Mixing Angelmaker Guitars: Christian Donaldson’s Amp & EQ Tips

Getting a crushing metal guitar tone that sits perfectly in a dense mix is a constant quest. We all want guitars that are heavy, clear, and aggressive, but sometimes amp sims alone don't quite deliver that "in-your-face" sound we're chasing. Christian Donaldson, the man behind the console for bands like Despised Icon and Angelmaker, shared some killer insights into how he tackles guitar tones, especially when stock amp sims aren't cutting it. Let's dive into his approach, focusing on his preference for real amps (or his own profiles) and his meticulous EQ and bus processing techniques.

The Amp Sim Conundrum: When Presets Don't Cut It

Many of us have been there: scrolling through endless amp sim presets, hoping for that magic tone, only to find something that's close, but no cigar. Christian admits he's struggled to get commercial amp sims to work for him, often finding they don't quite fit his mixes.

Christian's Take: Why Re-amping Often Wins

For Christian, the most reliable path to a killer guitar tone is often re-amping DI tracks through his own gear or using Kemper profiles he's personally created. He finds that tones provided by bands sometimes need a lot of work to sit right, leading him back to his trusted method of re-amping. It gives him ultimate control and a sound he’s familiar with. He even mentioned that if Kemper had a plugin version using his profiles, that’d be his go-to.

This isn't to say amp sims are useless – far from it! But as Christian's experience shows, sometimes crafting a custom sound or using meticulously captured profiles can make all the difference, especially in demanding genres like deathcore. If you're looking to deepen your understanding of how tones are built from the ground up, exploring different amping techniques is invaluable.

Sculpting the Raw Tone: Christian Donaldson's EQ Workflow

Once a solid raw tone is captured, whether from a real amp or a carefully chosen profile, the real shaping begins with EQ. Christian has a methodical approach to ensure his guitars have bite, clarity, and sit well with the other instruments. Explore more EQ strategies for mixing modern metal to broaden your toolkit.

The Initial Bite: Boosting with the API 550B

Right off the bat, Christian often uses an API 550B EQ (or a plugin emulation) to give the guitars an initial push. A key move for him is a 4dB shelf boost at 2.5kHz. This adds presence and helps the guitars cut through, making them more articulate and aggressive – essential for fast riffs and complex chugs.

Taming the Annoyances: Surgical EQ Cuts

Next up is the familiar game of hunting down and taming problematic frequencies. Christian notes that the usual suspects often reside around 4kHz and 6kHz. Using a parametric EQ with a relatively narrow Q, he'll dip these areas to remove harshness or "fizzy" characteristics without gutting the core tone. This process is often done while listening to the guitars in context with the rest of the music, as what sounds good in solo might clash in the full mix.

Dynamic EQ for Clarity: Making Space for Bass

To ensure the guitars and bass aren't fighting for space in the low-mids, Christian employs a clever dynamic EQ trick. He sets up an EQ on the guitars that is sidechained to the low-end frequencies of the bass guitar. This means that whenever the bass plays a note, the corresponding frequency range in the guitars is subtly ducked. He describes it as a "surfer EQ kind of thing" because the EQ cut moves with the notes the bass is playing, rather than being a static cut. This creates space dynamically and keeps the low-end clean and defined.

Mastering the Guitar Bus: Adding Weight and Width

With individual guitar tracks shaped, Christian then turns his attention to the guitar bus, where he applies further processing to glue the guitars together, add character, and enhance their impact.

Low-Mid Creaminess: The Crane Song Phoenix II

A favorite tool for Christian on the guitar bus is the Crane Song Phoenix II plugin. He uses it to add a "low creamy mids kind of boost." This helps to thicken the guitars and give them a satisfying weight without making them muddy.

Snare Punch and Dynamic Control

Similar to the dynamic EQ trick for the bass, Christian also uses an EQ on the guitar bus sidechained to the snare drum. This helps the snare cut through by momentarily ducking the guitars in the snare's key frequency areas whenever the snare hits. This ensures the snare retains its punch and impact, even in the densest guitar parts.

The Soothe 2 Dilemma: Taming Harshness Carefully

Soothe 2 is a popular plugin for taming resonances and harshness, and Christian does use it on guitars. However, he approaches it with caution, noting that it can sometimes "kill the scratchiness and the heaviness" if overused. He stresses being very careful, as it's easy to overdo it and make the guitars sound thin or "see-through."

An Alternative: Manually Filtering

As an alternative to relying solely on Soothe 2's automatic detection, Christian sometimes prefers a more manual approach. He mentions using a parametric EQ (like the FabFilter Pro-Q 3, though he doesn't name it specifically, the "go fish for your frequency like a man" approach implies it) to find and reduce those "insufferable mid-range" frequencies himself. This gives him more precise control and can sound more static and natural, akin to how a guitar amp would behave without dynamic resonance suppression.

SSL EQ for Presence and Pick Attack

To further define the guitars, Christian often reaches for an SSL-style EQ. He uses it to dial in presence, enhance the pick attack, and bring out the fundamental notes of the riffs. This is about finding those sweet spots that make the guitars articulate and aggressive.

Saturation for Aggression: Kush Audio Clariphonic DSP mkII

For adding harmonic richness and aggression, Christian uses the Kush Audio Clariphonic DSP mkII. He specifically mentions liking the "Aggressive Mid-Range" setting within its "proprietary signal processing module" (which is essentially a saturation circuit). This adds character and intensity, helping the guitars to sound more exciting and powerful. He notes that other settings like "Tubes" can offer a smoother sound if less overt aggression is desired.

Stereo Widening: Enhancing Mids and Treble

To give the guitars a wider stereo image, Christian employs a couple of techniques. The Clariphonic itself has a stereo width control which can be used subtly. Additionally, he uses a dedicated stereo widening plugin (like the Waves S1 Imager, often seen in similar workflows) specifically on the mid-frequencies of the guitar bus. This helps to spread the core tone of the guitars without making the low-end feel disconnected or the extreme highs too phasey.

Overall Cleanup and Leveling

To ensure the guitars are well-behaved dynamically, Christian uses a high-pass filter to clean up unnecessary sub-lows and a low-pass filter to make sure the cymbals can cut through without being masked by excessive high-frequency guitar content. For overall level control and a bit more glue on the guitar bus, he often uses the Waves Renaissance Axx compressor. This helps to even out the performance and keep the guitars consistently present. Good metal compression techniques are key to a punchy mix.

Parallel Processing Power: Beefing Up the Chugs

Beyond the main guitar bus, Christian also utilizes parallel processing to add even more power and character, particularly to emphasize the "chug" sections.

More Cream and Low-Mids (Phoenix II again)

On his parallel guitar track, Christian once again employs the Crane Song Phoenix II. Here, he can be more aggressive with it, really pushing those low-mids to add substantial body and warmth.

Aggressive Compression for Impact

The parallel track is then heavily compressed. This is where he really brings out the sustain and power of the palm-muted sections, making those chugs hit hard and feel incredibly dense. This aggressive compression helps the quieter parts of the chugs become more audible and adds a consistent punch.

Boosting Pick Attack (EQ)

To complement the heavy compression, he'll also boost the top-end on the parallel track with EQ to bring out more pick attack. This ensures that even with the heavy compression, the definition of the notes isn't lost.

Widening the Treble for Edge

Similar to the main bus, he uses stereo widening on the parallel track, but this time focusing more on the treble frequencies. This spreads out the added pick attack and high-end sizzle, giving the guitars an extra layer of width and aggression on the sides.

The Classic L1 Limiter Squeeze

Finally, the Waves L1 Ultramaximizer often makes an appearance on the parallel guitar track. This is used to absolutely smash the dynamics, bringing up the overall level and adding a very controlled, aggressive character to the parallel signal before it's blended back in with the main guitar bus.

From Raw DIs to Finished Mayhem

Christian Donaldson's approach to Angelmaker's guitar tones is a testament to the power of combining solid foundational choices (like preferring his own amp sounds) with meticulous, layered processing. From initial EQ shaping on individual tracks to dynamic adjustments, bus saturation, and aggressive parallel processing, every step is designed to create guitars that are undeniably heavy, clear, and impactful.

Want to see how producers like Christian Donaldson craft these massive metal tones in real-time? At Nail The Mix, you get to watch world-class producers mix actual songs from bands like Despised Icon, Angelmaker, and many more, from start to finish. You get the raw multitracks and can learn directly from the pros. Dive deeper into Christian's specific techniques for the Despised Icon and Angelmaker sessions right here and take your own metal mixes to the next level. If you're ready to go beyond presets and truly unlock your sound in modern metal mixing, there's a wealth of knowledge waiting for you.