How to Mix HUGE Rock & Metal Guitars with Amp Sims (Step-by-Step)

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Video below shows step-by-step how to mix massive guitars. Definitely watch that to learn exactly what to listen for and how to dial in this massive guitar tone!

How to Achieve a Huge Wall of Guitar Sound in Your Mixes

When it comes to creating a powerful and immersive rock or metal mix, one of the key elements is achieving a massive wall of guitar sound. In this guide, we will break down the essential techniques to give your guitars a larger-than-life presence while maintaining clarity and balance within the mix.

Understanding the Guitar Tone

The track we’re working with is called Love and War by Once Around. Let’s start by listening to the raw guitar tone in the context of the mix. It already has that “wall of guitars” feel, but let’s dive into the exact steps taken to achieve that sound.

The band provided DI tracks, which were processed using the Neural DSP Omega Ampworks Granophyre Amp Sim. It’s important to note that blindly copying these settings won’t necessarily yield the same results for every mix. Gain staging is crucial—if your DI track is significantly hotter than mine, you’ll get a much more distorted sound than intended. The goal is to find the right input level where the tone starts breaking up naturally while preserving the melody.

EQ Adjustments for a Fuller Sound

Out of the gate, the tone is a little harsh, so some EQ adjustments are necessary:

1. Cutting the “boxy” frequencies: There’s often a buildup around 700-800 Hz, which can clutter the mix. Carving out some of that range creates space for the vocals and bass.
2. Taming digital harshness: Amp simulators can sometimes introduce an unpleasant harshness, typically around 5.2 kHz and between 3-4 kHz. Cutting these frequencies makes the tone smoother and more natural.
3. Comparing before and after EQ: These minor adjustments make a significant impact on reducing muddiness and making the tone more balanced.

Making Room for the Bass

A critical part of achieving a massive guitar sound is ensuring there’s enough room for the bass to sit properly in the mix. If the guitars and bass compete for the same frequency range, the mix will feel imbalanced and lack definition.

One of my go-to techniques—borrowed from Andy Sneap—is using a multiband compressor on the guitar bus with the Waves C4 plugin:

• Activating only the low band (up to ~250 Hz).
• Targeting the “boom” from palm muting and controlling it without completely removing it.
• Using an attack time of 20-40ms to retain some of the transient punch while tightening up the low end.
• Keeping the release time under 50ms to maintain the natural power of the guitars.

This simple trick ensures that the bass can fill in the low-end power without competing with the guitars.

Adding Depth with Room Reverb

While reverb and delay are generally avoided on rhythm guitars, adding a subtle room reverb can create a more immersive, 3D sound. Since DI guitars often sound too direct, simulating a real room helps achieve the “wall of guitars” effect.

• Using a Lexicon Room Reverb plugin, but any quality room reverb or impulse response can work.
• Sending the guitars to the reverb effect bus and dialing in just enough reverb so it’s barely noticeable.
• Ensuring the reverb tail is short to avoid a “cave” effect—this should mimic a real room, not an overly spacious environment.
• Carefully blending it into the mix to add depth without washing out the attack and clarity of the guitars.

This step enhances the perceived space around the guitars, making them feel fuller and wider in the mix.

Enhancing the Bass for a Huge Sound

A common misconception is that the “wall of guitars” comes entirely from the guitars themselves. In reality, a great bass tone is half the battle.

For this mix, the bass DI was processed using:

1. Mammoth Bass Plugin: Adding distortion to the upper frequencies helps the bass blend with the guitars.
2. Waves L2 Limiter: Keeping the bass consistent and locked into place.
3. Bogren Digital IRDX Core: Adding harmonic richness and transient enhancement to the distorted part of the bass.
4. Sub Bass Trick: Splitting the DI into a sub-bass track with:
   • A low-pass filter at ~180 Hz, keeping only the sub frequencies.
   • An 8 dB cut at 190 Hz to avoid clashing with the snare drum.
   • A linear phase EQ to ensure phase coherence between the sub and distorted bass tracks.

When combined, this creates a tight, powerful low-end foundation that supports the massive guitar tone.

Bridging the Guitars and Bass

Even with well-EQed guitars and bass, sometimes they can feel separate rather than cohesive. A simple solution is using a stereo widening effect on the bass:

• Soundtoys Microshift Plugin: Sending a small amount of bass to a chorus effect to subtly widen the bass and fill the gaps between the guitars.
• Keeping the effect subtle (around -10 dB) to avoid making the bass sound too wide or unnatural.

This trick glues the bass and guitars together, reinforcing the “wall” effect without making the bass lose its foundational role in the mix.

Final Compression for Cohesion

To lock everything together, I applied Waves Renaissance Axe Stereo Compressor to the guitar bus:

• Likely an opto-style compressor followed by an FET-style compressor.
• Helps bring out the nuances and details in the guitar sound.
• Using an attack time around 20ms to retain the natural movement of palm mutes while adding sustain.
• Enhances the overall density of the mix, making the guitars sound even more massive.

Bringing It All Together

After all these steps, we now have a massive wall of guitars that blends seamlessly with the bass.

Try all these tricks in your next mix and let me know how it turns out! Do you already use some of these techniques? Which ones are your favorites? Drop a comment below and share your thoughts. If there’s something I missed that you swear by, let me know—I’d love to hear about it.

Also, don’t forget to grab the free Rock and Metal Mixing Cheat Sheet below!.

⌚TIMESTAMPS⌚
00:00 – How to get MASSIVE “Wall of Guitar” Sound for Rock and Metal
00:58 – Starting with Guitar DI Tracks and Dialing in Amp Sim Tones
01:47 – EQing Guitar Tone
03:49 – Make Room for the Bass Guitar (Andy Sneap Trick)
04:09 – EQ and Tone Adjustments
05:37 – Adding Reverb for Space
08:54 – The Importance of Bass Tone
09:22 – Dialing in Bass Tone with an Amp Sim
11:55 – How to Glue Bass to Guitars
13:15 – Gluing Guitars Together
14:44 – Final Wall of Guitars Sound
15:35 – Don’t forget your FREE GIFT!! 🎁