This is my version of "Orion". I mixed it using Reaper and mastered it using T-Racks CS. This is part of my "Burton of Puppets" project, I'm actually uploading all Burton songs I can find in mogg format, that way I can mix the bass as loud as I want to.
This sounds as if Metallica were a power trio, so whenever Kirk plays a guitar solo, Cliff is the only one providing foundation, rhythm and harmony to the song. This actually turns James into a lead singer only type of role, and I love James but I think that with this type of line-up, Cliff's work can really shine and stand out in the mix.
If you add a rhythm guitar, things get cluttered and the bass disappears. And my goal here is for us to hear every single note Cliff is playing. So the volumes are all switched. When we hear guitars on a record, they're always much louder than the bass, and this is our revenge! Here the bass is the star!! And Cliff deserves that, his arrangements are simply beautiful and shouldn't be buried in the mixdown, so please listen to it as many times as you want and promote it away.
How as able to do that? I had access to the original isolated tracks, so that way I felt free to mix them and highlight the sections I thought were richer to the whole project. That meant cutting off some of James' guitar parts during Kirk's solos, and leaving Lars out of the spotlight cause he mixes his drums super duper loud since he's the leader of the band. That way, Cliff's bass line came to life and the song sounds amazing!