Breaking Benjamin producer David Bendeth recently spoke to Daniel Sarkissian about the band. He shared exclusive details about the recording and production process of one of the band’s songs, ‘So Cold.’
‘We Are Not Alone’ is the second studio of Breaking Benjamin, released on June 29, 2004. It references English author James Hilton’s novel of the same name. The record received positive reviews from fans and music critics with its well-crafted sounds and lyrics.
Bendeth worked with the band for several records, including this album, alongside his projects with Paramore, Killswitch Engage, and more. As a person who created those applauded sounds, he revealed how they recorded the iconic intro from the album’s track ‘So Cold.’ The producer stated that they had an experimental approach to the guitar sounds, tuning to A-Sharp and B.
So, Bendeth and the band’s former guitarist Aaron Fink used various guitars and amplifiers, Les Paul, Marshall, Soldano, Hughes Kettner, and different vintage and new Fenders while recording the guitar sounds for the song. According to him, this extraordinary way gave birth to the intro that many fans appreciate.
When asked about the sound of ‘So Cold,’ Bendeth responded:
“It’s funny because, on that record, I had all these guitars because I’m a guitar player and Aaron was very talented. So I had a telecaster and a Les Paul. Aaron had these amplifiers that were very strange, blue, and lit up. I had a Marshall and a Soldano. Aaron had these music man guitars, which were pretty cool.
So, what it was this sort of a matter; this is what I do all the time when I make a record. We put up a different amplifier and started putting guitars through it with the facts. Then, we got to the next amplifier; we did the same thing. Suddenly, we go, ‘That’s the sound,’ and we don’t question it again, but it’s all experimental.”
He added:
“We were tuned to A-sharp and B, so it was very difficult to get a very descript sound because those tunings are very low and the lowest at that point that I’d ever gone. D-drop was normal, so we’re way down there. That’s what we did.
We had a Marshall, Soldano, a Hughes Kettner, which was Aaron’s amp, and some clean Fenders, older vintage Fenders that I’ve got them over here. People say to me, ‘How do you get the guitar sound on Breaking Benjamin?’ I go ‘get twelve guitars and eight amplifiers.’“
You can check out the interview and song below.
