Mixing is the process of taking all the tracks and blend them in a way that is sounds good to your ears. Mixing is extremely time consuming. I usually do all of my mixing after all of my main tracks are recorded.
I go through each track and listen for any flaws, noises, bad notes, pitch problems. I clean up each track so that all of the tracks are cleaned of any unwanted stuff (noises, breathing, string scratch, etc). I then listen to the tracks as a whole and correct any other issues such as timing.
I then place all of the tracks in the soundfield taking into account position in the stereo field and overall volume level. I usually build my mix by starting with drums, bass and lead vocal. Then I try and fit all other tracks in to the soundfield, without sounding too crowded.
The next thing I focus on is EQ, tone and effects. One hundred people could mix the same song one hundred different ways. I mix it to what sounds good to my ears, and I make sure that my end results are songs that sound like they were meant to be together. I try to focus on hearing all of the instruments and make sure there is not too much bass or too much treble. I will also pay close attention that my effects are not too distracting.
The final process is getting all of my faders automated. I mix down to a CD and I listen to the songs on a variety of systems to ensure best possible sound. I usually will find things I need to fix when listening on several systems. I usually go back and fix what I don't like.
Repeat mixing, until you are happy.
I agree with everything you
I agree with everything you posted, though it always is the fixing that kills me. I have had a song recorded for about a year and am still tweakingit. It seems to sound great on everything but my PA system, where it sounds unlike commercial recordings. If you listen to it in the car, or anywhere else, it sounds great. I have played with the EQ settings on my PA board, but havent been able to solve the problem.
Any suggestions on panning?