If you've wondered how to EQ metal guitar, especially for black metal, you've probably seen people using various plugins such as Fabfilter Pro Q-4, or some manner of expensive "magical" plugin that "unlocks" your guitar tone.
Let me tell you the truth:
You don't need any of that.
In my full YouTube walkthrough, I used nothing but stock Cubase EQ because any EQ plugin works.
That's because EQ has nothing to do with price: it has everything do with your ears and your decisions.
So if you're looking for metal guitar EQ tips, metal guitar EQ mixing strategies, or specifically how to EQ guitar for metal, here is my exact process that I use every single time I sculpt black metal guitar tone in a mix.
You Don't Need Fancy EQ Plugins
A lot of people assume that in order to sound professional with their metal guitar EQ settings, they need an expensive 3rd-party plugin.
Again, nope.
Stock EQ plugins in literally any DAW can:
- Filter
- Cut resonances
- Control midrange
- Shape upper mids
Some of them can even do dynamic EQ these days. And that's more than you need.
Seriously, EQ is not about "fixing a bad tone."
It's about clean-up, clarity, and enhancing what's already good about your black metal guitar tone.
If you don't have a great tone to start with, no amount of EQ will save it.
So if you struggle to create black metal guitar tones, grab some of my Neural DSP Metal Guitar Presets or check out the Metal Guitar Tone Workshop.
The Real Goal of EQ
Here's the biggest mindset shift you need to make:
EQ is not for making your guitar tone "sound good." You should already have a tone that you love before you start the EQ process.
Specifically, EQ is for removing:
- Cloudiness
- Nasal midrange
- Muddy lower mids
- Nasty whistles
- Ringing resonances
- Honky buildup
And enhancing a tone that already exists.
When you EQ metal guitar, you are not designing a tone, you're shaping clarity and helping it sit in a mix better.
The better your guitar tone, the better results you'll achieve with EQ and, ironically, the less amount of EQ you'll need to do.
If you struggle making tones, that's why my metal guitar simulator presets exist: you can tone that already sounds good and then you can practice EQ from there.
Step 1: Filtering (Containment)
Filtering is the easiest and fastest way to start controlling your guitar tone.
While this is not just specifically for black metal guitar tone, my example in my YouTube video is using one.
Typically, I'll do the following:
- High-pass filter up to around 100Hz. This cuts all of the low, boomy, unmusical information of a guitar tone.
- Low-pass filter around 7kHz. I often start here but it's not guaranteed that I'll stay here. This helps remove the harsh fizz and "digital white noise" type sounds that are up here.
Again, these are not automatic settings, but it's a good starting point.
Why filter first?
Because guitars are "broadband," meaning they produce frequencies and energy across the entire 0Hz to 20kHz spectrum, we need to start controlling and containing the guitar tone to get it out of the way of other elements in the mix.
I always start with filters.
Step Two: Upper Midrange (700Hz - 3kHz)
In my opinion, this is the most important EQ zone for metal guitar EQ settings.
Humans are extremely sensitive to this range, so even tiny EQ cuts will make a bigger perceptible difference to us in this range.
In short, this area helps control:
- Boxiness
- Honk
- Edge
- Clarity
- Body
- Definition
Why would we want to look at this section of the guitar tone before anything else?
Here is a classic example: somebody might put their guitar tone into the mix and automatically think, "Ah, it's not bright enough."
However, I'd wager that it's often got too much information in this range, which is overpowering the higher frequencies which gives us the impression that the guitar tone is dull when, in fact, it's too midrangey.
By cleaning up the upper mids, we'll often be greeted with a black metal guitar tone that is suddenly brighter.
In this blog format it's hard to explain with words, so I'd really suggest that you watch the full YouTube tutorial where you can hear exactly what I mean.
Step Three: Lower Midrange Control (200Hz - 500Hz)
So many people fall over themselves to "get the low end right." Well, let me ask: why?
Low end has bass guitar and kick drum. Pretty simple.
You know where metal mixes die a slow, agonizing death?
The midrange.
Too much midrange, and you've got:
- Cloudy, muffled guitars
- Muddy overall mix with no clarity
- Notes blurring into each other
- Bass disappearing
- Huge midrange bumps that overtake everything else
For guitars, there is a "secret" starting point that I like to use:
A small, -2dB cut at 400Hz.
It instantly opens the tone and makes the overall mix feel cleaner.
From there:
- Use dynamic EQ where needed to combat specific low midrange bumps
- Consider the Andy Sneap C4 Trick to control palm mutes
This area is the key to great black metal mixes... because low-end is simple.
Midrange is where the money is made.
Step Four: Kill Nasty Resonances (Carefully)
Every guitar tone has resonances. That's natural.
They're part of what makes a black metal guitar tone sound alive and energetic.
So with that said: not only is it impossible to "kill all the resonances", it's a bad idea to even try!
You'll neuter the guitar tone, make it washy, and all the energy you liked about it will be dead.
Your job here is to remove:
- The worst 2-4 whistles
- The most aggressive ringing peaks
- The resonances that rise above the tone
That's it.
And by the way, if you try to hunt for these resonances by making a small bell filter and boosting by 10dB to start sweeping, everything will should like shit.
So be wary of that.
Remove the ugliest offenders, then stop. A great way to do this is with the mix playing. In this case, it'll be very clear what resonances are ruining and masking your guitar tone.
Again: my YouTube video demonstrates this in detail.
Bonus EQ Tip #1
Now that you've done your rhythm guitars... you're probably wondering about lead guitars. Let me help you here.
Lead guitars should be even less full-range than the rhythm guitars, so we need to get them out of the way, otherwise lead guitars will:
- Mask rhythm guitars
- Clash with vocals
- Lose clarity
- Blur the mix
For lead guitars, it's relatively simple:
- High-pass / low-pass as we've discussed above
- Add a low shelf and dip out the lower midrange liberally to really thin it out
- Push upper mids/highs (if necessary) for note clarity
And that's it. Pretty simple!
Bonus EQ Tip #2: My "API Presence Boost Trick"
Sometimes I'll use an API-style EQ to add character.
Not always, but when I feel a black metal guitar tone can benefit from some extra life, I like to make a small bell boost at 7kHz.
It adds sparkle and a bit of high presence excitement without the harshness.
Final Thoughts EQ is Simple, Tone is Hard
EQ isn't magic.
EQ is about cleaning up and bringing out what is already there in a mix context.
If you struggle making great black metal tones in the first place, then check these out:
Remember, you can watch the full YouTube breakdown of these exact steps in action, so be sure to do that!