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Daniel has been a guitarist for over 20 years, playing in several metal bands before deciding to become a full-time engineer. He has produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered heavy music throughout the United States and abroad. Daniel currently works alongside engineers Johnny Sohl and Marcus Lam. Creating a raw and intense sound, contact Liquid Studios to take your music to the next level! Services
New single from just dropped! Had the pleasure of mixing/mastering this one. Check it out 🤘🤘🤘
The Tube Screamer trick works…
But is it actually the BEST way to tighten up metal guitars?
For years, the classic metal guitar tone move has been:
Turn the amp gain down
Put a Tube Screamer in front
Drive at zero
Volume cranked
Push the amp harder
And honestly, that still works great.
But a bunch of people suggested using an EQ plugin before the amp instead, so I finally tested it.
The idea is simple:
A Tube Screamer tightens the tone with a fixed midrange-focused curve.
But with an EQ before the amp, you can control exactly which frequencies in your DI signal hit the amp.
That means tighter lows, less mud, more intentional mids, and a more focused pick attack.
And after testing it, I was genuinely surprised by how effective it was.
Full video is live now on YouTube.
Are you team Tube Screamer or team EQ?
06/30/2026
Is the Tube Screamer still the best way to tighten up metal guitars?
For years, the classic trick has been:
Turn the amp gain down
Put a Tube Screamer in front
Drive at zero
Volume cranked
Let the pedal tighten the signal before it hits the amp
And honestly… it works.
But after a bunch of comments suggested using an EQ plugin before the amp instead, I finally tested it.
Low gain amp only vs. Tube Screamer vs. pre-amp EQ.
And the EQ method might actually be even better.
In this week’s episode, I break down the exact EQ moves I used before the amp and show how each version sits in a full metal mix.
If your guitars sound muddy, blurry, or don’t punch through the mix, this one is for you.
Watch the full episode now on YouTube.
Are you team Tube Screamer or team EQ?
This is where the comparison got REALLY interesting 👀
I tested Slate Trigger’s hidden gate against Black Salt Audio Silencer on REAL tom tracks…
…and this was not the result I expected.
Trigger preserved more attack and detail in the tom hits 🔥
BUT
once the sustain opened up…
you started hearing more cymbal bleed.
Silencer did something really interesting:
Less attack detail…
but way cleaner sustain and more forgiving bleed control.
And honestly?
For toms… I think I’d pick Silencer.
Because once you start adding EQ later…
that extra bleed can become a problem FAST.
Which would you choose?
🥁 Maximum attack
OR
🔥 Cleaner sustain
Full comparison on YouTube.
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