Archspire’s Guitar Onslaught: Dave Otero’s Amp Blending & EQ Tactics

Nail The Mix Staff

Archspire. The name alone conjures images of blistering speed, technical wizardry, and a guitar tone that hits like a high-speed freight train. Ever wondered how that relentless wall of sound is crafted? We got an inside look as acclaimed producer Dave Otero (Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage, Allegaeon) broke down his approach to mixing Archspire's rhythm guitars, revealing the amp blending and EQ strategies that define their sonic assault. Forget the idea that you need a wall of physical amps anymore; modern production offers incredible flexibility, and Dave’s methods are a masterclass in leveraging it.

The "Whatever Sounds Best" Philosophy: Blending for Brutality

At the heart of Dave's guitar tone for Archspire is a powerful blend. He’s not just picking one amp and calling it a day. Instead, he’s meticulously combining two distinct amp sounds to create something bigger and more impactful than either could achieve alone. It's insights like these, straight from the pros, that you can dive deep into with Nail The Mix.

Dual Amp Power: 6505 Meets Archon Profile

The core of the rhythm guitar sound comes from two main sources:

  1. A Peavey 6505: A legendary amp in metal, known for its aggressive midrange and tight low-end.
  2. A PRS Archon Profile: Interestingly, Dave mentioned he liked an Archon profile so much that he bought the real PRS Archon amp. However, when it came time to mix this Archspire album, he found the original profile still had a unique characteristic that the physical amp didn't quite replicate for this specific application.

This perfectly illustrates Dave's core philosophy: "Whatever sounds best is what you use, right? Doesn't matter how much money you paid for it." The profiled Archon, likely run through a Kemper or similar modeler, just had that magic.

These two amp signals are kept separate, each on its own track or channel in the DAW. This allows for independent processing before they are blended together using faders to find the sweet spot. Both of these individual amp tracks then feed into a master rhythm guitar bus for further group processing.

Finding the Perfect Blend: The Art of Amp Layering

Initially, the raw amp tracks have minimal processing – just a touch of tape emulation and Slate Digital's VCC (Virtual Console Collection) for some analog character. Crucially, Auto-Align is used to ensure perfect phase coherence between the 6505 tracks and the Archon profile tracks, a vital step when blending similar sources.

Listening to them individually, Dave noted the 6505 often sounds great on its own. The Archon profile, however, truly shines as a blending element. While it might not be his top pick solo'd, when mixed in with the 6505, it "fills in all the holes, adds some thick mids, and makes the notes pop forward a little more." It provides a "cool, punchy forward element" that's become a go-to for him. He achieved the blend by leaving the 6505 at unity gain and carefully bringing in the Archon fader until the two signals gelled perfectly.

Stage 1 EQ: Corrective Carving on Individual Amps

With the blend established, the next step is to sculpt each amp tone individually using EQ. This is where targeted adjustments clean up problem areas and enhance the best qualities of each source. For these tasks, Dave leans on FabFilter's Pro-Q.

Taming the 6505's Bite

The 6505, known for its aggressive nature, gets some precise EQ cuts:

  • Muddy Low-Mids: Attenuating the common trouble spots in the lower midrange to prevent boominess and maintain clarity.
  • 2-4kHz Control: Managing this area is key for guitar presence and aggression, ensuring it cuts through without being harsh.
  • Fizz Reduction: The 6505 can get a bit "hairy" in the very high frequencies. Dave pulls out a bit of this "fizz" to smooth out the top end.

Opening Up the Archon Profile

The EQ on the Archon profile is a bit more "heavy-handed," as Dave put it. The goal here is to address its "notchy" inherent sound:

  • Mid-Scooping: Pulling out more of the midrange to help it sit with the 6505 and open up the overall sound.
  • Enhancing Aggression: Despite the cuts, the EQ helps retain its pleasing aggressive character that works so well in the blend.

The Linear Phase Advantage (and When to Use It)

A critical detail here is that both instances of FabFilter Pro-Q on the individual amp tracks are set to Linear Phase mode.
Why? When EQing two very similar sources like distorted guitars that are meant to blend, maintaining phase coherency is paramount. Linear phase EQ helps preserve the phase relationship between the signals post-processing, preventing the comb filtering and smearing that can occur with standard minimum phase EQs in such scenarios.

However, linear phase isn't without its trade-offs: it can introduce pre-ringing artifacts and adds more latency and CPU load. Dave advises using it sparingly, but for situations like this – separately EQing two almost identical, heavily distorted sources – it's a necessary tool.
For more deep dives into EQ strategies for metal, check out our EQ hub page: Carve Your Core.

Mastering the Rhythm Guitar Bus: Polish and Power

Once the individual amp tracks are EQ'd and blended, they hit the main rhythm guitar bus for group processing. This is where the tone gets its final polish and punch.

Console Emulation and Gain Staging

First up on the bus is another instance of Slate Digital VCC Bus Console, adding a touch of overall console character. Dave also makes sure to trim the input to the bus to keep levels in a healthy range for the subsequent plugins, ensuring proper gain staging.

The "Smart" Approach to Resonance Control: Soothe2 & BX Refinement

Next comes what Dave calls his "cleanup duo": Oeksound Soothe2 and Brainworx BX Refinement. These tools have largely replaced the tedious, "psychopathic resonant frequency hunting" he used to do with surgical EQ cuts. He warns against the rabbit hole of manually chasing every tiny resonance, as it can make you overly sensitive and lead to over-EQing.

  • Oeksound Soothe2: This dynamic resonance suppressor intelligently identifies and attenuates harsh resonances in real-time. Dave notes it can be aggressive, but because it works dynamically, you can often EQ after Soothe to bring back some overall brilliance while still keeping the problematic peaks under control.
  • Brainworx BX Refinement: This plugin works in a similar fashion, targeting harshness and adding smoothness, often in a slightly different frequency area than Soothe. It has less visual feedback, encouraging you to use your ears.

The combination of these two, used subtly, tames harshness and smooths out the guitars effectively. Dave also mentioned that if he didn't have these, the Core Audio A.I.P. (Amplified Instrument Processor) is another useful tool with similar capabilities, plus EQ and compression.

Post-Dynamics EQ: Restoring Life and Adding Definition

After Soothe2 and BX Refinement, the guitars are smoother but can sound a bit dull. This is where further EQ (again, FabFilter Pro-Q, in multiple instances) comes in to restore life and provide final shaping.

This is also where the main high-pass and low-pass filters are applied to the overall rhythm guitar sound. A significant move Dave makes here is a substantial cut in the low-mids – he mentions dipping almost 10dB around 200Hz. This isn't just about removing mud; by cutting the low-mids, the upper-midrange frequencies become more prominent by comparison, giving the guitars more clarity and aggression without needing to boost those upper mids directly, which can sometimes sound harsh.

He acknowledges that stacking multiple EQs might seem counter-intuitive and can potentially create phase issues if not handled carefully. However, when working fast and following creative intuition, sometimes adding another EQ to quickly address an issue is more efficient. It’s a balance between the "best technical path versus the creative side of the job." If it gets you the sound you're after, it's the right move.
Mastering these EQ techniques is crucial, and you can explore more advanced concepts on our EQ strategies hub.

The Otero Method: Balancing Art and Science

Dave Otero’s approach to the Archspire guitars underscores a vital aspect of modern music production: it’s a potent combination of technical understanding and artistic vision. It's about knowing the tools, from amp profiles to linear phase EQs and smart dynamic processors, but also trusting your ears and creative instincts to achieve a powerful, impactful sound.

Want More Archspire Mixing Secrets?

Hearing about Dave Otero's techniques is one thing, but imagine watching him apply these concepts in real-time, tweaking every plugin, and explaining every decision as he mixes an actual Archspire track from scratch. That’s exactly what you get with Nail The Mix.

In his exclusive NTM session, Dave Otero mixes Archspire's "Drone Corpse Aviator", showing you step-by-step how he gets those face-melting guitar tones, thunderous drums, and a clear, aggressive overall mix. You get the raw multitracks to practice on your own system, too!

Ready to see how the pros really do it?

Don't just read about killer tones – learn to create them yourself by seeing exactly how producers like Dave Otero craft them on Archspire's NTM session.