Lower gain, bigger wall.

More gain feels heavier when you play. In a mix it often does the opposite.

Why gain can make it smaller

Distortion is compression. The more gain, the more the dynamics are flattened before the signal reaches your mix, so pick attack blurs and palm mutes lose their edges. A very distorted guitar also fills the top end with fizz that fights the cymbals and the vocal.

Back off, then double

Turn the gain down until the pick attack reads clearly. Then let the double-tracked guitars build the density. Two real takes panned left and right are where the width comes from: we measured it.

Judge it with the band playing

Solo lies. The gain that sounds huge alone often turns fizzy once the drums and bass are in. Set it with the whole mix running. A starting point, not our measurement: the right amount depends on the amp, the riff and the tuning.

All 48 Mix Notes   Next: De-ess before you add air.