Enter Sandman
Wah-cocked intro into massive rhythm crunch.
What is the Enter Sandman guitar tone?
The Enter Sandman guitar tone is wah-cocked intro into massive rhythm crunch, heard on Metallica's 1990s metal recording. It is a distorted riff tone, and Metallica reportedly tracked it with James Hetfield's ESP MX Explorer-style guitars with EMG pickups through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ blended with a Jose-modded Marshall, three rhythm tracks of the same riff stacked into a wall of guitars with Bob Rock at One on One Studios in Los Angeles. The weight comes from layered takes and controlled low end rather than from raw gain, which is the part most players overshoot.
You do not need that exact gear to land in the same place. What carries this sound is the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup choice and the order of the effects, and all four can be rebuilt on equipment that costs a fraction of the original. The numbers change from amp to amp, because a high-gain head and a small practice amp reach the same voicing from different knob positions. That translation is what Tonelify works out for the rig you actually own.
Enter Sandman amp settings: a starting point
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 2 for the main riff, with the bridge pickup. There is a second setting for the intro below.
- Gain 7
- Bass 5
- Middle 4
- Treble 7
- Presence 6
- Reverb 2
- Signal chain
- Wah-wah pedal (intro) → Chorus (intro) → Amp distortion
- The control that matters most
- Gain. The weight on records like this comes from layered takes, so a single track set this high already sounds bigger than the record does alone.
These positions are free and they are a starting point. A Katana, a Spark and a valve head reach this voicing from different knob positions, so Tonelify rewrites every value above for the amp and guitar you own. Your first match is free with an account, and needs no card.
Adapt these to my amp- Pickup
- Bridge pickup
These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. If you tell Tonelify which amp you own, it rewrites every value above for the controls that amp actually has.
Second sound
Enter Sandman amp settings for the intro
For the intro, start at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 3, with the neck or middle position.
- Gain 2
- Bass 5
- Middle 4
- Treble 7
- Presence 6
- Reverb 3
- Signal chain
- Wah-wah pedal → Chorus
- Where the song switches
- The song opens on a guitar through a chorus pedal, then an E minor chord through a wah, and the distorted guitars only build up to the main riff 56 seconds in.
- Pickup
- Neck or middle position
The same reference as the panel above: positions on a generic five-knob amp, a starting point rather than the settings on the record.
What gear did Metallica use on Enter Sandman?
James Hetfield's ESP MX Explorer-style guitars with EMG pickups through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ blended with a Jose-modded Marshall, three rhythm tracks of the same riff stacked into a wall of guitars with Bob Rock at One on One Studios in Los Angeles.
Sources: Wikipedia: Enter Sandman, Guitar.com: the gear used on Metallica's Black Album, Metallica Gear History: the Crunchberries Mark IIC+ and the IIC++
Tonelify reads that chain and translates it to the amp and guitar you already own, returning gain, bass, mids, treble and presence values along with a pickup position.
How do you get the Enter Sandman tone on your own amp?
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Enter Sandman tone questions
What amp settings do you need for Enter Sandman?
On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 2 for the main riff, with the bridge pickup, and at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 3 for the intro, with the neck or middle position. These are positions on a generic five-knob amp with gain, bass, middle, treble and presence, each running 0 to 10. They are a starting point, not the settings used on the record, and they will not transfer unchanged to an amp with a different gain structure or EQ voicing. Tonelify rewrites the same values for the specific amp and guitar you own, because a high-gain head and a small solid-state combo reach the same wah-cocked intro into massive rhythm crunch from different positions.
Does Enter Sandman use one amp setting or two?
Two. The song opens on a guitar through a chorus pedal, then an E minor chord through a wah, and the distorted guitars only build up to the main riff 56 seconds in. On a generic five-knob amp, start at Gain 7, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 2 for the main riff, and at Gain 2, Bass 5, Middle 4, Treble 7, Presence 6, Reverb 3 for the intro.
What is the most important control for the Enter Sandman tone?
Gain. The weight on records like this comes from layered takes, so a single track set this high already sounds bigger than the record does alone.
Can you get the Enter Sandman tone without the original gear?
Yes. The original was tracked with James Hetfield's ESP MX Explorer-style guitars with EMG pickups through a Mesa/Boogie Mark IIC++ blended with a Jose-modded Marshall, three rhythm tracks of the same riff stacked into a wall of guitars with Bob Rock at One on One Studios in Los Angeles, but the parts that define the sound are the gain structure, the EQ curve, the pickup position and the effects order. Those translate to other equipment, which is what the adaptation step does.
Is Enter Sandman a rhythm or a lead tone?
It is a riff part with a distorted character, from Metallica's 1990s metal catalogue.
Does Tonelify cost anything to try?
Your first match for your own gear is free with an account, and needs no card. After that both plans start with a 7-day free trial: Stage is $6.99 a month for 20 matches, Headliner is $10.99 a month for unlimited matching within a fair use limit of 150 new matches a day, and yearly billing works out cheaper on both. Reading this page and the rest of the library costs nothing and needs no account.
