No. 1961988·heavy-metal·4 blocks

The Evil That Men Do

Adrian Smith's most singing solo sits on top of the strangest amp Iron Maiden ever used. Seventh Son of a Seventh Son was tracked at Musicland in Munich with Martin Birch, and both guitarists were still running Gallien-Krueger 250ML solid-state combos rather than Marshalls -- 100 watts of transistor gain with onboard chorus and echo. A Super-Distortion-loaded Jackson into that GK overdrive channel is why the lead cuts so cleanly through the keyboard wash.

Seventh Son of a Seventh Son coverSeventh Son of a Seventh Son
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 10 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Jackson Custom Adrian Smith prototype (1986, white)
Pickups
HSS
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Noise Gate
Deluxe Comp
Hedgehog D9
Stupor OD
Jazz Rivet 120
2x12 Silver Bell
Adriatic Delay
Plate
Tilt
Noise Gate
← Studio noise gate (FRFR essential)
Cab
Threshold
-58dB
Decay
0.3s
Level
0
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-34dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
50ms
Release
250ms
Mix
35
Level
1dB
Hedgehog D9
← Gallien-Krueger 250ML overdrive channel
Distortion
Gain
6.5
Tone
6.5
Level
6
Stupor OD
← MXR Distortion+ (Smith's era pedalboard)
Distortion
Gain
5
Tone
6
Level
6.5
Jazz Rivet 120
← Gallien-Krueger 250ML solid-state combo
Amp
Drive
4
Bass
4
Mid
6
Treble
7
Presence
6
ChVol
6.5
Master
8
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
2.5
Hum
4
Ripple
4
2x12 Silver Bell
← Gallien-Krueger internal speakers
Cab
LowCut110Hz
HighCut9500Hz
Resonance
4
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Adriatic Delay
← Gallien-Krueger onboard echo
Delay
LowCut220Hz
HighCut4500Hz
Time
350ms
Feedback
18
Mix
16
Level
0
Plate
← Musicland studio plate
Reverb
LowCut160Hz
HighCut8000Hz
Mix
15
Decay
1.3s
Predelay
25ms
Level
0
Tilt
← Global tilt EQ
EQ
Tilt
0.6
CenterFreq
1000Hz
Level
0

What we checked

Computed by a program, on this recipe, every time this page is built. How this works

Preset files — 1 of 3 complete
  • Helix builds complete — every block in the recipe is in the file
  • Quad Cortex 5 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Gate, Studio Comp, Gold Drive, Jazz Chorus, 2x12 Jazz Cab. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

  • Katana 1 block missing from the file; 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Not in the file: Reverb. The recipe calls for this block, but we have no verified model ID for it on this platform, so the preset is written without it. Add it by hand using the settings above.

    Replaced with a stand-in: Crunch, Booster, Delay, Reverb. These load cleanly but are not the model named above — the file will sound wrong here until we map them. Set these blocks by hand.

Helix DSP
40.2% of one chip — fits
Sources
3 cited, 0 from publications that do original gear reporting — every source here is an aggregator, tab site, video, or wiki. Treat the gear list as less settled than usual.
Attribution
Not yet rated — This recipe predates the attribution-confidence field and hasn't been reviewed for it.
What we didn't check
  • Nobody played this through a real amp. There is no human listening test behind any number on this page.
  • The settings are reasoned from the sources below, not measured off the record.
  • No audio has been rendered for this recipe yet, so you cannot hear it before you load it.
  • 3 platforms on this page (TONEX, Kemper, Fractal) get a model pointer, not a preset file — nothing was built or checked for them.
The mic in this chain

Shure SM57

Still made, still the studio default. The cheapest part of this chain to get right.

Affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, and as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. The mic is listed because the chain uses it, not because anyone paid for the placement.

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