Heavy metal is one of the most popular music genres. Other music genres such as pop, country and rock; you need to have some reference music when you are mixing. Reference music should be something that sounds “standard” or “broadcast-ready” to your ears; something that you wish your mix to sound like.
Problem of using reference music during the audio mix
One issue of using reference music in audio mixing is the loudness level. If you are using your favorite heavy-metal bands’ CD as reference, then obviously it sounds louder than your mix. The reason is that the CD is already mastered. One characteristic of this genre is that they are very loud and heavy, so the following suggestions are recommended:
1.) Get the average level of your mix in RMS dB. Most digital audio workstation software includes this feature. For example; in Reaper DAW this is the JS:SCHWA Audio statistics plug-in. Insert this plug-in as a master bus effect to measure the loudness level of your mix. You can read this tutorial on Reaper audio mastering to know how to insert FX on the master bus.
2.) Look for the information RMS total loudness dB in the result. There are two values, which stand for the LEFT and RIGHT channel of your mix. Take note of these values.
3.) Insert your reference track in your audio mastering software and insert the audio statistics plug-in on that track.
4.) Play the track while the audio statistics plug-in would be measuring the volume of your reference track. After completion, compute the dB volume to be reduced as follows:
Loudness in dB to be reduced = Your Mix loudness(dB)- Reference track loudness(dB)
For example, if the reference track is around -10dB in loudness while your mix is very quiet at -25dB, then you need to reduce:
Loudness to be reduced = -25dB – (-10dB)= -15dB
5.) Use any volume reduction plugin in your software to reduce that volume. Again, this will depend on what DAW software you are using. Lower down the volume of the reference track to match the volume of your mix.
Top 10 list
Different audio mixing engineers have a different taste in music. When producing heavy rock music, the following songs work for me very well, and I am hoping it will work for you too. As an introduction, heavy-metal music started with origins from the early 70s and 80’s. In this period, the music is still not considered to be very heavy because the bass component of the mix is lacking comparing today. This is due to the music production recording methods implemented in those days.
With the coming of digital technology in music and some advancements in analog technology, it results to a more hi-fidelity recording. This will have a wider frequency response in terms of bass and treble. As a result, heavy-metal music is getting heavier now. Mixing for heavy metal will strongly focus on the drums, particularly the double-bass section and the heaviness of the guitars and bass.
These are my favorite lists (not ordered by importance):
Heavy metal band
1.) “Dead Embryonic Cells“- Sepultura
The heavy guitar riffs sound great along with the drums, particularly the snare, double bass and cymbals. This is one of my most favorite Sepultura songs. This song features some great arrangement which I found rare in the most heavy-metal music. For example, it starts with a fast tempo typical for most speed heavy metal music. One of the trademarks of this song is the change in tempo. At the finale, it changes its tempo from fast to moderate. The guitar riffs and accompanying drums sounds great. The arrangement sounds unique and nice. Listen to this song with the volume level crank up, the dynamics has been well preserved!
2.)“Becoming” – Pantera
This song bears the trademark of Vinnie Paul (Pantera drummer) legendary double bass. And the mixing engineer of “Far Beyond Driven” album does a great job of establishing the clarity on the double bass drums by putting some thump and spike. The primary reason is to make it shine in the mix and not be drowned with the bass guitar.
3.) “Too bad” – Ugly Kid Joe
I won’t consider this song to be pretty heavy. However, this one sounds great as a reference between heavy-metal music and alternative rock. In fact, I was pretty impressed the way the guitars , drums and vocals are mixed in this song. Try listening to the low-fidelity version in Youtube. The song still sounds great! I use this song as a reference to mixing guitars for heavy rock music. The snare also sounds pretty cool too.
4.)“Davidian” – Machine Head
The guitar and drums mixing in this song is great.
5.) “Master of Puppets” – Metallica
This song is a masterpiece by Metallica and in fact, one of the best Metallica songs. The bass mixing is great as well as the vocals and the guitars. If you are mixing metal music with good bassist, you can use this a reference material, since some of the sections in this song feature a bass solo mixed really well. Although a casual listener won’t notice it because it sounds like a guitar solo.
Metallica first bassist Cliff Burton is a very talented bass guitar player. James Hetfield guitar riffs and drums also sound great. I’ve read a post somewhere about the recording of Metallica “Master of puppets” album, and it says that the band was recording the tracks one at a time instead of recording it together. However, in one of their more successful “Black” self-titled albums, the producer starts experimenting about recording them together in the studio. You can read more details here: mixonline.com/recording/tracking/metallica_enter_sandman/
6.) “Roots Bloody Roots” – Sepultura
Sepultura “Roots” album is one of the most ambitious mixing projects I’ve observed in heavy metal. Try listening to one of their singles “Roots Bloody Roots”. It may sound ordinary to you; however, this song consists of highly sophisticated and elaborate mixing of native drums and Brazilian/African beats. If you want your mix to sounds like a tribal metal band, then this album is a highly recommended reference.
7.) “Bleed“- Meshuggah
This list will not be complete without my present-day favorite Meshuggah, one of the heaviest bands today. If you listen to this song, it has one of the most complicated double bass drum sequences I’ve ever heard. If the band’s drummer is ambitious enough to be as good as Thomas Haake, then its no problem. You can use this mix as a reference.
8.) “Children of the grave” – White Zombie
This is a cover song done by White Zombie and originally performed by Black Sabbath. The new mix is a complete makeover of the Black Sabbath original. It features heavier guitar tracks as well as drums.
9.) “Hell Awaits” – Slayer
This is one of the earliest heavy-metal songs that I used to listen. This is a good example where the mixer does a great job in establishing clarity of the drum mix. If you listen to the studio version of this song – Dave Lombardo’s performance is magnificent. You can use this as a reference mix if you want your song to sound like a classic heavy metal.
10.) “Before I Forget” – Slipknot
This is the typical sound of a modern heavy-metal music released in year 2000 and beyond. Try comparing this mix to the Slayer track previously, and you will notice a big difference in bass response and total loudness. Today’s heavy-metal music is plagued with loudness wars. You might not like this trend. Read this tutorial if you are interested in creating broadcast/radio friendly mix. This preserves the dynamics while still having a very loud music common in the metal genre.
So what’s your favorite heavy-metal song reference?
Content last updated on July 14, 2012