Mixing Polyphia’s ‘Crush’: Synths, Slap Bass & No Rhythm Guitars

Polyphia. The name alone conjures images of intricate guitar work, genre-bending compositions, and a sound that's undeniably modern. Their track "Crush" is a perfect example of their unique approach, and lucky for us, the raw multitracks were featured on Nail The Mix, mixed live by the killer producer Nick Sampson. Diving into these stems is like an unboxing of pure creative potential, but it also presents some unique mixing challenges, especially with its distinct lack of traditional rhythm guitars. Let's break down what makes these tracks tick and how you might approach mixing this beast.

The "Faders Up" Test: A Foundation of Quality

The first thing you notice when you load up the "Crush" multitracks is just how good they already sound. Even with faders set to unity and zero plugins engaged, the core arrangement shines. This is a massive testament to both the band's incredible musicianship and the skill of whoever engineered the recording. When tracks are this well-played and captured, your job as a mixer becomes less about fixing problems and more about enhancing what's already there. It’s a dream scenario, and a reminder that a great mix starts with great source material.

Drum Dissection: Building a Modern Groove for "Crush"

The drums in "Crush" are tight, punchy, and perfectly suited to the intricate instrumentation. Nick Sampson kindly provided a comprehensive set of drum tracks, including some very useful samples.

Kick Drum Dynamics: Mics, Triggers, and Samples

You get the works for the kick: an "in" mic, a trigger, and not one, but two distinct samples.

• The Mic: The direct kick mic sounds totally usable on its own, providing a solid, natural foundation.
• The Trigger Trick: Interestingly, the kick trigger signal is actually placed slightly ahead of the actual kick drum hits in the timeline. This is a clever pro move, often used to ensure that your gate on the kick mic (or a sidechained gate on another instrument) opens just before the transient hits, resulting in a cleaner, more natural attack without any of a "click" or "chop" at the beginning of the note.
• Sample Power: Nick included a couple of kick samples. One, in particular, is big, wide, and has a noticeable roomy character. While this kind of boomy sample might be tricky to wrestle into a dense, fast metal mix, it’s absolutely perfect for a track like "Crush," adding weight and space. You can hear how well it was utilized in the final mix.

Crafting the Snare: Punch, Cut, and Ghost Notes

The snare sound is crucial for cutting through the dense musical landscape Polyphia creates.

• High Tuning: The main snare is tuned relatively high, giving it the necessary crack and presence to slice through the intricate guitar and synth lines.
• Sample Reinforcement: A snare sample is also provided. It's important to remember that this sample is designed for blending and reinforcement, especially on the main hits. If you were to solo it on just the ghost notes, it might sound a bit unnatural, but that’s not its intended purpose.
• Bottom Snare Brilliance: Don't underestimate the bottom snare mic! It's crisp and really helps to bring out the detail in those all-important ghost notes, adding to the groove's complexity and feel.
  Combined, these elements give you a powerful and articulate snare sound.

Toms, Cymbals, and Room: Completing the Kit Image

• Clean & Tuned Toms: The tom tracks arrive pre-cleaned (thanks, Nick!), which saves a bunch of editing time. They continue the high-pitched motif established by the snare, ensuring a cohesive sound across the kit.
• Lifesaving Overheads: The overheads are where the kit really comes alive, providing a natural image and gluing the individual drum elements together. You can almost feel yourself bobbing your head when they kick in.
• Cymbal Control: The hi-hat and ride cymbal tracks, however, haven't been gated or cleaned. This means you'll need to get in there with some precise automation or a carefully set gate (like FabFilter Pro-G or your DAW's stock gate with attention to threshold, hold, and release) to control spill and tighten things up. You'll likely want to turn that hi-hat level down a bit in the mix anyway; they don’t need to be screaming.
• Dialing in the Room: There’s a dedicated room mic track that adds a nice sense of space. A good approach here is to solo the drums, pull the room mic fader all the way down, and then slowly bring it up until it adds the desired depth and ambience without washing out the direct sound.

The Star of the Low End: Taming and Showcasing Polyphia's Slap Bass

This is where things get really interesting for metal mixers. The bass in "Crush" is an iconic slap bass part, and it’s front and center. There are no walls of distorted rhythm guitars for it to hide behind. This bass is a lead instrument and a core rhythmic driver.

• Naked and Unafraid: You can’t just split it, distort the top, and synthesize the bottom like you might with a more traditional metal bass. It needs to be clear, punchy, and articulate.
• Rhythmic Heartbeat: Listen to how the bass locks in with the kick and snare – it’s a fundamental part of the main rhythmic motif.
• Clarity is Key: Your challenge is to make this bass prominent and powerful. This will involve careful EQ strategies to ensure it has its own space without clashing with the kick, especially in the low frequencies. Consider techniques like dynamic EQ or even subtle sidechain compression from the kick to the bass's sub frequencies to help them coexist.

If you can get the low end of that bass and the low end of that kick punching together perfectly in time, you're well on your way to a seriously grooving track.

Guitars Without Rhythm? Polyphia's Layered Approach

Perhaps the most unique aspect for many mixers tackling "Crush" will be the complete absence of traditional, chugging rhythm guitars. But don't worry, Polyphia provides an absolute feast of other guitar textures.

• Tasteful Layers: You'll find beautifully recorded lead lines, often doubled in octaves and panned wide for a spacious and classy sound. This kind of guitar arrangement is all about precision and clarity.
• FX Guitar Management: There are also dedicated FX guitar tracks, adding cool textures and ear candy. A good tip when starting your mix is to initially turn these FX tracks down a bit. Once you've established your core balance with drums, bass, and main guitars/synths, you can then blend these FX elements in with appropriate EQ, delay, and reverb to taste.

Synth Scapes: The Lush, Atmospheric Heart of "Crush"

If you’re used to guitar-centric mixes, "Crush" will make you appreciate the power of synths. They are absolutely integral to Polyphia's sound and a massive part of this track's identity. The guitars, while amazing, can sound surprisingly empty without the synth layers supporting them.

• Synth & Guitar Symbiosis: In sections like the chorus, the guitars are doubled in octaves, and it sounds like the synths are doing something very similar, creating a huge, harmonically rich melodic statement. You'll need to listen carefully and make deliberate volume choices to balance these intertwined elements.
• The "D Bois Subick" Glue: One particular synth, labeled "D Bois Subick," acts as a warm, foundational blanket under the entire tune. It’s a key element for gluing everything together, providing a consistent low-mid presence.
• Atmospheric Additions: Another synth layer provides ambience and a sense of space that goes beyond what the natural drum room mic can offer. Sometimes, you need these synthesized textures to achieve a specific atmospheric quality, and it's perfectly placed here.
• Managing Synth Low-End: The Balancing Act: With all these lush synths, especially the sub-bass elements, you have to be extremely careful with low-end buildup. Just because there are no heavy, distorted guitars doesn't mean you can let the bass frequencies run wild. The original mix is very controlled, and yours should be too. This might involve surgical EQ on individual synth tracks, or perhaps some gentle multi-band compression on a synth bus to keep things tight and prevent muddiness.
• Tasty Arpeggiation: There's also a fantastic synth arp with a beautifully smooth fade-up – a simple but highly effective bit of automation that adds a lot of character.

Creating Your Own "Crush" Mix: The Sky's the Limit

Working with the "Crush" multitracks is an exercise in balancing intricate melodies, powerful grooves, and lush atmospherics. You've got the roomy, articulate drums, that incredibly cool slap bass, layers of tasteful guitars, and a universe of synths. The absence of vocals and traditional heavy rhythm guitars really opens up the sonic landscape, allowing you to get creative with space and texture.

Want to get your hands on these incredible raw multitracks and try mixing "Crush" yourself? You can download them right now when you subscribe to Nail The Mix – check out the Polyphia session here. Imagine learning directly from pros like Nick Sampson as they break down their techniques.

Nail The Mix offers you the chance to learn from the best in the business, providing not just multitracks but also in-depth tutorials and a supportive community. If you're looking to seriously unlock your sound and take your mixing beyond presets, this is the place to be.

So, dive in, experiment, and see what kind of soundscape you can create with these phenomenal Polyphia tracks. The stems are waiting for your unique touch over at Nail The Mix's Polyphia page! Happy mixing!