No. 1702006·stoner-metal·4 blocks

Open Casket

The crushing opener of The Sword's 2006 debut Age of Winters -- the record that helped relaunch riff-first retro doom for a new generation. J.D. Cronise tracked it DIY in Austin, self-produced, tuned two whole steps down to C standard. The voice is a thick, mid-rich British high-gain crunch: live, Cronise runs a 1979 Gibson Explorer into a cranked Orange OR100 and a 4x12 of Vintage 30s, but the debut itself was cut on a borrowed Laney AOR pushed by a Maxon DS-830 Distortion Master.

Age of Winters coverAge of Winters
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 7 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
1979 Gibson Explorer E2 (DiMarzio Super Distortion)
Pickups
HH
Tuning
bridge
Strings
C standard (C-F-A#-D#-G-C) -- 2 whole steps down
Noise Gate
Deluxe Comp
Hedgehog D9
Mandarin 80
4x12 Mandarin
Room
Noise Gate
← High-output pickups, down-tuned hum control
Effect
Threshold
-62dB
Decay
40s
Deluxe Comp
← Light tracking compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-28dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
50ms
Release
200ms
Mix
30
Level
0dB
Hedgehog D9
← Maxon DS-830 Distortion Master
Distortion
Drive
5.5
Gain
5.5
Tone
6
Level
6
Mandarin 80
← Laney AOR 100 / Orange OR100
Amp
Drive
7
Bass
6
Mid
7
Treble
6
Presence
5
ChVol
6
Master
7
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
5
Hum
5
Ripple
5
4x12 Mandarin
← Orange 4x12 (V30)
Cab
LowCut95Hz
HighCut7000Hz
Resonance
0.4
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Room
← DIY tracking-room ambience
Reverb
LowCut200Hz
HighCut6500Hz
Mix
12
Decay
1.2s
Predelay
14ms
Level
0

What we checked

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

Preset files — 0 of 3 complete
  • Helix 1 block missing from the file
    Which ones

    Not in the file: 4x12 Mandarin. 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.

  • Quad Cortex 6 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Gate, Studio Comp, Vermin Dist, Brit 2203, 2x12 Orange V30, Room 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.

  • Katana 3 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Lead, Booster, 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
54.1% of one chip — fits
Sources
3 cited, 1 from publications that do original gear reporting
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

The source doesn't name the mic — this is the standard choice for this sound, and what the chain above assumes.

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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