Liquid Studios

The EQ before the amp was even tighter than the Tube Screamer.

The reason is simple:

A Tube Screamer is a fixed circuit.

It tightens the guitar tone by cutting low end and pushing the midrange before the signal hits the amp, which is why it works so well for metal guitar tone.

But with an EQ plugin before the amp, you can choose exactly what frequencies are hitting the amp.

That means you can cut the low end precisely where it needs to be cut, push the midrange exactly where you want it, and bring out more pick attack before the amp starts distorting the signal.

The result is a tighter, clearer, more focused guitar tone in the full mix.

For metal guitars, this can be a game changer.

Especially if your guitars sound muddy, blurry, or buried once the full mix kicks in.

Watch the full video on YouTube to hear the Tube Screamer vs EQ comparison.

Are you team Tube Screamer or team EQ?

I’ve used Slate Trigger for YEARS…

…and somehow never realized it might actually be one of my favorite drum gates 🤯

This comparison surprised me.

When gating snare drums, especially with ghost notes, I expected Black Salt Audio Silencer to win.

But Trigger preserved WAY more attack and detail in the ghost notes while still cleaning up bleed.

Silencer still sounded great…

…but Trigger felt sharper and more natural for this application.

Would you pick:
🥁 Trigger
or
🥁 Silencer?

Full comparison on YouTube.