First Look: Black Salt Audio Telos Guitars – The Fast Lane to Great Guitar Tones

Welcome back to HomeRecordingMadeEasy.com – and if you found your way here through the YouTube channel, awesome! Today, I’m excited to dive into something super cool for anyone looking to make their guitars sound amazing, fast. We're taking a close look at Telos Guitars, the all-in-one, dead-simple plugin from our friends over at Black Salt Audio.
You may have seen Telos Guitars pop up in a bunch of “super heavy metal” style YouTube demos — but I wanted to see how it handles stuff that isn’t all about breakdowns and chugging. What if we throw it on clean guitars? Acoustic layers? Pop-rock and classic rock tones? That’s what I’m here to find out, and if you stick with me, you’ll get the full scoop, including how Telos Guitars stacks up in a real-world session.
Table of Contents
Why Telos Guitars?
If you’re new around here, I love teaching mixing and making life in the studio easier for everyone, from hobbyists to pros. One thing I’ve picked up is that a lot of us want great guitar sounds without spending hours chained to an EQ or reading up on frequency points — especially if that’s not your jam.
That’s where plugins like Telos Guitars shine. Here’s the philosophy behind it:
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One plugin, all the usual guitar-mixing headaches solved: Clean up mud, zap harshness, add clarity, control the lows, smooth the highs — all in a fast, friendly interface.
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No need to geek out over frequencies: Instead of endless numbers and technical jargon, you just use the built-in knobs, all based on percentages.
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Quick inspiration: Whether you’re mixing for fun or on a deadline, Telos Guitars lets you get “that sound” with almost zero fuss.
“The Telos Guitars concept is: You don’t need to know about EQ. You don’t need to know about frequency points, fundamental frequencies, and all that stuff. It’s all done under the hood. It’s a real simple to use type of plugin to get a great sound really quickly.”
Full Plugin Walkthrough
Let’s walk through Telos Guitars together and see what it offers — from first impression to the finer details.
Screenshot of the Telos Guitars plugin interface in your DAW, showing all the controls
First Impressions
When you load up the plugin, here’s what you’ll see:
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Input Gain: Controls how hard your guitar hits the plugin — set this so you’re not clipping going in.
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High Cut & Low Cut Filters: Done by percentages, so you don’t need to guess exact frequency numbers. Turn to taste, clean up rumble or fizz!
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EQ Section:
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Low: Switchable between peak and shelf, boost or cut up to 100%.
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Mid: Similar approach, with sliders instead of confusing numbers.
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High: Just “Presence” or “Top,” likely tied to Q value changes. Again, all about what sounds best, not what number you’re on.
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De-Harsh (De-Harshing Control): Tames those spiky, harsh frequencies. If you’ve ever fought digital fizz or icepick highs, this is for you!
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Chug Control: Originally for tight, modern palm-muted rhythms, but works surprisingly well to tighten any strummed guitar — even acoustics.
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Compressor: One easy knob, with a gain reduction meter so you know what’s happening, and likely tuned to guitar-friendly low frequencies.
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Saturation: Three options — Smooth, Inflate, and Focus. Each brings a unique flavor of harmonic richness or punch.
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Output Volume & Meter: Set your final level, make sure you’re not clipping.
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Oversampling & Limiter: High fidelity, no unwanted digital nastiness.
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Presets: Acoustic, High Gain, Lead, Mid Gain — great starting points for every type of guitar.
Example of “before and after” meters on a guitar track, showing clean-up results
Session Setup: Guitars Galore
No plugin test is complete without putting it through its paces. Instead of the usual metal-on-metal YouTube fare, I wanted to test Telos Guitars on a real song in a mix — where guitars aren’t just center stage, but part of the texture.
Session song: "Imaginary Fears" by James D. Cooler (check him out — link below!)
Guitar Types in the Session:
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Clean electric rhythms (think classic rock and pop)
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Gritty, but not-distorted-to-oblivion electrics
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Acoustic strummed layers (big wide sound)
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A few sections with a bit more gain and energy, but still not “metal”
The goal: See if Telos Guitars helps these different tracks sit better in the mix. Will it make them punchy, clearer, less harsh, and easier to blend?
Dialing In Tones: Step by Step
Let’s break this down with step-by-step examples, as if you’re looking over my shoulder in the studio!
Classic Rock Electric Guitars
These are your typical crunchy rhythm parts — not super dirty, not entirely clean. Recorded dry and straight, ready for processing. Here’s what I did:
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Load up Telos Guitars on both rhythm tracks (one panned left, one right).
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Tweak the EQ Section:
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Use the low cut filter to clean up any extra mud.
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Drop out a touch of woofy low-mids.
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Lift the high/presence just enough to add sparkle, but not so it’s piercing.
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Try Peak vs Shelf on Lows:
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Peak will focus energy more narrowly, good for finding problem spots.
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Shelf is broader, a bit more “overall” adjustment.
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Dial in Slight Compression:
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Smooth out strums and volume jumps.
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Look for subtle gain reduction — don’t squash!
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Taste a Bit of Saturation:
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Flip through “Smooth,” “Inflate,” or “Focus” to see what fits the groove. “Smooth” felt just right for my classic rock feel.
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Tame Some Harshness:
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Roll up de-harsh as needed, especially if the pickups are bright.
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Copy to the Other Side and Adjust:
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Copy your settings across both tracks, but don’t be afraid to tweak the right-side EQ, just for stereo interest.
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Screenshot of two rhythm guitar tracks with Telos in action, EQ curves visible
Listen to the Difference
If you’re following along, here’s what to listen for:
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Tighter low end, less mud.
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Smoother highs, less “scrape.”
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More “in-your-face” presence, without biting your head off.
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Guitars fit together better in the panorama.
“Just by a little bit of EQ, it clears it up a little bit. Gets rid of some of that low end mud. It just gives it a little more focus, a little more clarity.”
Heavier (But Not Metal) Electrics
Next up — some tracks that definitely have a bit more grit and attitude, but are more pop or “Goo Goo Dolls” than full-on metal. This is where you might reach for Chug Control even without doing heavy palm mutes:
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Insert Telos Guitars on these crunchier tracks.
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Tighten with Chug Control:
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Even with non-metal gain, this knob helps tighten up loose-string strumming and makes guitars more “punchy.”
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Fine-tune De-Harsh and Saturation as needed.
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Double up: Copy your settings for the second guitar, but tweak enough to keep things interesting in stereo.
Close-up of Telos Guitars’ Chug knob and compressor at work on a grittier electric track
What Changed?
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Tighter, more focused strumming
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Clarity cutting through, but no mud or fizz
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Guitars gel together better in the stereo image
Acoustic Strumming
The real test: Can a plugin meant for electrics make your acoustics sound polished instead of plastic?
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Drop in an Acoustic Preset (“Body and Warmth” is my favorite starting point!)
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Listen in Solo AND Mix:
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Solo: The changes might feel too subtle or even odd — remember, it’s about making it fit the song!
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Pan wide for big acoustic layers
Fine-tune:
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If the strums get “boomy,” up goes the low cut and chug.
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If the pick gets harsh and clicky, add de-harsh.
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Add just enough presence for sheen — don’t overdo it.
Screenshot of two acoustic guitar tracks, Telos GUI open, pan and levels visible
Tips for Acoustic Processing
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Don’t EQ by numbers. Trust your ears.
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Let the plugin do the heavy lifting so you can focus on feel and vibe.
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Subtle can be powerful — it’s not always about drastic changes.
What’s Under the Hood? Features & Controls
Let’s break down each Telos Guitars control so you know what you’re tweaking.
What Each Control Does
| Control | What It Does | Notes / Tips ||-------------------|--------------------------------------------------|--------------|| Input | Sets incoming signal level | Adjust to avoid clipping || High Cut/Low Cut | Trims bass/treble, % based (no freq!) | Start gentle, push more for aggressive cleanups || Low EQ | Shelf/Peak, boost/cut up to ±100% | Use shelf for overall boom, peak for problem spots || Mid EQ | Focuses body or honk, movement by % | Smooth out boxiness, add punch || High/Presence | Brightness, airiness | “Presence” or “Top” modes — good for sparkle || De-Harsh | Tames high-end fizz & icepick notes | Great for single coils and bright acoustics || Chug | Tightens up palm mutes and heavy strums | Try even on acoustics! || Compressor | Smooths volume jumps, one-knob style | Look for ~3-6db reduction on rock, less for clean || Saturation | Adds analog warmth, 3 selectable flavors | “Smooth” for clarity, “Inflate” for body, “Focus” for aggression || Output | Final level balance | Match output to input, avoid loudness trickery || Oversampling | High fidelity processing | Leave on for best sound unless CPU is dying || Limiter | Prevents clipping on output | Always good practice!|| Presets | Quick starting points for all guitar types | Tweak from the preset that fits your song |
“You really can’t get much more simple than that...Plug it in, twist, and it sounds good.”
Annotated GUI image pointing out each control, quick-tips bubble callouts
All About Practical Use: Speed, Simplicity, Results
I’ve used a lot of the “all-in-one” plugins that claim to make mixing easy. Some have left me cold — they often sacrifice control or sound generic.
But Telos Guitars feels different:
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Controls are thoughtfully picked just for guitars. Nothing extra, nothing missing.
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The sound is high-quality — you can push it hard or keep it subtle.
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You work by ear, not by chasing numbers or textbook advice.
Here’s what you’ll probably love:
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Speed: Get a usable sound in seconds.
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Beginner Friendly: If dialing in guitar tones has ever overwhelmed you, this plugin is a breath of fresh air.
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Pro Ready: If you are a pro, Telos gives you a great starting point — add your usual polish on buses later.
“But I Like Learning About Mixing...”
Me too! In fact, that’s my job as a teacher. But sometimes, it’s great to bypass the technical hurdles and just get inspired by a cool sound.
If you don’t know exactly what 350Hz sounds like or which frequencies make your Strat too pokey, Telos Guitars has your back.
Is Telos Guitars Right for You? My Verdict
Who it’s great for:
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Anyone who wants better guitars fast
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Home recording musicians who hate fiddling with complex EQs
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Producers who want to stack up clean, clear, pop/rock/indie guitar layers
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Even heavier rock and modern metal players — though you can find plenty of those demos elsewhere
Who might want something else:
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Hyper-tweakers who want every parameter exposed and love a technical rabbit hole
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Folks mixing only raw, “purist” acoustic music (though, honestly, the subtlety can help even there!)
Pros
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Literally every adjustment is “musical.” No wrong moves.
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Super fast results — ideal for writing, demoing, or working under pressure.
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Chug and de-harsh are godsends for modern productions.
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Presets! Use as starting points or “done-for-you” recipes.
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Neutral price point, and no hoops to jump through.
Cons
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Some engineers might want more transparency (what frequencies are being cut?).
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Moderate “depth” when compared to massive channel strip plugins.
“This is a nice easy way to just dial stuff in and not have to worry about the frequencies and EQs and all the things you have to worry about. You just got to get in there and twist them knobs so it sounds good.”
Grab Some Freebies & Special Offers
If you’ve enjoyed this walkthrough and want more help making your studio sound world-class (without spending all week mixing guitars!), grab these resources:
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Free $100 Mixing Course: Head over to Home Recording Made Easy, get my Mixing Made Easy course, totally free.
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Discounts on Pro Mixing Courses: Want to go deeper? Use code
YOUTUBE25
for 25% off my full-length, analog-inspired mixing courses. -
Special Thanks: Huge shoutout to Black Salt Audio for sending their plugin bundle for review — but all thoughts here are my own; I only share gear I’d use myself.
Banner linking to free course offer
Final Thoughts
If dialing in great guitar sound is what you want — and you don’t want to get lost in menus, frequency charts, or plugin overload — give Telos Guitars a shot. Whether you’re cooking up a pop banger, jamming acoustic textures, or chasing a classic rock anthem, it helps your guitar tracks find instant clarity, punch, and vibe.
I’ve said it already, but it’s worth repeating:
“If you’re looking for something that just cleans up guitars and gets a good guitar tone very quickly, this is definitely one to check out. I kind of like it and I’m getting more and more impressed with Black Salt Audio...”
Check the Black Salt Audio website for current pricing – no affiliate links here, just genuine advice.
Let’s Hear Your Thoughts!
Got a question? Want to see more plugin shootouts or deep dives on guitar mixing tricks?
Comment below, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe for more hands-on, no-nonsense guides for musicians and engineers.
See you over on YouTube and HomeRecordingMadeEasy.com!
Links & Resources
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James D. Cooler – Artist behind “Imaginary Fears” (insert link)
Hero shot of your mixing workspace, guitars on stands, DAW open — “Let’s make some music!”
Till next time,
Dave,
HomeRecordingMadeEasy.com