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===Metal===
'''Metal''' is based on distorted treble frequencies over others. The bass comes through clean and tight, only compressed, while the high-end is filled with saturated, harmonic overtones. Notes and power chords in riffs have a tight response - all the notes can be fairly clearly distinguished, even when playing at fast tempos. Chords have most notes come through well enough to be distinguished, but can get too harsh and noisy for bigger chords. Palm mutes sound thick and rattle the walls, while having the signature ''djent'' sound in the upper mids and highs, emphasizing each stroke.
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== Pre-EQ ==
I don't have a preference of parametric EQ vs. graphic EQ here. Usually you can make settings on either one for the exact same effect, because I'm not doing any narrow or extreme boosts/cuts. I just find it generally easier to find the sweet spots using a parametric EQ - trying to adjust the graphic means moving more sliders (or turning more knobs), but it does have the advantage that you can visually see how you're impacting the signal.
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== Boosts ==
Some pedals are purely called boosters, or treble boosters. These are more common in vintage rigs, used to overdrive amps with a rather bright tone. I tend to find they can overemphasize treble for modern purposes; however, they are simpler to use.
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== Mixing Multiple Distortions ==
=== Multiple Distortion Pedals ===
This is usually a recipe for disaster, but sometimes you want that kind of out-of-control tone. Multiple pedals works ok here because they typically have less resonance and a tighter response than tube distortion. Thus, you can contrast the crazy distortion with dynamic control and mutes. You usually want to mix a fuzz pedal with a distortion, both with medium (crunch-level) distortion.
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== Compression vs. Distortion ==
You can also try using the compressor after the distortion, but I find this tends to over-emphasize distortion in attack and sounds a bit artificial. Of course, this is a bit different when adding a limiter in the DAW, which is also post-distortion compression. That tends to help achieve loudness in a mix but isn't quite what I'm talking about here, which is a larger compression used to thicken up the entire guitar tone rather than tame peaks. Even so, a mild compression can work well.
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== Battling Harshness or Thin-ness ==