Volumes’ Intro Impact: Daniel Braunstein’s ‘Bend’ Mix Breakdown

We all know it: those first 10-15 seconds of a song are make-or-break. They’re your handshake with the listener, your first chance to grab their attention and set the stage for everything that follows. In a killer session, producer Daniel Braunstein (known for his work with The Ghost Inside, Dayseeker, and of course, Volumes) walked through his process for mixing the intro to Volumes’ track “Bend.” The goal? To create an entrance that’s not just loud, but dynamic, intriguing, and perfectly tees up the rest of the song. Let’s dive into some of the techniques he used.

If you’re looking to see exactly how pros like Daniel craft these moments, Nail The Mix offers you a front-row seat, letting you learn directly from the best in the business. For this specific track, you can even grab the multi-tracks and watch Daniel’s full mix session right here. Let’s dive in!

Setting the Stage: Making the Intro Feel HUGE (By Starting Small)

Counterintuitively, one of the best ways to make a section hit hard is to make the part before it feel a little smaller or different. Daniel employs this strategy right from the get-go for “Bend.”

Strategic Level Control on the Mix Bus

Before diving into individual tracks, Daniel noticed the initial intro section felt a tad bigger than the part immediately following it. His first move? Ride the output gain on his mix bus compressor down by 1dB just for this intro.

Why not just automate the master fader? Daniel explains he wants his Ozone limiter on the master bus to always be clipping consistently at his target (e.g., -0.3 True Peak). Automating the master fader before the limiter would change how hard the signal hits it. By adjusting the level before the final limiter stage (on the mix bus compressor’s output), he ensures the limiter always sees a consistent input level from the main body of the song, while still allowing him to dynamically shape sections. This is a great tip for maintaining consistent loudness while using automation for impact.

Thinning Out Elements for Contrast

To further enhance this “smaller” feel, Daniel tackles an intro guitar. He uses RC-20 Retro Color to add some character. Initially, it was in mono, but he switches it to stereo for a bit of “weirdness,” which he likes because it sets up an expectation for something wider to come in later. He also adjusts its filter, starting it lower and then opening it up, creating a subtle movement. This initial thinning and filtering help the guitar sit back, making the subsequent sections feel more explosive.

Sculpting Those Intro Production Drums

The intro to “Bend” features “production drums” – programmed or sampled elements. Daniel’s goal here isn’t full-on slam yet, but rather a “small” and slightly “weird” sound that serves the intro’s atmosphere.

Giving the Snare Punch (Without Overdoing It)

A little snare in the intro needs some attention. Daniel reaches for PSP MicroWarmer to “juice it up a tiny bit.” He notices a sharp transient, almost a clip, at the top of the snare hit. To smooth this out and make it less pokey, he shaves off that transient.

There are two snare samples layered, and the second one has a low-mid resonance (around 200-300Hz) that he doesn’t want. Using an EQ, he dips this out, but crucially, he automates this EQ cut to only happen when that specific snare sample appears. He also shaves off some highs to make it sound “a bit cooler.” These detailed EQ strategies for mixing modern metal are vital for clean, impactful drums.

Taming the Kick for Clarity

The intro also features “stompy” kicks that need some control. Daniel opts for the classic API 2500 bus compressor (though any versatile VCA or FET compressor could work). To dial it in, he turns up the output super loud to clearly hear how the attack and release settings affect the kick’s envelope. He’s looking for more “click” and finds the settings that bring this out, then brings the level back to a suitable place.

Balancing the Lead Guitar in the Intro Space

An intro guitar lead needs to fit the overall sonic landscape of the song. Daniel notes that the lead in “Bend’s” intro has more mid-range than the rest of the track, which doesn’t have vocals yet.

EQing for Cohesion

To make it sit better, he dips out some of that excess mid-range (around 1-2kHz). He also lowers the overall level of this guitar lead. These adjustments ensure that when the main sections of the song kick in, the intro lead doesn’t feel out of place tonally.

A rising synth sweep also gets some attention, with Daniel “juicing it up” – likely with some gain or saturation – to ensure it has the energy to lift into the next section.

Automation: The Key to Dynamic Intros

Once the basic sounds are dialed in, Daniel moves into automation mode. He loops the intro section repeatedly to fine-tune every moment and squeeze the most impact out of it.

Enhancing Snare Impact with Room Automation

To make those initial snare hits really pop, he automates the snare room track. He trims the volume up significantly for the first two snare hits, giving them a burst of space and power, and then brings the level back down so it doesn’t overwhelm the mix. This kind of targeted automation adds excitement without cluttering the entire section.

Don’t Be Afraid to Revisit EQ Choices

Listening back, Daniel feels he might have gone a little overboard with an EQ move on one element, making it sound “stringy.” He revisits the EQ and dials it back for a smoother sound. He also notes his snare might be a touch loud overall and adjusts accordingly. Mixing is an iterative process!

Transitioning: When “Small” Needs to Get “Big”

As the intro transitions into the next, more powerful section, the role of the production drums changes. They’re no longer just atmospheric; they need to “knock properly” and carry the rhythm.

Making Production Drums Dominate

The production kick in this new section has some high-end “fizz” that Daniel doesn’t love, so he EQs that out. He also tackles some boxiness (often found in the 300-500Hz range).

Since these are “fake drums” (samples/programmed), Daniel feels he can take more liberties with processing to “heighten the senses.” He throws an imager (like Ozone Imager or similar) on the production drum bus to widen them out, giving them a larger-than-life feel.

Synths and Bass: The Low-End Foundation

With the drums hitting hard, Daniel turns his attention to the synths and bass, which are crucial for leading these sections and providing a solid low-end.

Carving Space for Synths

A new synth line enters, and Daniel works on it to create space, likely using a combination of EQ and level adjustments to ensure it sits well with the lead guitar and other elements.

Powerful Sidechaining for Kick Impact

To ensure the production kick cuts through and has maximum impact, Daniel sends it to his kick sidechain bus. This bus is likely feeding a compressor on other elements (like bass, synths, and maybe even guitars) causing them to duck slightly whenever the kick hits. He wants this production kick to have that same power as a main acoustic kick, “dipping everything out” momentarily. For more on this, check out these metal compression secrets.

He also focuses on the relationship between the programmed kick and the sub-bass, aiming to favor the sub frequencies in the kick itself over the low-mid, a common technique in modern metal for a clean yet powerful low end.

Achieving Consistent Bass with Compression

Daniel notices the bass guitar’s volume is a bit uneven. He wants it locked in, only moving when the sidechain from the kick is opening it up. To achieve this, he uses two compressors:

1. Waves MV2: This is a simple low-level/high-level compressor that’s great for evening out dynamics and bringing up quieter details.
2. A standard compressor: He follows the MV2 with another compressor, possibly with a lookahead function, to further clamp down on peaks and ensure a rock-solid foundation.

With the bass level now consistent, he EQs out some of the sub frequencies from the bass guitar itself, as the electronic kick drum is already providing plenty in that region. This prevents a muddy low-end and ensures clarity between the kick and bass.

Bringing It All Home

Daniel Braunstein’s approach to mixing the intro of Volumes’ “Bend” is a masterclass in dynamic shaping and attention to detail. From subtly making the intro smaller to allow the next section to feel bigger, to meticulous EQ and compression on individual elements, and smart automation to add excitement – every move serves the song.

Techniques like these are what separate a good mix from a great one. If you want to dive deeper and see how top-tier producers like Daniel Braunstein tackle full songs from start to finish, using the actual multi-tracks from bands like Volumes, then Nail The Mix is where you need to be. You can check out the full session right here. And if you’re ready to truly elevate your productions beyond presets and generic advice, explore how to Unlock Your Sound: Mixing Modern Metal & Beyond Presets.