I'm not sure your very first question "Is it 'better' to mix all the instruments at the same level (90)? " has been addressed. That question in and of itself needs a pretty deep answer.

Think of the mix like a recipe - the bass is the sugar, the rhythm guitar is the milk, drums the salt, horns the flour, etc.

Would you EVER make a concoction when you mix together 1 cup of everything?

No way.

Same is true for a mix for a single song. Forget about song to song levels for now, your question is more fundamentally related to mixing a single song. Your ears are the judge as to the amounts.

Take your favorite recorded song. Listen to it critically. Do all of the instruments sound like they are at the same level? It's very unlikely that they are. Break down the song and write out some notes on levels AND panning. Actually write them down. Now, make a simple song with just 4-6 tracks in a similar style and adjust the levels and panning to match your favorite. You will find that the levels are not the same for each track.

Mixing is not necessarily an art, but it's also not easy to nail down straight out of the gate by attempting something like mixing all instruments at an equivalent level. Go ahead and try starting there, but as Mac points out, you really need to formulate a list of reference recordings for yourself.

I learned live sound mixing back in the 80's for a 60 voice choir and sometimes a simple stereo backing track, sometimes a 10-15 piece band, in school gyms and churches and even the Pontiac Silverdome.

Every mix was different and we started by 'zeroing the board' each and every time. All channel gains and EQ set to zero to start off. Setting channel gains was pretty common for most of the venues (which were usually roughly 200 seat churches), but fader and EQ were different each gig for sure.

Do you have an opportunity to learn live mixing? I can vouch that it's a great place to start. If you regularly attend a house of worship of some type, there are always opportunities there. Take advantage of them - learn while helping get the service done each week.

Last edited by rockstar_not; 04/02/14 06:37 AM.
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