No. 0711990·heavy-metal·5 blocks

Painkiller

Judas Priest's fastest, most violent statement. On the 1990 title track, Glenn Tipton and K.K. Downing drove hot-humbucker Hamer solidbodies into cranked JCM800-era Marshalls, recorded by Chris Tsangarides at Miraval Studios in France. The rhythm is wall-of-Marshall high gain at roughly 200 BPM; Tipton's solo adds wah and screaming whammy dives. Standard tuning — the speed lives in the picking hand and a tight noise gate.

Painkiller coverPainkiller
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 9 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Hamer solidbody (Tipton/Downing, Painkiller era)
Pickups
HH
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Noise Gate
Deluxe Comp
Chrome
Scream 808
Brit 2204
4x12 1960 V30
Plate
Tilt
Noise Gate
← Rack noise gate (FRFR essential)
Cab
Threshold
-52dB
Decay
0.2s
Level
0
Deluxe Comp
← Studio compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-32dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
50ms
Release
250ms
Mix
35
Level
0dB
Chrome
← Dunlop Cry Baby
Wah
Mix
100
Level
0
Scream 808
← TS-style boost (FRFR tightener — not on the record)
Distortion
Gain
2
Tone
6
Level
8.5
Brit 2204
← Marshall JCM800-era head
Amp
Drive
7.8
Bass
5
Mid
6
Treble
7.2
Presence
6.8
ChVol
6.2
Master
10
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
4.5
Hum
5
Ripple
5
4x12 1960 V30
← Marshall 4x12 (Celestion-loaded)
Cab
LowCut90Hz
HighCut10500Hz
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Plate
← Studio plate (subtle)
Reverb
LowCut200Hz
HighCut7000Hz
Mix
10
Decay
0.4s
Predelay
20ms
Level
0
Tilt
← Tilt EQ (global brightness)
EQ
Tilt
0.5
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 — 0 of 3 complete
  • Helix 1 block missing from the file
    Which ones

    Not in the file: 4x12 1960 V30. 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 4 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Noise Gate, Studio Comp, Brit 800, Plate. 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: Lead, Noise Gate, 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
60.7% 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 ratedThis 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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