Beyond Distortion: Essential Utility Pedals for Metal Guitarists

When we think about the perfect metal tone, we envision thick, heavy walls of distortion and high-gain pedals. And honestly, that's understandable since these are the backbones of metal guitar. But what happens when you want to fine-tune your sound and take it up a notch?

That's where utility pedals come in. This often overlooked category of effects can prevent your tone from turning into a messy cacophony and can tighten up your riffs and solos, especially in the context of a mix.

Today, let's explore what EQ, compressor, and noise-gate pedals can do for your tone and why you should consider adding these units to your pedalboard as soon as possible.

What Exactly Are Utility Pedals?

We can categorize utility pedals as any effects or tools that help you shape your tone and make it fit better in an overall mix, rather than adding a drastic change to it like a distortion or a chorus would do. Some of the most popular effects include:

• Compressors: Essential if you want to tighten up your tone, make it sound more even and studio-like.

• EQs: The best tool to shape your overall tone, especially when you need to scoop your mids or clean your low-end in a band setting, for example.

• Noise gates/Noise Suppressors: These pedals work differently, but they both eliminate noise in your setup, which is especially important for metal guitarists using lots of distortion.

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Compressor Pedals

Warm Audio Pedal76 - An all-around versatile compressor based on the classic 1176 rack unit

In essence, compression evens out the dynamics of an audio signal by making quieter parts louder and louder parts quieter. While distorted metal tones are already heavily compressed by nature, compressing it a little further can help avoid issues like a boomy low-end that clashes with the kick and the bass, or even create that extra bit of sustain for a solo.

Compression pedals are a must for clean, sparkly tones like the ones from Metallica's verses, though, as they add that final polish.

Now, many guitarists get confused by the multitude of knobs on a compressor pedal and by the fact that the effect doesn't seem to do much unless you bring everything up. However, it's pretty simple to understand the role of the effect once you experiment with it. Here's a breakdown of the most common controls you'll encounter:

• Level/Output: Controls the overall volume of the compressed signal. It's essential that you use this to match or boost your signal compared to your bypassed tone.

• Sustain/Compression: Adjusts how much the pedal compresses your signal. Higher settings increase sustain, while lower settings keep the tone more natural.

• Attack: Determines how fast the compressor will respond to your picking. Fast attack tames spikes and tightens everything up; slow attack lets the initial pick attack through, adding punch.

• Release: Sets how long the compression lasts after a note is played. Short release keeps riffs snappy, while longer release smooths out sustained notes.

• Blend / Mix (if available): Lets you mix your dry signal with the compressed signal.

EQ Pedals

EarthQuaker Devices Tone Job - An EQ/boost combo pedal that sounds good placed both before or after distortion units

An EQ pedal is the best thing you can add to your metal pedalboard after, of course, high-gain distortion. Sometimes the low, mid, and high knobs on your amp aren't enough to make your guitar cut through the mix or prevent it from clashing with other instruments, so having a dedicated unit can avoid a lot of headaches.

With an EQ pedal, you can sculpt your tone and boost or cut specific frequency ranges. For example, boosting the mids helps your guitar stay audible alongside bass and drums, and may also help palm-muted riffs from getting muddy. You can even put an EQ pedal in the effects loop of your amp, adjusting your tone post-preamp like you would in the studio.

Here are a few practical tips on how to use an EQ pedal for your metal tone:

• Tighten the Low End: Cut a little around 80–120Hz to prevent muddiness, especially with down-tuned guitars.

• Boost the Mids: Emphasize 600Hz–1.2kHz to help riffs cut through a dense mix.

• Add Presence: A slight boost around 3–4kHz can add bite and definition.

• Tame Harshness: Roll off extreme highs above 6–8kHz.

Noise Gate/Noise Suppressor

Carl Martin Noise Terminator - A basic yet effective noise gate pedal that works well with any type of metal tone

Since metal tone is often drenched in heavy-gain distortion, a noise gate or suppressor is a must-have in any setup.

A noise gate will completely cut your signal below a threshold, effectively acting as an automatic mute switch and preventing any noise between notes or when you're not playing. Noise suppressors, on the other hand, will only work on specific frequencies and preserve the decay of your tone, so you get a more natural response from it and prevent your sound from being abruptly cut off.

The choice between the two will depend on the material you're working with: for tight, rhythmic chugs, the aggressive nature of the noise-gate can be beneficial, but when you're dealing with busy melodic riffs or solos where you need a good amount of sustain, a suppressor will probably be your best bet.

Do You Really Need All Three? Building a Balanced Setup

While compressor, EQ, and noise-gate pedals can all bring huge benefits to a metal rig, you don't necessarily need all three to get a solid tone. It depends on your playing style, your gear, and the context in which you're performing.

A Compressor is essential if you rely on clean passages and verses or if your desired tone lacks that extra 10% to reach perfection. If you're only playing heavily distorted rhythm, you might get by without it.

An EQ is the most universally useful among all three, as it can open up new doors with your existing pedals and help you see your tone from other angles. If you're a minimalist, a high-gain distortion and an EQ will already take you quite far.

A Noise Gate/Suppressor is non-negotiable for high-gain players. If your tone is drenched in distortion, you'll want one to keep things clean and professional, and your bandmates will thank you for not flooding the mix with hiss and feedback.

Where to Place Utility Pedals in Your Signal Chain

While there's no single "correct" order and we definitely recommend you experiment with the placement of utility pedals, here are some tried-and-true guidelines:

• Compressor: Usually placed early in the chain, right after your guitar. This way, it evens out your raw signal and delivers a clean input to your distortion or overdrive pedals.

• EQ: Placement depends on your goal. In front of distortion, it shapes how your gain pedal or amp reacts. In the effects loop or after distortion, it works more like a studio EQ, sculpting the overall tone. Many metal guitarists actually use two EQs, one in each spot.

• Noise-Gate/Suppressor: Often placed after distortion to kill hiss and feedback where it's worst. Some players put one in front of their distortion and another in the effects loop for maximum control, a setup that's common in extreme metal.

Conclusion

Distortion pedals and amp heads might be the most flashy components of a metal rig, but without a proper foundation, your whole tone can fall apart pretty quickly, especially in a band context.

You don't need all three effects we discussed to get a great tone, but starting with an EQ is probably your best bet, as it will let you squeeze out more tones from your existing setup. From there, a compressor and a noise gate or suppressor might very well be the last piece of the puzzle that will bring your tone up a notch.

Written by Ian Sniesko from DeathCloud, curating the finest guitar pedals for tone chasers and gear heads alike.