Why Your Guitars sound like SH*T in a Mix!!

Getting your guitars to work in a mix can be a horrific struggle. I've learned by failing. A lot. But once you take the right approach, it can be quite simple. Here's the solution.
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About Spectre Sound Studios:
I'm Glenn Fricker, engineer here at Spectre Sound Studios. I love making records, and after doing it for sixteen years, I want to pass on what I've learned. On my channel you can find tutorials on how to record guitar, bass, real drums and vocals. There's reviews and demos of tube amps, amp sims, drums, mics, preamps, outboard gear, Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, and plugin effects.
We've covered Moon on the Water, played Bias FX, given you the absolute best in Stupid Musician Texts, ranted & raved about bass guitar, and this channel is where The Eagle has Landed.
Everything you've wanted to learn about recording Hard Rock & Heavy Metal can be found right here on this channel!
I also respond to your comments & questions: The best make it into the SMG Viewer's Comments series of videos. Loads of fun, lots of laughs.
Thanks for checking out my channel & please subscribe!

[@niteshades_promise]

I used to record guitar with a condenser mic, or an sm57. I tried a shitty vocal mic, an EV C09. Its all mids, no low or top end. Sounds way better on guitar than vocals. Mite be my new go to.🤔🍻

[@nobrakes3765]

Great comment! If people actually listened to some of the great metal tones, there is basically just mid and they'd sound honky on their own. eg. Slayer.

[@vladv5126]

​@@nobrakes3765not sure I'd call Slayer's guitar tone great but hey, to each their own 🤷‍♂️

[@intergalacticpimp8683]

@@nobrakes3765Have to agree. Slayer is a great example of it’s more about the song than the tone or mix.

[@cyborgchimpy]

@@intergalacticpimp8683 if the mix was really bad you'd have never heard of Slayer.

[@intergalacticpimp8683]

@@cyborgchimpy Nah. A great song trumps a great mix, in general.

[@jloiben12]

Because what sounds good on a record isn’t necessarily what sounds good in isolation

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Exactly

[@apacheworrier3776]

It’s even worse live. That wub wub wub scooped mids sound, completely disappears in the mix live. I set the eq mid heavy when playing live, and the other guitar player can’t hear himself at all. He plays with a low end heavy sound, and won’t listen to me when I tell him to turn the bass down. He thinks bedroom tone will sound the same live.

[@chaptermasterpedrokantor1623]

@@apacheworrier3776 Yeah, the singer and rhythm guitar player of my previous band was like that. Always complaining about not hearing his guitars in rehearsal yet dialing in way too much lows in isolation. And refusing to listen when I tell him that bedroom tone translates differently to live or recording.

[@kennhern]

​@@apacheworrier3776 turning my bass down to 0 and my mids and highs at 6-7 let the bassist to his thing while having a tighter sound overall, especially on the chugs

[@JoeStuffzAlt]

@@apacheworrier3776 I remember going to a festival with country music. It sounded like dubstep was going on. Woooooooomm. Woooooom. No. That doesn't go with country. I like certain country music, I didn't mind it in the background, but country dubstep should not exist

[@ronaldmalcolm5609]

I really enjoy these "homemade" videos. Gear reviews are nice, but I think these educational videos with practical guidance are a nice change of pace. Thanks, Glenn.

[@Guitarnivore]

I concur, especially since I could relate to the title. Lots of good stuff here!

[@GuyFi46]

Holy shit please do this for bass and drums

[@henrik-gerdbischoff6204]

I second that!

[@demondrug7788]

I third that

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Shot my first drum one, it's currently being edited.

[@Uninterested69420]

Awesome ​@@SpectreSoundStudios

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Drums comes out tomorrow

[@5150mkii]

Glenn, you sound a lot less angry and douchey in your videos now and you are way more enjoyable to watch. Your experience and your message cut through the mix now and it really shows. You still know when to poke fun at your audience and that's awesome.

[@jakeallen4191]

I don't play metal yet still find so much value in your channel, Glenn. Country is in a pretty awful place, generally, but there's hope. Mindsets like yours making the jump would be a huge catalyst.

[@JoeStuffzAlt]

The nice thing about this video is that it probably would apply to many genres of music that involves guitars.

[@sonicclang]

I would agree that country is in a pretty terrible place. It's completely vapid nonsense. Easily digestible by the simple minded masses. Give me story. Give me grit.

[@davidkellymitchell4747]

​​@@JoeStuffzAltYeah, country music has a whole lot closer connection to heavy metal than all synth based pop music of today. I just like the sound of strings and microphones whether it's country or rock.

[@cheezyridr]

do you mean "the" country, or country music being in an awful place? both are kinda true, these days.

[@ryanfraley7113]

@@davidkellymitchell4747Sadly what is coming out of Nashville today is basically country pop and not true country.

[@victorblakey4260]

When I was teaching sound, (live and studio), I started using the phrase ‘What you hear is not what you hear’. I worked for one band who complained that no sound guy had ever made them sound good. The guitarist had an amazing sound, it was awesome, until any other instrument started playing. Kick, snare, hats, toms, bass, keys, another guitar, even vocals… his sound basically trampled on every other sound, he covered the whole spectrum, and his sound didn’t allow anything else to exist. Oh, and he was LOUD !!!! A double stacked Marshall, on 11 (in a large nightclub/pub venue). So, it didn’t matter what I did, his sound was coming off the stage almost as loud as the PA. I had a good talk with the band, and mentioned the ‘rainbow’ concept, (think of sounds like colours, each one is separate in a rainbow, each one leaves space for the others, the rainbow needs all the colours to be what it is, if one colour is too big, it will swamp all the others).it took them a few weeks, but eventually they managed to calm him down and give them space. Threats to kick him out of the band if he couldn’t reign in his ego may or may not have had something to do with it 😂.

[@MrHdthegreat]

7:10 "damn that really wants a tubescreamer" lol aint that always the truth

[@NefariousDreary]

I'm surprised how many guitar players miss mic placement. Great video, Glenn!

[@AlxG0r]

and good impulse responses) just made by youself)

[@sparky_the_sparky1680]

This is fitting, regarding one of the comments you made at the start of the video...."Failure Is The Greatest Teacher."

[@conanmiddleton925]

I mainly produce Drum and bass and grime, but I still always watch your videos and learn something great from them, so thanks from the UK!

[@kueller917]

When I actually learned this was listening some time ago to the isolated guitar tracks for The Black Parade. Some of the songs have these massive walls of sound but individually the guitars often sounded thin and bright. It's not a record I'd put on the highest pedestal for production but it still gave the lesson all the same, especially since there's always often multiple guitars playing different parts meaning they needed to fit into the mix not just with the rhythm section but with _each other_ as well.

[@sbrave]

I'd like to hear those. CLA mixed that record

[@kueller917]

@@sbrave Most are on KZbin since most (if not all) the stems are from the Rock Band games. I think a few float around in stem trading but that's not a circle I'm in.

[@sbrave]

@@kueller917 Thanks! I heard some of the tracks and they aren't really hi-gain sounds, but placed very well in the mix

[@lippi2171]

​@@sbrave at the very end of Helena (another album, same band) you can hear the distorted guitar playing some notes without bass or drums. The guitar sounds unacceptably thin by itself, but within the context of the song it is *massive* all the way through.

[@vokeyguitars]

This was super insightful. My heavier projects always suffer from “mush”. Watching your work flow inspires me to change how I’m approaching my own projects, and to spend less time menu diving and more time fader flicking, and playing just with mic and amp adjustments. Definitely insane how you (I mean me) can do something like this for 10 years casually (terribly) and then a guy like Glenn can share an 18 minute video and totally flip your process on its head. Thanks dude.

[@tylerrg8966]

Thanks for the good info and glad to see your studio getting even bigger man congrats on that new console.

[@pshocoforeva]

Thank you so much for this video! I really wish you made these educational videos more often, they are priceless.

[@JohannJVR]

Very informative, simple solution for a great tone!, more videos like this please Glenn, your shared wisdom is appreciated!

[@ritiksharma9749]

What an amazing and informative video! Hats off to you Glenn

[@RandomeGuy872]

As always another great video Glenn! I haven't started recording or mixing yet because I've still got a lot of guitar practice to do, but you're videos are a big help in preparing for when I do start recording. Keep up the awesome work!!

[@diarrhea_splatter]

I can say immediately, starting with bass and drums is a definite help! t, noob at recording at home. Thanks Glen!

[@Dthraco]

Damn Glenn, your studio is really becoming state-of-the-art. Nice transitions between the video scenes too. Killin’ it!

[@rbb04]

Great video, awesome content, nice tips and demonstration. Thank you Glenn!

[@kingjbone1]

Nigel! So right about that tonewood with all that glorious gain! Truly great mix, Glenn!

[@markwsanders]

I think this might be my favorite video thus far. Well done!

[@Dave-Rough-Diamond-Dunn]

It's great that you're getting back to this type of content again Glenn! Keep 'em comin', no harm in revisiting a subject at all. 🤘 🙂👍

[@shroomsandmetal]

Wow GLEN!!!!! Dude thank you for the visual aid here. You are a fountain of knowledge thank you sir!

[@themightym271]

Having all the symptoms when recording guitars this really has answered some questions for me and what's important...fantastic vid!!! Can't wait to try out some of these techniques you have shown!!! 🎸🎸🎸🎸

[@bigmasherX]

Loved this video! Really, really helpful. We are literally in the middle of trying to figure out how to get the guitars carved out in the mix. Thanks for all you do Glenn!

[@butu2209]

Just discovered your channel tonight this is awesome. These might be the most value packed videos Ive seen on youtube! Ive been playing guitar for 20 years and finally ready enough to record professionally. This channel no doubt holds the keys to my path forward.

[@CodyBarnette-GNARK]

I’m going to watch this video 3 times in a row just because I’ve been depleted of the good stuff like this for far too long Glenn!! This is the stuff that got your channel to where it is. Please keep this kind of stuff coming!!

[@jellyfishinterrupted8085]

it's infectious to see how much enjoyment you get our of your passion. You really know what you are talking about. there isn't a a single video of yours in which i don't learn something. Keep going, always!

[@sonicclang]

Glenn, this is exactly the kind of video newbies need. I think when I finally submit a mix during one of your mix review streams, you're really going to hear your influence in my mix. Thank you!

[@FriedEggsandJellyfish]

PLEASE keep doing segments like these! As a dumb guitarist who is trying his hand at recording, I am learning a ton from you. Thanks my man!!

[@d3th_2_all]

The drum and bass context was such a great point. I’ve been using that as reference when I’ve been mixing metal for my side project recently (especially because I’ve been using my 8 string) and it’s been such a night and day difference on my mixes. Great stuff as always

[@ericmacrae9335]

Great video! Glad to be a new subscriber. You rock, man!

[@billyjones337]

You really are brilliant Glenn. This is a game changer for me. Yet another superlative video Glenn. I have learnt so much off you dude. That song sounds killer too man. Great mix. Love the bass tone. What a killer lead tone. Your knowledge is absolute gold man.

[@phrygianchaos3359]

Amazing video Glen, really appreciate your super clear and concise explanations. Your advice and tips have helped me iron out bad guitarist behaviour, and helped me with my mixing habits incredibly. Thank you so much man!

[@zeropointpower]

Glenn, this is the best video you’ve ever done. thank you.

[@johnnyq1233]

I think that's where I mess up a lot is with the guitars sounding like they would out of the mix, instead of adjusting them in the mix... Thanks for this video Glen I will favorite this one in my history so I can go back on it in the future.

[@jeffbridges6110]

I always like your mixing videos. I think they are by far , the most interesting.

[@clintcharles1816]

Thanks Glen I learnt a lot here. Amazing how such simple things like taking a break even makes such a difference.

[@genosatino4563]

I really miss this type of content, great job Glenn!!!

[@MercyNoMore]

This is great content and the type of video that's very helpful for me. Thanks Glenn!

[@DadoSimicStudiostriver]

I adored And Justice for all mix. I know there were no bass at all, but man those guitars, super raw drums and voices sounded amazing. I enjoy re listening it again.

[@FogHazard]

Sometimes the "wrong" thing sounds right. It totally depends on if someone likes the sound, can accept that it's different, or if they have a preconceived notion of what they want to hear and won't like it no matter what.

[@DadoSimicStudiostriver]

@@FogHazard As growing up, and playing most of songs with band in my teenage years we all knew there was no bass there, still no one every say the album sounds bad, and i never heard anyone saying that till in last 10 years in modern era over analyzing music productions. It seems people just loved to listen music, and if songs are good, and production translate emotions well its enough good. Today i hear often from people who have no clue how production works they critize the sound of band. We got bit spoiled due to technology i would say. :)

[@FogHazard]

@@DadoSimicStudiostriver Absolutely, very spoiled. Too many people listen to music with their eyes instead of their ears. Plus, unlike back then, it seems like following "the rules" is the only "good way" to make music, despite it being the bands who broke the rules and innovated new music/sounds that way. If everyone obeyed "the rules" it would create a stagnant and homogenized result.

[@RabidRavenTV]

Justice has the most sinister and heavy sounding guitars to me

[@DadoSimicStudiostriver]

@@RabidRavenTV Agree, it cant get more metal then this. :)

[@jettisonedguy257]

Just a great video all round Glenn and great to see you enjoying the new Neve Console. Sounds absolutely huge on my PC with 'Dolby Atmos for headphones' through a Benchmark DAC1 via toslink / and Sennheiser MX375 buds. It's always great to hear what people think of a mix with what gear they are listening with. Be great to see you do a video comparing some low cost options for a Neve sound such as UAD Neve plugins/ Steinberg UR-RT Series with Rupert Neve Designs Transformers or the recent Neve 88M. Keep up the great work man.

[@kenpachi1114]

Glenn makes this look effortless . Great video!!!

[@TheStrykerProject]

Excellent bits of wisdom in there, Glenn, thank you. These are definitely the vids I love most. Reviews are great, don't get me wrong, but wisdom is gold.

[@mop2884]

This might just be the most useful video on mixing you have done so far. Even I, a humble bass player, learned a ton on the importance of mic placement - be it virtual or physical.

[@Wal-DarkWater]

This was great, thank you for the video, it's informative without being over complicated, in other words I could follow it perfectly. This also sounded great 🤘🏻

[@dceptcn]

Subbed. There is some great manipulation of subtlety here!

[@zenwarfare70]

Great video. Easy to see that you are having an awesome time !

[@Smung]

this is honestly such solid advice, you make me feel confident I could dial in something that sounds good only failing a fraction of the amount I imagined I would. Just by starting with the bass and drums idialing in a tone seems so much more achievable and simplified I cant wait to try this once I'm done with the writing and tracking of my own projects

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Happy to help!

[@oldmanfran5523]

This is such good advice. As part of a self challenge as an intermediate guitar player with no recording gear, I decided to record a cover of my favourite guitar album Siamese Dream, with nothing more than 2 guitars, 1 bass, 1 old Ipad with IOS Garage Band and an iRig 2 interface. "Guitar, please let the bass and drums do their job and you focus on yours. Stop trying to hog the limelight" Even at that absolute rubbish level, this is so helpful. My mixes went from a big messy mush, to still bad but at least audible. Thank you Glenn, keep educating and sometimes even guitar players will learn something

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Happy to help!

[@MrPsycho199]

Dude... you've been working out! Respect! Also, solid video, will reference when I have time to record again!

[@aspiedrummer]

Absolutely loved this episode. Thanks for posting it.

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@francobuzzetti9424]

Gleeeeeeen! it's amazing how many knowledge i absorbed thanks to you over the years! thank you so much! i don't record, i don't mix but i do make music in the daw and i find myself using all thee little tricks all the time

[@IndependenceGuitar]

Thanks Glenn, always appreciate you sharing stuff like this. Doesn’t matter how long someone has done production, there will always be lifetimes of knowledge left to learn.

[@evilwahwah]

Excellent tip! Thank you for sharing this approach. I look forward to trying this technique on the next mix. Love your channel!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Thanks for watching!

[@colebengston3963]

This is about to help me a ton! Thank you!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Happy to help!

[@petergedd9330]

LOve watching your channel Glen, very entertaining always. So took your advice and subbed.

[@pyratoothNL]

This is such a simple thing to do and really more of a mindset thing. It's not about the individual instruments but the sum of the parts and making space for them all. When you explain it and demonstrate it, it makes total sense. Let the drums and bass focus on the low end, leave more space in the rest for guitar and vocals.

[@Rdcg1991]

This has been the most useful video that I have ever watch, on the subject of recording heavy guitars. Thank you Glenn for this amazing content. Unfortunately I can't subscribe again, I've been a follower for several years now. Best regards!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Muzzo93]

This is insanely insightful. Respect for sharing the knowledge, with everyone. 🤘🤘

[@lucasdemaria1024]

Is this the best video ever for home guitar recording or what? I wish I had something like this 20 years ago when I was f*ing things up with my band :)

[@pinkdispatcher]

Interesting, and very simple in principle. If you want something to fit in the mix, listen to it in the mix. Still, as you said, even the simple things are not always obvious. I make a very different kind of music, and my current problem is having the lead synth stand out from the drums, piano, guitar and synth pads. So I will do some sound design, similar to moving the microphone on a guitar amp, while the rest of the mix is going. Cool how things for one genre translate to another. I don't normally listen to metal, but I still love your channel, because I love your honest style, concentrating on what's important, and still constantly learning. Influences from other genres can only improve what we do, anywhere. Thanks, Glen!

[@Maxim_BornDivided]

I thank Jens Bogren for my tone ! Made my life much easier. But I was fortunate enough to learn from peeps like you and Nail The Mix when I started so my mixes were never horrible per say ! Thank you for all the crucial informations about mixing Glenn !

[@ExpatZ266]

Great vid Glenn! This is the kind of info that players need to understand. Sadly it's one that is hard to even notice unless you actually try to record and mix, just playing with ther band mates it won't be obvious. I finally (far too late, I am old) realised this a couple years back as I started carving away on what I thought was an epic sounding guitar with a couple of eq's and compressors to get it to sit with the bass track I had slopped out (still better than most bass players would have done, I can play a stringed instrument AND tune it). Since I use modeller and plugins it's easy to have two presets, one that sounds awesome by itself to demo ideas in solo to band mates and weedle around on by my self and one that sounds like completely buzzy anemic a55 on it's own but rips when the guys are in swing. I switch to the fist one when the band drops out in a few spots to keep it fat for the audience then back again when they kick back in. Never a muddied up a show or mix since I figured that one out. I still suck but at least I sound good sucking.

[@paulpattonmusic]

Awesome! Thank you for doing this. Very informative!

[@switch1e]

Loved this video. It would be cool to see more stuff like this

[@Stagyar-Zil-Doggo]

This is incredible and the timing couldn't be better. I'm using IRs so it's easy to just change the IR (rather than move the mic) and really dial it in against the bass. Thanks for posting this video, Glenn. I'm bookmarking it for reference.

[@brothersonguitar]

Man thanks for your content really good stuff always enjoy your videos

[@Person-uz5lw]

Great tips dude thanks. The new console is so sick.

[@robertsteinberger]

This was helpful, thanks! Also I appreciate you not yelling at me so much.

[@user-eh1vp3ev3c]

I'm glad I had such a focus on home audio setups before I started playing guitar. I already knew the science of acoustics, and how to build speaker systems guided by Thiele/Small parameters. Helped me avoid some of these early hiccups guitar players run into when they start recording.

[@grsfhhytff]

That was a particularly awesome video, Glenn 🤟

[@AllanGildea]

Thank you Glenn, really appreciate your excellent content.

[@boarheadblast]

Great video, Glenn!

[@mrclvgl1361]

tight! I like it. Fascinating that you done it without all the plugin/eq-war :)

[@gavina.miller]

This is one of your best vids yet. Really informative and to the point. Great stuff. Now, with me being a drummer, I'd like to see some drum mic suggestions at various price points. Earthworks kit is great, but the cost is... steep if not vertical (In Australia at time of typing this, the average was $4,562.46 of your Canadian bucks)

[@chrislanesr]

Hey Glen, I've seen a lot of your videos, and gotta say, LOVE the "I did it wrong until I got it right" approach to this. I'm weary of the know-it-all guys and this is fresh, and more importantly an approach that will work for us clowns struggling in our home studios

[@mrnorbotron3308]

And another valuable video of the GOAT! Thank you!!

[@YokRzeznic]

Glad to know that I was kinda doing it right by never soloing the guitar tracks to mix, but I did learn a few extra tricks here, mostly to mix it in the middle first. Glad I watched this. Even with shitty gear, a good mix is a good mix...

[@jimmyr1888]

Great vid man, people don’t realize how valuable this info is.

[@Axisjampa]

Great video Glenn. Yes, we spend years trying to find the gear that Will makes us sound great, but this is quite simple and accurate. Listing to your tone in the context of the song. Guitar player sin, of course, try to listen just the guitar and nothing else.

[@jherman]

Thank you for this video Glenn. You nailed it buddy.

[@omegacanon]

That was so brilliant! I always think of the crazy train example of making the guitar tone in the mix even though solo it sounds scraggly

[@vincentemerald2574]

Great video Glenn!! Easy concepts easy results!

[@LiveToRiff]

Can’t wait to apply this to me recordings, I struggle big time with getting good sound. Thanks dude!!

[@blainetrahan8883]

I hope you read this. You are putting out excellent content. This kind of content is very useful and not just useless rubbish. Thank you sir!!!!

[@Navisworker]

This is such a great video. I think it’s amazing. I did have a hard time following along when you would show your DAW. Not everybody is a Reaper user so it’s sometimes hard to wrap your head around the layout. Granted, most are very similar. Perhaps you could do some fancy zooming in on the tracks you’re trying to show when you show the reaper screen. I really loved the old propellerhead tutorials from the around 2010. They did a really good job with zooming in on stuff when you needed to see it. I think they use screen flow. I think that kind of feature on your videos would go along way. Anyways, this is a great video and can’t wait to see more of them.

[@DaisyHollowBooks]

At 12:57 I stopped paying attention to what you were talking about and got caught up in the performance. I can give no higher compliment than that. Your technique really brings the music to life!!!!

[@SpectreSoundStudios]

I’m not the guitar player in this!

[@DaisyHollowBooks]

@@SpectreSoundStudios What I meant to say was that your production is so good. Even though you were demonstrating the production technique, I just lost track of that and took in the music. You've really accomplished something amazing here!

[@gatecreeper7930]

Definitely for me, taking a break makes all the difference. Songs I’ve written and hammered through recording without taking those little breaks aren’t my best work. Many people disagree with the break theory because they’re stubborn. Thanx glen

[@GRINNERMETAL]

Amazing video dude! Can’t wait to go play with the mix I’m currently messing with. Sadly my amp is in the room with me as I don’t have the space so I’ve to adjust something, reamp, then listen back, might just take me a little longer.

[@MrGuitarist9891]

Terrific content Glen! Hope you will do more educational videos on your channel.

[@ThomasFrank93]

Glenn thank you for the amazing video!!

[@babblfish8038]

nice to see your chanel grow as your mixing skills ... very nice .. keep going .. buy the way nice sound !

[@WillCMAG]

That console has brought some fire to your presentations.

[@RyanHarris77]

And justice for all is unironically my favorite metallica album. The overall sound is kind of hypnotic. I would fall asleep listening it to on repeat. The mix is so heavily processed that the channels momentarily mono sum on certain songs. I wouldn’t say the guitar tone shreds, but it feels like it’s in a distant dream, or there’s something between you and the speaker. Not muffled, just dreamlike; loud while feeling quiet.

[@anvil777]

Great video Glenn

[@XanderPhillips]

You’ve really helped me out, thank you!

[@EconID]

Haha yup, nailed it with the fire analogy. I was fascinated by your remote controlled mic.