No. 2221985·metal·5 blocks

Unchain the Night

One year after Tooth and Nail's solid-state Randalls, Lynch is back on tubes and the guitar sound is unrecognisable. Producer Michael Wagener's account of these Amigo Studios sessions describes two Marshalls and two Laneys split by frequency, a cabinet in a tiled bathroom, sixteen microphones bussed to one channel, and a Fostex 4-track deliberately driven into overdrive under a blanket beneath the console. Almost none of this tone is the amp.

Under Lock and Key coverUnder Lock and Key
Settings for
Signal path · input → output · 10 blocksLive values · Line 6 Helix
Guitar
Sunburst 'Tiger' super-strat (Lynch's own 1980 build)
Pickups
H
Tuning
bridge
Strings
standard
Noise Gate
Deluxe Comp
Scream 808
Brit 2203
4x12 Greenback 25
70s Chorus
Cali Q Graphic
Simple Delay
Tile
Noise Gate
← Gain-structure housekeeping
Cab
Threshold
-55dB
Decay
45s
Deluxe Comp
← Fostex 4-track saturation / MCI 500 bus
Dynamics
Threshold
-24dB
Ratio
4:1
Knee
2dB
Attack
15ms
Release
180ms
Mix
65
Level
1.5dB
Scream 808
← Tube Screamer-style front-end boost
Distortion
Drive
2
Tone
6
Level
8
Brit 2203
← Lee Jackson-modified Marshall
Amp
Drive
7.5
Bass
4
Mid
6
Treble
7
Presence
6
ChVol
5
Master
7
Bias
6.5
BiasX
5.5
Sag
5.5
Hum
3
Ripple
4
4x12 Greenback 25
← Marshall and Laney 4x12s across three rooms
Cab
LowCut90Hz
HighCut6800Hz
Resonance
7
Level
0dB
Pan
0.5
Delay
0
70s Chorus
← Boss chorus on the dead-room Laney
Reverb
Rate
0.3Hz
Depth
18
Mix
22
Level
0
Cali Q Graphic
← UREI 530 across the guitar bus
EQ
80Hz
-2dB
240Hz
-1dB
750Hz
1.5dB
2200Hz
2dB
6600Hz
-1.5dB
Level
0
Simple Delay
← Amigo outboard delay
Delay
LowCut350Hz
HighCut4000Hz
Time
310ms
Feedback
10
Mix
8
Level
0
Tile
← Marshall 4x12 in Amigo's tiled bathroom
Reverb
LowCut260Hz
HighCut7200Hz
Mix
15
Decay
0.9s
Predelay
12ms
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 2 blocks missing from the file
    Which ones

    Not in the file: Cali Q Graphic, Tile. 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.

  • Quad Cortex 7 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Replaced with a stand-in: Noise Gate, Studio Comp, Green 808, Brit 2203, 4x12 Greenback, Chorus, 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 2 blocks missing from the file; 5 blocks replaced with a stand-in model
    Which ones

    Not in the file: Delay, Room. 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: Brown, Booster, Chorus, Delay, Room. 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
50.9% of one chip — fits
Sources
4 cited, 1 from publications that do original gear reporting
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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