Holding Absence’s Massive Guitar Tones: Mixing & Layering Secrets

Ever crank a Holding Absence track and wonder how they achieve that colossal, emotionally charged guitar sound? It’s a blend of raw power and intricate detail that truly stands out. We dove into a session with producer Taylor Larson to uncover some of the guitar tone magic he conjured for the band, transforming good DI signals into pure gold. It’s not always about pristine individual tracks; sometimes, it’s about clever combinations and a fearless approach to layering.

If you’re looking to elevate your own metal productions, understanding these kinds of nuanced techniques is key. Taylor’s approach to the Holding Absence guitars is a masterclass in building a “wall of sound” that’s more than the sum of its parts. check out the full Nail The Mix session here. Let’s break down some of the key strategies he employed.

The Core Rhythm Foundation: When “Bad” Becomes “Gold”

The bedrock of many heavy tracks is a killer rhythm guitar tone. For Holding Absence, Taylor Larson took an unconventional route to achieve a massive sound, starting with two distinct amped signals that, on their own, didn’t initially impress him.

The Unlikely Duo: Mesa & Bad Cat

Taylor was sent amped guitar tracks: one from a Mesa amp and another from a Bad Cat. He admitted that upon first listen, he thought both sounded “horrible” on their own – thin and lacking. However, the magic happened when he combined them. The two different amp characteristics worked together, filling in each other’s sonic gaps and creating a sound that was unexpectedly “massive.” This is a great reminder that sometimes, tones that seem weak individually can create something powerful when blended.

Taming and Shaping with Soothe and EQ

To refine these combined tones, Taylor employed some go-to processing:

• Soothe 2: This dynamic resonance suppressor was used on both the Mesa and Bad Cat tracks, doing a “considerable amount” of work. Soothe is fantastic for transparently tackling harshness and problematic resonances that can make distorted guitars fatiguing or difficult to sit in a mix.
• Mix Hub Processing: Taylor utilized his go-to “Mix Hub” chain, applying similar settings to both amp tracks with a few key differences:
  • Presence Boost: A significant boost to bring out pick attack and articulation.
  • Filtering: High-pass filters set around 187 Hz to clean up low-end rumble, and low-pass filters rolling off the top end between 7 kHz and 8 kHz to manage fizz. For deeper insights into effective EQ moves, check out our EQ strategies for mixing modern metal.
  • Mid-Range Sculpting: A slight cut around 1 kHz was applied to the Mesa track, likely to reduce any boxiness or to help it sit better with the Bad Cat, which didn’t receive this cut.
  • Air EQ (Mesa Only): An additional touch of “air” was added to the Mesa, specifically to tame some “weird kind of wobbly stuff” that was jumping out in an undesirable way.
  • Tilt EQ: Both tracks received a tilt EQ adjustment to introduce a bit more overall brightness and clarity.

The goal of this processing was to enhance note clarity and definition, clean up any messy or harsh frequencies, and provide a controlled presence lift without sounding overly aggressive.

Gentle Compression and Width

To further control dynamics and add some vibe, a touch of compression was applied.

• Favorite Compressor: Taylor mentioned using his favorite compressor for about 2dB of gain reduction, just enough to make the guitars “sound fun.” He cautioned, however, that these specific Holding Absence tones were more on the “mushy” side, so heavy compression wasn’t an option as it could easily kill the dynamics. It’s a delicate balance; learn more about taming your tracks with our metal compression secrets.
• Stereo Widener: A stereo widener, set to his favorite “127” setting, was used on both core rhythm tracks to enhance the stereo image and give them a broader feel.

Building the “Wall of Sound”: Creative Parallel Processing

Beyond the main amped tones, Taylor crafted an additional reamped track specifically designed to blend in and add a unique character – a technique he picked up after seeing something similar from the legendary Joe Barresi.

The “Screwed Up” Reamp Trick

This wasn’t about creating a clean, perfect tone. Instead, Taylor took one of the already amped sounds and sent it through a chain designed to, in his words, “really screw it up”:

1. Tube Screamer: The amped signal was first hit with a Tube Screamer. This classic pedal is often used to tighten low end and add mid-range focus, but here it was likely pushed hard to add grit and harmonic complexity.
2. Driven Neve Preamp: After the Tube Screamer, the signal was fed into a Neve preamp, which was then driven hard. Driving a Neve preamp like this can introduce rich saturation, pleasant harmonic distortion, and a significant low-mid emphasis.

The resulting sound, when soloed, was described as “pretty rough,” “super nevy,” and “super low middy.” However, when blended underneath the main Mesa and Bad Cat tracks, it added an undeniable “dimension” and a desirable “bloom” in the low-mids, contributing significantly to that “wall of sound” feel. This is a fantastic example of how a track that sounds “bad” on its own can be invaluable as a textural element in a mix. You can explore these kinds of creative mix decisions in-depth with the Jason Richardson & Holding Absence NTM session.

The Art of Strategic Layering

The pursuit of Holding Absence’s massive guitar sound didn’t stop with the core tones and the parallel reamp. Taylor revealed that the record features an “unnecessary amount of layers” for the genre, but emphasized that “for some reason it works.” These additional layers aren’t always consciously audible but contribute to the overall “feel” and sonic depth.

The “Crackly” Dimension Layer

Another key layer was a double track that sounded, frankly, “all screwed up” and “really crackly” on its own. Taylor suspected something might have been out of phase or perhaps involved two heads or cabinets run simultaneously during recording. Despite its strange soloed character, blending this track in subtly added “weird air,” a unique crackling texture, and contributed to the “larger than life” dimension of the guitars. His Mix Hub was again employed here, with a notable low bell cut at 39 Hz to clean up any excessive sub-frequency mud.

Jangly Highs and Supporting Textures

To further extend the voicing and add detail, more jangly sounding layers were introduced. These focused on the higher notes and were processed with some low-frequency roll-offs to ensure they supported the main rhythms without cluttering the low end. These are the kinds of subtle additions that can really make a mix breathe.

High-Register Chord Clarity

Holding Absence often incorporates intricate, cool-sounding chords in the higher register. To ensure these were audible without overpowering the main rhythm guitars, specific double tracks focusing on these chords were carefully blended in. The goal was to make them feel like part of the main guitar performance, adding harmonic richness and ensuring those “high notes bang.”

Taylor Larson’s Blending Philosophy: Trust Your Ears

With so many layers in play, how do you balance them all? Taylor’s approach is refreshingly straightforward:

1. Establish a Lead: He started by picking the tone he liked the most (in this case, the Mesa was the “loud one”) and let that lead the guitar section.
2. Blend by Feel: He would then bring in each additional layer one by one, turning it up and then pulling it down until it “feels right” in the context of the mix.
3. Experiment: He encouraged trying different variations, even “crisscrossing” elements, and fundamentally, to “follow your ears.”

Ultimately, Taylor stresses that “whatever makes you feel the best when you hear it is definitely the answer.” This intuitive, ear-driven approach is crucial when dealing with complex layers and creative sound design.

These techniques—blending contrasting amp tones, creative parallel processing, and strategic layering—are powerful tools in any metal producer’s arsenal. They demonstrate how to build a guitar sound that is not only heavy but also rich, detailed, and full of character.

Want to see how producers like Taylor Larson make these decisions in real-time, with access to the full multitracks? Nail The Mix gives you a front-row seat every month, watching world-class producers mix hit songs from scratch. Dive deeper into creating pro-level mixes and unlock your sound beyond presets. For the full breakdown of this Holding Absence mix, be sure to check out the full Nail The Mix session.