Sam Guaiana’s Intervals Mix: Making Synths Shine With Guitars

Getting synths and guitars to play nice in a dense modern metal mix can be a real head-scratcher. How do you make those synth layers pop and add texture without turning your guitars into a muddy mess or overshadowing the intricate riffs? We got an inside look at how Sam Guaiana tackled this exact challenge in the Intervals track "Lock and Key." This isn't just about slapping on some effects; it's a masterclass in dynamic processing and clever layering to make every element count. Sam walks through his synth processing, showing his approach to getting dynamic and upfront synths that sit perfectly with the rest of the track, especially Aaron Marshall's mind-bending guitar work. You can dive even deeper into this mix with Sam on Nail The Mix.

The Main Event: Tackling the Lead Synth

The track kicks off with a prominent synth line that immediately grabs your attention. Sam's goal here was to make it wide, dynamic, and upfront, but crucially, without distracting from the guitars that follow.

Width and Character Without the Stereo Track

This main synth was actually a mono source. To give it that necessary width and a unique "freaky dicky" character, Sam reached for the Soundtoys MicroShift. This not only made it feel stereo but also helped carve out space for it, moving it slightly out of the way of the lead guitar. It's a classic trick for adding dimension to mono sources.

Adding Grit and Presence with Distortion

Next up, a healthy dose of saturation with Soundtoys Decapitator. And when Sam says "a lot," he means it! He admits that sometimes this level of distortion can sound "fake" or like the "wrong distortion" when soloed. But the key is to trust the process and listen in context. Once un-soloed, its purpose in the mix becomes clear – it helps the synth cut through and assert itself.

Creating Movement and Space

To enhance the synth's rhythmic feel, a half-note ping pong delay was dialed in. This creates a cool push-and-pull movement. While it might sound a bit dry or distracting on its own, adding Soundtoys Little Plate reverb was the magic touch. This reverb sat the synth back just enough, took the harsh edge off the delay, and made it less distracting. Sam notes how crucial reverb can be for synths, preventing them from sounding too "in your face" or "stuck on" and instead integrating them smoothly into the sonic landscape.

Dynamic Filtering for Impact

For those sweeping, evolving synth sounds, especially buildups, the Waves OneKnob Filter is a go-to for Sam. He simply loaded up the "moderate" preset and automated the filter cutoff to create a dynamic swell. He even copied this same setting for another synth part later.

Pro Tip from Sam: Try feeding the OneKnob Filter into a distorted guitar amp, rather than placing it after. The resonance peak from the filter can make the amp sound absolutely "nuts" – a cool trick for unique textures! For more on shaping sounds with filters, check out these EQ strategies for mixing modern metal.

Risers and Transitions: Building Anticipation

Synth risers are essential for building energy and signaling transitions. For a riser in "Lock and Key," Sam kept the processing straightforward but effective.

The level was primarily managed with clip gain – a quick and easy way to handle overall volume changes without needing automation lanes initially.

For sonic shaping, an EQ was used to clean things up. This involved a high-pass filter to remove unnecessary low-end rumble and a cut to tame some super harsh frequencies at the tail end of the riser, acting almost like a safety measure. Sam's general philosophy is to start dialing in these kinds of filters whenever synths or extra production elements come into play.

Layering Synths for Guitar Reinforcement

Intervals' music often features synths that subtly bolster the guitar parts. These parts, delivered by guitarist Josh Travis, sometimes had an initial "plasticky" sound that needed taming and shaping.

Creating Stereo Space and Depth

To help one of these mono reinforcement synths find its own space and not clash with Aaron's already processed guitars (which had a "fake octave" effect, likely from something similar), Sam used Soundtoys Little AlterBoy in its "Real ADT" (Automatic Double Tracking) mode. This instantly created a "fake stereo" image, giving the synth its own dimension.

EQing for Clarity and Purpose

These reinforcement synths weren't meant to be the stars; their job was to sit behind and support the guitars. So, EQ played a big role. Sam was pretty aggressive here, cutting "tons of low end" that wasn't needed and also filtering out "super high hissy business" that could make them sound harsh. The focus was on letting the core tone support the guitars without adding mud or unwanted noise.

Synth Bells: Sometimes Less is More

Interestingly, for a synth bells part, Sam did almost nothing! He simply lowered their volume to taste and placed them in the mix with the guitars. The only other move was to cut the audio tail short. Instead of automating a mute or volume fade, he just chopped the audio region directly. This same tail-chopping technique was used on an ambient guitar part, though that one involved automating the tail down. It’s a good reminder that not every element needs complex processing.

The "Spooky Piano": Crafting Unique Character

One of the more distinct synth-like elements was a "spooky piano" part. Originally just a standard MIDI piano, Sam wanted something "goofier" to match the vibe of that section.

The journey to the right sound involved some experimentation. The final choice was Native Instruments Kontakt with the Una Corda library. While this library provided the desired "glassy" sound, it also came with some "weird low-end business" that needed addressing.

Right off the bat, a phaser was added to give it an immediate character. Sam mentioned struggling a bit with this piano, trying different options before landing on Una Corda.

The Heavy Lifter: One-Knob Piano Processing

A key plugin here was the Waves Greg Wells PianoCentric. Sam described it as doing "tons of heavy lifting." Much like the OneKnob series, turning up its main control seems to add brightness (like a tilt EQ) and also, he suspected, some compression. These kinds of multi-effect "magic" plugins can be great for quickly dialing in a vibe.

Adding Space and Pop with EQ and Doubling

To give the piano some space, a doubler effect was brought in. But the real secret to making it pop was aggressive EQ. Sam dialed in "tons of top end" – a significant boost way up high, around 15kHz, not just a gentle 8kHz shelf. This made the piano almost "comical" in how much it jumped out, but it was exactly what the mix needed.

Other EQ moves included scooping out some mud around 500Hz and boosting around 4.5kHz to accentuate the piano's attack. The difference with and without that high-end boost was night and day.

Dynamic Treatment for Storytelling

This piano part wasn't static. The Greg Wells plugin (or perhaps the EQ) was automated to come in specifically when this section starts. The overall strategy for this part was to "make it little tiny for a second and then let's bring it in full," using volume moves and plugin automation to achieve this dynamic arc.

Final Reinforcements: Keeping it Cohesive

For other rhythm reinforcement synths that Josh provided, Sam often reused similar EQ settings to maintain consistency, especially if their role was similar.

An important consideration for these layers was stereo width. If the guitar harmonies were already wide, Sam didn't feel the need to widen these supporting synths as well. Their job was simply to be present and add reinforcement, not to clutter the stereo field.

Sam Guaiana’s approach to mixing synths with guitars in Intervals' "Lock and Key" is a fantastic showcase of using tools both creatively and surgically. From clever widening tricks with Soundtoys MicroShift on mono sources, to adding attitude with Decapitator, creating depth with Little Plate, dynamic shaping with Waves OneKnob Filter, and crafting unique character with specialized instrument libraries like Una Corda and tone-shapers like Greg Wells PianoCentric, every move serves the song. It's all about making those synths dynamic and upfront without overshadowing the core instrumentation.

These are the kinds of real-world techniques that top mixers use every day. Imagine being able to watch pros like Sam Guaiana break down their entire process, track by track, explaining every plugin choice and mixing decision…

Well, you can! With Nail The Mix, you get exactly that. Every month, we deliver raw multitracks from huge metal and rock bands, and then you get to watch the original producer mix the song from scratch in an exclusive, live-streamed class. You can see precisely how they tackle challenges like blending synths and guitars, getting massive drum sounds, and making vocals sit perfectly.

If you loved these insights into Sam's Intervals mix, you can get the full session and even more knowledge by checking out his Nail The Mix "Lock and Key" session. Ready to stop guessing and start learning from the best? It's time to Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal Beyond Presets and see how far your mixes can go.