Inside Attack Attack’s In-The-Box Production with Joey Sturgis

Let’s be honest, Attack Attack! has always been about pushing boundaries. Their signature blend of crab-walking metalcore and high-energy electronic music carved out a unique space, and with their recent return, they’re doubling down on that modern, synth-heavy sound. But how do you actually build a track like that?

We got a look under the hood of their unreleased song “All My Life” – the raw Pro Tools multi-tracks mixed by none other than producer and Nail The Mix co-founder Joey Sturgis. What we found was a masterclass in modern, in-the-box production. Forget needing a million-dollar studio; this session is proof that you can create a massive, release-ready track almost entirely from your computer, as long as you know the right techniques.

Let’s break down some key production moves from this session you can try yourself.

Building a Foundation Entirely In-The-Box

The first thing you notice opening this session is what isn’t there. There are no live drum mics and no miked-up bass amp. The only organic, recorded-through-a-microphone elements are the vocals and the raw guitar DIs. Everything else is built digitally.

• Drums: The foundation of the track comes from Drum Forge, providing a powerful, mix-ready drum kit without the hassle of recording a real one.
• Bass: The low end isn’t a traditional bass guitar but two printed tracks of processed, synthesized bass tones. This ensures an ultra-consistent and deep foundation that locks in perfectly with the programmed drums.

This in-the-box approach is a game-changer for modern producers. It shows that with the right tools and knowledge, you can create a huge, professional sound without needing access to a full studio, making remote collaborations and home productions more powerful than ever.

Low-End Guitars: The Octave-Down Trick

Joey Sturgis is known for massive guitar tones, and this session reveals a cool trick for achieving that weight. Alongside the standard rhythm guitar DI tracks, there’s a track labeled “Guitar A Low.”

What is it?

This track is a direct duplicate of the main guitar DI, but it’s been pitch-shifted down an entire octave. When monitoring the DIs with amp sims like ToneForge Jason Richardson or ToneForge Guilty Pleasure, this low track isn’t meant to be heard as a distinct guitar part. Instead, it’s meant to be blended underneath the main tone.

Why does it work so well?

This technique adds a massive amount of low-end body and beef to the guitars. It acts almost like a synth layer or a sub-bass that perfectly follows every nuance of the guitar performance. It’s a powerful way to get that gut-punching low end without cluttering the mix with a separate 8-string or baritone part. It’s an intimidating move to get right, but experimenting with blending in an octave-down DI can add serious power to your own productions. You can hear exactly how Joey tames and blends this element in the Attack Attack Nail The Mix session.

Signature Sturgis: Glitches and Vocal Walls

Turning Vocal Chops into Melodies

A standout element in the intro and chorus is a stuttering, melodic “glitch” track. This isn’t a standard synth patch. This is a classic Joey Sturgis technique where he takes a small slice of a vocal performance—a single word or syllable—and loads it into a sampler like Native Instruments’ Kontakt.

Once in the sampler, the vocal chop is mapped across a MIDI keyboard, allowing it to be played like a unique, custom instrument. The result is a rhythmic, melodic part that has an organic, human texture you simply can’t get from a regular VST. It’s a creative way to add signature character to a track.

Building Chords with Vocal Stacks

The chorus vocals in this song are huge, and that’s no accident. This is another Sturgis staple: building a wall of sound with vocals. We’re not just talking about a lead vocal with a couple of doubles. This is a meticulously arranged vocal ensemble, with numerous layers of harmonies stacked together to form full, rich chords.

To make this work, every single vocal take has to be incredibly tight, and the editing needs to be on point. Once you have those stacks, the real magic is in the mix. You need to use smart EQ strategies to carve out space for each harmony so they don’t turn into a muddy mess. Gentle compression can then help glue all the layers together into one cohesive, powerful unit.

Bringing It All Together

From a nearly 100% in-the-box workflow to creative sound design and massive layering, the production behind Attack Attack’s “All My Life” is a blueprint for modern metalcore. The key takeaways are:

• Embrace the Box: Don’t be afraid to build your foundation with virtual instruments like Drum Forge.
• Thicken Guitars: Experiment with an octave-down DI blended underneath your main rhythm tones for extra weight.
• Get Creative: Turn audio samples into unique instruments with samplers.
• Stack It Up: Build massive choruses by arranging vocals into full chords.

Learning these techniques is one thing, but seeing how a pro like Joey Sturgis actually applies them is what separates the amateurs from the pros. If you’re ready to unlock your sound and see how these concepts are applied in a real-world mix, check out the Attack Attack multi-tracks on Nail The Mix. You get to download these exact files and watch Joey mix the song from scratch, explaining every plugin, every fader move, and every decision along the way.