Life to lifeless amp settings — Hartke 3500
The Killswitch engage guitar tone for “Life to lifeless”, dialed in for a Hartke 3500 with a Squier Affinity Jazz Bass. Studio version, Alive or Just Breathing (2002)
Ibanez SR / Warwick Corvette 4-string (Drop C: C-G-C-F) with active EMG pickups into Ampeg SVT-CL / SVT-4PRO and Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI, played aggressive fingerstyle
| Knob | Setting (0–10) |
|---|---|
| Gain | 7 |
| Bass | 5 |
| Mid | 7 |
| Treble | 6 |
| Master | 4 |
01Boss OD-3 OverDrive
Gain boost to push the front-end with mild grit while preserving low-end
The Hartke 3500 features dual tube/solid-state preamps and a 10-band graphic EQ: set the tube preamp higher to introduce harmonic warmth and use the Contour Low Pass at 3 and High Pass at 6. On the graphic EQ, cut 30Hz slightly to prevent flub in Drop C, push 1kHz and 2kHz for signature metalcore pick/finger attack, and keep 250Hz moderate to avoid mud. The passive Jazz Bass single-coils have less output than Mike D's active EMGs, so the OD-3 is engaged with low drive and high level as a transparent grit and level booster without scooping your low end.
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