix instead of standing out. Though it's really hard to tell without a vocal screaming over it.

[@ClikcerProductions]

I think somewhere between the two tones would sound best, so pretty even bass and mids, little more bass than mids but close, and most of but not all the gain

[@LukeBlase]

Hi, Colin. I am not a metal player by any means, but even as a rock player I have benefited greatly from several of your videos, particularly the one about how to use your volume and tone controls. I think your advice is valid for most guitar players, not just metal ones. Thanks for the great content! From USA, Luke

[@thebarf9235]

Perfectly stated. I already knew about keeping the mids up but it took a very long time before it finally hit home.

[@hhscadets0925]

"Cursing you all the way if you gave him complete shite to work with" 7:01 I love your accent!

[@uyogi2373]

Scottish pal, Scottish here too!

[@waranghira]

Congrats on working the figure!

[@sidequestplays4768]

I find that I come back to this video from time to time just for a guaranteed laugh. Love these videos.

[@ShadowReubenKee]

TURN ON THE SUBTITLES. (You will laugh.)

[@heavymetalmixer91]

OMG I can't believe I actually did it . . . what a disaster LMAO.

[@faustohernandez3434]

Slauger!!! Meds

[@LuciFernato]

[applause] [music]

[@Torniojaws]

Dial yourself a bitter tone

[@ichbrauchmehrkaffee5785]

'It'sprobably a PV6 505 or a mess-up ok Jules'

[@matthewdupont5868]

It’s like comparing lamb of god (mid heavy) to Nile (very scooped sound). Both have their place, I prefer slightly scooped if I’m being honest, even in this context

[@pedrohsouza511]

so simple but not spoken! great job! increadible!

[@ryanbouska7884]

you definitely have a great way of explaining things