Bass / Guitar Balance

[DanLights]

By the way: I asked SPAN about the Arch enemy guitar and bass tracks.
Thats what it answered:

I was really suprised how close bass and guitar are together by means of low-end separation.
While the bass has its 100 Hz bump, the guitars have theirs at 130 Hz.
That's closer than I would have thougt it would be.

I think it makes sense if you listen, the bass and guitars really sound like one instrument on the mix, that's how you achieve that, by giving each other its space but very closely placed. And the slope On guitars shows the lack of low end on guitars when solo'd, great balance if you listen to the mix.

 

[Mago]

As nice as it is to look at an analysis like that, it's not the ultimate truth.
You also have to keep in mind, that bass freqs have a lot more energy than the higher ones. So it may "look" similar, but what looks to be similar actually sounds a lot more different than it looks...if you can follow me?

Also since I read you ment "meaty" guitar and connected it to the low-end/bass...for me the "meatyness" lives in the mids, and even more importantly, in the picking hand of the player.
Someone with a "djenty" approach to palm muting will be pretty hard to get "meaty" sounds out off...imo, at least.

 

[J.Lindmann]

the bass and guitars really sound like one instrument on the mix

Yep. This has been my biggest struggle in the past.
Letting them sound as if it was one instument.

that's how you achieve that, by giving each other its space but very closely placed.

This is my lesson leaned for today.

Even if all the other stuff like "low-cut at xx Hz", "the meat is at xx Hz", "dynamics control" etc. is highly song dependent,
the "giving each other its space but very closely placed" mightr be a general rule in metal for me.
Definitely gonna try this out.