Max Morton’s Jinjer Ghost Note Mixing: Articulation & Snare Impact

Nail The Mix Staff

Getting those subtle snare ghost notes to cut through a dense Jinjer mix without turning into a washy, bleed-filled mess is a challenge every metal producer faces. You want that intricate rhythmic detail, that human feel, but how do you make 'em audible when guitars are blazing and cymbals are crashing? Max Morton, the man behind Jinjer's powerful sound, has a killer workflow for this, and we got the chance to see him break it down. Forget just cranking up a fader; Max employs dedicated tracks, clever phase alignment, dynamic EQ, and surgical leveling to make those ghost notes shine.

Let's dive into how Max Morton tackles this common mixing headache, transforming barely-there taps into articulate rhythmic elements.

The Ghost Note Conundrum: Audibility vs. Bleed

Ghost notes, by their very nature, are quiet. That's their charm. But in a high-energy metal track, "quiet" often means "inaudible." The go-to solution? Turn them up! But then you introduce a new enemy: bleed. The hi-hat, cymbals, and even other drums start creeping into your snare track, muddying the whole picture. Max points out that drummers who utilize ghost notes are often very particular about their presence in the mix, so just ignoring them or letting them get buried isn't an option. The goal is clarity and punch without the unwanted noise.

Max's Strategy: Isolate, Enhance, and Control

Max’s approach hinges on giving ghost notes their own dedicated space and treatment, then cleverly integrating them back into the main snare sound and overall drum bus.

Step 1: The Dedicated Ghost Note Track

This is where the meticulous work begins. Max actually painstakingly edits out each individual ghost note and places them onto a separate audio track. He emphasizes that this isn't a task he'd delegate; the precision required means doing it himself.

  • Manual Editing: Each hit is manually checked to ensure it begins cleanly, preventing it from triggering other processors incorrectly down the line. This level of detail ensures maximum control.
  • Initial Processing: On this dedicated "Snare Ghost Notes" track, Max applies some initial shaping:
    • Low-Pass Filter: To tame excessive hi-hat bleed and focus the sound. He notes that sometimes the hi-hat bleed on this track can be as loud as the ghost note itself before processing.
    • Fundamental Boost: A little boost to the snare's fundamental frequency to give the ghost notes some body.

He then levels this track carefully, even referencing it against other percussive elements in the mix to ensure it sits right before diving deeper.

Step 2: Blending with the Main Snare – And a Crucial Phase Flip

With the ghost notes isolated, it's time to blend them with the main snare track. Here’s a critical move: Max flips the phase on the dedicated ghost note track. Why? This ensures that when combined with the main snare, the ghost notes add to the overall sound constructively, rather than potentially causing phase cancellation or just sounding detached. Instantly, the ghost notes start to contribute positively to the snare's body.

The Snare Bottom Secret: Dynamic EQ with Sidechaining

Even with a dedicated track, ghost notes can sound a bit "dull and midrange" or unnatural compared to the main snare hits. Max’s solution here is ingenious, involving the snare bottom microphone and some advanced EQ techniques.

Enter FabFilter Pro-Q 3

Instead of just statically EQing the ghost note track further, Max turns to the snare bottom mic. He inserts a FabFilter Pro-Q 3 on the snare bottom track and gets ready for some sidechain magic.

  • The Setup:

    1. He creates a send from the "Snare Ghost Notes" track to the sidechain input of the Pro-Q 3 instance on the snare bottom track. (Important: it's a send, not a full route).
    2. Inside Pro-Q 3, he activates the external sidechain input.
    3. He creates a dynamic EQ band. Instead of cutting frequencies (like a de-esser or multi-band compressor might), he sets the dynamic band to boost.

  • How it Works: Now, whenever a ghost note hits on its dedicated track, it triggers the Pro-Q 3 on the snare bottom track. This, in turn, causes the selected frequency band on the snare bottom to dynamically expand (boost) only when the ghost note occurs.

This is a clever way to make the existing character of the snare bottom (which naturally picks up snare wire snap and detail) jump out specifically for the ghost notes, making them sound more integrated and natural. Max mentions he might target a wide band, bringing up desirable characteristics in the snare bottom that complement the ghost notes. He might even accentuate this effect initially to clearly hear what it's doing before dialing it back to a more subtle, supportive level.

This dynamic boost on the snare bottom, triggered by the isolated ghost notes, adds life and realism without making the ghost notes themselves sound overly processed or disconnected.

Fine-Tuning the Snare Bottom

While the sidechain EQ is active, Max also addresses other sonic aspects of the snare bottom. He noticed some "funny going on the top end" on quieter sections, so he uses another band on the Pro-Q 3 to gently tame any harsh or problematic high frequencies with a wider Q. He also might add a slight mid-range boost if the ghost notes, even with the dynamic enhancement, still feel a bit hollow. His concern was a lack of presence between the boosted fundamental and the existing high-end of the ghost notes.

Taming Uneven Dynamics: The Power of Drum Leveler

One persistent issue with ghost notes is their inherent dynamic inconsistency. Some will be louder, some softer, and even with careful editing, getting them perfectly even is a nightmare. Traditional compression can help, but it often doesn't provide the surgical precision needed for such delicate sounds without squashing them or bringing up noise.

Enter Sound Radix Drum Leveler

This is where Max brings out another powerful tool: Sound Radix Drum Leveler. He applies this plugin to the dedicated "Snare Ghost Notes" track.
Max recounts the "dark ages" before tools like Drum Leveler, where he'd have to manually detect and remove silence between hits in Cubase, select all the hits, crossfade, normalize, and then blend that normalized track with the original – a massively time-consuming process just to achieve evenness.

With Drum Leveler, he can quickly and transparently even out the volume of all the ghost notes, ensuring they're consistent without sounding overly compressed or losing their character. They stop "jumping around like crazy," as he puts it. He might even revisit the fundamental boost on the ghost note track at this stage, sometimes finding he prefers them without an excessive low-end bump once they're properly leveled.

The Result: Clear, Natural, and Punchy Ghost Notes

By combining meticulous manual editing, a dedicated track, strategic phase alignment, innovative sidechain dynamic EQ on the snare bottom, and the transparent leveling power of Drum Leveler, Max Morton achieves ghost notes that are:

  • Audible: They cut through the mix.
  • Clean: Minimal bleed from other kit pieces.
  • Natural: They sound like an integral part of the snare performance, not tacked on.
  • Controlled: Consistent in level and impact.

This multi-step process, while detailed, ensures that every subtle nuance of the drum performance on Jinjer's tracks contributes meaningfully to the final mix.

Take These Techniques to Your Mixes

Max Morton's approach to Jinjer's ghost notes is a masterclass in problem-solving and leveraging modern tools for precision mixing. From manual editing to sophisticated dynamic EQ and leveling, each step is about control and enhancing the natural performance.

Want to see exactly how pros like Max Morton sculpt these sounds, make every drum hit count, and bring a mix to life from the raw multitracks? At Nail The Mix, you get to be a fly on the wall as world-class producers mix iconic metal tracks from scratch. You get the original multitracks from bands like Jinjer (check out the Jinjer NTM session with Max Morton for yourself!) and watch the original producer explain every plugin, every fader move, every decision. It's more than just tutorials; it's about understanding the why behind the how. If you're ready to unlock your sound and mix modern metal beyond presets, seeing these techniques applied in a full mix context is invaluable. Learn directly from the best and elevate your own productions by diving into sessions like the Jinjer mix with Max Morton.