Here's a good way to FORCE yourself to mix tunes correctly. Stick with this method, and soon you'll be dialing in killer mixes in no time:

First: Strip all the compression, EQ, everything from all your tracks and get back to ground zero.

NOW.... 1) Mute everything.

2) Unmute vocal and crank it to a good hot level. Leave yourself a little headroom.

3) Unmute kick drum. Get a good mix with Kick and Vocal.

4) Unmute bass. Blend it in with the Kick/Vocal mix you just did.

5) Unmute snare. Blend it in... You've got all the MONO information covered by now. All of these instruments generally share the center of the mix, and you want to make sure EVERYTHING is heard and mixed to perfection before going on. Start adding envelopes where things disappear from the mix or get too hot--don't use any compression yet. Get a good balance with the envelopes on literally every note of the mix before proceeding. You should have a super-punchy sound on these instruments when you've gotten it right. Now....

6) Unmute rest of drum kit. Blend...and make sure you pan things to interesting locations, either imitating the natural soundstage or some fantasy layout. It doesn't matter, just create an interesting space and keep the center of the mix uncluttered from here on out.

7) Unmute instrumental lead lines and hooks...ditto

8) Unmute background vocals

9) Unmute instrumental "comping" and rhythm guitar

10) Unmute instrumental pads.

By this time, you should have a killer mix. If the vocals are covered, start muting tracks backwards down the list until your mix sounds good again. Now add them again, paying closer attention to the balance. Notice what makes the balance "go bad" and either dump that element, take the volume way down, or do some corrective EQ to get it in the mix. Hopefully by the second time everything is added in, the tune is well balanced.

Now it's time to start dealing with the subjective issues like compression and eq. Use compression to get sustain and intimacy--NOT to correct unevenness of volume. That's why we took all the time after step 5 to get the bones of the tune perfectly mixed. Now you can use your compressors for musical effect instead of technical corrections. This should get you well on your way.

-- Bruce A. Richardson Purple Iguana Productions