Bingo ! You told everything that is currently freaking me out, since i've started to rework the track, i'm really struggling to get my template to sound closer to Audiomachine's trailers and i can't figure out what is right to do EQ wise with the orchestra (strings mainly CSS, Brass CineBrass). I know that it should be processed by a good amount (it already was for this track, eq ed and saturated and compressed ad nauseum), but that frequency curve on these already released trailer tracks by Audiomachine and others has been haunting me night and day ever since, following mr Crosby post. Anyone have any clue on what Eq and processing would be suitable ?
I've had time to give this a proper listen and compare your latest version to some of AM's references here's what I notice...
EQ-wise...
You have a little bit too much high end above 10k. The high end would work in a track with some risers and noise fx, but without those elements in there you might want to tame the top end above 10k bit. probably just a few dB, and instead of using a LP try a shelf (non-resonant).
There's also a lot of low ringing and/or buildup between 70 and 150 Hz. Sounds like it's a combination of percussion and maybe some synth bass?
Seems like there's a little boxiness around 500-600 Hz. It's mainly the choirs, and or a combination of choirs and voice. Choirs can mask your orchestra, and if you're going for that polished/AM-style sound they tend need some fairly aggressive EQing. Get your orchestra mix sounding really great 1st, then when you add choirs ask yourself it feels like it's fogging up the mix. Start sweeping around 400 and see where it starts to sound really boxy or harsh. It could be boxiness around 500, it could be harshness around 1k or 2k. Choir libraries all have their own quirks, and unless your going for a classical mix you'll probably find yourself needing to be fairly aggressive...
Lux has some great overall advice, that said the one place we differ is the sub. Hopefully this doesn't come across as snippy or snide! Boosting 6 dB (or more) is when a mastering engineer
should recommend you fix the mix instead of mastering it as is... With a library this isn't even a question. They simply wouldn't accept it until the mix was sorted out.
One of the libraries I write for has all of their mastering done out of house. Their facility is mastering hundreds of files at a time. Their releases are done as albums, each album has anywhere form 15-50 tracks. Each track also has cut downs, and anywhere from of 8 stems to 12 stems per track.... All of which get mastered... Their albums average 300-400 mastered tracks at a time, a mastering facility doing this kind of volume doesn't have time to do surgical work. (Proper mastering engineers also tend and avoid this scenario in general... It's basically treating a knife wound with a band aid..)
I digress!! ... You're missing a bunch of sub weight below 50 Hz. With a trailer track this is where all of the excitement is, the visceral intensity of the music lives in the sub... It's what makes the booms and bass drops shake your trousers
A really killer theatre has incredible sub bass, and it's super important to get this area of the mix right. Checking what's going on in the sub with analyzer can make all the difference, especially if you have a hard time working with low end in your room, and/or your headphones have hyped or rolled off low end... I have a great room but I still check to see where things sit... A bunch of rumble at 30 Hz you might not be able to hear can ruin a track from mastering correctly....
Last thing... Seems like there's a some low mid rumble around 200. Acoustic percussion can get get muddy in this area, especially if layering. (There was also a hole in your mix around here... Maybe you cut too much in other instruments instead of the percussion? Not sure...) Either way it's generally a good idea to see what's going on in the low mids with percussion libraries.
Percussion fills the entire spectrum, it has long tails, and when you mix different libraries from different spaces, all of the acoustic issues baked into those reverb tails compounds... I generally check anywhere between 100 and 300. I'll also see if there's any boxiness between 400 and 600. (Lower mids are where most of the issues tend to be...) You don't need to go nuts, but at the same time don't be surprised if every once in a while you find that cutting as much as 6 dB somewhere in the low mid of one or more of your percussion tracks suddenly opens up the mix.
Take all of this with a grain of salt. Not everything needs EQ. The frequency ranges are a ball park, and arrangement and level are the foundation of any mix... Key also plays a
big role - different rooms have different modes and resonate at different keys and harmonics...
You'd be surprised just how much of that "produced"/"processed" sound comes mainly from careful EQ choices...
Level wise...
The percussion seems a bit shy. I bet once you clean up some low mud in your percussion you'll find you can push it up in the mix and it doesn't step on the other instruments...
You might want to check Alex Pfeffer's YT channel. He's a great example of just someone who gets a massive sound with a lot less processing than you'd think...
This should give you a great jump off point...