Periphery’s Nolly Getgood: Building Epic Bass Tones from a DI

Ever cranked up a Periphery track and been floored by that massive, articulate bass tone? Adam “Nolly” Getgood is a master at crafting bass sounds that not only hold down the low end but also cut through a dense progressive metal mix with precision and aggression. While he sometimes starts with a processed amp sound, Nolly recently gave us a killer walkthrough on how he’d build an equally monstrous tone straight from a DI signal.

You might have a great DI recording but wonder how to transform it into something truly mix-ready. Or maybe you received a pre-processed bass track that isn’t quite hitting the mark. Nolly’s approach shows that with the right tools and techniques, you can sculpt a DI into a powerful, dynamic bass tone. Let’s dive into his method.

The Starting Point: A Solid DI Signal

Nolly kicks things off with his bass DI track – in this case, from his trusty Dingwall bass. He mentions it’s a “pretty fat sounding DI,” which is always a great place to start.

Interestingly, for the original Periphery track, Nolly had a pre-processed bass amp sound. This was born from tracking through a Darkglass B7K and a complex chain of plugins in a less-than-ideal monitoring environment. Because it was a “12 plugin long chain” he couldn’t easily recreate, he’d committed and bounced it down. But what if you want to build it yourself or need an alternative? That’s where DI processing shines.

Nolly’s Step-by-Step Bass DI Processing Chain

Step 1: EQing for Clarity and String Attack

First up, Nolly reached for an EQ to bring out some top-end detail. He didn’t boost treble much on the way in, preferring to add it later.

• Tool: Kush Audio Hammer EQ.
• Move: He experimented with a 10kHz boost but settled on a 7.5kHz high-shelf boost. This adds that desirable “stringiness” and pick attack, helping the bass articulate within the mix.
• Why it works: This initial EQ move helps the bass define its space in the upper frequencies, ensuring it doesn’t just become a muddy rumble. For more advanced EQ strategies, check out our guide on EQ Strategies for Mixing Modern Metal.

Step 2: Taming Dynamics with 1176-Style Compression

Next, compression comes into play to even out the performance and add some character.

• Tool: An 1176-style compressor model.
• Settings: He went for a fairly quick attack and a 4:1 ratio.
• Technique: Nolly emphasized listening to how the attack time affects the transient. A very fast attack can squash the initial hit, while opening it up allows more of that “wet slap” to come through. He dialed it in by ear to get a “cool pumpy thing going on” without looking at the gain reduction meter initially.
• Why it works: This type of compression controls rogue peaks, adds sustain, and can impart a pleasing aggressive character, essential for modern metal bass. Dive deeper into Metal Compression Secrets Beyond Just Making It Loud.

Step 3: Multi-Band Saturation with FabFilter Saturn

For distortion, Nolly has a go-to: FabFilter Saturn. He loves it because it’s a multi-band saturator, allowing for incredibly nuanced control.

• Tool: FabFilter Saturn.
• Key Feature: Instead of splitting your bass into multiple tracks for lows, mids, and grit (and dealing with potential phase issues), Saturn lets you distort specific frequency bands phase-coherently within one plugin.
• Settings & Technique:
  • He often uses the “Heavy Saturation” mode, which can sound like a stompbox DI on its own – a bit harsh and fizzy initially.
  • The magic is in setting the crossover frequencies. For this bass, he focused the distortion on the mid-range, starting from around 300Hz upwards. This lets you dial in how fuzzy or tight and gritty you want the distortion to be.
  • He also uses Saturn’s mix knob to blend in some of the clean mid-range signal for parallel processing within the plugin. For this particular tone, he decided to keep the very top band clean, focusing the saturation on the mids.
• Why it works: This targeted distortion adds harmonics, aggression, and helps the bass cut through without making the low-end flubby or the top-end overly harsh.

Step 4: Shaping with Cabinet Simulation (IRs)

After distortion, a cabinet impulse response (IR) is crucial for taming the fizz and giving the tone an amp-like character.

• Tool: MixIR (likely referring to loading OwnHammer or RedWirez IRs).
• Specific IR: He mentioned a favorite: an SVT cab IR from the RedWirez Big Box collection.
• Mic Model: An MD421 emulation, specifically the “cap edge off” model.
• Result: This combination significantly darkened the tone, rolling off a lot of the high frequencies created by the distortion. This is a good thing, as it starts to sound more like a miked amp, but it often means more top-end will be needed later.

Step 5: Refining with Post-Cab EQ

The cab IR gets you closer, but further EQ is almost always necessary.

• Initial Problem: Nolly pointed out “unpleasant spiky frequencies” or ringing nodes, which are common with miked guitar and bass cabs. He used surgical EQ cuts to tame these, similar to how one might treat cymbal resonances.
• Broad Strokes for Presence & Body:
  • He used the “Lift” knob on Slate Digital’s Virtual Mix Rack (VMR) to add a good amount of presence.
  • He also identified and cut an “unpleasant low mid thing.”
  • To enhance the low-end, he boosted it and then used a high-pass filter to keep it tight and controlled.
• Adding More Top End: Since the IR was quite dark, he felt the tone still needed more high frequencies. He cranked the presence control and then used an N-EQ (likely a Neve-style EQ model) for its aggressive upper-mid and top-end character to further brighten the sound.
• Why it works: This multi-stage EQ approach allows for both problem-solving (resonant peaks) and broad tonal shaping, dialing in the final character of the bass. Mastering EQ strategies is key here.

By this point, Nolly had a six-plugin chain transforming the DI into a formidable bass sound.

Committing to Your Sound: The Power of Bouncing

An important part of Nolly’s workflow is committing to sounds. Instead of keeping that six-plugin chain active, he bounced the processed DI track down to a new audio file, which he humorously named “Bass Amp NTM Winging It.”
He explained that he likes to work with committed sounds (like printed guitars and processed drums) because it takes the guesswork out and allows him to focus on the next stage of mixing with a clear sonic foundation.

Final Polish on the Printed Bass Tone

With the new “printed amp” track, Nolly did a final check and a bit more tweaking:

• Spectrum Analysis: He pulled up a Q2 analyzer to visually inspect the frequency balance. His goal is often to have the presence region roughly balanced in level with the low-end of the instrument.
• Low-End Enhancement: He noticed the low-end dropped off sharply below 50Hz. To address this and add more definition to the fundamental notes, he used Waves R-Bass. He set it pretty low and blended it in, which generated subtle harmonic content to make the low notes more defined and audible, especially on smaller playback systems.

The result? A “pretty monstrous” and characterful bass tone, all built from a DI signal and ready to sit in a dense Periphery mix.

Get Nolly’s Full Periphery Mix Session & More!

What Nolly demonstrated here is just a slice of the magic that goes into a world-class metal mix. Imagine getting the full multitracks to a Periphery song and watching Nolly himself mix it from scratch, explaining every plugin, every decision, every nuanced move.

That’s exactly what you get with Nail The Mix. For this specific session, you can dive deep into how Nolly mixed Periphery by checking out the Periphery NTM session. You’ll get the raw tracks and watch Nolly apply these techniques (and many more) to the entire song.

If you’re serious about elevating your metal productions, Nail The Mix offers an unparalleled opportunity to learn directly from the pros who crafted the albums you love. Beyond just bass, you’ll learn about mixing drums, guitars, vocals, and mastering. It’s your chance to Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets.

Don’t just wonder how they do it – see it for yourself and apply these pro techniques to your own music. Check out the full Periphery session with Nolly Getgood on Nail The Mix and start transforming your mixes today!