In Flames “Meet Your Maker”: Raw Tracks & Pro Production Tips

The titans of melodic death metal, In Flames, are back, and this time, you get to go behind the console! The February 2024 Nail The Mix features their crushing track "Meet Your Maker," offering an incredible opportunity to dissect a song produced by the legendary Howard Benson, engineered by the phenomenal Mike Plotnikoff, and mixed by the talented Joe Rickard. We’re talking about a dream team production, and the raw tracks are a testament to their collective genius. Let's dive into what makes this session so special and what you can learn from these masters.

Deconstructing the Titans: Inside the "Meet Your Maker" Raw Tracks

When you open up the multi-tracks for "Meet Your Maker," one thing becomes immediately clear: this isn't your average demo. The sounds are committed. This is a Howard Benson production, after all, with Mike Plotnikoff behind the recording console. That means you’re getting sounds that are already 90% of the way there, allowing you to focus on the art of the mix.

Plotnikoff's Guitar Foundation: Committed Tones Ready to Rock

We all know In Flames for their iconic guitar work. For "Meet Your Maker," the rhythm guitars are pure power. You get the DIs, of course, but the amped tones are just massive right out of the gate. Even without any balancing, just importing the tracks reveals an incredible starting point. These aren't "fix it in the mix" guitars; these are meticulously crafted tones that scream clarity and aggression. You’ll also find lead guitar and hook guitar tracks, all engineered with the same precision. This is what happens when pros commit to their sounds – you get to mix, not repair.

The Mike Plotnikoff Quad Bass Stack: Weight and Flexibility

One of Mike Plotnikoff's signature moves, and a real treat in this session, is his quad bass stack. Forget just a DI and an amp; Mike provides a powerhouse of low-end options:

• Bass DI: The clean, fundamental signal, captured beautifully.
• Bass Amp: The core amped tone, full of character.
• Bass Distortion: For that aggressive grind and midrange bite.
• Bass Sub: To really fill out the low-frequency spectrum and add that foundational rumble.

All this was tracked through a beautiful Neve console, capturing all that weight and warmth. Having these four distinct layers gives you incredible flexibility. You can blend them to taste, automate them for different song sections, or even get creative with parallel processing. Want more aggression in the chorus? Bring up the distortion. Need more earth-shaking lows in the breakdown? Nudge up the sub. It's all there for you to sculpt. Explore these pristine tracks for yourself with the In Flames "Meet Your Maker" session on Nail The Mix.

Drums Engineered for Impact: Hot Signals and Punchy Rooms

Mike Plotnikoff is renowned for his drum sounds, and this session doesn't disappoint. The drums for "Meet Your Maker" are simply phenomenal.

Maximizing Bit Depth: The Power of Hot Recording

The first thing you might notice is how hot these drum tracks are recorded. Many are peaking around -6dBFS. This isn't an accident. Recording hot, especially when coming out of an analog console, maximizes bit depth and gives you a healthier signal-to-noise ratio. When you have that much headroom to play with on an analog board, you capture every nuance.

Kick, Snare, and Toms: Dialed-In Punch

The kick and snare are incredibly punchy, hitting hard and cutting through. Mike’s ability to capture this energy at the source is legendary. The toms are equally well-recorded – so dialed in that you could practically balance this mix with faders alone and have it sound 95% there. You also get super-crisp hi-hats and well-defined cymbals, including a ride mic.

The Secret Weapon: Plotnikoff's Mono Room Sound

A standout element is the mono room mic. It’s described as small but tight, with beautiful compression already baked in. This isn't some cavernous, washy room; it's a punchy room sound that adds immense power and glue to the kit. This is a classic technique for adding weight and character without sacrificing clarity. Getting that perfect blend of direct mics and a compressed room is key to a powerful metal drum sound. Dive deeper into how to use compression effectively in your metal mixes. Even the raw drums, soloed, sound incredible – a testament to expert engineering.

Layering the Atmosphere: Synths and Keys in an In Flames Mix

It wouldn't be an In Flames track without those atmospheric layers. The synths and keys in "Meet Your Maker" are awesome, adding intricate parts and textures that elevate the song's feel. These aren't just afterthoughts; they are integral to the song's emotional impact and modern edge.

Anders Fridén's Vocals: The Million-Dollar Chain

Anders Fridén's vocals are iconic, and the recording quality here is top-tier. Knowing Howard Benson's typical vocal chain, it’s likely a Sony C800G microphone into a Neve 1073 preamp (a classic for a reason, known for its rich sound and musical EQ capabilities), and then into a Tube-Tech CL 1B compressor. The result? Vocals that sound like a million dollars – present, powerful, and packed with emotion.

Mixing "Meet Your Maker": Joe Rickard's Insights & Challenges

For this Nail The Mix session, Joe Rickard, who mixed the album "Foregone," takes you through his process for "Meet Your Maker." He sheds light on some of the specific challenges he faced.

Taming the Low End: Crafting a Powerful and Smooth Bass

Even with Plotnikoff’s stellar bass tracks, Joe mentions that getting the low end of the bass guitar just right was tricky. The goal was to achieve a big low end that the band was hoping for while maintaining a smooth bass tone simultaneously. This often involves careful balancing of the different bass tracks, targeted EQ, and potentially multiband compression to control resonances and enhance fullness.

Expanding the Space: Making a Small Drum Room Sound Epic

Another challenge was the drum room sound. While Plotnikoff’s recorded room was punchy and tight, the band wanted a bigger room sound for the album. Joe had to employ some creative mixing techniques to achieve this, likely involving reverbs, delays, and perhaps even sample augmentation to expand the perceived space without losing the punch of the original recordings. His overall aim was to create a clean, modern metal album that stayed true to the signature In Flames sound. If you're looking to go beyond presets and truly unlock your sound in modern metal mixing, understanding these kinds of creative problem-solving approaches is invaluable.

Your Turn to Mix: Get the In Flames Tracks & More

This is more than just an unboxing; it's an invitation. When you join Nail The Mix, you don’t just read about these techniques – you get to apply them. You'll receive the raw, unedited multi-tracks for In Flames' "Meet Your Maker." You can drop them into your DAW, experiment with Mike Plotnikoff’s incredible source tones, and tackle the same mixing challenges Joe Rickard faced.

At the end of the month, you'll watch Joe mix the song from scratch in a live, interactive session, explaining his every move and answering your questions. Plus, a Nail The Mix subscription gives you access to exclusive URM Academy plugins like Trim Pan, Channel Mate, Limital, and Mini Clip, a vast library of Mix Lab tutorials, and the Portfolio Builder with dozens of songs to practice on and use for your professional reel.

Ready to learn from the best and mix a legendary band?
Download the In Flames multi-tracks and join the "Meet Your Maker" mixing session today! This is your chance to see how a world-class production comes together, from raw tracks to final mix, and elevate your own mixing skills.