Recording approaches in metal music

What is it about?

The production of metal music has been claimed to have become standardised, which, in turn, leads to metal sounding increasingly alike. This study examines how leading metal music producers approach the recording phase of production. It does not support the claimed standardisation but rather documents individual approaches and a high degree of experimentation and artistic curiosity.

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Photo by Sourabh Belekar on Unsplash

Photo by Sourabh Belekar on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Metal music production is not understood well so far. Our study shows that despite the existence of audio engineering best practices, producers have a great deal of artistic freedom when recording metal music. The most successful metal producers are those who remain curious and continue to innovate their practice.