Born Of Osiris: Inside “The Other Half Of Me” Multitracks & Mix Tips

Born Of Osiris are known for their intricate arrangements, bone-crushing heaviness, and seamless integration of electronic and orchestral elements. Ever wondered how tracks like "The Other Half Of Me" come together in the mix? We got a chance to dive deep into the raw multitracks from this very song, featured on Nail The Mix, and there are some serious gems for any producer looking to up their metal mixing game.

Let's pull back the curtain on what makes these sessions so special and what you can learn from dissecting them.

Deconstructing the Drum Power in "The Other Half Of Me"

Right off the bat, the Born Of Osiris session for "The Other Half Of Me" features real, live drums – a fantastic foundation for any metal track. But working with live drums, especially in dense metal, often means tackling a bit of microphone bleed.

Taming Bleed with Trigger Gating

The provided tracks include dedicated trigger tracks for both the kick and snare. This is a massive advantage. Eyal Levi from the Nail The Mix team pointed out that while the kick isolation is pretty good, the snare does poke through a bit.
So, what's the pro move here? Instead of relying solely on the original kick mic audio (which might contain snare bleed) to trigger your gate, you can use the super-clean kick trigger track.

Here’s how you can do it:

1. Place a gate plugin on your live kick drum track.
2. Set the gate's sidechain input to receive the signal from the kick trigger track.
3. Adjust the gate's threshold so it only opens when the clean trigger signal is present.

This technique ensures your gate opens precisely when the kick hits, effectively ducking out snare bleed or other unwanted sounds between hits. The same principle applies to the snare track, using the snare trigger to achieve a cleaner, more isolated snare sound. This is a prime example of how you can carve your core EQ strategies for mixing modern metal by starting with cleaner source material, and it also helps when applying metal compression secrets beyond just making it loud as you're compressing the sound you actually want.

Sample Blending & Reinforcement

These trigger tracks aren't just for gating. They're also perfect if you want to blend in your own kick or snare samples to reinforce the live drums or even fully replace them if that's your creative vision. Having these clean trigger signals makes sample alignment a breeze. For those used to programmed drums or VST libraries, working with these real drum tracks (and their accompanying triggers) is invaluable practice.

The Art of Hyper-Clean Guitar Editing for Maximum Impact

One of the standout elements in the "The Other Half Of Me" session is the incredibly tight and well-edited guitars. When those choppy, rhythmic parts hit, they are crisp.

Why Tight Edits Matter

In modern metal, particularly with technical bands like Born Of Osiris, the precision of guitar edits is paramount. Those super-tight, almost unnaturally gated cutoffs aren't just for show; they significantly contribute to the track's impact. When a guitar chug stops on a dime, it creates silence that makes the next hit, often synchronized with the kick drum, feel even more aggressive and punchy. It enhances the transient and the overall perceived power of the riff.

Reference-Quality Editing

The guitar edits in this session are so clean they serve as a fantastic reference. If you're learning how to edit guitars for that modern, gated sound, these tracks demonstrate how to achieve a sharp cutoff without making it sound "a hair too short" and losing that crucial low-end "oomph" or power. The trick is to fade out quickly but naturally, retaining the body of the note right up until the cut. The session provides two DI tracks and two printed amp tones for the rhythm guitars, giving you plenty to work with and analyze. Don't forget those cool lead elements and awesome solos towards the end either!

The Foundation: Bass DI and Amp Tones

No metal mix is complete without a solid bass foundation. For "The Other Half Of Me," the session keeps it straightforward but effective, providing both a Bass DI track and a Bass Amp track. This gives you, the mixer, ultimate flexibility. You can:

• Use the DI track with your favorite amp sim plugins.
• Utilize the provided amp tone as is.
• Blend the DI and the amp tone to get the best of both worlds – perhaps the clarity and low-end consistency from the DI, and the character and grit from the amp.

Experimenting with this combination is key to finding a bass tone that locks in perfectly with the kick drum and provides a powerful low-end counterpoint to the guitars.

Orchestral Meets Metal: Born Of Osiris' Synth & FX Layering

Born Of Osiris masterfully blends heavy instrumentation with rich orchestral and synth textures. This session is packed with these elements, from general synth work and FX to more specific orchestral layers and percussive impacts.

Mimicking Melodies for Cohesion

A particularly cool detail highlighted was an "Omni bending Indonesia" track. This synth element cleverly mimics one of the main guitar leads. This isn't just a neat trick; it’s a sophisticated way to integrate orchestral sounds. By having a synth double a prominent guitar line, it subliminally reinforces the presence of the orchestral palette, making the blend between metal and symphonic elements feel more organic and intentional. It shows how you can fill out the sonic space and signal the presence of orchestral layers without them being overtly dominant all the time. Potentially, sounds like these could be crafted with powerful VSTs like Omnisphere or sample libraries from Spitfire Audio.

Crafting Cinematic Soundscapes

Then there are the big, epic sounds. Tracks labeled "Evil Orchestra 1 & 2" offer rich, authentic-sounding orchestral textures. And a "Mega Horn" patch? Pure cinematic power, instantly bringing those Hans Zimmer trailer vibes. These elements, even in their raw, unmixed state, work incredibly well together and with the core metal instrumentation, immediately immersing you in the song's world.

Tackling Born Of Osiris' Monstrous Vocal Stacks

If you thought the instrumentation was dense, wait until you see the vocals! This session features a huge section of vocals – a "very, very, very dense section of harmonies and different layers of screaming," as Eyal described it. It's reminiscent of the kind of vocal complexity seen in sessions from bands like Conquer Divide or Attack Attack!.

Mixing such a vast number of vocal layers is a challenge, but also incredibly rewarding. The key is to find space for each layer, ensuring clarity while maintaining the power and intensity of the combined performance. This often involves meticulous EQ work to carve out individual frequencies for each part, strategic panning, and careful use of effects like reverb and delay to create depth and dimension.

Get Your Hands on These Multitracks and More

Dissecting raw multitracks like these from Born Of Osiris is an unparalleled learning experience. You get to hear what each individual element sounds like before the magic of mixing, and then you get the chance to apply your own skills.

This "The Other Half Of Me" session, mixed by the incredible Buster Odeholm, is available for members of Nail The Mix. When you join, you don’t just get the multitracks; you get to watch the original producer (in this case, Buster) mix the song from scratch, explaining their techniques and thought processes every step of the way. Plus, members often get the chance to win incredible prize packages from brands like Kohle Audio, Dialtune, JZ Microphones, Audiority, Neural DSP, Sound Radix, Empirical Labs, Impact Studios, Bogren Digital, Joey Sturgis Tones, and Drumforge!

If you're serious about taking your metal production skills to the next level and want to learn directly from the pros who are shaping the sound of modern metal, this is your chance.
Ready to dive in? Grab these Born Of Osiris multitracks and start mixing today! And if you're looking to truly Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets, Nail The Mix has the resources and community to get you there.