ToneForge Ben Bruce: Taming Low-Tuned Metal Guitars

Nail The Mix Staff

Getting a massive, clear, and aggressive guitar tone is the goal. But when you’re dealing with super low tunings from 7, 8, or even 9-string guitars, “massive” can quickly turn into “muddy.” The low-end information becomes a swampy mess, note definition disappears, and the whole thing fights with the bass instead of locking in with it.

It’s a common frustration. You grab a killer amp sim like Joey Sturgis Tones’ ToneForge Ben Bruce—a certified beast for modern metalcore tones—expecting instant aggression, but the extreme low end presents a unique set of challenges.

So, how do you use a plugin like ToneForge Ben Bruce to get clarity and punch out of an extended-range guitar without it all turning to mush?

It comes down to a few key areas: realistic gain staging, aggressive post-EQ, and understanding how the guitar and bass need to work together. Let’s break down a workflow for taming a gnarly 9-string DI track and making it sit perfectly in a heavy mix.

Starting Point: The Right Tool for the Job

For this challenge, we’re working with a super heavy, low-tuned DI track from the one and only Rob Scallon. We’re talking 9-string, downtuned madness. When faced with a track this heavy, you need an amp sim that can deliver modern clarity and saturation. ToneForge Ben Bruce is an obvious choice.

Right out of the box, with a stock preset, the tone is in the ballpark. You get that signature saturated sound. But as expected with such a low-tuned source, there are immediate problems to solve:

  • A layer of high-end “fizz” that can sound harsh.
  • A lack of definition and clarity in the low notes.
  • A build-up of low-mid frequencies that makes the tone feel bloated.

This is a typical starting point. The raw tone has potential, but it needs to be sculpted. The first instinct for many is to crank the gain, but that’s often the exact opposite of what you should do.

It’s Not All About Gain: Finding the Sweet Spot

More gain equals more heavy, right? Not always. When it comes to low-tuned guitars, excessive gain is one of the fastest ways to kill your mix.

The “Too Much Gain” Trap

When you push the gain too hard on a low-tuned signal, the definition just falls apart. The space between the notes disappears, and complex riffs turn into an incoherent wall of noise. You lose the percussive attack of the palm mutes and the clarity of the individual notes in a chord.

A huge factor here, and something you absolutely cannot overlook, is the source recording itself. The clarity of your DI track is paramount. A crucial tip for anyone recording extended-range guitars: use new strings. Dead strings lack the harmonic brightness needed for definition, especially on those low F#, E, or even lower strings. They sound dull and thuddy, and no amount of processing can fully recover that missing clarity. In this case, the DIs were tracked with old strings, which immediately puts us at a disadvantage we have to overcome in the mix.

The Fix: Back It Off!

Instead of pushing the gain on the ToneForge Ben Bruce amp head, try backing it off. It might feel counterintuitive, but listen to what happens.

By reducing the gain from, say, 75 down to 60, you’ll immediately notice the low notes starting to breathe. The individual notes in the riff become more discernible. This move is less about making the guitar sound weak and more about letting the actual performance come through.

The real goal here is to create glue between the guitar and the bass. With too much gain, the guitar’s low-end saturation competes with the bass. By backing the gain off, you allow the bass guitar’s own distortion and character to fill in the fundamental lows, while the guitar provides the midrange aggression and high-end attack. They start to merge into one single, powerful instrument instead of two separate elements fighting for the same sonic space.

Post-Amp Processing: Where the Real Sculpting Happens

The amp sim is just one piece of the puzzle. A great metal guitar tone is built in the entire chain, and post-amp EQ is non-negotiable, especially with low tunings. Here, we can approach it in two stages: surgical cleaning and character shaping.

Surgical Cuts: Cleaning Up the Mud

Before we add anything, we need to take away the problem frequencies. This is where you’ll carve out space and create clarity. A simple stock parametric EQ in your DAW is perfect for this.

The High-Pass Filter (HPF)

First things first: get rid of the sub-bass rumble. A 9-string guitar produces frequencies well below what’s musically useful in a dense mix. This low-end energy just eats up headroom and creates mud. Be aggressive with your high-pass filter. Start around 80Hz-100Hz and even push it higher if needed. You want to let the kick drum and bass own that low-frequency territory. This single move can clean up a surprising amount of murk.

Scooping the Low-Mids

The next target is the low-midrange. This is where the guitar and bass clash the most, creating what’s often described as “honk,” “boxiness,” or “mud.” Sweep around the 200Hz-500Hz range to find the most offensive buildup and pull it down with a moderately wide Q. This step is about making a decision: which instrument will dominate this region? By scooping the guitars here, you create a pocket for the bass to sit in, enhancing the clarity of both.

For a deeper dive into these techniques, check out our complete guide to EQing modern metal guitars for maximum impact.

Character and Bite: Adding What’s Missing

Once you’ve cleaned up the mud, you can use a second EQ to add the aggressive character and bite the tone needs to cut through. This is a great time to reach for a “character” EQ plugin, like a Neve 1073 emulation (such as the Waves Scheps 73).

These types of EQs add a certain color and saturation even without boosting. The secret to using them on guitars lies in their fixed frequency points and musical-sounding curves. On a Neve-style EQ, the midrange frequencies at 1.6kHz and 3.2kHz are pure gold for guitars.

  • 1.6kHz adds an aggressive, throaty bite.
  • 3.2kHz brings out the pick attack and presence, helping the guitar cut through the cymbals and vocals.

Because the Q (bandwidth) on these hardware-emulated EQs is typically broad and musical, you can be pretty generous with your boosts without the tone becoming harsh or unnatural. A few dB of boost in these key areas will make the guitar jump out of the speakers.

The Final Result: A Cohesive Wall of Sound

By following this process, you create a complete, polished guitar chain:

DI -> ToneForge Ben Bruce (with reduced gain) -> Subtractive EQ (HPF, low-mid scoop) -> Character EQ (mid/presence boost)

The result is a tone that’s massive yet defined. You’ve removed the mud, controlled the gain to preserve note clarity, and then added back the perfect midrange frequencies for aggression and cut. Most importantly, you’ve created a guitar tone that works with the bass to form a cohesive, powerful low-end foundation.

This kind of detailed, problem-solving approach is what separates pro-sounding mixes from amateur ones. It’s about understanding the “why” behind every move. And there’s no better way to learn that than by seeing how the pros do it themselves.

At Nail The Mix, we give you the raw multitracks from massive bands and let you watch world-class producers like Joey Sturgis, Will Putney, and Jens Bogren mix them from scratch, explaining every decision along the way. You get to see them tackle these exact challenges on real-world sessions.

Want to learn directly from the best in the business?

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