When you see Nolly X, you can't escape Adam 'Nolly' Getgood, bassist and songwriter for the progressive metal band Periphery.
Not my cup of tea at all, but it's hard to argue with Nolly's obsession with V30s and getting great guitar tones.
As such, Neural DSP's Archetype: Nolly X is pretty much associated with modern metal, progressive tones, and all that you'd expect to hear from bands like Periphery.
And as usual, you may assume that it's not a great choice for black metal or extreme music in general.
That assumption couldn't be further from the truth.
The Truth About Nolly X
While Nolly X was designed with Nolly's tonal tastes and preferences geared towards modern-metal sounds, underneath all that polish is an amp simulator plugin capable of far darker, grittier tones.
If you're not sure what we are working with here, I can summarize quickly from Neural DSP's website:
- Four amp models (Bogner Shiva, Marshall JCM800 2203, Peavey 5150, Victory Kraken)
- Four cabinets with multiple speakers (Greeback, Creamback, V30, T75)
- Two dynamic, condenser, and ribbon microphones for each cabinet
- "Nolly's Mod" EQ section
- Lots of pedals (compressor, overdrive, delay, etc.)
This really is a well thought-out and balanced amp simulator which makes it adaptable.
When you get away from the "modern metal" mindset and twist some knobs, Nolly X becomes an extreme-metal powerhouse.
From Modern Metal to Blackened Fury
Honestly, I didn't care about Nolly X when it came out. I didn't buy it until it was already updated and I started making presets for Chernobyl Audio.
At first I was just doing it to create some products for some folks that requested it, but the more I experimented it creating presets, the more I realized that Nolly X had serious potential for black metal guitar tones.
Even though it was engineered with Nolly's tastes, it could still evoke icy rawness that black metal needs.
So, as usual, Nolly X isn't limited by its branding, it's all about who's moving the knobs... which... isn't new, I guess.
Anyway, that's why I used Nolly X to build my Legendary Black Metal Tones preset pack.
Legendary Black Metal Tones
The Legendary Black Metal Tones pack takes the power of Nolly X and pushes it toward dark and atmospheric black metal tones.
Its a collection of expertly crafted presets inspired by iconic black metal guitar tones from the likes of Bathory, Venom, Emperor, Immortal, Mayhem, Marduk, and more.
As such, the tones needed to sound real and authentic to the bands and sounds that inspired the presets...
And I knew I needed to do a good job or I was definitely going to hear about it!
You can check out the Legendary Black Metal Tones Preset Pack right here.
Why You Should Give Nolly X Another Look
Like I was saying above, most plugins are limited only by how people decided to use them.
While Nolly X is described as a modern metal plugin, the truth is that it's an amp simulator that is versatile.
So while you can do that modern metal thing, you can certainly also do black metal, which I have proven with my preset pack.