Quick Bandlab Setting for Metallers 🤘🤘

 MAIN ISSUE: Muddy Low-Mid Build Up (200Hz–400Hz)

Your mix is congested in the low-mid region.

This causes:
-Vocal losing clarity
-Guitar sounding “boxy”
-Kick and bass fighting each other
-Overall mix sounding amateur instead of polished

It’s not a performance problem. It’s not even arrangement.
It’s frequency masking.

And this is extremely common in BandLab mixes because:
-Default EQ presets boost warmth
-Mobile monitoring exaggerates low mids

No proper subtractive EQ was done

🎯 Why This Is Killing The Mix

When 200–400Hz is overloaded:
• The vocal doesn’t cut through
• The guitar loses definition
• The bass sounds undefined instead of powerful
• The whole song feels “closed” instead of “wide”



🔧 EXACT FIX (In BandLab)

Do this step-by-step.

1️⃣ On Vocal Track

Open EQ:
High-pass at 80–100Hz
Cut around 250Hz (−3dB to −5dB)
Slight boost at 5kHz (+2dB) for clarity
Add air at 10kHz (+2dB shelf)
Result: Vocal will float above the mix.

2️⃣ On Guitar
High-pass at 100Hz
Cut 300Hz (−3dB)
Boost 2kHz slightly for presence
If distorted: cut 4kHz slightly if harsh.

3️⃣ On Bass
Boost 80Hz slightly
Cut 250Hz
Do NOT boost low mids.
You want: Low-end = tight
Mid clarity = clean
Not muddy warmth.

4️⃣ On Master (Very Important)

BandLab mastering presets often compress too hard.
If you're using a preset: Turn the intensity down.

Then:

Gentle multiband compression
Slight high shelf +1.5dB at 10kHz

Keep LUFS around -12 to -10 (don’t squash)
If your waveform looks like a brick — you're overcompressing.

⚠️ Secondary Issue 

-Reverb is washing the center.

-BandLab default reverb tends to:

-Add too much decay

-Blur vocal consonants

Fix:

Shorter decay (under 2.2s)
Pre-delay around 40ms
Lower wet mix under 20%
You want atmosphere — not fog.

🧠 Brutal Truth

Right now: It sounds like a good demo.
Not a finished record.
The arrangement is fine. The vibe is there. But frequency balance is not controlled professionally yet.

And that’s 100% fixable.

🔥 If You Want Pro Level (BandLab Only Strategy)
Mix at LOW volume.
Check mix in mono.
Use reference track 

Stop boosting. Start cutting.

Professional mixes are clean because they REMOVE mud, not because they ADD shine.

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🔥 CORE RULE FOR METAL

Metal is NOT about boosting bass everywhere.

It’s about:

Tight sub (60–80Hz)

Scooped low-mid mud (200–350Hz)

Aggressive upper mids (2k–5k)

Controlled compression

If low-mids are messy → metal becomes garage rock.

🎤 VOCAL (Metal Style – Punchy & Cutting)

EQ

High-pass: 90Hz

Cut: 250Hz −4dB

Cut: 400Hz −2dB (if boxy)

Boost: 3kHz +3dB

Boost: 5kHz +2dB

High shelf: 10kHz +2dB

Compressor

Ratio: 4:1

Attack: 10ms

Release: 60ms

Gain reduction: 4–6dB

Optional:

Light saturation if available.

Goal: Vocal must sit ABOVE guitars, not inside them.

🎸 DISTORTED GUITAR (Heavy & Tight)

EQ

High-pass: 100Hz

Cut: 250Hz −3dB

Cut: 350Hz −2dB

Boost: 1.5kHz +2dB

Boost: 4kHz +2dB

Low-pass: 10kHz

Panning

Double track

Pan L 80 / R 80

Important:

Do NOT boost lows on guitar. Bass handles the weight.

🎸 BASS (Boosted Metal Low End – Tight Not Flabby)

We’re splitting tone idea mentally:

Low power + Mid growl.

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EQ

Boost: 60Hz +4dB

Boost: 80Hz +2dB

Cut: 250Hz −4dB

Boost: 700Hz +3dB

Boost: 1.5kHz +2dB

Compression

Ratio: 5:1

Attack: 25ms

Release: 80ms

Gain reduction: 6–8dB

This gives: Sub power + speaker growl.

If it sounds boomy → reduce 80Hz, not 60Hz.

🥁 DRUMS (Modern Metal Punch)

Kick

Boost 60–70Hz +4dB

Cut 250Hz −4dB

Boost 3kHz +4dB

Boost 5kHz +3dB

Compression: Fast attack, medium release.

Kick must “click” through guitars.

Snare

Boost 200Hz +2dB (body)

Boost 2kHz +3dB

Boost 5kHz +3dB

Cut 400Hz −3dB

Add short plate reverb (under 15% wet).

Overheads

High-pass 200Hz

Boost 8kHz +3dB

Keep cymbals bright but not harsh.

🎹 SYNTH (Metal Atmosphere Style)

For ambient width like modern cinematic metal:

EQ

High-pass: 150Hz

Cut: 300Hz −3dB

Boost: 8kHz +2dB

Stereo

Pan wide or use stereo enhancer lightly.

Keep synth out of low mids. It should float, not compete.

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🔥 MASTER BUS (BandLab Friendly)

DO NOT use heavy mastering preset.

Instead:

EQ

Cut 250Hz −2dB

Boost 8kHz +1.5dB

Multiband Compression

Low band: light compression

Mid band: moderate

High band: gentle

Target loudness: -10 LUFS max. Don’t brickwall it.

If waveform is flat rectangle → you killed dynamics.

⚔️ Metal Balance Formula

Kick + Bass = foundation

Guitars = wall

Vocal = blade

Synth = atmosphere

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If bass disappears on phone speaker → increase 700Hz on bass.

STOP!!!

🎛 HOW TO BOOST 700Hz IN BANDLAB (Mobile)

Step 1

Open your Bass Track

Step 2

Tap FX

Step 3

Add → EQ3-M or Parametric EQ

Use Parametric EQ (better control).

🎚 SETTING 700Hz CORRECTLY

In Parametric EQ you’ll see:

Low band

Mid band

High band

You want the MID band.

🎯 Exact Settings

Frequency: 700Hz

Gain: +2dB to +4dB

Q (Width): Medium (not too narrow, not too wide)

If Q is:

Too narrow → sounds honky

Too wide → affects too much range

Keep it moderate.

🔥 Why 700Hz?

Phone speakers cannot reproduce:

60Hz

80Hz

100Hz properly

So your deep bass disappears.

But 700Hz is “upper bass / low mid growl”.

When boosted slightly:

Bass becomes audible on small speakers

Still keeps sub power on big speakers

That’s how modern metal mixes translate.

Bands like Bring Me the Horizon and Architects use this mid presence trick.

⚠️ Brutal Warning

Do NOT boost 700Hz if:

Your bass already sounds muddy.

If muddy: First cut 250Hz (-3dB) 

Then boost 700Hz.

🎧 Quick Test

After boosting 700Hz:

Play on phone speaker.

Lower volume.

If bass still audible → correct.

If it sounds nasal → reduce to +2dB.

💀 Final Brutal Truth

Sub bass impresses in headphones. Mid bass makes money in real world speakers.

If your bass only sounds good on earbuds but vanishes on phone, you mixed for ego — not translation.

If mix sounds muddy → cut 250Hz everywhere slightly.

⚠️ BandLab Reality Check

BandLab stock plugins are limited.

To get closer to real metal mix:

Always mix at low volume.

Check in mono.

Compare to reference.

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🔥 BEST METAL FX CHAIN (BandLab PC)

On PC, always follow this order:

Gate → Amp → EQ → Compressor → (Optional Saturation)

Order matters.

If compressor is before EQ, you compress mud.

🎸 METAL GUITAR (PC Setup)

FX Chain:

Noise Gate

Amp Simulator (Modern Hi-Gain / Metal Lead Stack)

Graphic EQ or Parametric EQ

Compressor

AMP SETTINGS

Gain: 60–70%

Bass: 40–45%

Mid: 35–45%

Treble: 65%

Presence: 60%

Too much gain = blurry mix.

EQ (Parametric)

Band 1 → High Pass 100Hz

Band 2 → 250Hz −3dB

Band 3 → 1.5kHz +2dB

Band 4 → 4kHz +2dB

Low Pass → 10kHz

Pan: Main guitars L75 / R75

Not 100.

🔥 2-LAYER BASS (PC DETAILED VERSION)

Now we do this properly.

Duplicate your bass track.

Rename them:

Bass_SUB

Bass_GROWL

🥊 LAYER 1 — SUB (Foundation)

FX:

Compressor → Parametric EQ

EQ Setup:

Band 1: Low shelf 60Hz +4dB

Band 2: 80Hz +2dB

Band 3: 250Hz −4dB

Band 4: LOW PASS at 400Hz

Everything above 400Hz reduced.

This layer should sound: Deep and smooth. Almost like a sine wave.

Keep it 100% center.

⚔️ LAYER 2 — GROWL (Translation Layer)

FX:

Amp Sim → Parametric EQ → Compressor

Amp: Light drive, not fuzz.

EQ:

High Pass at 120Hz

700Hz +3dB

1.5kHz +2dB

250Hz −3dB

No sub frequencies here.

This layer sounds ugly alone. That’s correct.

🎚 Blend Method

Lower Growl track until:

You don’t notice it alone. But when muted, mix feels weak.

That’s correct blending.

🎛 WHERE EXACTLY TO SET 700Hz IN PC

Open Parametric EQ.

Click one of the mid nodes.

Drag it until frequency reads around:

700 Hz

Then adjust Gain +2 to +3 dB.

Set Q to medium width (around 1.0–1.5 if adjustable).

If it sounds nasal → reduce gain slightly.

🎤 VOCAL FOR METAL (PC VERSION)

Chain: Compressor → EQ → De-Esser → Reverb (send)

EQ: HPF 90Hz

250Hz −4dB

3kHz +3dB

5kHz +2dB

10kHz +2dB shelf

Compression: Ratio 4:1

Attack 10ms

Release 60ms

4–6dB reduction

Keep vocal center.

🥁 DRUM BUS (PC)

Kick: 60Hz +4dB

250Hz −4dB

3–5kHz +4dB

Snare: 200Hz +2dB

400Hz −3dB

5kHz +3dB

Overheads: HPF 200Hz

8kHz +3dB

🎧 EAR BUD + PHONE TRANSLATION RULE

Below 120Hz = mono

Never stereo widen bass

Never reverb on sub

Modern metal like Architects keeps low end extremely centered.

Width comes from guitars and ambience — not bass.

⚠️ BRUTAL PC MISTAKES

Overusing stereo widener

Too much master limiter

Boosting 250Hz everywhere

Maxing distortion gain

Mixing too loud

Always mix at low volume.

If it punches quietly, it will destroy loudly.

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Most people destroy their mix on earbuds because they:

Over-pan guitars 100% L/R

Make bass too wide

Put reverb in full stereo

Ignore mono compatibility

Earbuds exaggerate stereo width and low end imbalance. If your mix only sounds good on speakers, it’s not finished.

Let’s fix this properly.

🎧 THE CORRECT WAY TO PAN FOR EARBUDS (Metal Mix)

Think in 3 layers:

Center = Power

Mid width = Body

Wide edges = Atmosphere

If you don’t respect this hierarchy, earbuds will sound messy.

🔥 CENTER (Never Move These)

These stay 100% center:

Kick

Snare

Bass (sub frequencies always mono)

Lead vocal

If bass is stereo, earbuds lose punch instantly.

Brutal rule: Low frequencies below 120Hz must be mono.

🎸 GUITARS (The Correct Way)

Most beginners pan: L100 / R100

That sounds big on speakers but hollow on earbuds.

Correct metal pan:

Rhythm GTR 1 → L70–80

Rhythm GTR 2 → R70–80

Not 100.

Why? Because earbuds separate hard L/R too aggressively. You lose glue.

If you have 4 guitars:

Main pair: L80 / R80

Secondary pair: L50 / R50 (lower volume)

This keeps width but maintains center weight.

🎹 SYNTHS & PADS

Never full wide all the time.

Pads → L60 / R60

FX swells → automate from center to L70/R70

Arps → L30 / R30

Movement should be subtle, not extreme.

🎤 BACKING VOCALS

Double vocal → L40 / R40

Harmony stack → L60 / R60

Never hard pan harmonies unless stylistic.

🎧 REVERB RULE (Most Important)

Earbuds exaggerate stereo reverb.

If reverb is too wide: The mix sounds blurry.

Correct method in BandLab:

Keep reverb wet under 20%

Use shorter decay (under 2.2s)

If possible, keep reverb slightly narrower than full stereo

Reverb should feel behind the vocal, not around your head.

🧠 THE MONO TEST (Brutal Test)

In BandLab:

Temporarily collapse mix to mono (or use mono plugin if available).

If:

Guitars disappear

Synth vanishes

Vocal drops

Your stereo information is phase-cancelling.

Fix: Reduce width. Avoid stereo wideners.

🎯 Earbud Sweet Spot Formula

Center (0%) Kick, Snare, Bass, Lead Vocal

Mid Pan (30–60%) Backing vocals, secondary guitars

Wide (60–80%) Main guitars, pads

Never 100 unless special FX moment.

⚔️ Modern Metal Reference Behavior

Listen to how tight and centered low end is in bands like Bring Me the Horizon or Architects.

Even when guitars are wide, the punch stays in the middle.

That’s why it translates on:

Earbuds

Car speakers

Phone speaker

🚨 Biggest Mistake I Hear in BandLab Mixes

People pan to create width.

Pros use:

Contrast

Frequency separation

Automation

Width comes from arrangement and EQ — not extreme panning.

🔥 Final Brutal Truth

If your mix only sounds powerful when you turn it loud, it’s not balanced.

A correct pan mix:

Sounds full at low volume

Keeps punch in mono

Doesn’t feel dizzy in earbuds