I want to be able to hear a left or right pan, and individual track volumes for a nice mix before to hit record(without compromising level). After recording I can pan and obviously adjust the track volume. But not before recording. Is is something to live with until track is recorded, or is there a way to hear the pan and track volume before recording? Right now the track I'm ready to arm is at one volume set by the input level, and I can't pan left or right. 

What interface are you using?
It might allow you to set this up the way you are describing, depending on your interface and level of mixing ability inside the interface software.