Swamplord album cover - Kalmah
Guitar tone settings

How to Dial In "Dance of the Water" by Kalmah - Guitar Tone Settings

The rig

Gear for "Dance of the Water"

Suggested rig · the original isn't documented.

The settings

Knob Positions, Pickup, and Tuning

Amp settings

Where to set the knobs for this tone. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale.

Gain8
Bass6
Mid5
Treble6
Presence7
Volume8

On your amp, these numbers won't sound the same.

Get the settings for my amp
Guitar setup

How the artist had their guitar configured for this take.

TuningE♭ Standard(E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭)
Pickup selector
NeckNk+MdMiddleBr+MdBridge
Guitar knobs
Tone6
Volume7
Recording notes

From Swamplord (2000). Swamplord is the debut studio album by the Finnish melodic death metal band Kalmah. No source we found ties a guitar or amp to this recording, so an ESP E-II Horizon NT-II through a Peavey 6505+, the rig we use for Kalmah's other songs from Swamplord, stands in. Set the amp to a driven, high-gain crunch and use the bridge pickup. Published transcriptions put it in E♭ standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), a half step below standard.

FAQ

Common Questions About the "Dance of the Water" Tone

  1. What guitar did Kalmah use on "Dance of the Water"?

    The guitar on "Dance of the Water" (released 2000) isn't documented; the ESP E-II Horizon NT-II above gets the sound. Pickup selector: bridge pickup on the guitar. The track is in E♭ Standard (E♭ A♭ D♭ G♭ B♭ E♭), so retune before you dial anything in.

  2. What amp settings does "Dance of the Water" need?

    Settings for this sound: Gain 8, Bass 6, Mid 5, Treble 6, Presence 7, Volume 8. Each value is on the standard 0–10 amp scale; match them on your amp first, then nudge to taste. ToneMirror can translate these positions for whatever amp you actually own.

  3. Can I play "Dance of the Water" without the original gear?

    Yes. ToneMirror takes the settings above and adapts it to your guitar, amp, and pedals - so you can chase the "Dance of the Water" tone on a Katana, a Helix, a tube combo, or anything else. The translation accounts for EQ curve, gain structure, and pickup type so the result actually sounds like the record, not just the same knob numbers on different gear.

Related tones

Tone references for "Dance of the Water" by Kalmah are provided for educational use. ToneMirror is not affiliated with the artists or labels referenced.

Adapt to my gear