I'd imagine that people are curious how I make guitar tone presets and wonder if it's as simple as loading up a Neural DSP plugin, turning a few knobs, and calling it a day.
I can tell you right now that couldn't be further from the truth.
Creating professional, mix-ready tones, ones that actually sound like they belong in the genre and are actually useful for real songs, takes time, testing, and deep understanding of what makes each metal subgenre work.
Here's a peak into how I build every preset pack for Chernobyl Audio, be that with Neural DSP, ToneX, or Neural Amp Modeler.
Step 1: Study the Genre
Death metal isn't black metal. Doom metal isn't black metal. Yeah, that's quite obvious, but it's important.
When I built my Second Wave Black Metal tone pack, I wasn't in the same mindset as I was when I made presets for modern death metal or doom metal.
Even though I'm a fan of these genres, I need to spend time listening to the overall sound of the mix and what the bands are doing.
- How do the guitar tones sit in the mix?
- Is there a special character in the distortion?
- How much gain is in the tone?
- Is it a really scooped sound, or a midrange-dominant sound?
- Is it cold and razor-sharp?
- Is the sound more modern or old-school?
You see, there are a lot of things to consider, because the sonic DNA decides everything that follows.
Step 2: Pick the Right Neural DSP Plugin
Once I figure out the direction I need to go in, I figure out which Neural DSP amp sim will best capture it.
This step is important because the Neural DSP plugins are different from each other, and it could be easier or more difficult to get the sounds I need depending on what I'm creating.
For example:
- Fortin Nameless Suite X is great for raw aggression and tight chugs.
- Neural DSP Gojira X is fantastic for high-gain, mid-focused sounds.
- Nolly X is extremely versatile because of the amp/cabinet selection.
- Omega Ampworks Granophyre is dirty.
The plugin choice matters so much due to the amp character and the cabinet/speaker combination that is included.
Matching the character to the genre is half the battle.
Step 3: Learn the Riffs
Before I touch the settings, I learn a few riffs from the bands I'll try to emulate.
This matters because tuning and playing style can play a large factor in how I have to shape the tone.
There are things you have to do with a guitar tone in Drop A that you don't (or can't) do with a guitar tone meant to be played in Standard E.
And honestly, there is no better way to understand that than to play the music!
This also gives me reference material with riffs that represent how the frequencies pop out and what kind of response the tone needs to have.
Step 4: Record and Remove Distractions
Once I have a good idea of the riffs and I've decided on which metal amp simulator I'm going to use, it's time to focus on tone crafting. I do that by recording riffs in Cubase.
Why do I record the riffs instead of jamming the guitar at the same time?
Simple.
Playing the guitar at the same time is distracting: acoustics from the guitar in the room, pick noise, string resonance, etc., get in the way of the tone coming from the speakers.
I do not care what the tone sounds like with the guitar in the room, I need to hear the clear and clean tone coming from my EVE Audio SC207 monitors!
So when I insert the Neural DSP amp sim of choice, I can hear just the tone and nothing else.
That clarity is what let's me shape the tone accurately.
Pro Tip: If you want to do this yourself, I'd recommend that you double-track the guitars so you can get a real-world example of how the tone sounds in a double-tracked scenario.
Step 5: Dial In the Settings
There is where the fun (and hours of tweaking) begins.
I reference each tone with the band and album I've decided to emulate, and I get to work by:
- Dialing in the microphone/cabinet position
- Adjusting gain structure
- Tweaking the tone-stack to refine my microphone/cabinet position
- Adjust the pedal section for tighter gain
- Kick in the included reverb, delay, and chorus settings (like I did in the Atmospheric Black Metal Vol 1 pack).
Every change gets tested against the reference track playing. I will literally play my DI riffs alongside the music to see if the tonal characteristics are on point and make sense.
Step 6: Test in a Quick Mix
This is where the rubber meets the road.
It's one thing to dial in the tone with the reference mix, and quite another to use the tone in my own, creative way.
So after dialing in the tones, I drop them into a test mix with drums, bass, and maybe even some vocals if I have them.
This is when I really know if the tone sits well with other musical elements and if the tone will work or not in the real world.
If a preset doesn't immediately work, it goes back on the work bench and I keep tweaking it until it feels right.
It's that simple.
Because a tone might sound huge by itself, but it could completely vanish in a mix with cymbals and vocals and I'm not interested in releasing metal guitar presets that don't work in a mix.
The Final Result
By the time a preset pack goes up on Chernobyl Audio, it's been through hours of testing, dozens of iterations, and multiple mix checks.
This process is precisely why all of my guitar tone presets are highly rated and well-received by musicians that invest in them.
Not only do they work, but they sound great and work in a mix context.
So it's not just about making a "cool" guitar tone preset, it's about making metal guitar tone presets that you can actually use to write and record real songs.
That's why musicians like you keep coming back to these packs: they're tested and taken seriously in exact same way I'd treat a client project.
Check Out My Metal Amp Sim Presets
If you want tones built through this process, designed for fast songwriting, inspiration, and actually sound amazing, you can check out my Metal Guitar Amp Simulator Preset Packs right here.
You'll find preset packs for:
- Gojira X
- Fortin Nameless Suite X
- Nolly X
- Omega Ampworks Granophyre
- Plini X
Additionally, I have created packs for Neural Amp Modeler and I'm working on ToneX as well.
Each pack gives you a ready-to-go tone so you can stop tweaking and start writing music.
Because let's be honest... great riffs often come from great guitar tones!