Mixing Bullet For My Valentine Lead Guitars: Carl Bown’s Approach

Nail The Mix Staff

Lead guitars in a metal mix are a special beast. They’re not just another layer; sometimes they’re counter-melodies, other times they’re the "kick the door down" solos that need to grab the spotlight. Getting them to sit right, cut through, and sound massive is an art. We got a peek into how producer Carl Bown tackled the lead guitars for metal titans Bullet For My Valentine, and his approach is packed with actionable insights you can use in your own mixes.

This isn't about a one-size-fits-all preset; it’s about smart, surgical moves and creative effects to make those leads shine. All the tones Carl worked with here were crafted using a Kemper, proving that killer amp sounds are well within reach in the digital domain, especially when your workflow demands it. Let's dive into how he sculpted those BFMV leads.

Prepping the Leads: Clean Tracking & Initial EQ

Before even thinking about fancy effects, Carl emphasizes the groundwork. A great lead sound starts at the source and with some fundamental cleanup.

The Importance of Clean Takes: Mute Those Strings!

This is a big one, especially with high-gain tones. Any strings that aren’t being played during a lead or counter-melody part need to be silenced. Carl’s a firm believer in taping over unused strings. A bit of gaffer tape over the headstock can also help tame sympathetic ringing. Why? Because high-gain amps will amplify everything, and those unwanted ringing strings can create a mess of frequencies that are a nightmare to EQ out later. If it's not dealt with before it even hits the amp, you're fighting a losing battle. Clean tracking is king.

First Pass EQ: Taming Problem Frequencies

Once tracked, Carl dives in with some initial EQ. For one particular lead, there was a problematic "weird ghost" kind of sound around 700Hz. He notes that while he didn't catch it during tracking (using a lovely Black Les Paul for leads, a contrast to the BC Rich Warlock used for rhythms and bass – a "double warlock attack" as he puts it!), it became apparent in the mix.

His initial EQ moves involved:

  • Notching out specific annoyances: Like that 700Hz honk. He’ll boost to find the offending frequency, then cut it.
  • Filtering: Getting rid of low-end "tat" and "ruly kind of nonsense" that doesn't contribute to the lead's clarity. This often means a high-pass filter, perhaps somewhere around the 200Hz mark for solos, to thin them out and help them poke through the rhythm guitars.
    The key is balance. You can't just cut everything, or you'll be left with no energy. For more deep dives into EQ strategies, check out our EQ hub page: Carve Your Core: EQ Strategies for Mixing Modern Metal.

Surgical Tone Shaping with Dynamic EQ

This is where things get interesting. Instead of just static cuts that affect the tone constantly, Carl often reaches for dynamic EQ.

Why Dynamic EQ?

A dynamic EQ only attenuates or boosts frequencies when they cross a certain threshold. This means you can tackle a problem – like boxiness – only when it actually becomes an issue in the performance, leaving the rest of the tone untouched. It’s about doing the least damage possible while still fixing the problem.

Carl's Choice: Waves F6

For this task, Carl likes the Waves F6 Dynamic EQ. He praises it for being really clean and surgical, not imparting unwanted character to the sound. On one lead, he noticed some boxiness around 500Hz. Instead of a permanent cut, he set up the F6 to dynamically dip this area only when those frequencies got too prominent. This keeps the upper-mid character he liked intact most of the time. You can set the range and threshold to precisely control how much and when the EQ kicks in.

Adding Punch and Control with Compression

Compression on lead guitars can help even out the performance, add sustain, and give them a more authoritative presence.

Go-To Compressors for Leads

While he doesn't always use the same thing, Carl mentions a couple of favorites for lead guitars:

  • Universal Audio CLA-3A: He frequently uses this (or its plugin equivalent). It has a "thing" that just works well with leads, providing a nice character.
  • PSP VintageWarmer: Another excellent choice that can add pleasing saturation and control.

He stresses that you don’t have to compress lead guitars, but for this BFMV track, he opted for the CLA-3A, aiming for just a bit of peak reduction.

Taming Dynamics and Holding It Steady

After the main compression, Carl often uses a limiter, like the Waves L1, to just hold the lead guitar in place. This isn't about smashing it, but more about ensuring it stays at a consistent level in the mix without any wild peaks jumping out. If you want to learn more about how the pros use compression in metal, our Metal Compression Secrets: Beyond Just Making It Loud page is a great resource.

Creating Width and Space with Effects

With the core tone shaped and controlled, it's time for some ear candy – stereo width and delay to give the leads dimension.

Panning for Impact: Strategic Width

Carl employs a nuanced panning strategy:

  • "Kick the door down" leads/solos: These get panned wide, around 80% left and right. These are the parts that are integral to the riff and need to feel as big as possible.
  • Verse leads/counter-melodies: These might be brought in a bit narrower, say around 65% left and right.
    This approach gives different sections of the song varying senses of width, making the wider moments feel even more impactful. Interestingly, Carl mentions he doesn't typically subscribe to strict LCR (Left-Center-Right) panning but knows it's used effectively in many famous mixes. And on a related note, he admits he doesn't check his mixes in mono much anymore, deeming it somewhat irrelevant for modern playback systems – though he might occasionally hit the mono button and get a surprise!

Stereo Widening with Micro-Shifting

To enhance the stereo width of the leads, Carl sets up an aux send to an Eventide H3000-style effect. For this, you can use plugins like Soundtoys MicroShift. He uses a "little micro shift on one fully wet" – this creates that classic, wide, harmonized texture that makes guitars feel bigger. He names this bus "Guitar H3000."

Adding Depth with Delay

Delay is crucial for adding depth and rhythmic interest to lead lines.

  • Printed Ping Pong Delays: Carl mentions having some ping-pong delays already printed on some tracks, likely with a bit of wobble and chorus baked in for character.
  • Dedicated Delay Send: He also sets up a dedicated delay bus, calling it "Guitar Crispy" after a favorite preset. For this, he uses Soundtoys EchoBoy, starting with the "Crispy Tape" preset.
    • He tweaks it, dialing in plenty of feedback ("DIY blowers tons of it"), then pulling it back.
    • He adjusts the delay time to sync with the song's BPM, opting for quarter notes in this instance.
    • He sends the lead guitars to this bus, blending it in to taste (around -10dB was a good starting point).

Bringing It All Together and Going Deeper

Carl Bown's approach to mixing Bullet For My Valentine's lead guitars showcases a blend of technical precision and creative flair:

  • Start Clean: Emphasize clean tracking by muting unused strings.
  • Surgical EQ: Use static EQ for initial cleanup and dynamic EQ (like the Waves F6) for problem-solving without sacrificing tone.
  • Controlled Compression: Employ compressors like the CLA-3A for character and peak control, followed by a limiter for consistency.
  • Strategic Space: Use panning, micro-shifting (H3000-style), and delays (EchoBoy) to create width, depth, and excitement.

These techniques provide a fantastic roadmap for getting your own lead guitars to command attention in a dense metal mix.

Want to see exactly how Carl Bown put these techniques into practice on an actual Bullet For My Valentine track? At Nail The Mix, you get to watch world-class producers like Carl mix real songs from massive artists, explaining every step. You can grab the multi-tracks from this very Bullet For My Valentine session and mix it yourself, then compare your results and learn directly from the source. Dive into the BFMV Nail The Mix session here to see all these lead guitar tricks, plus how he handles drums, bass, vocals, and the entire mix from start to finish. If you're ready to move beyond presets and truly Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets, seeing pros like Carl Bown work their magic is an invaluable experience.