Intervals Guitar Tone: Sam Guaiana’s Amp & Mix Approach

Ever crank an Intervals track and wonder how Aaron Marshall and the band sculpt those intricate, massive, yet incredibly clear guitar tones? We got a peek behind the curtain with producer/mixer Sam Guaiana (known for his work with Silverstein, The Devil Wears Prada, and of course, Intervals) as he broke down his approach to the rhythm guitars on an Intervals session. Spoiler: it involves some killer amp choices, smart cab simulation, and surgical EQ.

If you’re looking to get your own productions sounding this tight, understanding these techniques is key. Let’s dive into how Sam dialed in those signature Intervals rhythm sounds, and how you can apply these concepts to your own mixes. And if you want to see this kind of magic unfold in real-time, check out the full Intervals mixing session on Nail The Mix.

Starting Strong: DI, Reamping, and the Amp Head

Sam kicked things off by tracking the rhythm guitars as DIs. This is a super common practice in modern metal production, giving you maximum flexibility later on. When it came time for final tones, they opted to reamp, but with a twist: they reamped just the amp head.

For this, Sam ran the DIs through a Revv Generator 120 head. To capture the sound of the head without deafening everyone (or needing a physical cab at that stage), he used a Suhr Reactive Load. These reactive load boxes are fantastic because they allow the amp head to behave as if it’s connected to a real speaker cabinet, giving you a much more authentic tonal response from the power amp section.

The Cab Connection: Finding the Perfect Virtual Speaker

With the amp head tone captured, the next crucial step was pairing it with the right speaker cabinet sound. This is where Impulse Responses (IRs) or cab simulators come into play. Sam is a big fan of the “Cab Two” from the STL Tones Howard Benson Producer Pack (specifically the Howard Benson Cab plugin).

Why “Cab Two”?

According to Sam, this particular cab model – which he describes as being in the ballpark of a Marshall style, Greenback-esque speaker – has a unique character. It’s inherently dark, but it possesses an incredible ability to cut through a dense mix. While he might have used a different cab (“GD cab”) during initial tracking, for the final mix, “Cab Two” won out due to its superior performance in the overall sonic landscape. This just goes to show that what sounds good in isolation might change once all the elements of a mix start coming together.

Adding Sizzle: The “Good Fizz” of Tape Saturation

After the amp and cab, Sam likes to introduce a bit of extra “flavor” and “sizzle” to the tone. He achieves this with a tape emulation plugin, placed after the cab sim and his initial EQ cleanup. This isn’t about adding harsh, unpleasant amp fizz; instead, it’s about reintroducing a “good tape fizz.” This subtle saturation can add harmonic richness, a touch of compression, and that elusive sparkle that helps guitars sit nicely on top of a mix without being harsh.

Sculpting with Precision: Dynamic EQ on Rhythm Guitars

Guitars, especially in genres like progressive metal, are incredibly dynamic. From intricate clean passages to full-bore chugs, the tonal demands change constantly. This is where dynamic EQ becomes an indispensable tool. Sam Guaiana leans heavily on dynamic EQ for rhythm guitars, especially to control resonances that only pop out during specific articulations like palm-muted chugs.

Taming Problem Frequencies

Sam identified a few key areas he often tackles with dynamic EQ on guitars:

• The Notorious 2.3 kHz: This frequency range (around 2.1 kHz to 2.3 kHz) is a common trouble spot in many guitar cabs, including V30s and Greenback-style speakers like the “Cab Two” he favors. It can sound painful if left unchecked. However, nuking it completely can leave the guitars sounding hollow. Sam’s solution? A dynamic band that dips this area only when it becomes overbearing, particularly during heavy chugs.
• The Static 330 Hz Cut: Not all EQ moves need to be dynamic. Around 330 Hz, Sam found a persistent muddiness he didn’t want. Instead of a dynamic approach, he opted for a static cut of about 3dB. This is a “set it and forget it” move to clean up that specific area consistently.
• The Dreaded 4 kHz Zone: Ah, 4 kHz. It’s a frequency that many engineers have a love-hate relationship with. It can add presence and cut, but too much can be grating. Sam uses a dynamic EQ band here as well, set to react primarily when the chugs push this frequency forward. The philosophy is to let the tone breathe but clamp down when specific parts of the performance accentuate problematic frequencies.

The beauty of dynamic EQ is that it only works when needed. If a frequency isn’t problematic during a softer passage, the EQ stays out of the way. But when the player digs in and that frequency starts to spike, the dynamic band kicks in to keep things smooth.

Final Polish: Cleaning Up High-End Fizz

Beyond the targeted dynamic EQ, Sam also mentioned a general cleanup of any remaining unwanted high-end fizz from the cab. This is often a gentle high-shelf cut to smooth out the very top end without losing essential air or aggression.

Stereo Image & Bus Processing

For this Intervals track, the left and right rhythm guitar tones were largely identical. Sam simply copied the settings from one side to the other, with perhaps a very minor tweak to an EQ curve for subtle stereo differentiation.

Further down the signal chain, on the main rhythm guitar bus, Sam applied a bit more processing to glue everything together. This included:

• Another small cut in the low-mids.
• An additional dip in the 2.3 kHz to 2.5 kHz range, as this area started to build up with all the guitars layered together.

These bus processing moves are about making the collective group of guitars feel like a cohesive unit.

Ear Candy: Adding Layers with FX Guitars

Beyond the main rhythm tracks, Sam incorporated some interesting layered guitar parts to add texture and movement.

The “Lift Off” Fuzzy Intro Guitar

In the intro, before any lead guitars kick in, Sam wanted some movement. He introduced a fuzzy guitar part that cleverly trades off with the main rhythms and even incorporates an octave effect, reminiscent of an 80s vibe.

• Amp & Cab: For this part, he turned to the Fortin Nameless Suite plugin, but paired it with a different cab from the Howard Benson pack: the “Upfront” cab, which he noted as probably his favorite in that collection.
• Movement with Microshift: To give this mono guitar part some width and motion, he used the Soundtoys Microshift plugin at around a 60% mix. This adds a subtle chorus-like effect that helps the part dance around the main rhythms.
• Targeted EQ: Even though the amp and cab were different, the EQ approach was similar, but aimed at solving different problems – in this case, mitigating some “single coil whistle” that was present in the raw tone.

Lo-Fi Filtered Textures

In the bridge section, another distinct guitar texture appears: a lo-fi, filtered sound.

• JST Gain Reduction for Control: A key plugin here was Joey Sturgis Tones Gain Reduction. Sam loves using this on lo-fi guitars because it holds them incredibly well in place, especially when you’ve carved out a lot of the body with EQ. It provides a quick attack and a tight, compressed sound. If you want to learn more about how pros use compression to shape metal tones, check out our compression secrets.
• Automated Filtering: The lo-fi character was further enhanced by automating a low-pass filter (a high-cut) to create a subtle opening and closing effect, adding dynamic interest to the filtered sound. The “slay” (threshold/mix) on the Gain Reduction plugin was kept super low, indicating it was used for its distinct aggressive, fast compression character rather than heavy gain reduction.

Bringing It All Home with Nail The Mix

Dissecting Sam Guaiana’s approach to Intervals’ guitar tones reveals a blend of solid foundational choices (DI tracking, great amp selection) and meticulous, modern mixing techniques (strategic cab sim use, dynamic EQ, creative layering). These are the kinds of details that elevate a good recording to a great mix.

Want to see exactly how pros like Sam make these decisions, tweak these plugins, and build these massive tones from the ground up? At Nail The Mix, you get to be a fly on the wall. Every month, we provide you with the raw multitracks from real songs by bands like Intervals, Periphery, Gojira, and many more. Then, you watch the original producer or mixer rebuild the session from scratch, explaining every single move.

If you’re ready to go beyond presets and truly Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal & Beyond, then seeing these techniques applied in a full mix context is invaluable. Don’t miss out on the chance to learn directly from the best in the business – check out the Intervals session with Sam Guaiana on Nail The Mix and transform your own productions.