It sounds like the mix is clipping all over the place. Back off all the tracks about 5 db. It'll give you some headroom to operate with on EQ.
The backing vocals are panned hard on the chorus and are too prominent. I don't need to hear the backing vocals, I need to
feel them. I'd drop those tracks 3 db, and bring them in 50%.
Not sure what you're referring to in that the guitars don't sound full. The clean track is twangy, but I assume that is your preference. The distorted track on the chorus only appears muddy because 1) the vocals are too loud, so it's really just a comparative shortcoming, and 2) you're running everything up the middle.
Panning is extremely important when trying to achieve clarity. You have two speakers, so think of each speaker as a separate frequency spectrum to populate. When you have a lot of tracks with the same frequencies up the middle, you run out of headroom quickly, because the same sound is coming out of both speakers. The harder you pan different-sounding tracks, the more space you create for all the tracks.
The drums are panned nicely, and the bass and lead vocal have to go up the middle, so the guitars need to be opened up. You might consider a track doubler effect on the clean guitar track, as it will add presence to the track, and you'll be able to drop the volume a few db. Like bayoubill, I would recommend double tracking the distorted guitars and panning each track between 50-80% either side.
The lead isn't near loud enough, needs another 3 db. Bass is not too loud to me for this type of music, maybe a 1db drop or 2, just watch the levels during the chorus when the distorted guitars come in.
Also, if you think the guitars are still muddy after double tracking, try low/high pass filters below 100hz and above 12k on the guitar tracks/bus. Same goes for all tracks on the low end-- the more sound you can eliminate below 60hz, the tighter the mix will be.
post edited by mojque - 2011/02/11 13:48:38