Attila’s “Three 6” Session: Production Insights from the Raw Tracks

Getting modern metal drums to punch and groove is an art form. Andrew Wade's approach to the "Three 6" drums showcases some smart strategies for achieving both clarity and impact.

Splitting Performances for Ultimate Control

One of the first striking things in this session is how the drum performance for particularly technical sections was captured. It appears Andrew had the kick drum performance recorded separately from the snare and cymbals (the "hands"). Why do this? For super complex, fast parts, this allows the drummer to focus on nailing each element perfectly. As a producer, it gives you incredible control to ensure every kick hits like a sledgehammer and every snare cracks with precision, without sacrificing the feel of the overheads and cymbals. You get the best of both worlds: human performance with machine-like accuracy where it counts.

The Right Room for Aggression: The Audio Compound Vibe

The drums were tracked in Andrew Wade's A-Room at The Audio Compound. It's described as a really nice-sounding, medium-sized room. This is key for a track like "Three 6." While massive, boomy rooms can sound epic, they can quickly turn into mud when dealing with fast double-kick patterns and dense instrumentation. A medium, controlled room like this provides a sense of size and power without a super long decay that would smear the transients. The room mics capture this vibe – big but tight, perfect for aggressive metal.

Overhead Clarity and Mic Balance

The overheads sound fantastic, with a great balance between the cymbals and the shell sounds. You're getting plenty of clear, crisp cymbal articulation without an overwhelming wash of snare and kick drum bleeding into them. It looks like even individual splashes were miked, offering maximum control during the mix. This careful capture means less surgical EQ work later to clean things up.

Kick, Snare & Toms: Prepped for Punch

To make the mixer's life easier (and ensure consistent impact), the kick and snare top/bottom tracks are already triggered with well-chosen samples. This is a common technique in modern metal to guarantee that essential punch. The toms also sound pretty sweet right out of the gate, already gated and just needing a bit of EQ shaping to sit perfectly in the mix.

Bass Tactics for Heavy Chugs and Clarity

A powerful, clear bass tone is the foundation of any heavy mix. Attila's music often features intricate, fast-moving basslines, and Andrew Wade employed some clever tricks to capture all that low-end goodness.

The Dual DI Approach: Highs and Lows

You'll find a "Bass DI High" and a "Bass DI Low" track. It seems the DI signal was split, likely to process the high frequencies (for attack and grit) separately from the low frequencies (for weight and body). Interestingly, the tracks appear duplicated, but with some creative muting on the high track during certain fills. This implies that a particular distortion or aggressive tone might be desired on the main bass part, but a cleaner, more focused sound is preferred when the bass is momentarily soloed or playing a less aggressive fill.

The "Bass Low" Overdub: Consistency is Key

Here’s a fantastic production trick for those lightning-fast chug sections: a separate overdub track labeled "Bass Low." Instead of playing all the intricate notes, this track features the bass player performing a simplified version focusing on just the root notes of the chugs. When combined with the more articulate "Bass DI High" (filtered to emphasize attack), this "Bass Low" track provides an incredibly solid and consistent low-end foundation. It ensures the fundamental weight is always there, even during rapid playing where the main performance might naturally have more transient variation. This technique can be a lifesaver for achieving a powerful yet defined bass in busy metal mixes.

Guitar Tone Flexibility: Processed Power and DI Options

Attila's guitar sound is a huge part of their sonic identity. The "Three 6" session provides a great balance of ready-to-go tones and the flexibility for the mixer to get creative.

Killer Rhythm Tones Provided

The session includes rhythm guitar tracks with a seriously killer tone already dialed in. It's described as very balanced, sounding like a well-crafted amp sim, and not needing a ton of corrective EQ. This is a huge plus, giving a strong starting point that already fits the band's sound.

DIs for Creative Control: Rhythm & Lead

Alongside the processed rhythm tones, Andrew Wade also included the direct input (DI) signals for the rhythm guitars. This is gold for mixers who want to re-amp or use their own collection of amp sims and IRs to craft a custom tone.

For the lead guitars, only the DIs are provided. This is a smart move, as it leaves the crucial task of selecting the perfect lead tone—one that cuts through the mix and complements the song—to the mixer. It offers ultimate flexibility to tailor the leads precisely.

Elevating the Mix with Epic Post-Production

Modern metal, especially in subgenres like Attila's, often benefits hugely from creative post-production elements. These aren't just afterthoughts; they're integral parts of the song's impact and vibe.

Why Post-Production Matters

Well-chosen sound effects, risers, impacts, and transitions can transform a good song into an unforgettable experience. They add excitement, create dynamics, and highlight key moments. The "Three 6" session is packed with them.

Learning from the Pros: Deconstructing FX Choices

One of the best ways to level up your own post-production game is to see how seasoned producers use these elements. By listening to the raw tracks with and without the post-production, you can get inside Andrew Wade's head. Ask yourself: why was this sound chosen here? What does it add to this section? How does it build energy or create contrast?

Specific Examples from "Three 6"

• Unique Intro: Instead of a typical impact, the song kicks off with a "Waterphone" effect, immediately catching the ear with something a bit weird and different.
• Impacts and Transitions: You'll find plenty of reverse rumbles, big snare crashes combined with impacts, and classic "booms" and bass drops to accentuate sections.
• Enhancing Breakdowns: A piercing "Screech" effect is layered over a heavy breakdown, making it even more intense and memorable.
• Baked-In Transitions: A "Lo-fi Music Transition" is fully rendered and printed in the session. This is a brilliant move by the producer. It ensures their specific vision for that transition (the exact fade, filter, and timing) is perfectly executed, saving the mixer from trying to guess or recreate it, which can often lead to frustrating revisions.
• Atmospheric Elements: "Devil Grunts," "Terror Screeches," and creepy synth textures add to the song's dark and aggressive atmosphere, especially towards the end.

All these post-production sounds are high-quality and well-organized, making them a joy to mix rather than a salvage job.

Mastering Attila's Vocal Mayhem: Layers and Attitude

Chris "Fronz" Fronzak's vocals are a defining feature of Attila. His delivery is dynamic, ranging from aggressive screams and raps to guttural lows, all infused with his unique, often hilarious, lyrical style. Capturing and mixing this vocal onslaught is a challenge, but the session provides all the necessary ingredients.

Layering for Impact: Mains, Doubles, and Gangs

There's no shortage of vocal tracks here – around 14 tracks for main and supporting vocals, plus a whopping 30 or so tracks of gang vocals! The gang vocals are provided as individual layers, giving the mixer complete freedom to pan them out for a massive, wide sound. A common approach is to pan them hard left and right, creating an immersive wall of voices.

Capturing Fronz's Versatility

Fronz utilizes a wide array of vocal styles: traditional screams, rap-infused screams, high shrieks, and deep lows. The session captures all these nuances across various tracks. This variety is what makes his performance so engaging, but it also means each vocal style might require its own specific compression and EQ treatment to sit cohesively in the mix.

Panning and Automation Strategies

With so many vocal layers, including main screams, doubles (often panned left and right for width), and ad-libs, strategic automation and balancing are crucial. Some sections feature huge stacks of six or more vocals, while others might be more sparse. Skillful automation will be key to ensuring every line is intelligible and impactful.

Bring These Techniques to Your Mixes

Deconstructing a professionally produced session like Attila's "Three 6" offers an incredible learning opportunity. You get to see the raw materials Andrew Wade worked with and understand the thought processes behind his production choices – from splitting drum performances for precision to layering vocals for maximum impact and baking in crucial effects.

These are the kinds of deep dives you get every month with Nail The Mix. Imagine not just reading about these techniques, but actually getting the multi-tracks for songs by bands like Attila, Periphery, Gojira, and Lamb of God, and then watching the original producer (like Andrew Wade himself!) mix the song from scratch, explaining every decision live. That’s what NTM is all about.

If you're ready to go beyond presets and truly unlock your sound, seeing how the pros tackle these challenges is invaluable.

Want to get your hands on these Attila multi-tracks and see Andrew Wade mix "Three 6"? Head over to Nail The Mix and sign up today to download the session and start applying these insights to your own productions. It’s your chance to learn directly from one of the best in the business and take your heavy mixes to the next level. Don't miss out on this session – get access now!