How Henrik Udd Sculpts Architects’ Signature Guitar Tones

Let’s be real, the guitar tone on an Architects record is a force of nature. It’s huge, aggressive, impossibly tight, and sits perfectly in a dense, modern mix. For years, producer and mixer Henrik Udd has been the mastermind sculpting that sound, creating a benchmark for modern metalcore.

Ever wondered how he dials in that perfect blend of clarity and crushing weight? It’s not about one magic plugin, but a series of deliberate, often unconventional, moves that add up to something massive. We’re diving into some of Henrik Udd’s core techniques he uses to craft the Architects guitar sound. If you want to see him put it all together on the full song, you can do that in his Nail The Mix session.

It Starts with the Stereo Image: Cohesive Panning

A common instinct for heavy rhythm guitars is to pan them 100% hard left and right for maximum width. While that can work, Henrik takes a slightly different approach to make his mixes sound more cohesive and powerful.

Instead of pushing his main guitar groups and other wide stereo elements all the way to the edges, he pulls them in just a tiny bit. Think 90-95% instead of 100%. Why? Panning everything to the absolute extremes can sometimes make a mix feel disconnected, with a hole in the middle. By tucking the guitars in slightly, they feel more like a unified wall of sound, glued together with the bass and drums. It’s a subtle move that makes a huge difference in how “together” the final track feels.

Unconventional Grit: Saturation and Character

This is where Henrik’s approach gets really interesting. He uses a couple of surprising tools to add grit, saturation, and unique character to his guitars.

The Pro Tools Lo-Fi Trick

One of his go-to plugins is the stock Lo-Fi that comes with Pro Tools. But he’s not using it to make things sound like a busted cassette deck. Instead, he cranks the plugin to get an insane gain boost—we’re talking almost 40dB.

This slams the signal, creating a unique form of compression and almost distortion-like saturation. It’s an aggressive move that adds a specific bite and texture you can’t get from a standard distortion pedal or amp sim. He’s used this on everything from DI vocals to guitars to add a special effect and help elements cut through the mix in a very distinct way.

Vintage Filter Saturation

Another key plugin in his chain is the McDSP FilterBank. While it’s an EQ/filter plugin at its core, Henrik values it for the subtle, saturated character its filters impart on the sound. For him, there’s just something special about the way it processes the signal. He uses it on guitars and other elements not just for surgical cuts, but for the unique color and vibe it adds, helping to shape the tone in a musical, non-linear way.

Surgical Sculpting: Smart EQ and Compression

With the core character established, the final shaping comes from targeted compression and EQ.

Taming Frequencies with Multiband Compression

To control the guitars and make sure they sit right, Henrik turns to the Waves C4 Multiband Compressor. His approach is twofold:

1. Controlling the Highs: He applies heavy compression to the very top-end frequencies. This isn’t about killing the air, but about taming the harsh, fizzy “shit” that can build up in distorted guitars. It keeps the aggression without the ear fatigue.
2. Tightening the Lows: He also uses a band to control the low end. This prevents the palm mutes and chugs from becoming boomy or undefined, ensuring the low-end of the guitars works with the bass instead of fighting it.

This precise control is crucial for getting that polished, professional metalcore sound where everything has its place.

The Two-Step EQ Process

Henrik’s approach to EQ is a classic and effective two-step process: cut first, then boost.

Step 1: Subtractive EQ for Clarity

First, he goes hunting for problematic frequencies. By listening at a relatively low volume, he can more easily hear the nasty resonances, boxiness, or mud that muddy up the tone. He uses narrow EQ bands to notch these frequencies out. A key piece of advice he follows is not to get too crazy with the cuts, because if you take out too much, you can suck the life and aggression right out of the guitar.

Step 2: Additive EQ for Body

Once the junk is cleared out, he then uses broader EQ curves to add back what the tone needs. This is where he might add some low-mid “body” or enhance the upper-midrange bite to help the guitars sit forward in the mix. By cleaning up the tone first, these boosts become much more effective and musical.

Bring These Architects Tones Into YOUR Mixes

So, to recap Henrik Udd’s approach to those massive Architects guitars:

• Slightly Narrow Panning: Pull guitars in from 100% to create a more cohesive wall of sound.
• Creative Saturation: Use unconventional tools like the Pro Tools Lo-Fi plugin for aggressive character.
• Targeted Multiband Compression: Tame high-end fizz and control low-end boom with a plugin like the Waves C4.
• Cut-Then-Boost EQ: Clean up problem frequencies first, then enhance the core tone.

These are killer techniques you can apply to your own productions right now. But seeing a list of tips is one thing… watching a pro like Henrik Udd actually apply them to the real multitracks is another level entirely.

At Nail The Mix, you don’t just learn the theory; you watch world-class producers mix massive songs from bands like Architects, Gojira, and Periphery from scratch. You get the raw audio files to mix alongside them, see every plugin chain, every automation move, and hear every decision explained. If you’re serious about moving beyond presets to unlock your sound, there’s no better way.

Check out Henrik Udd’s full session and learn how he mixed an iconic Architects track from start to finish.

Watch Henrik Udd Mix Architects on Nail The Mix