Mixing Bring Me The Horizon’s ‘Doomed’: A Look Inside The Massive Session

Bring Me The Horizon’s “Doomed” is an absolute mammoth of a track. It’s a perfect storm of crushing heaviness, soaring electronic layers, and raw vocal emotion. For any producer, the first thought might be, “How on earth do you even begin to mix something this dense?”

It’s a valid question. When we got our hands on the official multi-tracks for our members, we saw firsthand that this wasn’t a “fix it in the mix” situation. This was a masterclass in production, an immaculately recorded session where the biggest challenge isn’t damage control—it’s managing a wealth of incredible sounds. Let’s crack open this DAW session and break down what makes these tracks so special and how you’d approach mixing them.

The Foundation: Drums That Hit and Breathe

Right off the bat, you’re greeted with a pro-level drum recording. This isn’t your average home-studio setup; this is the real deal.

More Than Just Mics: The Power of a Great Room

The first thing you notice when listening to the raw drum tracks is the room sound. It’s massive, punchy, and sounds incredible. In their raw state, the room mics are quite prominent, which gives you a ton of character to play with. The art of mixing these drums lies in balancing that huge, natural ambience with the punch and clarity of the close mics. You have all the power of a world-class drum room at your fingertips, ready to be blended to taste.

The Samples You Actually Want

Here’s where things get really good. The session doesn’t just include raw drum recordings; it comes packed with the high-quality samples that were actually used on the final record. This is a game-changer. We’re talking a punchy, perfectly processed kick and a fat kick room sample that are ready to go. Often, finding the right samples can be half the battle. Here, they’re handed to you on a plate, letting you instantly fortify your drum sound with the exact textures from the album.

Crafting the Low End: Bass DI and Amp Tones

The bass setup for “Doomed” is a textbook example of how to get a bass that’s both felt and heard. The session provides two core tracks:

• A clean, pristine Bass DI: This track is your foundation. It’s full, clear, and provides all the fundamental low-end weight you need for the track to hit hard.
• A distorted Bass Amp track: This is the secret to a bass that cuts. The distorted track delivers the mid-range grind and aggressive harmonics that allow the bass to slice through the dense wall of guitars and synths, ensuring it’s audible even on smaller speakers.

By blending these two signals, you get complete control. Use the DI for the body and weight, and dial in the amp track for the grit and presence. It’s the best of both worlds and a technique you can apply to your own productions.

Building the Wall of Sound: Guitars, Ebows, and Textures

Of course, it wouldn’t be a BMTH track without a mountain of guitars. After the simple but essential step of panning the heavy rhythm guitars hard left and right, you start to uncover the sheer depth of the arrangement.

Beyond Simple Riffs: Layers Make the Difference

This isn’t just about a couple of chugging rhythm tracks. The session is filled with intricate guitar layers that build the song’s epic atmosphere. You’ll find:

• Chords & Rakes: Additional guitar parts that add harmonic complexity and movement.
• Clean & Ebow Textures: Ebows, a guitarist’s secret weapon for creating synth-like drones and pads, are used to great effect, providing an ethereal, singing sustain that floats over the top of the mix.
• Tremolo Guitars: Pulsing, rhythmic guitar parts that add another layer of motion and energy.

Each of these parts is expertly recorded and sounds fantastic on its own. They are the building blocks of the massive soundscape you hear in the final song.

The Biggest Challenge: Balancing a Universe of Tracks

With so many high-quality layers, the primary job of the mix engineer becomes one of balance and direction. The raw material is impeccable; the art is in how you assemble it.

Vocals, Synths, and Everything in Between

The vocal production alone is staggering. You’re not just dealing with a lead vocal; you have dozens of tracks of intricate harmonies, backing vocals, and effects. This isn’t a case of stacking vocals to hide a weak performance—it’s a deliberate and powerful arrangement that stands as its own instrument.

Add to that the expertly programmed synths, from deep, rumbling synth bass to beautiful vocal chops and cinematic orchestral elements. This session is a rare treat, showcasing an arrangement where every electronic element has a clear purpose and sounds incredible from the get-go.

The Foreground, Midground, and Background Principle

But a great mix is all about perspective. Your most important task on a session like this is to define what lives in the foreground (like the lead vocal), what sits in the supportive midground (like the main rhythm guitars and snare), and what creates the atmospheric background (like the Ebows, pads, and some synth textures).

This is where your core mixing skills come into play. Smart use of a good EQ plugin is crucial for carving out space for each element so they don’t fight each other. Similarly, strategic compression techniques can help push elements forward or tuck them gently into the background, creating that essential sense of depth.

Your Turn to Mix a Masterpiece

Dissecting Bring Me The Horizon’s “Doomed” session reveals that a massive modern metal mix is built on a foundation of immaculate recording and brilliant arrangement. It’s a rare chance to work with tracks that don’t need fixing, only sculpting.

Working with multi-tracks of this caliber is one of the fastest ways to improve your skills. You’re not just learning theory; you’re applying it to the real thing. At Nail The Mix, we provide these kinds of opportunities every single month.

If you’re ready to move beyond presets and learn how the pros craft these legendary tones, we’ve got a whole library of knowledge waiting for you. Get access to the full “Doomed” multi-tracks and see what you can create. It’s a chance to sit in the producer’s chair and mix a modern metal classic from the ground up. The tracks are waiting. It’s up to you to bring them to life.

Ready to get started? Download the “Doomed” multi-tracks now and begin your journey to unlock your sound.