August Burns Red “Coordinates” Raw Tracks: A Mix Engineer’s Deep Dive

Alright, let's get into something seriously cool for anyone looking to up their metal mixing game. We're talking about the raw multi-tracks for August Burns Red's epic track "Coordinates," straight from the Nail The Mix vault. Forget polished masters for a second; this is about dissecting the raw ingredients that Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland had to work with. If you're ready to see what a top-tier metal session looks like before the magic happens, buckle up. This is a goldmine.

Deconstructing the "Coordinates" Session: More Than Just Stems

When you crack open the "Coordinates" session, it's immediately clear this isn't just a few consolidated stems. We're talking about a fully loaded, nearly five-and-a-half-minute beast of a song, complete with a tempo map and a ton of individual elements. Think:

• Pristine drum recordings (with MIDI!)
• Multiple bass tracks including DIs
• Layers of rhythm, lead, clean, and Ebow guitars (all with DIs)
• Lush orchestral elements (cellos, synths, also with MIDI)
• Powerful clean and screamed vocal stacks
• And yes, even the essential shaker track!

This is the kind of session that screams creative potential, with dynamic shifts from brutally heavy to almost "twangy surf, dark beach music," as Eyal Levi put it. It's a lot to handle, but that’s where the fun (and learning) begins.

Matt Greiner's Drum Powerhouse: Raw Tracks & MIDI Gold

First things first: Matt Greiner. If you’re not familiar, he's a drumming titan in modern metal, known for his precision, power, and creativity. Working with his raw tracks is a lesson in itself.

The Mic Setup: Capturing Every Nuance

The session gives you a comprehensive drum setup:

• Kick: Both a standard kick mic and a kick trigger track. That trigger is crucial for adding that consistent punch so vital in metal – a little boost to the trigger fader can make all the difference.
• Snare: Top and bottom mics for full control over snap and body.
• Toms: Individual rack tom mics.
• Cymbals: Hat, bell, crash left, splashes, crash right.
• Ambience: Overheads, Rooms, and an intriguing "Attic" mic. This "Attic" track sounds exactly like what it suggests – a mic in an attic – and it's perfect for adding unique, roomy effects or a distinct character to your drum sound.

MIDI: Your Secret Weapon for Drum Perfection

One of the coolest things about this session is the inclusion of MIDI for all the drums – kick, snare, and toms. This is huge. Want to layer in your favorite kick sample from Slate Drums or Toontrack? Easy. Need to tighten up a fill with some precise gating triggered by MIDI? Done. It gives you ultimate flexibility, whether you’re reinforcing the natural sound or going for a full sample replacement vibe.

Matt is incredibly consistent and hits hard, so the raw tracks sound fantastic on their own. You can hear his tight kick patterns and even a ton of articulate ghost notes. These are the kind of drum tracks that are genuinely fun to mix, offering a solid foundation right out of the box.

Guitars: From Raw DIs to Crushing Tones & Ethereal Cleans

August Burns Red are known for their intricate guitar work, and "Coordinates" is no exception. You get two tracks of rhythm guitars, leads, and a whole host of clean guitars and Ebows.

DIs: Your Tone, Your Way

Crucially, DIs are included for everything. This means you can work with the tones Carson and the band dialed in – which are pretty phenomenal, with a certain "sweetness" that just needs some smart EQ work to really shine – or you can take the DIs and re-amp them through your go-to amp sims like Neural DSP, STL Tones, or even your own hardware amps. The choice is yours.

Tightness is Key

If there’s one takeaway from listening to these raw guitars, it’s the tightness of the performance. For modern metal, having guitars that are absolutely locked in with each other is non-negotiable. If your own guitar recordings aren't hitting this level of precision, you'll struggle to get that polished, professional sound, no matter how good your amp tone is. This session is a perfect example of "tight enough."

Experimental Cleans & Ebows

ABR isn't afraid to experiment, and the clean guitar tones and Ebow layers in "Coordinates" showcase this beautifully. These aren't your typical metal record cleans; they’re unique, atmospheric, and add incredible texture. The Ebow, in particular, adds a haunting sustain that can fill out sections or create cool, swelling pads.

The Low-End Foundation: Bass DI & SansAmp Grit

A powerful bass tone is the unsung hero of many a metal mix. In this session, you get both a bass DI and a bass SansAmp track. That SansAmp track, likely from a Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI pedal or plugin, delivers a "thick, meaty, and mean" distorted tone right away.

Blending the DI (for low-end clarity and fundamental) with the SansAmp (for grit, mids, and aggression) is a classic combo. Pay attention to the intent and tightness in the bass picking; it’s what allows the bass to effectively bridge the gap between the kick drum and the guitars, providing weight without mud. A well-dialed bass can make your guitars sound even bigger. You might even explore some compression strategies to keep it solid and consistent.

Beyond Metal: Orchestral Layers & Synth Textures

"Coordinates" is packed with orchestral and synth elements that elevate the track beyond standard metal fare.

Cellos: Real and MIDI

You'll find tracks labeled "Cello" which sound very much like real, organic recordings. Then there's a "Mid Cello" track, which sounds distinctly different, more synthetic, and yup, you get MIDI for these synth cellos too. This, along with MIDI for choirs and pads, is a huge bonus, usually, you only get printed audio.

Synths: Pads, Leads, and Atmosphere

• Choirs: Subtle but effective for making solos or big sections sound even grander. Add a touch of a nice algorithmic reverb like Valhalla VintageVerb or a quality convolution reverb.
• Warm Pad: This is a great example of a "less is more" element. Mixed too loud, it could clutter a heavy, busy part. But tucked in subliminally, it adds sonic complexity and tastefulness.
• Saw Tooth Pad & Other Leads: These can either ruin a solo or elevate it. One lead synth, for example, sounds like it’s just begging for the right effect, some precise EQ, maybe a bit of saturation from something like Soundtoys Decapitator, and then blended carefully under the guitar lead to create a super cool, layered texture.

The key with these elements is often subtlety and careful placement in the mix.

Vocal Intensity: Layered Screams & Harmonies

The vocal production is dense and powerful. You're looking at multiple layers of screaming vocals – potentially up to 12 layers in some sections when you count mains and doubles – all working together to create a massive wall of sound. There are also clean vocals and harmonies, particularly towards the end of the song, adding another dimension to the track. Having all these individual layers gives you incredible control over the vocal character and impact.

The "Shaker" Rule & Percussive Details

No song is complete without a shaker, right? Of course, there's one here. But also pay attention to other percussive details, like the tambourine that makes a cool appearance during one of the lead sections, adding a little extra spice and groove. These small elements can make a big difference.

Your Chance to Mix ABR: The Nail The Mix Advantage

This "Coordinates" session is incredibly complete. You get the tempo map, all the drum MIDI, DIs for every guitar and bass track, and MIDI for the synths. It’s a playground for any aspiring or established mix engineer.

When you sign up for Nail The Mix, you get these exact raw tracks to create your own mixes. You can learn directly from the techniques used by Carson Slovak and Grant McFarland, who originally mixed this monster. But the beauty of having access to such a rich session is that there's plenty of room for your own interpretation. You don't have to make it sound exactly like the record; you can take it in countless directions.

This is more than just an unboxing; it's an invitation to dive deep, experiment, and hone your skills with pro-level material. If you're serious about mixing modern metal and want to see how complex arrangements are built from the ground up, getting your hands on sessions like August Burns Red's "Coordinates" via Nail The Mix is invaluable. It's a challenging mix, for sure, given the sheer number of tracks and the dynamic nature of the song, but the source material is so good that the sky's the limit. Ready to unlock your sound and mix modern metal beyond presets? This is a killer place to start.