Mixing Fleshgod Apocalypse’s Epic Strings: Stefano Morabito’s Method

Symphonic metal is a beast. Getting a full orchestra to sound massive and detailed without turning your metal mix into a muddy mess is one of the toughest challenges a producer can face. And when you talk about epic orchestral metal, Fleshgod Apocalypse is at the top of the food chain. Their blend of brutal death metal and elaborate classical arrangements is iconic.

So how do they make those strings sound so damn real and powerful?

We got a front-row seat as their long-time producer, Stefano Morabito, broke down his entire process in his Nail The Mix session. Forget simply layering some samples; Stefano’s approach is a masterclass in building a living, breathing orchestra from the ground up. Let’s dive into some of the key techniques he uses.

Build Your Orchestra from the Ground Up

Before a single plugin is opened, it’s all about organization. Stefano’s method is simple but brilliant: he arranges his string sections in the DAW from the lowest-pitched instruments to the highest.

His hierarchy looks like this:

1. Double Basses
2. Cellos
3. Violas
4. Violins

By mixing from the bottom up, he builds the foundation first. The low-end weight of the basses and cellos creates the body of the orchestra, and he can then carefully layer the mid-range violas and the detailed high-end violins on top. This ensures the entire arrangement has a solid core from the very beginning.

The Counter-Intuitive ‘Beef’ Trick: Add Lows Before You Cut

Here’s where things get interesting. Most producers, when faced with fitting strings into a dense metal track, immediately reach for a high-pass filter to carve out all the low-end and make room for guitars and bass.

Stefano does the opposite.

Initially, he actually boosts some of the low-mid frequencies on the individual string sections. He’s not looking for sub-bass rumble, but for what he calls “beef” and “impact.” His goal is to make the string sections sound powerful and full-bodied on their own first. By giving the double basses and cellos their own weight, the orchestra feels more threatening and substantial.

He can always send the sections to a master strings bus and apply a high-pass filter later if they clash with the rest of the band, but this initial step ensures the strings don’t sound thin and flimsy from the start. It’s a crucial move for achieving that signature Fleshgod Apocalypse power.

The Secret to Realism: Embrace Imperfection

Ever wonder why your programmed strings sound like they belong in a 90s video game? It’s probably because they’re too perfect. Real musicians aren’t robots, and those subtle human flaws are what sell the performance.

The Fleshgod Apocalypse camp, led by composer Francesco Paoli, leans into this heavily. They will program a “perfect” part and then intentionally introduce “defects” to certain instruments. During the session, Stefano points out a viola part that is ever-so-slightly out of tune.

While it might seem wrong, this single, slightly-off element breaks the sterile perfection of the programming. When blended with the other perfectly tuned instruments, it creates a sense of human variation and depth that you simply can’t get from pristine samples alone. This one trick is a huge part of avoiding the dreaded “Nintendo orchestra” sound and making the arrangement feel real.

Shape Each Section with Surgical EQ

A real orchestra isn’t one monolithic sound; it’s a collection of unique voices. Stefano treats each section with its own specific EQ to help it perform its role correctly.

Taming the Violas

Violas typically provide the mellow, rich midrange of the string section. You don’t want them to be harsh or scratchy. Stefano noted that the raw viola sound had too much high-end bite from the bow. To fix this, he uses an EQ to gently roll off the top end, sweetening the sound and pushing it back into the mix. This lets the violas provide warmth and harmony without fighting the violins or cymbals for attention.

Polishing the Violins

With the violins, which carry the main melodies and soaring high parts, the goal is clarity without harshness. Using a spectrum analyzer to guide his ears, Stefano identifies and surgically cuts the extreme, “fizzy” high frequencies. This isn’t a broad treble cut that would dull the instrument; it’s a precise notch to remove nasty, grating frequencies, resulting in a violin tone that is bright and present, but still smooth on the ears.

Dynamic Control with Purposeful Compression

You won’t see Stefano slapping a compressor on every single track just for the sake of it. His approach to metal compression is all about problem-solving.

During the mix, he noticed one specific violin part—a fast, melodic run—was jumping out in volume and felt disconnected from the rest of the ensemble. Instead of pulling down the fader and losing its energy, he inserted a compressor.

By setting the compressor to catch just those loud peaks, he was able to control the dynamics of that one part, tucking it neatly back into the arrangement without sacrificing its importance. It’s a perfect example of using compression as a tool to solve a specific problem, not as a blanket effect.

Learn the Pros’ Secrets, Step-by-Step

These techniques are killer starting points for giving your own productions that massive, realistic orchestral vibe.

But reading about it is one thing. Seeing it happen is another.

Imagine watching Stefano Morabito actually dial in these sounds, explaining every EQ curve, every compression setting, and every decision he makes as he builds a finished mix from raw multitracks. With Nail The Mix, you can. You get the actual session files from bands like Fleshgod Apocalypse, Lamb of God, and Gojira, and watch the original producers mix them from scratch for hours.

If you’re ready to move beyond presets and see how world-class metal records are really made, check out the full Fleshgod Apocalypse mixing session to see every one of these techniques—and a hundred more—in action.

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