So you wanna make post hardcore music? Man, I remember being in your shoes. That frustration of trying to blend melodic beauty with raw aggression and having it come out sounding like a cat fight in a dumpster. It took me years of trial and error to figure this stuff out - spilled coffee on mixing consoles, blown guitar amps, vocal cords that felt like sandpaper. But guess what? You can shortcut that process.
Making post-hardcore isn't just about stacking distortion pedals until your ears bleed. It's this beautiful chaos where Fugazi meets At the Drive-In, where Thursday collides with Dance Gavin Dance. That tension between melody and mayhem? That's the sweet spot. And I'm gonna walk you through exactly how to hit it.
The DNA of Post Hardcore: What You Absolutely Need
Look, before we dive into gear and techniques, we gotta understand what makes this genre tick. Post-hardcore lives in contradictions. It's the musical equivalent of hugging someone while punching a wall. Forget rigid formulas - we're talking organized chaos here.
The Non-Negotiable Elements
- Dynamic vocals - You need both clean singing and harsh vocals. Not just screaming, but emotional screaming. That crack in the voice when it's about to break? Gold.
- Guitar textures - We're not just chugging open E here. You need angular riffs, dissonant chords, and clean arpeggios that cut through like glass shards.
- Rhythmic tension - Drums that switch from half-time sludge to blast beats without warning. Bass that's melodic but still punches you in the gut.
- Emotional whiplash - Those quiet/loud transitions shouldn't feel predictable. They should feel like panic attacks or sudden moments of clarity.
Seriously, if your demo doesn't make your mom uncomfortable, are you even making post-hardcore?
Song Structure Secrets
Traditional verse-chorus structure? Throw it out the window. Post-hardcore breathes through unconventional forms. Try this instead:
| Section | Purpose | Real Example |
|---|---|---|
| Ambient Intro | Set emotional tone | Thrice - "Of Dust and Nations" |
| Verse 1 (Clean) | Establish narrative | Circa Survive - "Act Appalled" |
| Chaotic Transition | Disrupt expectations | Every Time I Die - "Ebolarama" |
| Scream-heavy Chorus | Emotional release | Underoath - "Writing on the Walls" |
| Instrumental Breakdown | Build tension | Glassjaw - "Ape Dos Mil" |
| Dynamic Dropout | Create vulnerability | Saosin - "Seven Years" |
| Cathartic Outro | Leave listener drained | La Dispute - "King Park" |
The magic happens in those transitions. When I produced my band's first EP, we spent more time on the 2-second gaps between sections than the riffs themselves. That's where the emotion lives.
Gear Talk: What Actually Works Without Killing Your Wallet
Alright, let's cut through the gearhead BS. You don't need a $3,000 guitar to make great post-hardcore. I've seen killer records made with Squiers and pawn shop finds. Here's what matters:
Guitar Rig Essentials
Your tone needs versatility. One minute you're playing sparkling cleans, next minute you're tearing speaker cones. After testing dozens of setups, here's what delivers:
| Component | Budget Option ($) | Mid-tier ($$) | Splurge ($$$) | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guitar | Squier Contemporary ($349) | Fender Player Series ($799) | Mayones Regius Core ($3,500) | Humbuckers for heaviness + single coil position for cleans |
| Amp | Positive Grid Spark ($299) | BOSS Katana MKII ($369) | Fractal Axe-FX III ($2,500) | You need amp modeling versatility for quick tone shifts |
| Pedalboard | Mooer GE200 ($229) | Line 6 HX Stomp ($649) | Neural DSP Quad Cortex ($1,850) | Essential for texture changes mid-song |
| Must-Have Effects | Tube Screamer clone + Hall Reverb | EQD Plumes + Strymon Timeline | Klon Centaur + Strymon BigSky | Stack drives for grit, ambient effects for atmosphere |
My personal rig? A Japanese Telecaster Deluxe ($750 used) into a Neural DSP plugin ($129). Sounds just as good as fancy tube amps without the hearing damage. Fight me.
Vocal Setup That Won't Destroy Your Throat
Seeing vocalists blow their cords after three shows makes me cringe. Proper technique saves careers:
- Mic: Shure SM7B ($399) - handles screams without peaking
- Interface: Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 ($160) - clean preamps
- Essential FX Chain: De-esser → EQ (cut 300Hz boom) → Compression (4:1 ratio) → Plate Reverb
- Warmup: Melissa Cross' "Zen of Screaming" ($35) - saved my touring career
That compression tip? Learned that the hard way after damaging takes on my first album. Too much compression kills vocal dynamics - the lifeblood of post-hardcore.
The Writing Process: From Messy Ideas to Killer Arrangements
Here's where most bands implode. You've got cool riffs but can't assemble them coherently. After producing 12 post-hardcore records, here's my battle-tested approach:
Riff Development That Doesn't Suck
Stop writing in E standard. Tune to Drop C (CGCFAD) or A# standard for that thick-but-clear tone. Try these approaches:
- Dissonant Chords: Minor 9ths and suspended 2nds create tension (e.g., x-0-2-1-3-x)
- Counterpoint Riffs: Guitar 1 plays mathy pattern while Guitar 2 drones open strings
- Melodic Accents: Place single-note harmonics within heavy chugs
Example: That riff in Hail the Sun's "Relax/Divide" where the guitar climbs while drums stutter? Stole that approach for three songs last year.
Arrangement Tricks That Create Emotional Impact
Post-hardcore lives in contrasts. Some formulas I constantly reuse:
| Technique | How To Execute | Reference Track |
|---|---|---|
| False Ending | Full stop → 2 beat silence → explosion | Senses Fail - "Buried a Lie" |
| Vocal Layering | Screamed line underneath melodic chorus | Silverstein - "Discovering the Waterfront" |
| Dynamic Removal | Strip to vocals + single guitar during emotional peak | Thursday - "Understanding In a Car Crash" |
| Rhythmic Displacement | Drums continue pattern while guitars pause | The Fall of Troy - "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." |
Pro tip: Map your song's emotional arc before tracking. I literally draw intensity graphs. If section 3 isn't higher than section 1, scrap it.
Production Techniques That Actually Work
Mixing post-hardcore is like herding angry cats. So many elements fighting for space. After ruining countless mixes, here's what sticks:
Drum Production That Breathes
Real drums > samples, but few can afford that. Solution:
- Sample Library: GGD Metal ($149) or Slate Digital ($149/yr)
- Processing Chain: Parallel compression on snare → transient shaper on kicks → tape saturation on overheads
- Groove Trick: Quantize at 75% strength to preserve human feel
My snares used to sound like wet cardboard. The fix? Layer a wood snare sample under the main one. Instant punch.
Guitar Mixing That Cuts Through
Double-tracking isn't enough anymore. Try this instead:
- Track four identical performances (no copying/pasting!)
- Pan two takes hard left/right
- Pan other two takes at 60% left/right
- Apply different EQ curves to each pair
Scooping mids is amateur hour. Boost 800Hz for grind, 4kHz for pick attack. Hi-pass at 90Hz unless you want mud.
Vocal Production Secrets
The difference between amateur and pro:
- Screams: Use two mics (dynamic + condenser) blended
- Cleans: Triple-track main vocal, panned L-C-R
- Effects Automation:
Add slapback delay only on emotional phrases
Automate vocal reverb sends so choruses sound huge while verses stay intimate. Changed my entire approach to mixing vocals.
Getting That Radio-Ready Sound: Mastering Tricks
Mastering is where demos become records. But sending to pros costs $$$. For DIY results:
| Plugin | Function | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| FabFilter Pro-Q 3 | Surgical EQ | Cut 200Hz mud, boost 12kHz air |
| Waves SSL Comp | Glue compression | 4:1 ratio, 3ms attack, auto release |
| iZotope Ozone | Mastering suite | Use master assistant then tweak |
| Youlean Loudness Meter | Volume control | Aim for -9 LUFS |
Don't murder dynamics for loudness. Post-hardcore needs breathing room. My first master sounded like a blown radio - learned that lesson painfully.
FAQs: Real Questions from Artists Making Post Hardcore
Can I make post-hardcore music without screaming vocals?
Technically yes, but you lose emotional range. Screams are the cathartic release in the genre. If you absolutely can't scream, try intense spoken word or distorted vocals (think La Dispute). But honestly? Learn proper technique - Melissa Cross' tutorials are lifesavers.
How loud should my mix be before mastering?
Leave headroom! Aim peaks at -6dB. I made the mistake of slamming mixes early on. The mastering engineer sent back angry emails. Now I keep faders conservative and let mastering do its job.
What DAW works best for producing post-hardcore?
Reaper ($60). Don't waste money on Pro Tools unless you're in pro studios daily. Reaper handles heavy track counts without choking. Plus, its routing is insane for parallel processing. Used it on my last three releases.
How do I get my guitars heavy but clear?
It's all in the mids. Scooping creates bedroom tone. Boost 800Hz-1.2kHz instead. Use overdrive pedal (TS9) before amp with drive low, level high. And for the love of tone - new strings every session!
Can I create full post-hardcore productions entirely in-box?
Absolutely. Neural DSP amp sims are 95% there. Get decent monitors (KRK Rokits), treat your room with bass traps, and learn mic positioning even with plugins. My last album was 100% digital except vocals.
Putting It All Together
Making post hardcore music that resonates takes more than technical skill. You need emotional honesty. That vulnerability when clean vocals break? That rage in the scream? That's what connects. Gear matters less than conviction.
I still have demos from 2009 where I tried copying Thrice note-for-note. Sounded like trash. Only when I stopped imitating and channeled my own divorce pain did things click. The technical stuff? You can learn that. The emotional core? That has to come from your guts.
Start small. Write one song using these techniques. Track it poorly but with passion. Then improve the next one. Post-hardcore isn't made in perfect studios - it's born in basements and practice spaces where emotions run hotter than tube amps.
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