Sea of Madness
Adrian Smith wrote Sea of Madness and it shows: the riff is chorused, chiming and mid-forward rather than heavy, because Somewhere in Time was cut on Gallien-Krueger solid-state combos instead of Marshalls. Guitars went down at Wisseloord with the rhythm section from Compass Point, Martin Birch producing, and the GK's onboard chorus and echo replaced the outboard rack. Bright transistor drive is what makes this riff sound like no other Maiden record.
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: Studio Comp, Gold Drive, Chorus, 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 2 blocks missing from the file; 5 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
Which ones
Not in the file: Delay, Reverb. The recipe calls for these blocks, but we have no verified model ID for them on this platform, so the preset is written without them. Add them by hand using the settings above.
Replaced with a stand-in: Crunch, Booster, FX, 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.
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.
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.
