So there you go... quad tracking guitars at home... and you probably noticed something.
Your "huge" guitar wall sounds kind of mushy...
Perhaps even a bit narrow.
Kind of underwhelming.
Confusing at first, because you've got four guitars all panned, so why does it almost sound like they are centered?
The entire issue comes down to one thing:
You used the exact same guitar tone on all four tracks.
Let's walk through why that destroys clarity and stereo width and how to actually make quad-tracked guitars sound huge, especially in context of a black metal guitar tone.
That said, this technique will work for any kind of extreme metal recording at home.
Everything I talk about in this blog post comes from my YouTube video on the subject, so you can watch the video and see everything I'm talking about demonstrated in a mix context.
The 3 Problems with Quad-Tracking the Same Tone
Number 1: You stacked the same frequency profile four times
Same tone x 4 = Same problems x 4.
Any honk, ring, mud, low-mid buildup, or harshness becomes four times louder.
That's why your quad-tracked guitars feel hard to mix.
Number 2: Phase issues everywhere.
When you blend identical tones with identical settings, you get frequencies that fight with each other.
Think about it: that exact tonal profile is fighting with itself to be heard, and as such, it'll go in and out of phase, which leads to:
- Washiness
- Smearing
- Lack of note definition
- Guitars that feel "soft"
This is the opposite of what we want for mixing metal guitars.
Number 3: Ironically, not very wide.
Quad tracking is supposed to make guitars wider, right?
Well... if the tones compliment each other, then yes.
But when all four tracks have the same spectral shape, you end up with thickness but not as much width or dimension as you might be looking for.
Real stereo width truly comes from contrast, not duplication.
This Fix: Pair Opposites
If you want wide, massive, mix-ready quad tracked guitars, the real trick is simple:
Blend two opposite tones, not four identical ones.
Here's the core idea:
- Tone A: More mid-focused, slightly darker, more body.
- Tone B: Brighter, more aggressive presence, different midrange curve.
When you hard-pan each pair 100% left and right, these differences create natural width, depth, and complexity.
This technique works for any tone you can think of...
- Black metal guitar tone
- Melodic death metal
- Modern metalcore
- Djent
- Old-school thrash
Basically, if you need thick rhythm guitars, it's gonna work.
The only caveat depends on you: can you track them well enough? That's a different question.
Step-By-Step: How I Do It
In my YouTube video here, I used two Aurora DSP Plugins.
- Tone A: Aurora DSP Diamond Sound (primary "main" tone)
- Tone B: Chainsaw-style Sound (secondary tone for width / texture)
Below is the exact workflow that you can replicate using any amp simulator, including the collection of Neural DSP presets I've made.
Step 1: Build One Good "Main Tone"
Start by crafting a single great guitar tone that can stand on its own.
Dial it in using drums and bass for context (especially cruck for how to get black metal guitar tone sitting nicely in a mix.)
When you solo it, the tone should already sound:
- Clear
- Punchy
- Tight
- Balanced
This is now your "anchor tone."
Step 2: Create a Second Tone That's the Opposite
Tone B should not be "better." It should be different.
When build this secondary tone, consider the following:
- If Tone A is bright, make Tone B darker.
- If Tone A has scooped mids, give Tone B more mids.
- If Tone A uses less gain, consider more gain with Tone B.
- If tone A is tight, make Tone B looser and grindier.
This complimentary relationship is what helps create true stereo width.
Think of it like blending two IRs but with actual entire amp chains instead.
Step 3: Blend the Two Tones Together
Don't worry if Tone B sounds a bit strange on it's own. It's not meant to stand alone.
Blend it lower than Tone A, somewhere between -4dB and -10dB is common. You're just looking to add a bit of oomph, body, and width by mixing Tone B into Tone A.
Boom.
Natural width. Natural impact.
A guitar wall that sounds bigger.
And best of all: still tight and clear.
Step 4: Simple EQ to Clean It Up
You don't need to butcher anything here. Remember, as I pointed out in my recent blog post ("How to EQ Black Metal Guitar Tone in 4 Easy Steps"), EQ is just meant to bring out what is already in the tone, not completely change it. (Because it really can't.)
Since we have tones that compliment each other, we just need to confine and control them to sit in the mix. Here is the TL;DR:
- High-Pass Filter around 80-100 Hz
- Low-Pass Filter from around 7 kHz
- My "secret" -2dB cut at 400 Hz
- Pull down obvious midrange honk
- Remove 1-2 harsh whistles
There ya go. Simple as can be. No magic. No hacks, no complicated shit.
This is how you get massive quad tracks without ruining clarity.
Why This Works for Black Metal
If you're wondering how to get black metal guitar tones that don't sound like total crap, consider quad tracking with this method.
The darker tone can fill space.
The brighter tone can add bite and note clarity.
Together, tremolo lines will feel wider, fuller, and more textured.
So whether you're doing black metal, death metal, doom metal... or using Neural DSP, NAM, TONEX, this method can work.
Want Mix-Ready Tones Without The Work?
If dialing in tones isn't your thing and you just wanna get started writing music and mixing, I've got you covered. You can grab any of my professional crafted presets at my website.
Awesome tone in seconds, write more music instead.