Metal Music Manual : Producing, Engineering, Mixing, and Mastering Contemporary Heavy Music

Metal Music Manual shows you the creative and technical processes involved in producing contemporary heavy music for maximum sonic impact. From pre-production to final mastered product, and fundamental concepts to advanced production techniques, this book contains a world of invaluable practical information. Assisted by clear discussion of critical audio principles and theory, and a comprehensive array of illustrations, photos, and screen grabs, Metal Music Manual is the essential guide to achieving professional production standards. The extensive companion website features multi-track recordings, final mixes, processing examples, audio stems, etc., so you can download the relevant content and experiment with the techniques you read about. The website also features video interviews the author conducted with the following acclaimed producers, who share their expertise, experience, and insight into the processes involved: Fredrik Nordström (Dimmu Borgir, At The Gates, In Flames) Matt Hyde (Slayer, Parkway Drive, Children of Bodom) Ross Robinson (Slipknot, Sepultura, Machine Head) Logan Mader (Gojira, DevilDriver, Fear Factory) Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Killswitch Engage, Testament) Jens Bogren (Opeth, Kreator, Arch Enemy) Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, Soilwork, Behemoth) Nick Raskulinecz (Mastodon, Death Angel, Trivium) Quotes from these interviews are featured throughout Metal Music Manual , with additional contributions from: Ross "Drum Doctor" Garfield (one of the world’s top drum sound specialists, with Metallica and Slipknot amongst his credits) Andrew Scheps (Black Sabbath, Linkin Park, Metallica) Maor Appelbaum (Sepultura, Faith No More, Halford) Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents Foreword Acknowledgments Chapter 1 Introduction Audio Video Interviews Forum Chapter 2 Contemporary Metal Music Tempo and Subdivisions Chapter 3 The Parameters of Heaviness Distortion Proximity Perceived Loudness The Distortion Paradox Sonic Weight Transients Spectral Dynamics and Transient Brightness Clarity Definition Intelligibility Performance Precision The Parameters of Heaviness—Summary Part I Preproduction Chapter 4 Preproduction Vision and Leadership Rehearsals The Budget Click Tracks In Practice Tempo Mapping Click Tones Guide Tracks Click-Free Tracking Live Guide Tracks without a Click Overdubs without a Click The Click Track Acid Test Chapter 5 Sound at Source Drums Kick Resonant Head: Ported vs Un-ported vs Removed Metalwork Setup Bass and Guitar Baritones/Longer Scale Lengths Part II Engineering Chapter 6 Engineering Overview Isolation = Separation = Control Headroom Printed Compression Printed EQ Chapter 7 Drums Setup Kick Drums Short ISO-Tunnel Snare Top Snare Bottom Toms Metalwork Room Mics and Controlled Cohesion Triggers Recording Drum Hits from the Kit Used for Tracking Sample Creation Drum Edits and Quantization Chapter 8 Guitars DIs and Re-Amping Speaker Selection Isolation Tactics Amp Volume Mic Selection Loudspeaker Frequency Radiation Mic Placement Proximity Effect Off-Axis Placement Double Miking Double-Tracking (vs. Quad-Tracking) Quad-Tracking Tonal Variation Multi-Amp/Cab Recording for Double-Tracked Guitars Mix Center Rhythm Thickener Chapter 9 Bass DI (Series) Amp/Cab Distortion Amp/Cab/Mic A Different Kind of Brightness Emulation Layers (Parallel) Reinforcement Distortion Chapter 10 Vocals Scheduling Coaching, Communication, and Comping Engineering Polar Patterns and Gang Vocals Handheld Vocal Recording Vocal Compression Monitoring Headphone-less Vocal Recording Recording Further Instruments Part III Mixing Chapter 11 Edits, Polarity and Phase Alignment, Samples, and Gates Edits Mix Groups Polarity and Phase Alignment Waveform Edits Multing Drum Samples—Overview Drum Sample Selection Sample Implementation Isolation vs. Cohesion Gating Chapter 12 Balance and Stereo Width Mix Group Component Balance Mix Balance Panning and Stereo Width Monitoring and Room Acoustics Chapter 13 Compression Signal Chain Order Compression Parameters Timbral Coloration and Transient Design Drum Compression Snare Hit – Uncompressed Snare Hit – Transient Design Bass Compression Rhythm Guitar Compression Lead Guitar Compression Vocal Compression Parallel Vocal Compression Sibilance and De-Essing Limiting Chapter 14 EQ Sonic Sludge 20–55 HZ Low-End Foundation 55–125 HZ Upper Lows 125–200 HZ Low-Mids—“Mudrange” 200–550 HZ Mids 550 HZ–1 KHZ High-Mids 1–4 KHZ Low-Highs 4–7.5 KHZ Mid-Highs 7.5–10 KHZ Upper-Highs/Air 10–17 KHZ Ultrasonic Highs 17–20 KHZ Parametric EQ High-Pass Filters Sweep EQ Corrective and Surgical EQ Instrument EQ Intelligent EQ Context and Interdependence Low-Pass Filters Spectral Masking Bass Channel EQ/Group EQ Rhythm Guitar EQ “Big Mono” vs. Panoramic Width Mirrored EQ Vocals Chapter 15 Effects Processing and Automation Reverb Snare Reverb Aux Sends Delay Distortion Sine Wave or White Noise Reinforcement Analogue and Tape Emulation Mix Referencing Automation Chapter 16 Master Buss Processing Master Buss Compression Master Buss EQ Master Buss Limiting Summing Part IV Mastering Chapter 17 Mastering DIY and the “Four Es” of Mastering Signal Chain Mastering EQ Low End Localization Reverb Unified Mastering—Bridging the Divide Compression Mid/Side Compression Mid/Side Multiband Compression Harmonic Enhancement Stereo Width Enhancement Stem Mastering Soft Clipping Limiting Automation Fades Mastered Output Peak Levels—CD Chapter 18 Loudness Normalization Loudness Metering and Mastering Practice A Final Word Index