Lamb Of God’s Stereo Image: Mixing Wide Without Losing Punch

The Foundation: Guitars & The “Wall of Sound”

When you think Lamb Of God, you think guitars – a relentless, driving force. Achieving that signature width starts with some fundamental panning choices. Check out the full session here. Let’s dive in!

Hard-Panning for Maximum Width

No surprises here for experienced metal mixers: the main rhythm guitars are panned hard left and hard right. This is your primary tool for creating that expansive stereo image. By pushing these core elements to the extremes, you immediately establish a wide sonic canvas for the rest of your mix to sit in.

Committing to Sounds: An Old-School Mentality

Interestingly, the approach highlighted in the session was about simplicity and commitment. Rather than printing dozens of tracks for DI, amps, and mics for every instrument, the focus was on getting great sounds from the get-go and committing to them. This “old school” vibe means working hard on the tones before hitting record, ensuring the DI signals sound good, and having the band play through inspiring sounds. This way, you’re building your mix on a solid, confident foundation.

The Bass Balancing Act: Mono Power vs. Stereo Perception

Here’s where things get critical, and where many mixers unintentionally sabotage their stereo width. Bass is a beast, and taming it while keeping your guitars wide is key.

Bass: More Than Just Sub

Think of your bass guitar track not just as “bass” but as a combination of sub frequencies, low-end punch, and crucial midrange character. Especially in metal, that midrange component of the bass is vital. It needs to provide definition and “code” with the guitars, ensuring it’s audible even on smaller speaker systems. Getting this midrange right often involves careful EQ strategies to carve out its space.

The Critical Balance: How Bass Affects Stereo Image

This is the big one: Don’t F$%^ Your Stereo Image by cranking your mono bass too loud! Bass frequencies are generally kept mono or very close to it. As you push the level of that mono bass, it can start to overpower the stereo information in your mix, effectively “squashing” your perception of width. Your brain starts to focus on that powerful central element, and those wide guitars suddenly don’t feel so wide anymore.

This might even be why some metal mixers subconsciously undermix their bass – they’re so focused on “guitars, guitars, guitars” and “wide, wide, wide” that they shy away from giving the bass its proper place, fearing it will narrow the mix.

Finding the Sweet Spot

The goal is to blend the bass to a point where you clearly hear its character, its midrange cutting through, and its low-end supporting the track, without it collapsing your stereo field. It’s a delicate balance. Listen carefully as you bring up the bass. Is it adding power and fullness? Or is it starting to make those wide guitars feel like they’re closing in? That’s your cue.

Strategic Vocal & Lead Placement

With the foundation of wide guitars and a balanced bass, let’s look at placing other key melodic elements.

Ghosting Vocals Early

Ever find yourself mixing around a gaping hole where the vocals will eventually sit? A great tip is to ghost in the vocals early in the mixing process, even if they’re very low in the mix. Vocals often answer a lot of questions about the musical arrangement and how other elements should be balanced. Plus, it just makes the track feel more complete as you work.

For some extra vibe on those vocals, a common chain like a stereo delay feeding into a reverb can add depth and space. Think about how the delay outputs hit the reverb for a lush, dimensional sound.

Panning Melodic Leads: The “Car Speaker” Trick

When it comes to lead guitars or other significant melodic parts, consider panning them slightly off-center. One interesting approach is to pan main leads a bit to the right. Why the right? A quirky but practical reason: when driving, your leg might partially block the left car speaker, leaving the right speaker more open and clear. It’s these little considerations that can make a difference in how a mix translates.

Doubling and “Stoning” Leads

To give a lead guitar a bigger, more “stony” feel, try doubling the performance on a separate track. Then, pan this double slightly to the opposite side of the main lead, or just to a different spot in the stereo field. This isn’t just a simple stereo chorus effect; it’s a unique, doubled performance creating a wider, more engaging lead sound. This kind of subtle track-specific EQ work can further enhance the effect.

Adding Punch and Dynamics with Automation

Static mixes can feel flat. Automation is your friend for bringing out impact and maintaining clarity, especially in dense arrangements.

Snare Verb for Impact

A quick burst of reverb, perhaps from a real room sample or a plugin emulating one, can give your snare that extra explosive “crack” on big hits or during intense sections like blasts.

Riding the Guitar Bus for Clarity

Here’s a killer technique for when your drums, particularly toms, are slamming your sum compression and threatening to bury your guitars. Instead of fighting the compressor or turning down the drums, route your main rhythm guitars to their own stereo bus (let’s call it the “total outsides” bus, as an example). Now, you can automate the level of this entire guitar bus.

When those tom fills hit hard and start pushing down the guitars via the sum compressor’s action, you can subtly ride up the guitar bus fader. This allows the guitars to maintain their presence and power without affecting how the drums are hitting the main bus compression. The result? Everything stays loud, slamming, and clear, with no elements getting unduly pushed back or tucked in. It’s about making thousands of these small, decisive moves that contribute to the final sound of the record.

Nail The Mix & Dive Deeper

Mastering the art of stereo width, bass balance, and dynamic automation in a heavy mix takes practice and a keen ear. The techniques discussed here – from hard-panning guitars and careful bass leveling to strategic lead placement and bus automation – are all pieces of the puzzle for achieving a professional, powerful Lamb Of God-style sound.

These concepts are fundamental, but imagine watching the actual producer who mixed Lamb Of God dial in these sounds right before your eyes, explaining every click and decision. That’s what Nail The Mix is all about. Each month, you get raw multitracks from huge artists and watch world-class producers mix them from scratch, sharing their workflows and philosophies. If you’re ready to move beyond presets and truly unlock your sound in modern metal mixing, seeing these techniques applied in real-time is invaluable. Give these tips a shot in your next mix!