Tears In The Rain - HB Mix

[pauli]

the AcuGtr was probably the biggest challenge....

Yeah...

i did try and mitigate the fatigue by having some acugtr free zones (or at least heavily reduced).

I brought down the acoustics in response to sections of the mix that needed to be more intimate, but it still didn't quite mitigate the issue..

Your idea of a treble shelf cut is an elegant yet simple solution that I'll certainly look into.....

it can create the illusion of depth, too... pushing things further away from the listener. it'd be best to do this after compression (if you're using any) so that it doesn't mess up your current gain reduction, and I'd use an EQ with an auxiliary makeup gain control so you can volume match pre and post EQ... make sure the sound is less fatiguing and not just quieter.

maybe alternate bright with less bright sections as a change up or something.

now THAT is an interesting idea I hadn't considered... allowing interim periods of darker tonality..

a couple things that might be worth considering about that approach...

any sudden shift in mix tonality is going to throw the "suspension of disbelief" out the window and make the mix less engaging and immersive as a result.. and a sudden shift from darker tonality to brighter tonality could be uncomfortable/painful, so these changes would have to be gradual and very well controlled. Dave Pensado once mentioned he sometimes feels the need to automate the EQ on EVERY SYLLABLE of a lead vocal, so that might be what you're getting yourself into.

another thing that might be helpful is automating the tonality of your send effects in response to however you choose to vary it up. Maintaining a consistent overall tonality will make the mix more believable. if you alter the nature of the reverb sends as certain elements (i.e. rhythm guitars) become brighter you might be able avoid any wild shifts in overall tonality whilst still reducing the fatiguing aspect of sharp transients in high frequencies section by section.

when you post a revision don't let me miss it (PM or something), you've got my interest piqued!