Automate: how much?

[DanLights]

on my bands mix, the bass is usually just beneath the guitars when it's doing the same thing as them, but when some rhythmic or melodic bass part comes in, it's too loud and clouds the guitars, so I decided to go with automation, lowering the bass volume on those parts. So my question is, how much automation can one get away with? I mean as in how often switch volumes on tracks (rhythm guitars, keyboards, whatever) and how much db difference (+5/6 db or something like that?) can one get away with without sounding like a total mess? maybe if there's too much volume changes some hard compression could be an option?

 

[beyond dead]

what ever sounds good to you. use your ears.

edit: i always use automation to get volume right. compression is more of a tool to sculpt the sound and get punchiness

 

[C_F_H_13]

I do a ton of automation. I ride the bass note for note to make sure I can always hear it. I ride Drum Fills up, room mics up and down, vocals all over the place, guitars here and there, and solos....fx returns......tons and tons.

usually if I have a problem in the mix, volume automation will get me 50% of the way before I have to even touch the sound.

 

[DanLights]

I do a ton of automation. I ride the bass note for note to make sure I can always hear it. I ride Drum Fills up, room mics up and down, vocals all over the place, guitars here and there, and solos....fx returns......tons and tons.

usually if I have a problem in the mix, volume automation will get me 50% of the way before I have to even touch the sound.

nice, good to know that, I'm still new in this whole mixing thing so I didn't know automation is used that much, was afraid it might make it sound like a mess cause things are going up and down and stuff

 

[AudioGeekZine]

the bass is usually just beneath the guitars when it's doing the same thing as them, but when some rhythmic or melodic bass part comes in, it's too loud and clouds the guitars

was afraid it might make it sound like a mess cause things are going up and down and stuff

well it's really not going to sound like it's going up and down, it's going to sound like all the parts fit together properly.

In terms of how much dB boost/cut you need to make, when you have a lot of compression on the mixbus sometimes you have to make fairly drastic moves.

There is always something you can automate to improve the mix.
-change the balance of close/ambient mics between verse and chorus and bridge
-Cymbal crashes at the start of a new section can usually be emphasized.

 

[riffmachine]

I do a ton of automation. I ride the bass note for note to make sure I can always hear it. I ride Drum Fills up, room mics up and down, vocals all over the place, guitars here and there, and solos....fx returns......tons and tons.

usually if I have a problem in the mix, volume automation will get me 50% of the way before I have to even touch the sound.

+1, I've found that if you automate a lot of levels, your compression is much more transparent, and you don't have to squash tracks to get them under control. Plus, they are great for creative reasons like automating panning and fx sends. Automation is your friend.