Mixing Septicflesh’s Epic Lead Guitars w/ Jens Bogren

Let’s be honest, mixing a band like Septicflesh is no small task. The arrangements are dense, the orchestrations are massive, and the guitars have to slice through it all with power and clarity. When it comes to lead guitars in a mix this epic, getting them to sit right—to be present, wide, and exciting without fighting the vocals—is a masterclass in itself.

So, how does a legend like Jens Bogren do it? It’s not about finding one magic plugin. It’s about a systematic workflow and a versatile template of effects designed to create space, add dimension, and strategically make room for what’s most important. We’re diving into the exact effects chain and techniques Jens used to make the Septicflesh leads shine.

Creating Space with Smart Delays

The first step in making a lead guitar feel huge is to give it its own sonic space. For Jens, this often starts with a combination of two distinct delay styles, both fed from his lead guitar tracks.

The Stereo Widener: Slate Digital Repeater

One of Jens’ go-to moves is to use a stereo delay to create width around the lead guitar without washing it out. The trick here is in the routing.

He sends the lead guitar signal to the delay using a mono send. This is key. It means no matter where the lead guitar is panned, the delay receives the same centered signal. The plugin then creates the stereo magic.

For this, he reaches for the Slate Digital Repeater, emulating a classic TC Electronic delay. He sets slightly different delay times for the left and right channels. The result? The dry guitar stays put, while the subtle repeats bloom out to the sides, creating a sense of width and space that feels natural and uncluttered.

The Character Delay: Roland Space Echo

To complement the clean, wide delay, Jens often pairs it with something that has a little more vibe and personality. His weapon of choice is frequently a Roland Space Echo RE-201 emulation, like the one from UAD or Arturia.

This is typically used as a more standard mono delay—think a quarter note or a dotted eighth note—but the Space Echo’s “built-in width” and warm, tape-like degradation add a unique texture. By blending this character-filled mono delay with the wider, cleaner stereo delay, he builds a complex and interesting ambience that helps the lead guitar feel more integrated into the mix.

Adding Dimension Beyond Delay

While delays do a lot of heavy lifting, they’re just one part of the equation. To truly make a lead sound three-dimensional, Jens employs subtle reverbs and widening effects.

The “Invisible” Reverb: Using Impulse Responses

When you think “reverb on metal guitars,” you might picture a mess of mud. That’s why Jens avoids typical algorithmic reverbs on leads. Instead, he opts for a specific Impulse Response (IR) from Cell Studios called “Clean Space.”

This IR is perfect for creating a sense of environment without the long, soupy tail of a traditional reverb. It adds a shimmery, clean space around the guitar, making it sound like it’s in a room without actually sounding “reverberated.” It’s an amazing trick for adding depth while maintaining clarity.

Widening with Chorus and Doublers

To push the dimension even further, Jens sometimes uses chorus or doubler effects—but not for that classic ‘80s chorus sound. He might grab a widening effect from a UAD plugin and use it to add another layer of stereo information.

A cool technique he uses is to pan the direct, unprocessed signal to one side and just the pitch-shifted, chorused signal to the other. This creates a massive, dimensional sound that can make a single lead line feel like it’s wrapping around your head. It’s all about using these tools to create space and make the lead guitar more interesting.

The Final Polish: Lead Bus Processing

All of these effects are great, but the real secret to making them work in a dense mix is how they’re controlled. Jens routes all his lead tracks and their effects to a master “Lead Bus,” where he applies some final, crucial processing.

Saturation for Bite and Harmonics

To help the leads cut through and to even out any harshness, Jens often adds a layer of saturation on the lead bus. This isn’t about heavy distortion; it’s about exciting the upper-mids and highs to generate new, pleasing harmonics. This can be done with tools like the iZotope Exciter or an Aural Exciter-style plugin. This subtle saturation helps the lead pop out from the rhythm guitars and cymbals. Learning how to use tools like this is a key part of advanced EQ and tonal shaping.

The Vocal “Ducker”: Sidechain Compression

This is the money-maker right here. How do you keep the lead guitar loud and proud without fighting the vocalist? Simple: get it out of the way automatically.

Jens puts a compressor on the lead guitar bus and sets up a sidechain input from the main vocal bus. This means the compressor only activates when the vocalist is singing. The result is that the lead guitar’s volume dips subtly—just a dB or two—every time the vocals come in. Because of auditory masking, you don’t actually hear the lead guitar getting quieter. You just perceive the vocals as being clearer and more upfront. It’s an elegant solution that creates perfect clarity and separation. This kind of dynamic control is one of the most powerful things you can learn about using an audio compressor in modern metal.

Bring These Techniques To Your Mixes

By combining smart delay routing, subtle reverbs, and clever bus processing, Jens Bogren creates lead guitar tones that are huge, exciting, and perfectly placed in the mix. These aren’t just tricks for symphonic metal; these are fundamental techniques you can apply to any genre to make your leads stand out.

Reading about these concepts is one thing, but seeing them in action is what truly connects the dots. Imagine watching a top-tier producer like Jens build this entire effects chain from scratch, explaining every plugin choice and automation move on the actual multitracks from a massive band. At Nail The Mix, that’s exactly what you get every single month. If you’re ready to move beyond presets and learn how the pros really do it, it’s time to check out our full library of courses and sessions.