Tone creation tutorial · High gain
How to Create a Heavy Metal Tone in CrossWire
A tight, articulate high-gain rhythm chain built around controlled low end and upper-mid definition.
Quick answer
For a heavy metal rhythm tone, gate the input, use Tight and a low-drive/high-level Overdrive before the Peavey 5150 model, then use the V30 4x12 cabinet and a focused EQ. Keep amp gain below the maximum: tight filtering, the overdrive boost and cabinet high cut create the chug more reliably than extra gain.
Heavy Metal signal chain at a glance
- 1Inputavoid clipping before the gate
- 2Gatesilence idle noise between stops
- 3Tighttrim loose low end before gain
- 4ODlow drive and high level for attack
- 5Amp — Peavey 5150tight, aggressive high gain
- 6Cab — Celestion V30 4x12 Closedfocused lows and present upper mids
- 7EQhigh-pass rumble and shape mids
- 8Reverboptional, almost dry
- 9Outputleave mix-bus headroom
Guitar setup: Use a bridge humbucker and mute unwanted strings aggressively. This starting point assumes standard or lower tuning; adjust the Cab low cut upward if a down-tuned guitar gets loose.
Starting settings
Use these values as a repeatable first pass, then level-match the result against bypass before judging it. CrossWire controls use a 0–10 range unless a unit is shown.
| Stage | Starting values | Why it is here |
|---|---|---|
| Gate / Tight / OD | Gate threshold -55 dB · attack 1.0 · hold 0.8 · release 5.0; Tight 6.0; OD drive 1.0 · tone 5.5 · level 7.0 | This front end removes flub and keeps the first transient defined. |
| Amp / Cab | Gain 6.0 · Bass 4.5 · Mid 5.0 · Treble 6.0 · Presence 5.5 · Depth 4.0; Cab low cut 90 Hz · high cut 7.0 kHz | Moderate gain and controlled extremes make palm mutes readable. |
| EQ / Reverb | High-pass 80 Hz · -2 dB around 300 Hz · +1.5 dB around 1.5 kHz; Reverb size 2.0 · damp 7.0 · mix 0.8 | Use the EQ to make room, not to scoop the guitar out of the mix. |
Listen for: Palm mutes should start immediately and stop cleanly; open chords should retain midrange shape instead of becoming a white-noise wash.
Build this heavy metal tone in CrossWire
1. Solve the stops before the chugs
Set Gate threshold and release while muting the strings, then hold a sustained note. The gate should close idle noise yet leave the end of the note intact. Do this before adding more gain or filtering.
2. Build heaviness from the front end
Bring in Tight and the low-drive OD, then palm-mute a single low note. Raise Tight until the thump stops blooming, and use OD level for attack. This produces a more controlled rhythm sound than maxing the amp gain.
3. Judge it against drums, not silence
Loop a riff with a kick-and-snare reference. If the guitar masks the kick, raise the Cab low cut; if it disappears, restore the 1–2 kHz area. Keep the gain setting still while you make those mix decisions.
How to adapt the recipe
- For less fizz, lower the Cab high cut before reducing all Treble.
- For more pick attack, raise OD Level slightly or add a small 1.5–2 kHz EQ lift.
Modeling note: The high-gain stages are intentionally moderate. The gate, Tight node, cabinet filtering and midrange EQ create the fast stop-start behavior that makes a heavy rhythm part feel finished.
Troubleshooting the tone
- The gate cuts sustained notes
- lower its threshold or lengthen Release.
- The tone is flubby
- raise Cab low cut before reducing amp Bass.
Try the chain in CrossWire
Download the complete standalone app or use the CLAP plugin in your DAW. Build the baseline, then move one node at a time to make the tone your own.
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