Jack Simpson
New member
I am a huge Metallica fan and I am interested in their recording techniques, I heard that James uses 8 mics on his guitar cabs. Does anyone know anything about Metallica's recordings?
Metallica recordings
- Thread starter Jack Simpson
- Start date
Mike Tholen
New member
8? LOL...
are you serious?
sounds like a god-damn nightmare.
are you serious?
sounds like a god-damn nightmare.
Track Rat
Just Your Average Sized Member
I've only heard a few of their recording tricks. They record the rhythm guitar tracks up to 30 times. There's so much guitar that they have to roll the bass off to make room for it. Also hear tell that after they track the drums, they run them through a large PA system and mic it and mix it back in. This is all anecdotal. Just stuff I've heard on other message boards.
Ragnar A. N-V
New member
I don't know that much about the guitar recordings, but the drums I know alittle about. If you have a DVD, buy the new Metallica dvd Classic albums, there they talk about the recordings.
What Lars talks about here is that they used over 40 mics to capture the room and individual drums. Bob Rock has a very large recording room and they used that to caputre the drums and get that big fat.................sound.
What Lars talks about here is that they used over 40 mics to capture the room and individual drums. Bob Rock has a very large recording room and they used that to caputre the drums and get that big fat.................sound.
That and lots of guitar tracks.
Chris Shaeffer
Peavey ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Very nice avatar, JF.....congrats. 
Jack Simpson
New member
Well, James had his cabs set up in 3 different rooms, that's why he had 8 mics on them.
rocky outcrop
New member
early stuff
find out about the later stuff as the early recordings (in my opinion) sound like the bass player was out of town when they mixed them.yuk
find out about the later stuff as the early recordings (in my opinion) sound like the bass player was out of town when they mixed them.yuk
nessbass
New member
I've recently read an interview with Jason Newsted. It was from 96, when they were doing the Load-Tour. There he explains, how he achieves his sound in the studio. The interview has been translated into german, so I will try to translate it, rather than give you the link. He says that he usually used a '82 Spector Bass and a '58 Fender Precision (also on the black album). For 'Until It Sleeps' he used a Zon fretless bass. Amp-wise he especially used SVT Tops, his main one was from the 70's. For the Load-album he also used Mesa/Boogie amps with 15" and 18" cabinets and an old 400 watts Fender with an 18" folded cab. In the studio, they used 3-4 different rooms for the amps. One for the Ampeg and Mesa/Boogie cabs, which were miked with ten (!) mics. Then they had another room for the Fender, that was used for the ultra-low frequencies. In addition, he used old Gibson amps and the Mini-Marshall Stack for the distortion sound. They miked that damned little thing with three microphones! The effects he used were MXR Flangers and Phasers, a SansAmp and a Tech 21 XXL distortion pedal. For noise effects, he used Mutrons. And finally, in addition to all that, they took a DI signal through an tube-DI box.
I know that for the recording of One, they used 4 mics for each speaker cabinet, a Shure SM57 angled at 45 degrees, a Neumann U87 in front of the speaker, an AKG room mic and a B&K 4006. And i think that for each guitar track they had 2 speaker cabinets, so yeah, at least 8 mics for each guitar line 
jimmys69
MOODerator
Not to mention that only 2, maybe a third mic was ever used to capture any of the 'metallica' tones. In another 9 years, there will be stories of 18 mics used at once. A thousand more stories later, and Lars will be the new messiah. A few chosen ones will be lifted to the 'Metallica Kingdom'. And we will all get a 'semi' watching the world end for those who await it's arrival of Cliff, who will save us all!
Ok, I went too far......
Cliff was a bass player/songwriter/person that deserves deep respect. R.I.P. I mean no disrespect at all. The 'Metallica Tone' is solely based upon the performance and style of J H., with great props to the writing with Cliff. Put that same tone in the hands of another and prepare to discuss how many, what type, where to place, blah blah.....
The exact expression of an instrument, can only be 'mimicked' by the creator of the expression. Trying to find a way to create 'that' tone by re-enacting the event is a complete waste of time. The tone lies within the performer.
IMO, finding your own 'tone' is the way to go. You can start by finding an idol's sound to base upon, but if you don't already have the blood of God's in ya?, you ain't never gonna sound like a metal icon man. It's just not karaoke-able in metal.
jimmys69
MOODerator
Tasty, well preserved, wrapped in foil, sour, runny.......POOP. But they can afford such luxury!