Producing and Mixing Guitars for Star Zero – King Saul
How Cameron Webb Built Width, Punch and Trust Into a Modern Rock Record
When Star Zero walked into the studio to record King Saul, the brief was not complicated.
They wanted punch. They wanted width. They wanted that unapologetic ‘90s energy.
However, getting there was not about stacking gain and hoping for the best.
It was about intention.
At the centre of it all was Cameron Webb, working closely with guitarist James and the band, shaping tones in real time, committing early, and building a mix that felt powerful without collapsing into noise.
This full process is broken down inside Cameron’s two song, two artist course, where you see exactly how he approached King Saul alongside a completely different production:
- Star Zero – King Saul
- Sailors Songbook – No One Lives Forever
Explore the full course here: https://promixacademy.com/course/mixing-modern-rock-with-cameron-webb/
Four Rhythm Guitars, Not Two
The core of King Saul was built around four rhythm tracks.
Two main rhythms, panned left and right.
Then two additional parts layered to widen the wall of guitars.
With only two tracks, it sounded solid. With four, it became cinematic.
However, here is the critical detail from the session:
They were not the same tone stacked repeatedly.
Cameron is very clear about this in the breakdown. If you simply layer identical amps with identical midrange focus, you do not get width. You get frequency build-up. Harshness. A narrow, aggressive blob.
Instead, they deliberately changed amps and tonal personalities.
Choosing the Right Amp for the Right Role
During tracking, the tones came from a range of classic and modern heads.
EVH 5150
Tight, focused, modern high gain.
Soldano SLO
Thick and harmonically rich, yet articulate.
Marshall Plexi / JMP
Cleaner, more open, allowing parts to punch without excessive saturation.
Bogner
Dense midrange muscle that contrasts beautifully with tighter modern tones.
Fender Princeton
Used for cleaner textures with a hint of breakup.
The strategy was simple but powerful:
Each amp spikes different frequencies. Each tone occupies a different pocket.
That is how the wall of guitars becomes wider instead of brighter.
Commit During Tracking, Not After
One of the most important lessons from this session is commitment.
Reverb textures, pedal effects, tonal shifts, they were dialled in as the band tracked. They were not added later as separate safety layers.
If a heavy section collapsed into a washed reverb tone, that happened in the performance.
If a cleaner part needed to cut, they chose a different amp.
This avoids what Cameron refers to indirectly in the session, endless stacking of unnecessary tracks. The core tones run through the whole song. Leads and alternate textures contrast them, rather than compete with them.
Less clutter. More impact.
Subtle Mixing Moves, Not Extreme Surgery
Once in the mix, the guitar processing was restrained.
You will see in the breakdown:
- A little low end trimmed to make space for bass
- Presence added around 6 to 7 kHz to help guitars sit on top
- Light compression on cleaner parts
- Brightening darker tones rather than reshaping them completely
No extreme EQ curves. No dramatic plugin chains.
The distortion comes from the amp. The mix simply positions it.
Oversaturating everything was avoided deliberately. As Cameron explains, if every guitar is maxed out, you just get a ball of noise. A slightly cleaner contrast part often punches harder than another fully distorted layer.
Contrast creates clarity.
Collaboration Is the Real Secret
Perhaps the most important takeaway from King Saul is not technical at all.
It is trust.
Cameron listens first. He studies the band’s influences. He understands what they are chasing. Sometimes that means turning an amp knob himself. Sometimes it means guiding them toward the tone they want but cannot yet articulate.
He brings the band into the mix stage. He asks for feedback.
And crucially, he interprets it.
If a guitarist says something feels off, it might not be about volume. It might be about brightness. It might be about phase. It might be about contrast.
This balance between leadership and collaboration is what elevates a recording from good to great.
Part of a Two Song, Two Artist Deep Dive
King Saul is just one half of the story.
In this 4-hour course, Cameron also breaks down:
Sailors Songbook – No One Lives Forever
On this track, you see a different flavour of rock production:
- Punchy, organic drums without overprocessing
- Shared reverbs for cohesion
- Early commitment to tones
- Subtle, stacked improvements that create impact
Together, these two productions show how the same producer adapts to different bands while maintaining clarity and authority.
Enrol here: https://promixacademy.com/course/mixing-modern-rock-with-cameron-webb/
If you want to understand how to build massive guitars without mud, how to manage heavy arrangements without losing focus, and how to guide a band toward their best sound, this course shows you exactly how it is done.
Not theory.
Real sessions. Real decisions. Real records.
