Also, this is not such a statement about mixing, EQ or volume/lack thereof.
But you might want to check out the demo for Camelspace as a mixer effect. It can give you a lot of inspiration with regard to EQ variations, panning, gating etc that can really make a difference. I'm probably the worst in the world to forget how important something as simple as panning is to the overall impact of the mix to the listener, I get too caught up in sound design to think about it but things like that are part of what makes it sound alive and make the listener remember it even if subconsciously.
If you've ever heard Alchemy by Camel Audio (high end softsynth), I swear I think the Camelspace mixer effects are the magic behind much of it, and the plug in itself is a lot cheaper than Alchemy.
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