Just some of my own fundamental mixing tactics that I had placed in the designated "Mixing" section earlier, which I was advised might fit well here too since I had written it out anyway.

My "Elementary" Mixing Tip:

Here's my simple approach to limit the risk of that cumbersome "this part is too loud" issue we all face at some point, starting with this fundamental statement:
Asking "How high (or much) is too high?" is asking the wrong question!
Instead, ask "How high is high enough?" and you'll have a much more successful strategy on your hands.
Think of it like any time you've had to calibrate a monitor, or a video game. Those instructions always apply the "Bring it all the way DOWN and slowly turn it up until.." kind of scheme, don't they? And this approach is just as helpful when it comes to sound. When you apply this method, you might even be surprised how little you often need to raise a level of things to get to the desired spot.
And of course the properties of the sound can make all the difference in this respect, pitch & (especially) frequency and all that. A mid-range sax can sound louder on your system than the bass in spite of what the numbers read. So going by the digits or graphics on your mixer screen is absolutely never the reliable way. Always let the ear be your master and final judge, not your eyes!

I realise that all this is very basic & general (hence the term "Elementary" at the top), but adopting this simple approach has served me well for a very long time cool

There's only one thing to do in crisis like this - Sleep on it!
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BBox 2022 Audiophile, Mac Pro Intel, OSX 10.6.8, 800x600 (TV VGA)