Dial in a sick metal tone with Neural DSP Omega Granophyre

Getting truly sick metal guitar tones in the box can feel like a dark art. You want that perfect blend of aggression, clarity, and punch that sits just right in a dense mix. Good news: with powerful tools like Neural DSP plugins, it's more achievable than ever. But it's not just about loading up a preset. As Spiro Dussias demonstrates, it's about understanding the components, making smart choices, and even creatively stacking plugins. Let's dive into how you can dial in killer metal guitar tones using some of these techniques.

If you're serious about taking your productions to the next level, understanding these concepts is key. And if you want to see how top pros apply these ideas in real-world mixes, Nail The Mix offers a unique chance to learn from the best.

H2: The Core Philosophy: Aesthetic vs. Functionality

Before you even touch a dial, it’s crucial to think about what your guitar tone needs to do. Spiro highlights a key distinction:

• Aesthetic: The immediate sonic footprint – how bright, dark, scooped, or in-your-face it sounds on its own.
• Functionality: How the tone serves the arrangement. Does it need to carry melody? Provide a rhythmic backbone? Accommodate complex harmonies?

For modern metal, especially when rhythm guitars are meant to be a "voice" in an instrumental track, a present and complex midrange is often essential. This might lead you towards British-inspired amp sounds, known for that characteristic midrange growl.

H3: Finding the Right Amp: The Neural DSP Omega Granophyre

Spiro’s go-to for this kind of midrange complexity is the Neural DSP Omega Ampworks Granophyre. This plugin offers incredible versatility right out of the gate.

H4: Tube Swapping for Stereo Width

One of the Granophyre’s killer features (both in the plugin and the real amp) is easy tube swapping. You get 6L6s, EL34s, and KT66s. Spiro leverages this for stereo width:

• Left Guitar: EL34 tube. EL34s are generally known for their pronounced, often aggressive midrange and slightly more compressed feel.
• Right Guitar: 6L6 tube. 6L6s typically offer a more scooped midrange with a tighter low end and more prominent highs.

Running different tube types on your double-tracked guitars creates subtle harmonic differences, which enhances the stereo image, making your guitars sound wider and more engaging. This highlights how much tubes really matter in guitar tone.

H4: The "Voice" Switch: Scooped vs. Mid-Forward

The Granophyre also features a "Voice" switch.

• Down Position: More scooped, "hi-fi" sound.
• Up Position: Pushes the 1-3kHz range forward, adding snarl and presence.

Interestingly, Spiro found that for his specific song, keeping the Voice switch in the down position worked best for both the EL34 and 6L6 tones. This might seem counterintuitive (e.g., using a scooped voicing with an already mid-scooped 6L6), but it’s all about how these elements interact and serve the final sound. He also preferred the High Gain switch engaged for a bit more saturation on the rhythm guitars.

H2: Building Your Signal Chain: Smart Plugin Stacking

Here’s where things get really cool. Neural DSP plugins allow you to use individual components (pedals, amps, cabs, EQs) from different suites in series. This opens up a world of tonal possibilities. Spiro’s chain for this tone is a prime example:

Fortin Cali Suite (Boost) -> Omega Granophyre (Amp) -> Neural DSP Archetype: Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Suite (Cab & EQ)

Let's break that down:

H3: Pre-Amp Tightening: The Fortin Cali Suite Grind

Before hitting the Granophyre, Spiro uses the Fortin Cali Suite, but only for its boost pedal – the Grind.

• What it is: The Grind pedal (similar to the legendary Fortin 33 or the TC Electronic Integrated Preamp Meshuggah used) is essentially an aggressive high-pass filter.
• What it does: It cuts out unnecessary low-end rumble from your DI signal before it hits the amp. This results in a much tighter, more articulate, and less "flubby" distorted tone, especially crucial for low tunings or fast, intricate riffing.
• Setting: Spiro keeps the Grind at noon. He emphasizes that adding gain or level with this pedal can sometimes work against the tightening effect. For him, it's an “always-on” pedal for rhythm and even lead work to curate the DI signal. A clean DI is foundational, though even clipped DI guitars can be saved with the right approach.

H3: Cab & Mic Choice: The Secret Weapon in the Neural DSP Mesa 2C+ Suite

After the Omega Granophyre amp (with its own cab section disabled), the signal flows into the Neural DSP Archetype: Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Suite, but only for its cab section and post-EQ.

• Why this cab? Adam "Nolly" Getgood (who consults with Neural DSP) meticulously captured IRs of highly coveted Mesa oversized cabinets loaded with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers from 2003 and 2004. These specific V30s are legendary in metal for their focused midrange and aggressive cut. The 2C+ Suite explicitly features an '04 oversize and an '03 cab.
• The Power of IRs: Using these IRs gives you access to some of the most sought-after metal cab tones without needing the physical gear, so it pays to know how to choose the best impulse responses for metal.

Being able to mix and match like this – the boost from one plugin, the amp from another, and the cabs from a third – is incredibly powerful. This approach lets you move beyond simple presets and truly craft a unique metal guitar tone that moves beyond generic presets.

H2: EQ Strategies for Punch and Clarity

EQ plays a massive role in shaping your final guitar tone. Spiro discusses a few key aspects:

H3: Amp EQ vs. Cab/Mic Filtering

Your amp's EQ controls are important, but the cabinet and microphone (or IR) you choose will have the most drastic filtering effect on the raw amp sound. You can approach this in two ways:

1. Modest/Warmer Amp + Bright Cab/Mic: Use the cab to add brightness and presence.
2. Bright/Aggressive Amp + Darker Cab/Mic (Spiro's Choice): Use the cab to tame and focus an already explosive amp sound. This creates a feeling of a "caged animal," sounding powerful yet controlled. Turning off the cab on Spiro's bright amp settings reveals an almost overwhelmingly harsh signal, which the cab then sculpts into something balanced.

H3: Taming Fizz and Shaping Mids (Post-Cab EQ in Mesa 2C+ Suite)

After the cab, Spiro uses the EQ section within the Mesa 2C+ Suite for final shaping:

• Right Guitar (6L6): A simple boost around 500Hz to add back some lower-mid body, likely countering the natural scoop of the 6L6 and the "Voice" switch being down.
• Left Guitar (EL34): A bit more surgical. A boost around 2.5kHz for vocal-like presence and a cut around 4kHz to tame any excessive fizz or harshness.

The goal here was to make the rhythm guitars "vocal" but not fatiguing. For more in-depth strategies on capturing great tone at the source, which directly impacts your EQ needs, see how Jens Bogren records metal guitars.

H3: The Importance of Midrange (and How to Control It)

Spiro cautions against the "obnoxiously scooped hi-fi" sound that, while initially exciting, can lead to ear fatigue and a lack of harmonic information. Our ears are most sensitive to midrange, and it often carries the most dynamics.

• If you go for a more present midrange: To maintain a modern, controlled sound, you might need more aggressive dynamic control.
• Dynamic Control: Spiro’s guitars are heavily compressed, partly from amp saturation but also using a plugin like Devious Machines Duck to subtly duck the guitars with the kick drum (set low at 22% in his example).

Pinning down dynamic, mid-heavy guitars is crucial for that polished modern metal sound. Want to dive deeper into compression for metal? Our guide on the basics of compression for mixing rock and metal has you covered.

H2: The Crucial Bass-Guitar Relationship

Your guitar tone doesn't exist in a vacuum. Its relationship with the bass guitar is paramount.

• Frequency Slotting: Be aware of where your bass guitar's main energy and presence lie. Spiro mentions his Ibanez BTB bass (a recommendation from Mo from Lorna Shore) has a resonant peak around 3.5kHz. This works well because his rhythm guitars find their space around 2.2kHz, minimizing excessive fighting for the same frequencies.
• EQ Adjustments: Even with good instrument choices, you might need small EQ adjustments on the bass (or guitars) to help them sit together nicely. Learning how to balance metal guitars and bass is a fundamental skill for a clear and powerful mix.

H2: Don’t Forget Downstream Processing

Always consider what's happening after your guitar tracks in the mix chain, especially on your mix bus or during mastering.

• Master Bus Impact: Spiro uses an SPL Iron hardware compressor on his master bus, which also adds some gentle top-end EQ. Knowing this, he might dial his guitar tones to be just balanced enough, anticipating that the master bus processing will lift the highs slightly.
• Compensate Accordingly: If your mix bus or mastering chain typically adds brightness, you might not need to push the presence on your individual guitar tracks as much.

H2: Putting It All Together: Get Creative!

The main takeaway from Spiro's approach is the incredible flexibility offered by modern plugins like those from Neural DSP.

• Know Your Tools: Understand what each part of a plugin does (pedal, amp, cab, EQ).
• Mix and Match: Don't be afraid to disable sections of one plugin to use components from another in series. If you love the amp in one and the cabs in another, combine them! Neural DSP plugins make this easy by allowing you to toggle individual sections on/off.
• Define Your Goal: Before you start tweaking, ask yourself what the guitar tone needs to achieve in the song—is it about pure aesthetic impact, or does it serve a specific harmonic or melodic function?

These techniques provide a fantastic starting point for crafting your own signature metal guitar tones. Experiment with different tube combinations, cab IRs, and pedal stacking to find what works for your music.

But let's be real, seeing these concepts applied by pros, explaining every click and decision with real multitracks from massive songs? That’s a whole other level of learning. At Nail The Mix, you get to watch world-class producers mix iconic metal tracks from scratch, breaking down exactly how they craft these powerful sounds. It's an unparalleled look behind the curtain.

Hopefully, this gives you some fresh ideas for dialing in your Neural DSP metal tones. Happy tweaking!