Mixed by Dave Otero, known for his work with Cattle Decapitation, Allegaeon, and Cephalic Carnage, this session showcases a fully dialed-in production approach honed at his Flatline Audio studio in Denver. Otero doesn’t just harness the explosiveness of Archspire’s performance—he structures it. The foundation is blazing-speed drums and almost impossibly tight guitars, layered with intricate bass runs and micro-timed, multi-layered vocals. Every element competes for attention, and Otero’s mix strategy—punchy bus compression, targeted surgical EQ, multi-band sidechaining, saturation for harmonic clarity, and tightly automated effects—keeps it all from collapsing under its own weight.

This session is a masterclass in controlling intensity without over-processing. You’ll learn how to maintain intelligibility on vocals clocking over 400 BPM, manage transient detail across blast beats, tight double kicks, and complex guitar arpeggiation, and keep separation without thinning the mix. It’s aggressive, dense production that still has width, impact, and depth.

Download the multitracks and try to mix it yourself. Breaking down this session is an opportunity to sharpen your workflow, push your editing discipline, and develop strategies for reigning in extreme arrangements.