TUNELIT

Metallica · 2016 · Studio album

Hardwired... to Self-Destruct tuning.

E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD and the LP. 2 of 12 songs are tuned differently.

Hardwired... to Self-Destruct album cover

Album tuning

E Standard

At concert pitch (A 440), measured on the CD and the LP.

MeasuredWidely reported

Tune like thisPlay alongAll 12 songs

Measured by TuneLit

At concert pitch

SourceOffsetEquivalent ASongsSpreadConfidence
CD edition Used for the Tune buttons+2.1 ¢A 440.513−0.1 to +4.4 ¢High
3LP, Blackened 00602557156454+2.7 ¢A 440.713−0.4 to +5.3 ¢High
 Offset from concert pitch (A 440). Spread: the middle half of the songs, when four or more share the album's pitch. Confidence: how well the notes agree with one grid.

Before we measured, sources said: E Standard, with no pitch given (widely reported).

A double album in E Standard almost throughout, including Hardwired, Atlas, Rise!, Moth Into Flame, Halo on Fire and Spit Out the Bone. Dream No More is the one song tuned a full step down. Tracks 1–⁠6 are disc 1 and tracks 7–⁠12 are disc 2. In concert since the Load era these songs are played half a step down in E♭, so tune to E♭ for modern live recordings.

12 songs · 2 tuned differently

Every song, ready to tune

Tune opens the tuner in that song's tuning, pitch included. Play along opens the song player set to that tuning, so the track plays in yours. What the labels mean

  1. 1. Hardwired

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  2. 2. Atlas, Rise!

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  3. 3. Now That We're Dead

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  4. 4. Moth Into Flame

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  5. 5. Dream No More

    Different tuning

    D StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    A doom-heavy song a whole step down, in the spirit of Sad but True.

    Main transcriptions use full D Standard; some tabs offer a Drop D arrangement.

  6. 6. Halo on Fire

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  7. 7. Confusion

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  8. 8. ManUNkind

    Different pitch

    E Standard +9 ¢Measured

    Tune Play along
    Notes

    E Standard on every song except Dream No More.

  9. 9. Here Comes Revenge

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  10. 10. Am I Savage?

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  11. 11. Murder One

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

  12. 12. Spit Out the Bone

    E StandardMeasured

    Tune Play along

What the labels mean

Measured
TuneLit measured the pitch on an original CD or LP. The tuning name still comes from the sources.
Official
The band, a member, their producer or their guitar tech said it.
Widely reported
Trusted outlets, guides and tabs agree, but the band did not say it directly.
Community
From community tabs, or from players who tune along with the record.
Disputed
Sources disagree. The likeliest setting is shown; the notes name the other one.

Each song shows one label, the strongest it has, in this order. How we measure recordings →

Questions

What tuning is Hardwired... to Self-Destruct in?

Metallica recorded Hardwired... to Self-Destruct (2016) in E Standard at concert pitch (A 440), measured by TuneLit on the CD and the LP. Dream No More uses D Standard; ManUNkind uses E Standard +9 ¢.