tonistry.

Sound

Separation

Also called instrument separation

Separation is how clearly individual instruments and voices stay distinct when they play at once. Poor separation turns a busy chorus into a wall of sound; good separation lets you follow one part through it.

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Separation is whether instruments playing at once stay distinct. Poorly separated, voice, guitar and drums overlap into one wall of sound; well separated, each keeps its own space and can be followed through the mix.

Separation depends on low distortion, control in the bass so it does not mask the mids, and a tuning that does not pile energy into one region. Dense rock and big-band recordings show it quickly.

It is related to Imaging, which is about where each sound sits, and to Resolution, which is about how much detail is heard. A product can image well and still smear instruments that share the same space.

Related terms