Mixing Questions

The common method is to mix to stereo.  That is your mix.  Then run that through your mastering stuff to get, well, a master, or finished file (back in the tape days you had to top and tail, etc.)  Some people do run a mix through a buss comp/limiter while they mix, so it depends.  Upon the person and the song.  I usually don't use a comp on the whole mix, but for most of the stuff I master at home I usually check it several times w/ mastering, burning a CD to listen elsewhere.  If you don't know how a compression/limiting on the master affects the sound, it is worthwhile to try a comp bus until you do.
 
It shouldn't matter, but I wouldn't want red on my master bus.  Tracks and other busses it doesn't matter.
 
Gainstaging is like much else in music production, there are ideas but not fast rules.  Basically, you want a nice strong signal that doesn't overload the next thing downstream.  0 on a mixer is 0 dB, or unity, not silent.  It is best if everything is set as close to unity as possible.
 
Sound on Sound has a lot of great articles that include gainstaging in them.  I would start reading those back articles.  And then it is just practice until good levels become 2nd nature.
 
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Thanks fellas, much appreciated!

The thing about doing it all in Sonar is you don't have to mix down to two tracks first (you leave yourself lots of room to get it how you want!), you get to "master" it in the Master buss, or do the NYC parallel compression thing there. I believe it was Michael Brauer who set his vocals on one buss and the rhythm section on another and compressed/limited them separately, then blended them in the master buss (with maybe a  final limiter there). I'll try to find that... Craig Anderton has certainly written and video'd that approach. There's a 7 part CW tutorial here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rBieaGA2js
 
The simple rule of thumb for gain staging would be, Master buss at 0db, with sub group/busses lower yet, and individual channels/tracks lower than that......more or less.
You'd put your master buss compressor/limiter on, or use a compressor and then a brickwall limiter.
This is a nice multipart overview workshop video from Bobby Owsinski, even though it's with T-Racks, the theory is the same.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sq2trw-FUVA
 
Is that what you're trying to work out?
Michael

bassman999
Here is a link to Sound On Sound's guide to gainstaging:
 http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/sep13/articles/level-headed.htm
 

excellent link.
 
this should be the bible for anyone new to digital mixing.
 

heheh,
penti,
i'm not so sure!!
 
LOL
 
funny thing,
i'm in the middle of final mixing 6 of the 10 new songs i've got,
and one song in particular, 
i have painted myself into a corner with 'too hot' fader levels,
having to bring all my sub faders down,
and i believe i'm going to have to scratch it all, and start over.
 
 
 
 
set those levels right to start with!!!
 
and that means,
use that snare (or whatever you have peaking the most) and keep that peak so it's not going over about -12, 
and bring everything else down around it, 
and keep those sub bus faders all the way up to zero!!
 
 
LOL again....
 
i know this, i know this, and yet i still shoot myself in the foot.
 

It is all an education - and there is no end to it.  Either that, or your stuff never gets better while everyone else does.
 
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Not to go off topic, Randy, but..... I used to gig at the Billy The Kid Saloon(Holiday Inn?) in Las Cruces in the mid '80s with Ronnie Eden & Rt 66. You're welcome and thanks for the flashback! LOL
Michael

Actually, it was in a very large Holiday Inn there. Thanks! Will be sure to look you up, if we come that way.

There's also the iZotope guide to mixing and mastering. I'm not sure exactly what it's currently called as its recently had a big update.

It's considered a primer on both of these topics and seeing that you use oZone it's even more relevant. Ch ck out the iZotope website.

I have read/recommended this iZotope one on Mastering
https://www.izotope.com/en/community/blog/tips-tutorials/2014/06/learning-audio-mastering-through-presets-part-1/
...but I hadn't checked out their blog and there are tons of them, if you keep "load(ing)more" at the bottom of the page.
You guys are talking about this downloadable one? (probably)
https://www.izotope.com/en/community/blog/tips-tutorials/2014/03/new-free-mixing-guide-now-available/
 
I've wanted to check out the differences between Rx4 and Advanced, so I am glad of the reminder of iZotope's blog.
Thanks!
Michael