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We're In This Together — Nine Inch Nails1 / 2
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We're In This Together Guitar Tone Settings — Nine Inch Nails

Nine Inch Nails · 1990s · metal

studio

Original Recording

Guitar
Gibson Les Paul Standard (likely 1990s, possibly with EMG or stock humbuckers)
Pickups
Humbucker (exact model unknown, likely stock or EMG 81/85 based on era and NIN's known gear)
Amp
Marshall JCM900 (likely, based on NIN's 1990s studio/live rigs and genre conventions)
Pickup Position
Bridge pickup

Studio recording, 1998 (The Fragile sessions). No direct evidence for exact guitar/amp, but Les Paul and Marshall high-gain amps are strongly associated with NIN's heavy riff tones in this era. No evidence of live-specific settings or alternate guitars for this section.

Amp Settings

Mids
4.5
Bass
6
Gain
8.5
Reverb
1
Treble
7
Presence
6

Effects Chain

  • Distortion pedal (model unknown) · distortion
  • Noise gate (model unknown) · noise_gate

Guitar → Distortion pedal → Noise gate → Marshall JCM900 (light digital reverb)

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Tone Character

  • tight and percussive
  • bright and grinding
  • compressed and focused
  • aggressive palm muting
  • saturated distortion
  • clear note separation
  • dense layered wall of sound
  • minimal ambience
  • rhythmic precision
  • modern industrial metal

Notes & Caveats

  • ⚠️No direct source confirms the exact guitar, amp, or pedal models/settings for the studio riff section of 'We're In This Together'.
  • ⚠️Gear and settings are estimated based on NIN's known 1990s studio/live rigs, genre conventions, and tone analysis.
  • ⚠️No pedalboard or session photo evidence found for this specific recording.
  • ⚠️No numeric amp settings found; values estimated based on Marshall high-gain usage in industrial/metal context.
  • ⚠️No explicit mention of effects pedals; effects inferred from audio and genre.
  • ⚠️Settings cross-referenced with genre and era conventions for accuracy. The riff tone is extremely saturated, tight, and industrial, consistent with Trent Reznor's late-90s NIN approach using high-gain amps (often Mesa/Boogie), with mids slightly scooped for aggression, tight bass, and clear but not harsh highs. The production is very dry, with little to no reverb, matching the dense, layered mix.

Sources