Thinking Like an Orchestra

Most musicians really underestimate the importance of arrangement. Arrangement, put simply, is the art of deciding which instruments play what parts in which octaves. An orchestra is, in part, put together the way it is to aid the arrangement process. You have many instruments involved, but each has its own specific frequency range, so that, when used properly, they're never stepping on each other and muddying things up.

This may seem obvious, but it's only been in recent years that I've really even thought about the arrangement process. I guess some of it can be instinctual, as I think most musicians figure some of this out on their own, but if you pay close attention to creating your synth parts each in their own frequency range/octaves you'll find you can instantly fit more parts into a song without it sounding crowded or muddy - even without extensive EQ.

Don't just think in terms of the octave a particular part is playing in, either. Take into account the frequency content of the synth sound itself. If you've got a nice deep bassline, some drums, and a high, trebly string part, try making the next part you add a sound that is more biased towards the mid range. The key here is to get the balance right. Be conscious of what each instrument part you add brings to the party, and EQ accordingly. That high string part doesn't need any of the stray bass frequencies that it undoubtedly has a bit of. Nor does that bass need much of anything that happens in the super high frequencies. So use EQ to filter those unneeded bits out. Proper use of EQ and prior thought to the frequency range each of your parts contributes to the overall mix will tighten up your mixes like you wouldn't believe. It's not something you'll pick up overnight, but concentrate on that aspect of your mixes and I promise you they will start sounding better.*

*Not a promise.