Effect Series: How to use Distortion

For this post, we've created a project that you can work on while going through the instructions. Click here to open it up in the studio.

If you have any questions, leave a comment below and our Audio Producer will reply!

Distortion is at the core of modern music production. By adding distortion, you bring out the overtones in your sounds, which makes them step forward in the mix. The effect can be blunt, like in the case of heavy metal guitars - but it can also spark up your instruments in a more subtle fashion. 

Open up the project here, and for this step, play tracks 1, 2 and 3 as you're going through the following steps. We'll get to track 4 and 5 in the coming weeks.

To quickly get a feeling for the mighty power of distortion, add the ‘Classic Dist’ effect on ‘Track 1 - Bass’.

While playing back the bassline, turn the Tone to about 9 o’clock, and gradually turn the Dist up to just over 12 o’clock. Now your bass is overflowing with overtones, which makes it pop out of the mix!

Do you have any questions on this? Reply with a comment and our Audio Producer will explain further! 

This time, we’re going to drastically change the sound of some percussion. The magic of distortion is its double whammy effect - it makes your instruments sound thicker and it makes them fit better into your mix. 

Open up the project here, and for this step, play tracks 1-4 as you’re going through the instructions. We’ll get to track 5 next week.

Now we have a percussion track in the project, but it takes too much focus in the mix. Distortion can make things sound more aggressive, but we can also use the effect to control our instruments so that they take up less space.

Apply the ‘Overdrive’ effect on ‘Track 4 - Percussion’, and turn both Dist and Tone to 4 o’clock. Now our percussion should be punchy, but still support the other instruments, rather than being the center of attention. Play with the Tone to find the setting that sounds best for you! 

Do you have any questions on this? Reply with a comment and our Audio Producer will explain further!

Now we’re turning to the mother of all distorted sounds - the distorted guitar. In the previous steps, we’ve explored distortion’s ability to shape sounds to fit in the mix. We’ve been quite shy in our use of distortion - we’ve barely noticed the effect. Another use of distortion is to make some sounds really stand out, and now we’re going to do just that!

Open up the project here, and play all the tracks as we move along. 

The guitar has the core melody of the tune, and because of that, we want it to take up a lot of space in the mix. Apply the ‘Fuzz’ effect on ‘Track 5 - Guitar’, and turn the Bite to max. Start sliding the Grain up, and stop when you think the effect is balanced. I prefer the Grain just underneath 9 o’clock, but if I feel crazy, I’ll turn it to 11 o’clock. Remember that your taste is your superpower - that is what sets you apart from other songwriters and producers!

After all these steps, we have a mix with a lot more character and grit than the project we started out with. Distortion mission accomplished! 

Do you have any questions on this? Reply with a comment and our Audio Producer will explain further!