Creating Separation in Rock Music Mixes

[sam54]

I've noticed this topic has a fair few different "answers" - and whilst a lot may come down to style/artistic licence - I'm curious to see how other folks are doing it in relation to rock music.

Wrongly or rightly, I've always amateurishly stuck to two principles: a mental 3x3 grid in my mind, L+C+R and Low Mids Highs - and try to only have one element in each.

But for the style of rock I've been making, a LOT of the time I'm finding many elements feeling like I want them in a similar place.

So sure, learnt about and using a LOT of Sidechain EQ/Compression to duck elements (vocals over guitars, kick over bass) but I never truly feel like a get true clarity. I've had some paid engineers critique my work and say they like it, and I've had some say I have very "busy" mixes.

So. How do you do it in say a setup of:

Drums

2 guitars

Vocals

Backing vocals

Bass

Synth and/or pads and/or other instruments ?

and can anyone demonstrate the different techniques and how they open up the mixes?

[MetalPlayer]

The biggest part of the mix is in the writing. Don’t be afraid to drop some instruments for different sections. Do a few bars of just drums and vocals or something. A well written song mixes itself. If the parts are written to be stacked and muddy, not amount of mixing will clear it up. Tho, if stacked and muddy is the vibe, go for it. There are no wrong moves. It is all about having a vision and executing it.

[BluesGuy]

For me I get most of the separation I want with basic volume balance and panning. Eq and compression comes after and further polishes it.

[StudioPro]

Arrangement is going to be the biggest factor: unless you’re making shoegaze, you don’t want everything droning on all the time. Use rhythm to split conflicting elements up. If your mix sounds “busy” then your mix isn’t the issue. Your arrangement is. You’ve got too much trying to do too much too often. Cut the fat! Keep only what is essential. You can then add tiny accents of the stuff you got rid of to add variety. Consider your frequency ranges when arranging. You don’t want a synth and a pad and guitar and vocals all fighting for the same space. Beyond that, and after sidechaining: Pan your dual guitars wide, eq them slightly differently. Use volume and differing reverbs to place things further back, such as background vocals. Make sure to eq after the reverb to clean them up. Pick only a few elements to pan. If everything sounds wide, nothing sounds wide. I’m always surprised by how just a few tiny elements to the side can dramatically increase the perceived width of a track. Much like with arrangement, restraint is the key and is what separates a good track from a great one. Good luck, have fun!