Reply To: Approach to featuring different instruments in the mix using volume automation

[Mike WaldronParticipant]

Don't forget your pan automation. Sometimes panning something away from another track in a similar frequency range (as well as slight volume change) can give you the space to make everything heard.
If, for example, a lead guitar was being masked - try moving the masking tracks out of the way whilst the lead is playing, then move them back afterwards.
Sometimes it really works, depends on the arrangement.