Help with mixing...

[Keregioz]

I'm currently mixing a new song and i have a little problem...
I can't get the solos to sound right in the mix....either they are to low in the mix ,either they are too "in front"..
I want to have them at a level that doesn't stand out of the mix but still you'll be able to listen to them clearly...
Is there a solution to this problem??...something with the EQ maybe?...

 

[Kevin Kitchel]

Is your mix automated? If so you could pull back the things that are getting in teh way of the solo. You could try to compress the guitar with something that makes it very in-your-face, or EQ some of the stuff that might make the solo muddy or harsh or whatever. I try to take out as much as I can when I have a lot problems getting something to the front of a mix. I don't do that all the time, but it has worked under dire circumstances in the past. Another time, I could get the guitar out front without it taking over, and what we ended up doing was "re-amping" it with a pod. Hope that helps!

 

[backwoodsstudio]

If you have the ability to submix your guitars, bounce them all down to a stereo mix and play through the passage where the solo tends to jump out the most. Once you have adjusted the volume of the loudest part of the solo to work with the rest of the guitars apply moderate amounts of compression to the entire submix of guitars until you hear the right balance. If you are panning the solo based on a particular guitar player (i.e. the dude on the left) then only submix that particular players rhythm and lead parts and follow the rest of the directions the same as above.
*Also use fast attack times on whatever compressor you are using...if you hear pumping back off the threshold to something a bit more modest.

I'm no Sneap, but I like this method. Hope it helps!

 

[Andy Sneap]

Treat it like a vocal. You may need to stick a few more mids in there if you have the same sound as your rhythms. Compress around 4.1 (or maybe limit around 10.1, depends on how it sounds really) and try pulling rhythms back a db or so behind the solo and using a slight delay (400/500ms) just sat in there.
Make sure your in the same area level wise as your main vocal also, so listen from the vocals and balance that up.

 

[Southy]

this guy even sounds like a genius

 

[Andy Sneap]

get the low end out of there also, filter up to 200hz, until you really start noticing it then go back a bit and maybe give it a lift around 900 and 3k, try offsetting it from the centre slightly, see if that helps

 

[Keregioz]

Ok.....thank's to all for your help!..