Getting solo's to fit in the mix more...

[Black neon bob]

Im mixing a great trashband at the moment, and things are going well.. the mix works, but a wee problem im having is that the solo's are a bit out of the mix, they were recorded on a different amp, so i EQ'ed them to fit in more, but that's not even really the problem.

When the solo's kick in they are a bit too loud, but they need to be loud otherwise you wont be able to really hear them, is there a trick i should try with compression or anything else to make them sit in the mix more?

Now it's "boom here is the solo full on, and now it's gone"... not really a smooth transition.

Now i know masterbuss compression would do the trick, but i dont want anymore compression on the masterbus, allready have multiband compression on it and having more on it will screw up the mix, which means remixing and i dont have the time for it, deadline is mid next week and the master needs to be send out by then.

cheers!

 

[-Gavin-]

Try a bigger reverb to sorta pad it out.

 

[gumplunger]

I usually just chop off some low end, maybe a little fake tube saturation, and some sort of stereo element whether it be reverb, delay, chorus (split harmonizer works pretty well if you use it tastefully). I also compress/limit my guitar bus with MH channelstrip a little bit just to make these kind of transitions a little smoother.

If you just want to make the solo 'feel' louder, try using Waves Doubler or something like this and give it some subtle stereo chorus and some octave/5th down or up in stereo so that its wider and has some extra thickness.

 

[ahjteam]

ride the fader

 

[MarcusD777]

Try to throw an L1 or L2 on the solo guitar (just bc they ruin drums doesn't mean they ruin everything haha) Adjust the threshold to where it starts flattening out on the meter (sometimes as far as not moving at all) and sounds consistent level wise... It can really help sometimes when you have a vocal, guitar line, or bass that is just right eq wise but is having problems sitting properly in the mix level wise or lacks an upfrontness esp in a big metal or rock mix... Once you level it out dynamics wise adjust your fader level and then throw in some automation on the solo to make it have some more feeling... The L1 and L2 are the only limiters I have found that tend to do be able to do this with the greatest ease and transparency (to an extent)...

 

[Ermz]

Ride the rhythm guitar levels down during the solo and then back up afterward to make it feel like a less 'powerful to pansy' transition. The way the solo sits in the mix is as much reliant on everything else that's midrange-centric (like say the rhythms) as well as its own sound. It's not usually as simple as saying 'boost mids' or 'limit' the leads.

Do you have a sample clip for us? Easier to base comments off that.

 

[MarcusD777]

+1 on riding the rhythm guitar levels down as well...

 

[TheWinterSnow]

i found that using a fairly high wet signal of stereo reverb and delay to help out a lot. also, with leads, you don;t want them to be as bright as the rhythms, bringing down the highs makes them sit right in the middle without overpowering things. using a different cab or even an amp can really ehlp separate frequencies which would run all over each other. panning ever slightly helps, i find moving the guitars over by about 20 helps, and it designates opposing guitars if you have dual solos, becuase you know when one guitarist stop and when the other begins

But thats the nature of the beast. The lead guitars should be at the same volume as the lead vocals. Listen to most commercial releases and that same effect happens, the art is just getting it down as much as possible...and good song writing. Most bands that solo with follow the solo immediately with vocals to prevent that volume difference from being noticeable. Still the backing band has to be loud enough to be strong enough to go solo without any leads.

i hate to say it but there is no magic bullet, you just have to build an experience for it. if rhythm guitars and guitar tones were hard, leads will destroy you, i am still trying to get the hang of it and i think that i never fully will, again its just the nature of the mixing beast.

and i really don't recommend riding the fader thought the whole solo, just at the end to tail it off. riding the entire time opens a whole new can of worms that you don't want to be getting into.

 

[Metaltastic]

I gotta +1 automation, that's all compression really is after all, and solos are short enough that I think it's easy to just automate the volume changes

 

[Black neon bob]

Fuckin hell, this is why i LOVE this forum, help in a instance and several options to try... thanks a lot guys!! hope i can put a clip up soon, but not sure if the band will let me.. haha, CHEERS!!

 

[Fragle]

as many already stated above, bring down the rhythm guitars 1db or so. i tend to compress the fuck out of my lead guitar tracks, too...also helps with getting the lower, less distinguishable (sp?) notes more upfront.

 

[Ben Johnson]

I've tried sidechaining with good results, but automation is the most sensible solution.

 

[KeithTidd]

Ride the rhythm guitar levels down during the solo and then back up afterward to make it feel like a less 'powerful to pansy' transition. The way the solo sits in the mix is as much reliant on everything else that's midrange-centric (like say the rhythms) as well as its own sound. It's not usually as simple as saying 'boost mids' or 'limit' the leads.

Do you have a sample clip for us? Easier to base comments off that.

this is the one.