No. 1231996·alternative-metal·5 blocks

People of the Sun

One of Morello's most ingenious noises: the main 'riff' of People of the Sun is made by scraping a hex (Allen) wrench across the strings between the pickups, not by fretting notes — a metallic, machine-like screech that became an Evil Empire signature. Underneath it is his usual rig in Drop D: the 'Arm the Homeless' custom into the 50-watt Marshall JCM800 2205 and Peavey 4x12. The Whammy adds dive-bomb squeals over the chorus. The tone itself is plain mid-forward Marshall crunch — the magic is the technique sitting on top of it.

Evil Empire coverEvil Empire
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 8 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
'Arm the Homeless' custom (Performance body / Kramer neck)
Pickups
HH
Tuning
bridge
Strings
drop_d
Noise Gate
Deluxe Comp
Pitch Wham
Brit 2204
4x12 Mars G12-65
Simple Delay
Tilt
Noise Gate
← Studio noise gate (FRFR essential)
Cab
Threshold
-50dB
Decay
0.2s
Level
0
Deluxe Comp
← Tracking compression
Dynamics
Threshold
-32dB
Ratio
2:1
Knee
6dB
Attack
25ms
Release
150ms
Mix
40
Level
0dB
Pitch Wham
← DigiTech Whammy WH-1
Pitch/Synth
Mix
100
Level
0
Brit 2204
← Marshall JCM800 2205 (50W)
Amp
Drive
8.5
Bass
10
Mid
9
Treble
7
Presence
7
ChVol
5
Master
8
Bias
5
BiasX
5
Sag
4.5
Hum
5
Ripple
5
4x12 Mars G12-65
← Peavey 4x12 (Celestion G12K-85)
Cab
LowCut90Hz
HighCut9500Hz
Resonance
0.5
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
Simple Delay
← Boss DD-3 (FX loop)
Delay
LowCut200Hz
HighCut6000Hz
Time
360ms
Feedback
4
Mix
16
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 Mars G12-65. 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 5 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Noise Gate, Studio Comp, Brit 2203, 4x12 G12-65, Tilt EQ. 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, Noise Gate, Delay. 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
54.8% 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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